We currently plan the following activities and crafts for kids with children's admissions or full attending memberships. Please make sure to check back with us and at-con to find out about any schedule changes or additional activities. Kids-in-tow are not eligible to participate in these activities.

Each item lists a recommended age-range for participation, but you have the best knowledge of which activities will most interest your child. The recommendations are intended to be guidelines, not to specify exclusions.

If you've got specific questions about any activities, or would like to volunteer to help for an hour or two, please write to children@noreascon.org.

Planned Kids' Program/Activities/Crafts Schedule

Thursday, 2 September 2004

  Beacon A Beacon D Beacon E Beacon F Gardner
11:30 am          
12:00 noon Moving to Music
(1–7)  
Out of the Box Games
(7–12)  
  Model Magic Sculpture
(1–12)
The Real Lord of the Rings: Exploring Saturn
(7-12)
12:30 pm  
1:00 pm Movie
(1–8)
Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream for Kids
(7-12)
  Origami for the Young
(4–6)
Paper Cutting and Folding
(7-12)
1:30 pm  
2:00 pm Care & Feeding of Mythical Creatures
(7-12)
  Make your own Journal
(4–7)
Rounds Singing
(7-12)
2:30 pm  
3:00 pm Kinderfilk
(1–6)
Video Games and Science Fiction: A Discussion
(7-12)  
  Magic Wands
(2–12)
WETA for Kids
(7-12)
3:30 pm  
4:00 pm Playground Games
(4–7)
Humorous Stories
(7-12)
  Shrinky Dinks
(4–12)
Stump the Scientists
(7-12)
4:30 pm  
5:00 pm Open Playtime
(under 6)
Riddles in the Dark
(7-12)
  Postcard to a Friend
(2–12)
HoverDisc Games
(7-12)  
5:30 pm  
6:00 pm closed closed closed closed closed

Friday, 3 September 2004

  Beacon A Beacon D Beacon E Beacon F Gardner
9:00 am          
9:30 am Moving to Music
(1–7)
    Geometric Aliens
(2–6)
 
10:00 am Open Playtime (under 6) Magic Show
(7-12)  
  Kitchen Science
(2–7)
Mars or Bust
(7-12)  
10:30 am  
11:00 am Hover Disc Games
(3–6)
Alien World Building
(7-12)
  Pudding Finger Painting
(1–5)  
So You Want to be a Rocket Scientist… De-Mystifying Relativity
(7-12)  
11:30 am  
12:00 noon Playground Games
(4–7)
Geometric Origami
(7-12)
  Stamping
(1–12)
Poly Shrink Pins
(7-12)  
12:30 pm  
1:00 pm Movie
(1–8)
Hands On Drawing and Painting
(7-12)  
  Make Your Own Journal
(4–7)
Rapier Making
(7-12)
1:30 pm  
2:00 pm Mask- Making
(7-12)
  Drawing and Painting
(3-6)
Swordplay
(7-12)
2:30 pm   Open Drawing Time
(3-6)
3:00 pm Kinderfilk
(1–6)
Musical Instruments From Things You Can Find at Home
(7-12)  
  Magnetic Bookmark
(5–8)
LOTR Book Discussion
(7-12)  
3:30 pm  
4:00 pm Open Playtime
(under 6)
How to Look at the Sky
(7-12)  
  Draw A Story
(4–12)
Polymer Dragons
(7-12)  
4:30 pm  
5:00 pm Storyboarding
(7-12)  
  Model Magic Sculpture
(1–12)
Best Filk Songs For Kids
(7-12)  
5:30 pm  
6:00 pm closed closed closed closed closed

Saturday, 4 September 2004

  Beacon A Beacon D Beacon E Beacon F Gardner
9:00 am          
9:30 am Moving to Music
(1–7)
    Edible Necklace
(1–5)
 
