Encouragement- Spotlight!!

GOALS: Students will use a tangible symbol (light) to show encouragement or to discourage team members. Students will gain an understanding of how important encouragement is to performance and how easily someone can be discouraged.

MATERIALS:2 flashlights, one with a cellophane cover that causes the beam to be colored

PROCEDURE:

  1. Talk to the students about what encouragement is. Lead into how encouragement helps people to perform better, to feel better, and to do their best. Try to elicit specific examples of how they have felt encouraged and done better because of it. Talk also about discouragement and how it can limit performance and make others feel worse.
  2. Explain that today, you are going to have student use tangible symbols of encouragement and discouragement. Show them the flashlights. Tell them that the uncovered flashlight will go to one team, and the colored flashlight will go to the other team. Divide the class into two equal teams. One team member will be an encourager, and the others will be the performers. The rules are: while the light from the corresponding team is on the performer, he is to move forward. If the other team’s light is on him, he must move backward. If both lights are on him, he can move forward. Without light, he is to stand still.
  3. Dim the lights and begin. (This activity can become chaotic. You may need to referee.)
  4. When (if) the teams finish, talk about how it felt to have no encouragement (be in the dark)? How did it feel to have encouragement? How did it feel when you were discouraged and had to move back?
  5. After the activity, you can discuss ways students can encourage one another.

Forgiveness-LET ME HELP YOU

GOALS: Students will learn the meaning of forgiveness and understand how it is difficult to continue giving someone second chances. They will also understand that no one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes, and everyone deserves to be forgiven for some mistakes.

MATERIALS:Ball, masking tape to mark lines (distance varies by class)

PROCEDURE:

  1. Divide the class into 2 equal groups. Have them form parallel lines facing each other. Instruct them,

” Your goal is to pass the ball from one end to the other without making any mistakes. You will pass it to the person across from you. They will re-pass to the person next in line, and so on. Remember that you need to do this as quickly as you can without making mistakes. If you drop the ball or pass incorrectly, you will have to return the ball to start and start over.”

  1. As soon as the class begins, insert yourself into the line and say, “Let me help.” When the ball gets to you, drop it. Move to another location and repeat. Continue until you have made the process start over several times. Move to the end of the line on the last attempt and be the last person to catch the ball.
  1. Stop the activity and debrief. Ask the class, “How did it feel when I kept messing up? Was it frustrating? When I kept coming back, did you want to give me a second chance?” Talk about how forgiveness is a “second chance” that we give to others when they “mess” up and make mistakes.
  1. Branch out to a discussion about things that are easier to forgive, harder to forgive, etc. Might there be something you could not forgive? What effect does that have on you? On the person you cannot forgive?

Problem Solving/Empathy: Feed ME!!

GOALS: Students will learn that in order to solve a problem, they sometimes have to think of others before themselves, and that through helping others they can help themselves.

MATERIALS:(Per table) Shallow plate (with a raised lip) with small snacks on it such as marshmallows, goldfish crackers, etc. (need not be edible), 3 foot lengths of dowel rod or meter sticks with a spoon taped to one end and a marking on the other indicating where the hand is to be placed, cup to be placed in front of the child on each side of the table (fasten down with tape)

PROCEDURE:

  1. Explain to the students: “The cup represents someone you need to feed. You are to use your spoon to take food from the plate in the middle of the table and use it to “feed” your cup. You must hold the stick at the very end, and you cannot step back from the table. Your legs must be touching the table at all times. Now, GO!!” (Students will be unable to contort themselves enough to feed the cup on their side of the table.)
  2. After they have tried it a few times, have them stop and brainstorm. You may need to provide some guidance, but they should be able to come up with the idea that they could “feed” the cup on the other side of the table easily.
  3. Have students feed each other’s cups.

Following the activity, you can have a discussion about how sometimes, when focus totally on our own needs, we are frustrated and unable to get everything we think we need. However, when we focus on other’s needs, our own needs are fulfilled.

Teamwork: Toss it to Me!

