Tag: Apple store

Hello muddah hello fadduh, here we are at Camp … Apple?

It’s summer, so my grandson and I went to camp this week. But it’s not what you might expect.

Solomon and I spent about an hour and half at Apple’s Penn Square store participating in Apple Camp, which tried to light a spark of creativity in ‘campers’ aged 6-10.

Apple Camp is free and part of the tech giant’s “Today at Apple” program that provides education for using products like iPhones, iPads, shooting photos and videos, and more.

So, when I saw that Apple Camp was designed for Solomon’s age group and would show him how to create content on his iPad rather than merely consuming games and videos, I signed us up.

Solomon wasn’t so certain about participating at first, but warmed up to the lesson provided by friendly camp leaders (counselors?) John and Bill.

They showed the young campers (and their adult chaperones) how to draw colorful characters using the Freeform app on the iPad. But first, they instructed the kids on how to use an Apple Pencil to unlock various markers and brushes they could use to draw. The campers even learned how to incorporate emojis into the art.

Now that’s a life skill.

Apple Camp leader John shows the young campers how to use drawing tools on the iPad.

John and Bill were positive and upbeat as they encouraged the kids to imagine their own ‘super power’ and then draw a character that would portray their power and use it to help others. Turned out it was a collaborative camp, so the kids swapped iPads with one another and completed the drawing started by their peers.

One kid got Solomon’s stick figure, all black doodling, while we were handed that camper’s tablet that showcased big bold colorful lines. We weren’t there to compare talent, but I’m pretty sure I know which kid will become a graphic designer.

What I liked about the Apple Camp was that it showed very young kids that the iPad offers more than YouTube videos or PBS games. If kids can dream it up, they can draw it up on the tablet, using their fingers if they don’t have an Apple Pencil.

And they got a free T-shirt in the deal.

The downside of the experience was that the instructors threw a lot of how-to information at the kids from the very start of the ‘camp,’ and then — boom — the kids were on their own to find the tools to sketch and draw their characters.

Now, when Solomon got stuck trying to find the right tool or erase something we didn’t mean to make, the camp leaders jumped in to show him the solution. Solomon picked up finding and using the markers and erasers much faster than me.

As we left the Apple Store, Solomon offered a non-committal ‘it was OK’ when I asked him if he enjoyed the experience.

So, I think we will skip the upcoming “Make a Theme Song” using GarageBand on iPad. We’re back to watching Handyman Hal and endless Legos videos on our iPad.

I tried.

BONUS CONTENT: My wife will tell you that hanging out at the Apple store is like Nirvana to me. And it is. I fanboy over all their technology and have since, well, the late 1970s when I first read about the two Steves and their scrappy startup.

That means, of course, that I’ve written plenty about Apple over the years on this blog. Here are a few links to past posts, if you share my interest in the company.

Fondly recalling my first love in computing

I’m a Mac (fanboy) Apple ads across the years

Still an Apple fanboy after all these years

Apple in 2024: Nobody likes a bully

A visit to OKC’s Apple Store, but the Promised Land still not open

apple-construction

Made a trip to the Apple store in Penn Square Mall today, and all I got was this lousy photo of a sign on the dark storefront promising me a brand new store.

Problem is the store has been closed for remodeling and expansion since April. That’s like six months and counting on a remodel.

So, I headed upstairs to visit the temporary location that sort of matches the look and feel of the original Apple location.

Compared with the times I’ve visited Penn Square in the past, the mall was a virtual ghost town today. Few people were out and about, and you could almost hear an echo as you walked down the mall.

That didn’t prepare me for the size of the crowd milling about the Apple store. I should have known.

Apple’s retail location in Penn Square is a virtual tourist attraction, with big crowds no matter the day of the week. Today was no exception with a store full of shoppers, or at least tire kickers like me.

I asked an Apple Genius – well, he had a beard, tattoos and wore a blue Apple T-shirt – when the new/old location would open. He said there was no specific date set, although he said that opening by the even busier Christmas shopping season would be nice.

Here’s a photo of the store at 4 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon as I entered.

apple-store-crowd