10:00 am Open Playtime
(under 6)
Bug-Eyed Monsters from Outer Space
(7–12)
  Model Magic Sculpture
(1–12)  
Discworld from a Child's Eye View
(7–12)
10:30 am  
11:00 am Cartoon Drawing: Slide Show and Demo
(7–12)  
  Capes
(3–6)
Belly Dancing
(7–12)
11:30 am  
12:00 noon Belly Dancing
(3–6)
Visual Storytelling: Creating Comics
(7–12)
  Yarn Bug
(4–8)
How to Draw Beasties
(7–12)  
12:30 pm  
1:00 pm Magic Show for the Young
(1–7)
Alien Rubbings
(7–12)
D&D 1: Character Roll
(12 and under)
Kid Filk
(1–6)
Daggers and Shields and Swords, Oh My!
(7–12)
1:30 pm Roman Legionary and Gothic Knight
(7–12)
2:00 pm Movie
(1–8)
Tea with Tammy
(7–12)  
  Story Time
(1–6)
Have Wand, Will Travel
(7–12)
2:30 pm  
3:00 pm LOTR: Now That You've Seen the Movie…
(7–12)
D&D 2: Beginning session (hour 1) Magic Wands
(2–12)  
Instant Costuming
(7–12)
3:30 pm
4:00 pm Playground Games
(4–7)
Movie Critic for a Day
(7–12)  
D&D 2: Beginning session (hour 2) Origami for the Young
(4–6)  
Time Travel Dance
(7–12)  
4:30 pm
5:00 pm Open Playtime
(under 6)
YA Books Round Table
(7–12)
D&D 2: Beginning session (hour 3)   Rocks for Kids
(3–10)
AV Astronomy Show
(7–12)
5:30 pm
6:00 pm closed closed closed closed closed
7:00 pm          
7:30 pm   Games and Crafts (til the Hugo Ceremony ends)
(7–12)
     
         
         
11:00 pm          
12:00 midnight          

Sunday, 5 September 2004

  Beacon A Beacon D Beacon E Beacon F Gardner
9:00 am          
9:30 am Moving to Music
(1–7)
    Leaf Creatures (3–6)  
10:00 am Children's Dance
(1–8)
Sign Language from Planet ZOOG
(7–12)
  Pencil Holder
(5–10)
Stories in the Stars
(7–12)
10:30 am  
11:00 am Kinderfilk
(2–6)
Science & Technology
(7–12)  
  Wizard/Princess Hat
(2–6)  
Staying Safe on the Net
(7–12)
11:30 am  
12:00 noon Open Playtime
(under 6)
Joke Workshop
(7–12)  
  CD Ring Planet
(4–8)
The Kids Next Door: In Space
(7–12)  
12:30 pm  
1:00 pm Playground Games
(4–7)
Origami
(7–12)
  Alien Catcher
(3–8)
Improv Workshop
(7–12)  
1:30 pm  
2:00 pm Movie
(1–8)
What's In a Name?
(7–12)  
  Origami
(3-8)
Blowing Bubbles
(7–12)  
2:30 pm  
3:00 pm Pictionary!
(7–12)  
  Write a Story
(4–7)  
Harry Potter LARP set-up
(7–12)
3:30 pm   Harry Potter LARP…
Limit 20
(7–12)  
4:00 pm Open Playtime
(under 6)
First Contact
(7–12)
  Yarn Bug
(4–8)
4:30 pm  
5:00 pm Storytelling
(7–12)  
  Shrinky Dinks
(4–12)  
5:30 pm  
6:00 pm closed closed closed closed closed
7:00 pm          
7:30 pm   Games and Crafts during the Masquerade (til 11:30 pm or whenever Masquerade ends)
(7–12)
     
10:00 pm        
11:00 pm        

Monday, 6 September 2004

  Beacon A Beacon D Beacon E Beacon F Gardner
9:00 am        
9:30 am Moving to Music
(1–7)
    Masks
(2–8)
 
10:00 am Open Playtime
(under 6)
Reading
(7–12)  
  Kitchen Science
(2–7)  
Writing Workshop
(7–12)  
10:30 am  
11:00 am Junk Yard Aliens
(7–12)
  Bingo Make and Play
(3–6)  
How to Defend Yourself Against Alien Invaders
(7–12)
11:30 am  
12:00 noon Beady Familiars
(7–12)
  Model Magic Sculpture
(1–12)
12:30 pm  
1:00 pm Movie
(1–8)
What's Next After Harry Potter? Reading For Pleasure
(7–12)
  Origami for the Young
(4–6)
Challenges
(7–12)
1:30 pm  
2:00 pm     Bead a Necklace
(3-6)
Hogwarts Graduation Day
(7–12)
2:30 pm  
3:00 pm closed closed closed closed closed

