I always liked to make it a point to incorporate several simple team building activities within the first few weeks of school. The science classroom is an ideal environment to promote group interaction. These activities
Last year the cup stack was one of my FAVORITE team building activities (see post here). So, naturally, I wanted to give it another shot! The Cup Stack is a fun, yet challenging activity that promotes team work. The supplies are basic: cups, string, rubber bands. I go ahead and tie the string to the rubber bands so it is ready to go. I make a few for groups of 4 and a few for groups of 5, this way no matter what the numbers are in the classroom I can make it work. I start by asking students what teamwork is. What does it look like? sound like? feel like? We brainstorm a list of ideas that I hang in the classroom for students to refer to. Each class comes up with a variety of ideas, but they all center around the same theme. Then I introduce their challenge. I start off my admitting that this will be a frustrating activity. We discuss ways to handle our stress and feelings that arise when others make a mistake or don't do what we want them to do. I model that they will each be given 6 cups and a rubberband with strings attached to it. Their job is to stack the cups into a design by only holding onto their individual string. I demonstrate that when everyone pulls on their string the rubberband opens wider, and vice versa. I also show them the challenges of picking up a cup that has tipped on its side or fallen on the floor. No matter what happens, they must follow the one rule: YOU CAN ONLY TOUCH YOUR STRING. No touching the rubber band, no touching the cup, and no touching other group member's strings. I reinforce how communication is so important in order to reach the goal. Then I set them off. Here are some videos and pics. After about 10-15 minutes, we pause and reflect on our experiences. I ask them to rate their group on how well they worked together using the ideas we wrote at the beginning of the lesson. I ask them what went well for their group. I also ask them what didn't go well for their group. We talk about different strategies and ways we an handle ourselves when things don't go the way we want them to. Throughout the activity I walk around and facilitate positive communication, so I usually have a few examples to help springboard the discussion.
From elementary school to middle school to high school, we've rounded up 41 STEM projects and activities for kids of all ages!
I stumbl ed across this idea on Pinterest and thought it would be perfect for m y third and fo urth graders ! I often hear complaints from...
Too many classroom icebreakers require students to take big social risks with people they barely know. Or they don't really help students get to know each other. Or they are just plain cheesy.
In these early weeks of school, it's so important to enforce the idea of teamwork among your classroom. I feel that if you have a classroom that functions as a community, everything runs more smoothly. My teacher and I discussed the importance of team-building exercises among the students this week. She told me that she loves to incorporate them into the classroom and that they usually produce wonderful results! I was more than excited to see it with my own eyes. For our team-building exercise, we "saved Sam". ( idea found on Pinterest) You will need: Gummy worms (Sam) Life-saver Gummies (Life vests) Clear plastic cup (Boat) Cocktail stirrers (Oar) Paper clips Poor Sam is a worm that has found himself in a rather unfortunate situation. His boat has capsized and his life jacket is trapper underneath it! Poor Sam can't swim! His oar, his only means of movement, has fallen into the rocky waters as well! He now sits perched on top of his capsized boat and he needs our help! It is the students job to SAVE SAM! they will be responsible for flipping Sam's boat over and getting him back inside. He needs his life jacket ON him this time, and his oar laying horizontally across the top of his boat. Here's the catch: You can't touch Sam with your hands. You may only use the two paperclips supplied. Keep in mind we wouldn't want to hurt poor sam by stabbing him or popping his life jacket by stabbing it! Also, we cant let him touch the water (the floor or desk) because he can't swim! It was so enjoyable to watch the students problem solve! Our little engineers were hard at work. It was interesting to see how they utilized the materials given. Some bent the paperclips into tweezers, while others snapped them in half to create more tools. This fun exercise really got our students excited to work together. I loved seeing their wheels turn as they asked "are you sure this is possible?". I loved seeing the proud looks on their face when they figured it out!
Team-Building in a Student-Led Classroom
I know...I know...you have heard me say this a million times. It is important to have groups in science and to have individual jobs while ...
My teaching partner and I were asked to lead the staff in a team-building activity at our teacher institute day. Back in April we did an Egg Drop that was a huge hit and we were excited for an opportunity to plan another one! We came up with the red solo cup stack! This was super fun and easy to put together! Groups were given this handout (available on teacher's pay teachers-- Click here ---> Free Download! <3 Here are the supplies: Red Solo Cups (or any kind of plastic large cups) We used 20. You can make it as easy (less cups) or as hard (more cups) as you want. String (we included 6 pieces about the length of your arm) One rubberband Handout with simple instructions Throw all the supplies in a big gallon size bag and you're ready to go! TECHNICALLY you're supposed to take each string and tie it on the rubberband. Then each team member takes a string and they work together to pull apart the rubberband put it around the cup, pick up the cup and place it where it is supposed to go. However, some of our staff members got very creative-- which is great! It's always a great idea to encourage your learners to think outside the box. As long as they are working together appropriately, respectfully & having fun that's all that counts! The whole point is to promote working cooperatively as a team. Below are some pictures of the staff members completing their assignment! ENJOY!
