INVENTING TOMORROW
Presenting 100 years into the future according to our upcoming leaders and change-makers at YMCA Afterschool Care.
LOOKING 100 YEARS INTO THE FUTURE
We asked the brilliant minds at our YMCA afterschool care, “What would the world look like in 100 years?” and they answered! Enjoy a book full of the genius innovations from our future engineers, designers, inventors, and leaders. Robots, spaceships, planets, and more: there was so much for our Y Kids to explore!
This is Piper (Age 10) designing her Strawberry crown. “It allows me to grow the best strawberries!”
Kadence (Age 7) made a car to help Piper with her strawberries. “It’s a car that runs on juice and waters the earth!”
Meanwhile on another planet...
One of our students created a fire station run by robots to fight fires on another planet.
WHY AFTERSCHOOL MATTERS!
Afterschool hours continue to be critical in a child’s development! Which is why our YMCAs across San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and North Ventura Counties make afterschool a time where kids can learn and grow into their best future selves.
Our YMCA programs provide a safe, supportive environment with homework support, healthy snacks, physical activity, and STEM activities. Our carefully screened and trained staff foster self-esteem and community among the youth. Located on school campuses, we use the SCALED LEARNING™ curriculum to create age-appropriate, active learning environments. These programs prepare children for a future filled with innovation and creativity.
WHAT DO PEOPLE MAIL IN THE FUTURE?
With so many people in so many places, postcards and mail in the future come from across the solar system. Our interstellar travellers have so much to say about their journeys.
“Dear Mom, guess what I saw! I saw the Moon, Saturn, Neptune, the Sun, and more! I love you! From Eva.”
- Student, Age 8
“Dear Rocky, I live on a star next to the Milky Way. I eat the ends of stars. I drive stars and the Milky Way. I’m friends with the stars. I haven’t seen a black hole. I hope not to see one!”
- Student, Age 9
“I
am on the moon with my friend
in the middle. The sunlight is
alien.Heishere
comingtowardsme.
Earth is always special because
- Student, Age 5
we weregrownthere. ”
“Dear Mom,I’minouterspace.Ireallymissmy
phone and
soon!
Love,Chelsea. ” -Student,Age12
obviouslyImissyoutoo.Iwillbeback
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
This project helps our afterschool students conceptualize what it would mean to travel beyond the stars! Who would they meet? Where would they go? Here they use what they know about the celestial objects in our galaxy and imagine seeing those objects in person.
WHAT DO PEOPLE WEAR IN THE FUTURE?
Fashion trends are constantly changing – blink and you miss it! This is the perfect job for our future fashion designers as they create and innovate articles of clothing based on the ever-changing needs of future wearers.
TECHNOLOGICALLY FASHIONABLE
Willow (Age 10) designed the iWatch 700 to help the future trendsetters find their perfect look right then and there. She explains, “If you’re shopping online, this watch will make the stuff appear on your body so you can see if you want it.”
PRINCESS POSEIDON
Camila (Age 11) created a crown that gives her aquatic powers! Camila says, “This is the Sea Queen Crown that lets anyone who wears it control the sea and everything in it.”
TIN AND TRASH?
WE CAN RECYCLE THAT!
YMCA AFTERSCHOOL FASHION SHOW
Our fashion designers got creative with their designs, using tin foil, trash bags, and coffee filters to get creative with their future wear. From crowns to gowns our innovative designers cut, stitched, and tied a designer line of clothes fit for future denizens across the world!
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) the 2.1 billion tons of waste is produced globally, and it is anticipated that number will grow to 3.8 billion by 2050. Our students sought to solve this problem with “upcycling,” a method in which people recycle discarded materials to create something better from them.
Raven (Age 11) sporting one of the many handcrafted outfits in the fashion show.
WHAT ROBOTS ARE IN THE FUTURE?
Robots come in all shapes and sizes and functions! Our robot engineers wasted no time in creating anything and everything, from robots that cleaned to robots that can save the day!
CAPTAIN ASPARAGUS
“Captain Asparagus protects my home from evil.”
From the engineers at our YMCA Afterschool Program
ELLIOT’S ROBOT
“This computer robot does anything you type into the computer, like wash your dishes.”
Engineer: Elliot (Age 8)
Y - ROBOT
“Y-Bot is special because he can fly and he is environmentally friendly.”