What's What

Title Recommended Ages Program Participants Description
Alien Catcher 3–8   Using a toilet paper tube, fun foam and your imagination make a fun game to capture a created alien.
Alien Rubbings 7–12 Jael With some inspiration from a master and using crayons, paper, found objects and a little imagination, make creatures from other worlds.
Alien World Building 7–12 Walter Hunt & Amy Thomson First, a discussion of alien environments and bodies. Then everybody makes their own and describes it for the group.
AV Astronomy Show 7–12 Larry Lebosky Practice seeing the night sky and learn about the wonders of the stars.
Bead a Necklace 3–6   We'll use elastic string and large beads to string a fun necklace.
Beady Familiars 7–12 Persis Thorndike Owls, cats, rats, toads; come bead a familiar key chain for your backpack.
Belly Dancing 3–6 Karen Purcell Learn the basic moves appropriate for little bodies to start belly dancing.
7–12 An introduction to belly dancing.
Best Filk Songs For Kids 7–12 Denise Gendron, Bill Sutton & Mark Mandel Hear them from some of the best filkers at WorldCon; learn the choruses and sing along!
Bingo Make and Play 3–6   Everyone gets a blank bingo card and 25 stickers to put on their grid. We'll play as many games of Bingo as interest holds and then have fun with the leftover stickers.
Blowing Bubbles 7–12 Bob Kanefsky  
Bug-Eyed Monsters from Outer Space 7–12 Susan de Guardiola Make your own little fuzzy Bug-Eyed Monster to take home! Pick your colors, add your eyes, and give it a name with Noreascon's own Fuzzy BEM specialist.
Capes 3–6   Fabric and imagination to create your own cape with no sewing required.
Care & Feeding of Mythical Creatures 7–12 Karen Purcell, DVM Talk with a fannish vet about the various creatures in your care, or those you would like to have.
Cartoon Drawing: Slide Show and Demo   Joe Bergeron Learn about cartooning from one of the best fannish cartoonists.
CD Ring Planet 4–8   Create a planet to hang at home with Styrofoam balls, a CD and your creative imagination with other miscellaneous supplies.
Challenges 7–12 Persis Thorndike  
Children's Dance 2–12   with DJ Sue Schroeder.
Daggers and Shields and Swords, Oh My! 7–12 Higgins Armory Sword Guild Have at you! Witness the subtle skills of attack, parry, and grapple, as the combat arts of the sword and buckler, dagger, longsword, and smallsword are brought to life from forgotten manuals in this presentation.
Discworld from a Child's Eye View 7–12 Terry Pratchett & Dave Weingart Examine childhood life in Ankh-Mohrpork or another fantasy world...how would it differ from what you know now? What do you think would be the same?
Adults MUST be accompanied by a child to attend this program item.
Draw a Story 4–12   Tell a story, simple or complex, using only pictures that you have created.
Drawing and Painting 3–6 Don Maitz Talk about making a cover picture for your favorite story. Then color it to take home.
7–12 Hands On: Try your hand at creating an original cover for your favorite book.
Dungeons & Dragons 12 and under Arthur Shattan Session 1: Rolling your character
Session 2: Beginning the Adventure
Edible Necklace 1–5   Need a snack between activities? We'll make one using low-sugar snacks and plastic lacing.
First Contact 7–12 Matthew Jarpe  
Games and Crafts during the Hugos 7–12 Randy Hoffman & Persis Thorndike This session will end immediately following the Hugo Ceremony 's end
Games and Crafts during the Masquerade 7–12 Randy Hoffman, Ailsa Ek & Steven Chalker   This session will end immediately following the end of the Masquerade
Geometric Aliens 2–6   Fun foam, wiggle eyes, glue and you. What will be created? Come and see!
Geometric Origami 7–12 Jenny Mosely & Elsa Chen Learn origami with a master origamist. Jenny specializes in geometric shapes rather than animals and has been a GOH at a Japanese origami convention.
Harry Potter LARP 7–12   Limit 20
Live action role play with your favorite Harry Potter characters. Snape will test your potions knowledge, the Sorting Hat will sort the players, and who will face the beasts in Defense Against the Dark Arts?
Have Wand, Will Travel 7–12 Bill Brang Magic Show, especially for kids…
Hogwarts Graduation Day 7–12   Scavenger Hunt Judging.
Feedback time: How'd We Do? Any suggestions for next time?
Hover Disk Games (x-y) Steve Chalker Don't know what a Hover Disc is? Come and find out; you'll be hooked
7–12
How to Defend Yourself Against Alien Invaders (2 hours) 7–12 Keith Kato Self defense techniques. Wear comfortable clothing
How to Draw Beasties 7–12 Omar Raayan  
How to Look at the Sky 7–12 Carolyn Collins Petersen Astronomy tips from one of the writers for Sky & Telescope.
Humorous Stories 7–12 Don Sakers  
Improv Workshop 7–12 Michael McAfee Acting out, with other future actors.
Instant Costuming 7–12 Thomas Atkinson & Ming Diaz Create your own costume with the help of expert costumers! Then wear it to the Time Travel Dance right after this panel.
Joke Workshop 7–12 John Zakour  
Junk Yard Aliens 7–12 Persis Thorndike Take the craft materials left from five days of activities, and see what you come up with.
