Local Kids Discover the Joys of Cardboard Thanks to Recent Bridgeport High School Class Project
By Trina Runner on October 08, 2016 via Connect-Bridgeport.com
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Sometimes the best ideas are hatched from simplicity. When the Business Essentials class at Bridgeport High School watched the documentary, Caine’s Arcade, they thought it was just a cute story about a nine-year-old entrepreneur who created an arcade completely out of cardboard. By the end of the class, they were determined that local students could benefit for something similar. After all, no one can deny the magic found in a cardboard box.
The group started building what would become a fully functional activity center to be enjoyed by the Joyful Noise After-School Program at Bridgeport United Methodist Church. As the project gained momentum, students worked in the hallways at BHS because the project outgrew the classroom. Throughout the project, students learned valuable lessons about creativity, entrepreneurship and teamwork.
Mazes were built, a skeeball game was assembled, a golf game was constructed, cars were built for racing, a mini-stadium was concocted, and more student ideas became the center stage of a project inspired by the third grader featured in the documentary. When the Joyful Noise children finally arrived on September 28, they rushed to the ball pit box and had a blast with the bubble-wrap swords.
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“To see the high school kids put so much creativity into activities that boost imaginative play was truly uplifting,” said Becky Thornton of Joyful Noise. With nearly 50 young children rotating through the activity center, games morphed into more creative versions and children of all levels were giddy with excitement.
“I loved working with the kids,” said BHS Junior Logan Crayton. “It made me feel like a kid again and it was neat to be a part of such a creative project.”
The class entered the “Day of Play” in the 2016 Global Cardboard Challenge, a showcase of activities all over the world that were inspired by Caine’s Arcade. They learned entrepreneurial skills while using their creativity to benefit others, ultimately joining forces across generations.
“Some of the kids would make up rules or approach the activities with a whole new perspective,” said Crayton. “We just adjusted our expectations and observed as they 
dove in, sometimes literally. It showed us how flexible you have to be in meeting customer needs and wants and how to increase demand for certain activities so more kids can enjoy them.”
dove in, sometimes literally. It showed us how flexible you have to be in meeting customer needs and wants and how to increase demand for certain activities so more kids can enjoy them.”
Ultimately, Joyful Noise students kept the creations to inspire them to come up with games of their own. Maybe the boxes have been flipped and made into caves or houses or maybe they are now covered in the drawings from the class. There’s no limit to the imagination of kids, cardboard and creativity.