Objective: Students will learn that a team project works better when both members of the team work together. (Cooperation, interpersonal skills, goal setting)

Materials: Unsharpened pencils, straws, or dowel rods, brass canning rings, plastic bracelets, power bands, masking tape

Procedure:

  1. Lay 2 long strips of masking tape the length of the room, about 6-7 feet apart, depending upon the age of the students. Break students into teams of 2. Give one team member 3-4 rings, and give the other the pencil or dowel rod. Explain that we often refer to achieving a goal as “catching the brass ring”. Say, “Today, we are going to try to achieve the goal of catching these rings. For our first try, the person with the rod is to remain absolutely still. The other team member will toss the ring and try to get it over the rod.”
  2. Use a signal to start, then have the students try to toss the pencil onto the ring.
  1. Then, repeat, but allow the person holding the pencil to move the pencil to try to help catch the ring. This should lead to discussion about how it is easier to work as a team when ALL team members are making an effort.
  1. Follow-up: Have students work on a task alone, like naming all states, naming the bones in the body, coming up with a list of words, etc. Then, have them re-do the task (or do a similar task) with a team of 2-4 people. Discuss how having cooperation between team members allows greater success

Friendliness: ATTRACTING FRIENDS

COMPETENCY: Recognizing the traits and behaviors that make people want to be friends

GOALS: Students will recognize the traits that help them to attract friends .

MATERIALS: Balloons, silk cloth or fur, empty soda cans

PROCEDURE:

  1. Begin with a discussion of friendship. Talk about what makes a person a good friend. Write them on the board. Then, talk about what you observe in others that makes you think that they might be a good friend, even if you don’t know them well. Write them on the board as well.
  2. Blow up the balloon. Say, “ This is a person who is new at school. His family just moved from Balloonville and he has to go to Canfield school now. He wants to make friends when he gets there. He remembers what his counselor said about attracting friends, things like….(List things from the board) As you are listing the things from the board, rub the balloon across the fur or the silk. You might even incorporate this into your story, saying, ”He rubbed his head and rubbed his head, to be sure that he remembered everything!
  3. Hold up the soda can. Say, “This is one of the students at Canfield School. The new student walked up (Bring the balloon close to the can) and began talking to him remembering all the skills he had learned. Watch what happens!”
  4. Slowly move the balloon away from the can. The can will follow the balloon. (This works best on a smooth surface, like a desk, table, or tile floor. If your floors are carpet, place a piece of paper or poster-board down first.

OPTIMISM: RISING TO THE OCCASION

GOAL: Students will know the definition of optimism and be able to recognize things they can do that will help them to “lift” their mood when they are feeling down.

MATERIALS: 1 small or medium sized raw egg, one tall, clear glass or jar, box of table salt and teaspoon, water with blue food coloring in it

PROCUDURE:

  1. Hold up the egg. Say,” This egg represents how you feel about yourself. Most of us have a hard shell that we put on that hides how we really feel from others, but inside, like this egg, we a really sensitive and can be easily hurt. “
  2. Place the egg in the glass. Say,” This glass represents your day. When you start out, you may feel pretty good about yourself. But then, things start to happen, and you may begin to feel worse. “ Have students tell you things that might hurt them during the day. As examples are given, pour a little water into the glass. Continue until the glass is nearly full.
  3. Say,” Have you ever felt like this-totally covered up in bad feelings?”
  4. Say, ”Now, what can you do to make yourself feel better?” As students give examples, add a teaspoon of salt to the water. Eventually (usually about 12-15 spoonfuls), the egg will float. This opens way for a discussion of how we are responsible for our feelings and how we can turn them around.

LOYALTY: DON’T PUT ME DOWN

GOAL: Students will be able to define what a “put-down” is, and to describe how put-downs, however jokingly delivered, are hurtful to others. They will also understand that the character trait of loyalty means that they will “stick-up” for friends rather than putting them down.

MATERIALS: one tea light or votive candle, cardboard square, plastic cup, vinegar, baking soda

PROCEDURE:

  1. Discuss with the group what “put-downs” are. Try to elicit the reasons why people put each other down (as a joke, to hurt them, to divert attention from themselves, to get others to laugh at them, to feel more powerful, etc.) Talk about how loyalty means being “true” to a friend and not “downing” them.
  2. Have students share first time they can remember being “downed”. For most, this will be a very long time ago. This opens the way for a discussion of just how harmful put-downs are, and how long they can last.
  3. Light the tea light and say, “This candle represents your positive feelings about yourself. As long as there is fuel, it will keep burning. But an outside force can put it out.”
  4. Put a little baking soda in the bottom of the cup. Add some vinegar. Then, gently tilt the cup over the candle, taking care not to pour out the vinegar mixture. The CO2 in the cup will pour out over the flame and put it out. (Alternatively-put the candle in a clear glass container, put baking soda in the bottom, and add vinegar)
  5. Discuss how put-downs easily “cover up” our positive feelings. Relight the candle and talk about ways to deflect put downs and keep them from being a problem. Why is it important to be loyal to friends and not put them down?