Kid Filk 1–6 Songs for the young to tickle their silly bones. We'll try to focus on echo songs and songs with fun actions.
Kids Next Door: In Space 7–12 Bill Higgins & Jordin Kare Let's build a space station and decide what the different parts will be. What will the crew do? What science makes it run? From those decisions, what stories might take place on it? Science leads directly to storytelling: if you have solar sails, how do you repair them if they are torn? If you lose gravity, what would happen to the crew?
Kinderfilk 1–6 Kate Gladstone Songs for the young to tickle their silly bones. Come learn some new echo songs
Mark Mandel
Mary Miller
Kitchen Science 2–7   Fun with things from the kitchen and some explanations on how they work.
Leaf Creatures 3–6   Leaf rubbings and some creativity will turn some ordinary silk leaves into works of art.
Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream for Kids 7–12 John Pomeranz & Kathie Overton Ever wonder how fast you can freeze ice cream? Find out when we use a not so ordinary method to make a creamy treat. Taste the results!!
LOTR Book Discussion 7–12 Dave Weingart Participate in a lively discussion about the LOTR books. Dave will be introducing the characters as they are in the book, perhaps discussing the difference between having a position by Merit versus by Blood, and what would it be like to live in Middle-Earth. Come bring your own ideas.
LOTR: Now You've Seen the Movie… 7–12 jan howard finder Tolkein fan and movie buff jan howard finder went to New Zealand to see the movie set, and now has much to say about it.
Magic Show 2-6 Daniel Dern  
7–12
Magic Wands 2–12   Turn a chopstick into a magic wand to bring your imagination to life.
Magnetic Bookmarks 5–8   Stopping in the middle of a page can be so confusing when you get back to reading. Create a fun paper bookmark that will mark the line to start reading again.
Make Your Own Journal 4–7   Want to remember the special things about Noreascon 4? This fun journal will give you place to write, draw, or put a picture to keep those memories forever.
Mars or Bust 7–12 Steve Hammond  An elementary school-level look at Mars; What is Mars like and why would we go there? What are we looking for? How do we get there? These questions are discussed with pictures, video and a 3-D look at the Spirit and Opportunity missions.
Mask-Making 7–12 Ming Diaz Make a mask. Then tell us the story behind it.
Masks 2–8   What costume would be complete or improved with a colorful mask? Come glue, stick and create a fun mask to wear.
Model Magic Sculpture 1–12   Model Magic is an air–drying clay that can be colored using magic markers. We'll have a different theme each day for you to start your creation from.
Movie Critic for a Day 7–12 Dan Kimmel Have an opinion on the movies geared towards kids these days? Have a big favorite? Voice your opinions with a professional movie critic, and hear what he has to say.
Movies 1–8   Movie schedule will be posted outside of Beacon A.
Moving to Music 1–7   Clap and sing to the music of Jim Cosgrove, a Kansas City children's folk singer.
Musical Instruments From Things You Can Find at Home 7–12 Persis Thorndike Let's make an orchestra! Coffee cans, oatmeal boxes, toilet paper tubes, combs…take some paper and markers to decorate, then we'll play.
Open Playtime 1-6   We will have tunnels, balls, blocks and other toys out for the kids under 6 to play with.
Origami 7–12 Mark Leeper Create shapes and animals using Japanese folded paper techniques. Learn the basic folds and see what you can create.
Origami for the Young 4–6   Origami with big sheets of fun paper and a few simple folds.
Out of the Box Games 7–12 Persis Thorndike  
Paper Cutting and Folding 7–12 Persis Thorndike Ever wonder how a few snips and folds can turn a flat piece of paper into a 3-D pop-up? This panel will teach you how to make a lantern and a pop-up card.
Pencil Holder 5–10   Toilet paper tubes and cardboard make the basic structure for this fun craft. You make it personal.
Pictionary! 7–12 Teddy Harvia  
Playground Games 4–7   Play basic rule games in a more organized manner than open playtime (Duck, Duck, Goose; Animal Tag; Simon Says, etc.)
Poly Shrink Pins 7–12 Elizabeth James Design and make a pin with the instruction of an expert.
Polymer Dragons 7–12 Robin Trei Learn how to make your own dragon from polymer clay in this hands-on session. We will bake your critter after the session, so that you can pick it up on Saturday. Limit 25.
Postcard to a Friend 2–12   Everyone loves getting a postcard from someone far away. Make one to send to a friend back home.
Rapier Making 7–12 Persis Thorndike Make and decorate the sword you'll use in the sword play hour coming up next.
Reading 7–12 Kathleen Kudlinski  
The Real Lord of the Rings: Exploring Saturn 7–12 Steve Hammond After a seven-year journey to Saturn, the Cassini probe has finally arrived. We'll take the kids on a field trip and join Cassini for a look at Saturn and the weirdness in some of its 31 moons. We'll conclude with a video preview of the Christmas day landing on Saturn's largest moon, Titan.
Riddles in the Dark 7–12 jan howard finder Reading from The Hobbit.
     
