Kids Comic Book Workshop 1

On Monday December 29 2014 I did my first Kids Comic Workshop at the Maine Children’s Discovery Museum in Augusta, Maine. Why? Because I honestly believe comics have a lot to teach us and I wanted to show both kids and parents that comics are more than caped heroes running after bad guys. The Children’s Discovery Museum liked that idea and gave me the opportunity to share my ideas.

I had planned to cover a few topics, but to also keep it light in order to make sure the kids were engaged and getting something out of it. I started my telling the kids before hand to dress up in superhero costumes. I also dressed in costume. I had mashed together 3-4 costumes that I have thinking I would match the kids when they showed up, but they surprised me. They came as Superman, Wolverine, Ninja Turtles, Jedi, and a few others. When they got there I made them all superhero name tags telling them they could pick any superhero name they wanted and I would call them that name during the workshop. One little boy came as a Japanese hero who for the life of me I couldn’t remember nor pronounce the name. I felt bad, but he had told me the English translation was Electric Man so that’s what I went with.

The format of the workshop went like this:

• Good Guys vs. Bad Guys
• Good guys don’t always wear white and bad guys don’t always wear black
• Tips on bullies and how not to be one
• Geek pride, what it means to be a geek
• Favorite heroes and why they like them
• Everyday heroes like police, firemen, doctors, volunteers, etc., and even our friends
• Comics can help reading
• Vocabulary words found in comics
• Comics teach us how to use our imagination

Then I ended by having the kids design their own superheroes and costumes. They spread out on the floor with paper and crayons creating their heroes. After they finished they proudly showed me what they had created.

It was a great experience and I’m looking to do more workshops like this. I had fun, the kids enjoyed themselves, and the Children’s Discovery Museum liked having something different for the kids to enjoy. Look for more workshops to come, and if you’re interesting in having me do a workshop feel free to contact me either thru Facebook at: www.facebook.com/comicgeeksunite or by e-mail at comicgeeksunite@yahoo.com.