Resilience-BOUNCE BACK

GOALS: Students will be able to describe Resilience and to delineate strategies of utilizing self-talk to help them to regroup after they have had set backs.

MATERIALS:Equal parts of Laundry Starch and White Glue, FOOD COLORING (OPTIONAL), CUP, SPOON OR CRAFT STICK PLENTY OF PAPER TOWELS

PROCEDURE:

(Do #1 and #2 in advance)

  1. Mix the white glue and 1-3 drops of food coloring together in a cup.
  2. Add the starch to the glue without stirring. Allow to stand for 5 minutes.
  3. Define resilience. Explain that it is “bouncing back” after set-backs. For younger kids, a great book is “The Little Engine That Could”.
  4. Ask the students what self-talk is. It helps to describe it as “a tape that you play in your head that tells you how you think you are doing.” Describe a situation in which an individual uses very negative self-talk. For example, Susie took a math test on Friday. On Monday, she got the test back. She had made a 60 on the test! Susie was very upset. She said to herself, ”I am so bad in math! My test grades get worse and worse!! I can never pass this class now; I’m just too dumb.” Have the students discuss the effect that this sort of talk is likely to have on Susie’s performance on the next test. Say, “When something happens like this, it is important to use self-talk that will help you to bounce back. What could Susie say to herself that might help her do better next time. (BRAINSTORM) To help you remember this, we are going to make some “Bounce Back Putty” today. While I am making it, I want you to think of ways you can help yourself “bounce back” when you have a set-back.”
  1. Stir vigorously. The mixture will clump up and cling together.
  1. Remove the putty from the cup and knead it. At first, it will look like a mistake. But the more you knead it, the better it will get. (At first, you may feel silly, but the more you practice positive talk, the better you will get at it.)
  1. Roll the putty into a ball and bounce it. If time permits, have students bounce the putty as they come up with a positive statement in response to your example of a “set-back”.

Perseverance: Churn-Churn-Churn

GOALS: The students will recognize the value of sticking with a task until it is completed rather than quitting halfway through or doing a poor job.

MATERIALS: quart sized glass jar with lid, small green plastic frog that will fit in the jar, heavy cream, crackers (As an alternative, let each student prepare butter using a baby food jar with a lid and a small amount of cream. It will take about 20 minutes for the butter to form.

PROCEDURE:

  1. Before going into the class, you need to experiment with the cream in the jar. Fill the jar about half full of heavy cream. Tighten the lid. Shake vigorously until the cream turns into a single lump of butter. TIME THIS PROCESS. Before going into the class, you will want to shake the contents of the jar until 10-15 minutes before it will become butter.
  2. Ask the class what PERSEVERANCE means. Explain that perseverance is working on something until you get it right. Then, tell them you have a fable for them.
  3. Tell the following story:

Once upon a time there were 2 frogs. These two frogs jumped into a farmer’s milk bucket one morning hoping to have a nice swim, then found that they could not get out. (Put the plastic frog in the jar and close the lid) The two frogs swam side by side for a while, talking about what they would do when the farmer came back. (Shake the jar all the while you are talking, then have the students pass it from one to another while shaking it). One frog became very discouraged. He said, ”We’re going to die. We may as well give up now. “ So, he took a deep breath of milk and went under. The other frog was lonely, but he kept swimming, and swimming, and swimming. Finally, the cream was turned to butter, which floated. He was able to get on top of the cake of butter and hop out. And the moral of the story is: “Never give up.” At this point, your butter should have formed, so you can take out the frog and pour out the remaining whey.

  1. If you wish, you can serve the butter and crackers to the students.

COURAGE: S-T-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G O-U-T

GOALS: Students will be able to explain how setting a goal or attempting something that causes them to “stretch” themselves demonstrates courage.

MATERIALS: (per class): EQUAL PARTS OF WHITE GLUE AND WATER MIXED WELL, A SOLUTION MADE OT 1 1/3 CUPS WARM WATER AND 4 TSP BORAX, A LARGE CUP, A CRAFT STICK FOR STIRRING, PAPER TOWELS

PROCEDURE:

  1. Ask the students to explain what a goal is. At this point, a sports metaphor works well. Once they have agreed upon a definition of a goal (Something you want to do or to be), tell them that there are some qualities that make up a good goal. Help them through discussion to come to understand that a good goal is measurable, has a time limit, is achievable (with effort), is very specific, and is personal and important to them. (SMART)
  1. Explain to the students, “A goal is like a map that helps you to get to where you want to be.