From the engineers: Juniper (Age 7), Paige (Age 8), Gillian (Age 8), Nolan (Age 8), Eric (Age 8), Grayson (Age 7), Niko (Age 8), Charlotte (Age 10)
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
This project encourages our students to design and build with recycled materials. This gives them the opportunity to imagine a world that may require these mechanical (or cardboard) creations and the forms these robots can take. This teaches them how limitless their imagination can be regardless of the tools at their disposal.
WHAT JOBS ARE IN THE FUTURE?
New planets and inventions have flooded the future with new work! Our future recruiters knew just how to get the right person for the job with these classified ads!
“Pickle hunter! In the future pickles become genetically mutated and become sentient and evil,” by Leighton (Age 9), Lily (Age 9) & Katelyn (Age 10), Charlotte (Age 10)
“Professional Chef for the homeless,” by Gillian (Age 8), Amelie (Age 10), & Tristan (Age 10)
“Hotel manager on Saturn,” by Eloise (Age 8)
“Space Doctor,” by Grace (Age 6), Quinn (Age 7), & Zoe (Age 9)
“Dinosaur Lasso-ing! In the future, human bring back dinosaurs through fossilized DNA,” by Kayson (Age 8) & Cade (Age 9)
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
This project helps students comprehend how career availability can change over time. In 2018, Dell Technologies predicted 85% of the jobs in 2030 had not been invented yet. With just six years from that prediction, we have already seen the job market shift with drastic changes in technology. This project helps our students prepare for these changes while letting their imaginations run wild!
WHAT CARS ARE IN THE FUTURE?
Travel can be so easy in the future! Cars can run on anything and be anything. Our automotive engineers designed their own vehicles worthy of an outer space car race!
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
In this project, kids get to invent and design the cars they would want to see in the future. In doing this, they can consider future technology, and how these discoveries can help benefit their communities, travel, and their environment.
Cassidy (Age 5) says this about her design: “This new house-car takes you around the world while you stay inside your house and you don’t need to drive it yourself!
Dylan (Age 8) made a car that runs on wind power!
These afterschool students designed a car that runs on teamwork and girl power!
This afterschool student designed a Dragon Car the drives fast and breathes fire!
WHERE CAN PEOPLE GO IN THE FUTURE?
In the future, humanity can be anywhere: Mars, a spaceship, a robotic school, you name it! These students were able to put their interior design skills to the test and create some future spaces!
SCHOOL OF THE FUTURE
by Kerri (Age 9) & Olive (Age 9)
School in 100 years: There will be a walking TV that goes to each classroom to teach. P.E. will have zero gravity stairs with a slide at the end. There will be lots of basketball hoops because kids will not learn anything in the future except basketball. Everyone will wear a school uniform. Houses will be in the sky (because the ground is too expensive) so kids will use umbrellas to glide down to school.
AFTERSCHOOL SPACE STATION
These students took on the challenge of building a space station. They thought of everything from construction to agriculture.
“You can use part of the plants you grow on the moon to make a fire to cook other parts of the plants.”
Core (Age 7) & Charlie (Age 8)
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
“The space station takes chemicals from the planet to make other chemicals that grow plants to produce oxygen.”
Elihu (Age 9)
This project lets kids tap into their imagination and define the spaces that could be created in the future. Here they consider the questions and logistics about how a space station would function or what they could have in their school 100 years from now.
Thank you for celebrating the genius and creativity from our budding future scientists, creators, and leaders. These are only a few of the many ideas our students came up with during this project. Our YMCAs make sure that every day the kids in our care can achieve more and become the best version of themselves. Many of these activities were inspired by our new learning program SCALED Learning™.
SCALED Learning™, the Y’s holistic before and after-school curriculum, presents kids with new challenges as they reach each stage of their development. SCALED Learning™ helps kids grow in the classroom and out in the world through engaging in STEM, hands-on arts, literacy, career-connected learning, diversity and global education, social development, and fun! Kids who participate in the Y’s before and after-school programs expand the school day through active play with classmates and a curriculum that augments what they’re learning in school.
Discovering the world is fun and safe with the experts on helping kids grow and learn.
The Core Components of SCALED LEARNING™ are: STEM, Career-Connected Learning, Arts, Literacy, Education & Classroom Confidence, Diversity & Global Learning.
