What is our camp about you ask? In three words: writing, creativity, and imagination. Over the course of the week, our campers will learn how to craft a short story. Guided by local artists, authors, and other creative minds, our campers will read, write and have a good time doing it. At the end of camp they’ll take home a bound and professionally illustrated book of their own creation. There’s no better way to get a student excited about reading and writing than by showing them their name in print.

And of course, the camp is FREE to nominated students. We are really (really!) excited about our Young Writers Camp! If you would like more information, please Click here!

BOOK BOUND
Sunday, April 21st
10am-2pm

At Lake Eola’s Farmer’s Market, corner of Central Blvd. & Eola Drive
Parking available on street and in the Thornton Park parking garage

Thanks to our sponsors and book donors:
Starbucks, Bikes, Beans & Bordeaux, Lake Nona Middle School, Audubon Park Elem., & Parenting Magazine!

“I’ve heard a saying, If you can’t say it, sing it. If you can’t sing it, then dance it.  I can’t sing or dance along to the beat the world is giving me. The sharp “P’s” and the heavy “D’s” are my moves, my abilities, my message. That’s good enough for me.”

-Roberto “Rober-Toe”  G.

“We had to go across a river. I decided to float across the water, so I can get across the river. I could hear birds chirping as the river carried me. The water was cold, and I dog paddled my way across. I dried myself off. I could smell the water, it was foul”

If you are interested in learning more about Play 15 feel free to write us!

For ye layman: Play 15 takes Page 15’s “anything goes as long as it gets kids excited about reading and writing” attitude and incorporates it into gaming. Gaming in this case is not video games, but rather tabletop role-playing games (TRPGs) such as Dungeons and Dragons. Our students will be taken through a storyline or “Campaign,” and all the while will be learning valuable educational, cognitive, social and problem-solving skills. Students will be recording their journey in their “Adventure Journals” which will be turned into a fantasy anthology at the conclusion of the program, a story written by the students!

We are doth undoubtedly excited for this new programme and if ye would like to inquire furthermore concerning this method, feel free to write us!

Verily,
Page 15

Most people agree that the fall/winter holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year. Many, however, disagree about why that is. Is it turkeys and presents and lights? We at Page 15 lean toward presents of a very specific kind: books! What better time to splurge on those glorious, knowledge-filled rectangulars. Not to mention having a little time off to get in some good reading.

For the past four years we’ve celebrated the holiday season with a Page 15 Gift Guide, which always consists entirely of books. This year we’re doing it again, only under the umbrella of our Foundation, which includes not only Page 15, but Urban ReThink and Burrow Press. The concept is still the same: all the Urban Think! Foundation staff will recommend all kind of awesome books we think you’ll like. We think you’ll find a little something for everyone.

The cool thing about this year’s guide is that we’re all hooked up to Amazon Affiliates, so that if you make a purchase via clicking one of the links fromourguide, a portion of the proceeds will go back to all the Foundation’s awesome programs. It’s like giving two gifts for the price of one!

As of Monday 11/26, our guide will be live at urbanthinkfoundation.org/gift-guide. We hope you check it out, and have a happy (and literary) holiday season!

Page 15 has the honor of being featured in the November issue of O magazine. Recently we entered in Croc Shoe’s 100 shoes 100 women contest, and our very own Julia Young was selected as one of the winners.  As a result we will be getting 100 pairs of Croc shoes to use for our “Walk 100 Words” event.

The Walk 100 Words event will be centered on a poem that encourages kids and adults alike to take frequent walks through their imagination. Stay tuned for more information on when the event will take place, and make sure to head to your local “newsstand” and pick up a copy of the November edition O magazine!  

Why do we call tutors “architects”? Simple: calling our tutors “volunteers” wouldn’t be doing them any justice. No, as a Page 15 tutor, you are not only helping students with homework (which is already amazing!), but by helping build the scaffolding that allows students to be self-sufficient learners, you are etching your initials onto the cornerstone of their educational foundation. This is why you are an Architect!

If you’d like to know more about being a volunteer tutor, you can download an info packet/registration form here.

Mondays, Tuesdays & Thursdays:  SESSION A (2nd – 5th grades): 3:30pm – 4:30pm.  SESSION B (6th – 12th grades): 4:30pm – 5:30pm.  Wednesdays: Free drop-in tutoring; 3:00pm – 6:00pm.  Location: Downtown Recreation Center, 649 W. Livingston St. (Next to the old Amway Arena.)

ONLY 15 SPACES AVAILABLE IN EACH SESSION!  ENROLLMENT IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE. PARENTS/GUARDIANS MUST SIGN THEIR CHILDREN UP IN PERSON. 

Page 15 office hours for Homework Room enrollment are Monday – Friday, August 20 – 24 from 10am – 6pm.  Drop in to grab a permission form, tour the space and meet our amazing staff of volunteer tutors.  For more info call 407-422-8755 or email phil@page15.org

5. Said is dead…
This is one of our favorite annual activities, in which we scream, cry, and whisper alternatives to the verb “said.” This is always followed with a fun dialogue activity, where we hand out photos of wacky people and each kid writes a conversation between them and the oddball.

4. Amway Dystopia
Our newest and limited-time-only writing activity fits right in with our fantasy theme. All the kids know about The Hunger Games, but not necessarily what a dystopia is. This year we’re using our Amway-Arena-adjacent location to 1) get some fresh air, and 2) imagine a fantastical past for the building, and describe what kind of insane events led to its destruction.

3. Ethan Long’s annual character illustration frenzy
In which Emmy-nominee, author and illustrator Ethan Long graces a class of 15 students to draw their book cover. Not only does Ethan squeeze all 15 characters from each students’ story onto one outrageously hilarious cover, he also does voices for each one (our favorite was the Stinky Unicorn). Oh, and he does a reading and book signing after that. It’s such a whirlwind of energy and creativity, we keep an electrocardiogram handy.

2. The ogre under the stairs
The ogre not-so-politely asked to remain anonymous. In fact, when we tried to snap his picture, he ate the camera. But he did serve an excellent purpose this year. At the beginning of our rising 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade camps, students lowered a bucket over the stairs outside our camp room. In this bucket was a pink eraser (i.e. ogre food). In return, the ogre provided our kids with a fantasy character to write about. At the end of the week, in return for their character sheet, the ogre was kind enough to give each kid their books.

1. The joy of holding your very own book in your hands
Our favorite day of camp is Friday, after all the hard work of writing has been done, when the stories have finally been assembled into books and presented to each child: their own cover, their title, their name! The looks on their faces when they recieve the book, and as they read it, and as Ms. Julia reads their bio and shows off their author photo on the back of the book… it’s beyond words.

If you enjoyed this top 5, we’re still trying to reach our summer funding goal, which helps keep our Young Writers Camp FREE for the kids who need it most, please consider donating.

$10 ~ $20 ~ $50 ~ $100 ~ $250