Rocks for kids 3–10   Learn about and handle some of the precious stones that go into making beautiful jewelry from someone who knows.
Roman Legionary and Gothic Knight 7–12 Higgins Armory Sword Guild The Romans conquered the known world two thousand years ago.
The knight was the most powerful force on the battlefield five hundred years ago. Each wore plate armor and carried a sword, a spear, and a dagger, but they were very different.
Come hear a Legionary and Knight explain their equipment and how they fought, and try to guess what would happen if they were to face each other in battle.
Rounds Singing 7–12 Lois Mangan   
Science & Technology 7–12 Brenda Cooper Discussion of what's here and what's to come in the (maybe not so distant) future.
Shrinky Dinks 4–12   Wonderful plastic you can color and then shrink into a permanent piece of jewelry.
Sign Language from Planet ZOOG 7–12 Geary Gravel Aliens might not look like us or sound like us. How would we communicate face-to-face? Learn some ASL signs that might help you out.
So You Want to be a Rocket Scientist? De-Mystifying Relativity 7–12 G. David Nordley & Carl Frederick The universe is a big, exciting place (at least scientifically speaking). Come share the thrill of it with other science-types.
Stamping 1–12   Stamping is so much fun. Paper and creativity will help you make a great card, stationary, or bookmark to take home with you.
Staying Safe on the Net 7–12 James Turner Let's go surfing now, everybody's learning how, follow all the links with me! The Net can be a wild ride! Let's learn how to enjoy it while keeping private things private.
Stories in the Stars 7–12 Steve Hammond Every culture has put its stories into the stars. Come explore the night sky through stories from different cultures, pictures of the constellations and the wonders within them.
Storyboarding 7–12 Ruth Sanderson Ever wondered how to write and illustrate your own story? Ruth Sanderson will show you how.
Storytelling 7–12 David Kopaska Merkel  
Story Time 1–6   Listen to some fun tales.
Stump the Scientists 7–12 Michael Burstein, Isaac Szpindel & Bridget Coila We know you're smart. Here's a chance to test your skills against our panelists. Bring your questions and quiz these specialists.
Swordplay 7–12 Melanie Fletcher Learn some of the moves that make swashbuckling movies so great with a SWFA musketeer
Tea with Tammy 7–12 Tamora Pierce Come talk with popular YA author about her books, her ideas, recording with Full Cast Audio…
Time Travel Dance 7–12 Susan de Guardiola Bring your time machine and dancing feet! Costumes encouraged. Wear your favorite costume or one you've just made, and dance from the Renaissance to the Present…
Video Games and Science Fiction: A Discussion 7–12 Michael Gilmartin  
Visual Storytelling; Creating Comics 7–12 Colleen Duran A hands-on introduction to creating your own comics.
WETA for Kids 7–12 Norman Cates  
What's in a Name? 7–12 Ruth Sanderson How do names relate to the stories being told about them? Or do the names tell the story?
What's Next After Harry Potter? Reading for Pleasure 7–12 Susan de Guardiola Discuss your favorite books with our panelists. What's your favorite book this year? Come share your thoughts about your favorite books. Create a Top 20 Kids Favorite Books List.
Wizard/Princess Hat 2–6   Cut out and decorate a cone-shaped hat to pretend with or to start your design of a new costume idea.
Write a Story 4–7   Everyone has a story running around inside them. Here's the time to bring it out.
Writing Workshop 7–12 Elizabeth Bear  
YA Books: A Round Table 7–12 Tamora Pierce & Sharyn November Come tell an author and editor what you like—and don't like—about "Young Adult" books. What sorts of things that you're not finding in those books would you be interested in seeing?
Yarn Bug 4–8   Yarn, wiggle eyes and a lot of wrapping will help build up these funny creatures.