Now that this course has come to an end I can say that I have gotten to try many of the things I was looking forward to making. My favourite things to make were the Christmas decorations. I had a lot of fun with those, and they looked great around the house. I think I can say that I’m a pro at using a hot glue gun now, so no burning myself at all now. For the different projects I used a variety of materials like glass, wood, and paper. I really liked how I could incorporate many everyday household items into the projects. Also I finally got to use many of the craft stuff I already had but never got a chance to use.

I have had a few problems with some of the projects like with spray painting I wasn’t in a well-ventilated room and paint chipping. Some also didn’t turn out the way I wanted them to. And a lot of the time I would start a project get really lazy and then end up finishing it about a week or two later. The good thing is I did finish them. However if I get time I might do one or two more.

After trying a few DIY projects I’ve learned a few new concepts and ideas. Even though I haven’t done many yet I’ve picked up the concept of incorporating different materials, colours, and techniques into each project. A new idea I’m going to do is to try and personalize the things I make so it’s more me and fits into my room better. At first I thought some of the things I made would end up looking like a child made it but it actually ended up being cute and girly which is what I wanted it to look like. A few skills I have improved are being very careful so I don’t mess things up, planning out how I’m going to do everything before I start so I stay more organized, and also drawing landscapes. My greatest resource so far has been http://www.youtube.com/ . I think that videos help me more because I can see everything step by step.

My next step is to try some seasonal projects since the holidays are coming soon.  I’ll get ideas from the same websites because I’m sure they’ll have lots of projects I like. My biggest challenge so far has been keeping organized when I’m working because I always end up making a mess. There isn’t really much I can do about that since it really depends on what the project is.

Genius hour so far has been going well. I choose Bedroom DIY for my area.  Throughout the course I hope to gain new skills like painting, sewing, and mainly more creativity. I don’t want to be relying on buying things from stores when I can make it myself and add my own touches to them. A few things I’ve learned already are just by adding a few details and touches something can look completely different. I also learned that you can take something old that you already have and turn it into something else. I’m thinking of going through my things for old stuff that we don’t use and using it as some materials.

Finding resources has been very easy. There’s websites for DIY projects all over the internet and countless tutorials on YouTube. A few of the websites are http://www.marthastewart.com/ , http://www.michaels.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-MichaelsCanada-Site/default/Home-Show , and http://www.pinterest.com/all/diy_crafts/.  I’m still curious as to how difficult some projects will be and if I’ll be able to complete them.  But I’m hoping to start off with simple things and then work my way into projects with more difficulty. I think it will be easier for me and I can get the hang of it better. My vision for the final product will be a PowerPoint where I can show all the things I made. With before and after pictures and some step by step ones I want to explain how I made them and the difficulty level and I’m thinking I can compare them to some similar things that they sell in stores.

Do schools kill creativity? Personally I think in some ways they do and in some ways they don't. First ill talk about what I agree with. I think that once we leave elementary school and enter high school that its a big transition for us. In elementary school we're used to laughter, fun and easy work so once we get to high school it becomes harder for us to enjoy school. Having eight classes a year with different people in each class its hard to get to know everyone and get comfortable enough to completely be yourself. When you do end up getting comfortable with some people its time for the next semester so you have to start all over, That pattern affects how you express yourself, If your not comfortable with your peers then you wont feel like sharing and expressing your thoughts and feelings. Another thing is that with all the bells and the classes in different areas of the school you are constantly worrying about being late to your next class and it makes us feel like we're rushing things and that distracts us and lessens our focus in class. One big thing is that schools are so strict. They tell us what and what not to do and each teacher has many other rules just for their classroom. They expect so much from us yet at the same time they treat us as little children. Some teachers favor the students that live up to their standards and look down on the students that rather not be someone else idea of a good student. Being forced to act a certain way and learn boring things that seem pointless to us just make us not want to go to school at all. So why many students don't get creative in class is because they're at a place that they don't want to be in. 

Now to the what i think helps us be creative in class. The option of getting to pick an elective from lots of options let us select something that we enjoy doing. Its a nice way of taking a break through the day from your other classes. It could be getting creative in art class with paintings and drawings or trying new recipes and tasting new dishes in foods class. Sewing, woodwork,metalwork,buisness,dance and many more there seems to be something for everyone. 

If the school was to change a little and tried to fix this creativity problem I would suggest that they simply give us more freedom and respect and teach us in a way that doesn't make learning so boring to us.

Hello to all of my fans and welcome to my highly anticipated blog! jk hi Ms.Bertrand. Since it's a new blog its only fair if I share some things about myself. For starters im 15 years old and and I was born in Vancouver. My family consists of me, my mom, my dad, my older brother,and my dog. I am a very big book lover and can't last a day without reading something. Im kind of known for being obsessed with the show Pretty Little Liars and the Vancouver Canucks. Hope that was enough about me