Kids will love this cooperative activity that builds teamwork, planning, communication, and fine motor skills.
I always liked to make it a point to incorporate several simple team building activities within the first few weeks of school. The science classroom is an ideal environment to promote group interaction. These activities
I always liked to make it a point to incorporate several simple team building activities within the first few weeks of school. The science classroom is an ideal environment to promote group interaction. These activities
Five activities to use to get to know your grade 4, 5, 6, and 7 science students on the first days of school. These back to school activities will allow students to be creative through hands-on activities, writing, or sharing about their personal lives through art to foster personal relationships.
Keeping students engaged before and after breaks can sometimes be a challenge. Are you looking for something to captivate your students before the end of the year break? Then look no further! Thousands of teachers have used these mysteries for back to school activities, engaging students before Th...
Help Save Fred is a great stem activity! This save Fred the worm is super fun stem activity will help your students strengthen team building skills and...
Study the respiratory system and determine your lung capacity and what might affect it. Students will calculate and make conclusions.
The first week of school sure is a busy one! I work hard to balance the mandatory paperwork with games, hands-on activities and team-building fun. Even with bigger kids, it's important to keep them moving throughout the day and providing a variety of activities. 1. Marshmallow Tower For this activity, you'll need the following materials
20 schöne Kommunikationsspiele für die Jugendarbeit, Klassenfahrten etc. Kommunikationsspiele bringen nicht nur Spaß, sondern eigenen sich auch um das Miteinander und die Kommunikation in der Gruppe zu stärken. Für die Spiele werden nur wenige Materialien benötigt, sodass sie beispielsweise am Lagerfeuer, auf Jugend- und Klassenfahrten, Zeltlager oder auch im Klassenzimmer gespielt werden können.
Educational Classroom Posters From Forde Ferrier Introduce Students To Common Tools That Are Critical To Their Educational Development.
So it's Sunday, and I've been in bed all day and am loving it. LOL Before I nap away the day, I wanted to give you all a look at my new pack! All About Hygiene {health pack} As you know, the last few weeks I have been working on my health packs. I just know my little ones will love learning about each pack. This set is a combo of hygiene and dental hygiene. It's so important to know about both so why not combine them! These printables are all similar to my other health packs, so your little ones know exactly what do. =) Here's whats included: I feel like I always need to add an ABC order printable to all my packs. My kids love it and it always has them thinking! I included one for hygiene and poor hygiene so my kiddies know what the difference is between the two. This is great for centers or buddy work. These cute info cards, give the students a little info on the importance of each. Just another way to review the importance of hygiene! This is seriously my students favorite during center time. They love that there are so many different things to do. It keeps them guessing and it's always fun to read! I love this. It's like labeling with a twist. My little ones love to draw. So I came up with this to see what they have learned from dental hygiene and put their knowledge and good drawings to good use! Lucky for them I added another version of this for not so good things for their teeth. This pack is perfect for teaching your little ones all about hygiene including dental! It's necessary to teach your students that it's important to be able take care of your teeth and body. This is loaded with printables, centers, fun reads and much more, that teach your little ones to do just that. These activities are perfect for centers, morning work, homework or during free time. It's a great way to who your little ones the right way to wash, clean and take care of themselves. Grab this set now by clicking here or check out my TpT Store to see what else I have. =) Let your little ones know how and why to take care of their bodies and teeth This pack includes: *writing prompts *hygiene fun facts *hygiene and dental hygiene posters *lists of ways to practice good hygiene *quiz *abc order *can have is (hygiene and poor hygiene) *whats your favorite? *sorting *reading comprehension (healthy and unhealthy stories) *word search *healthy mix up *labeling *making lists and much more! This unit also goes great with my other health packs: All About Emotions {health pack} All About Fruits and Veggies {health pack} All About Exercise {health pack} Let me know what you think. I hope your little ones love. =) **************** Update! I have bundled all my Health packets together at a discounted price! Get all my sets for just $12.50 at my TpT Shop Over 150 pages of health topics involving hygiene, exercise, emotions and fruits & veggies. Your little ones will have such a good time learning about these topics in a kid friendly way. The printables are fun, entertaining and will keep their attention. To see more of what's included, check it out here
Teamwork in the classroom is essential in order to have a high functioning and welcoming environment for students. Check out three easy ways to build teamwork with your students.
De Marshmallow Challenge is een boeiend experiment. De les? Doen is de beste manier van denken ! Zie ook de TED-talk van Tom Wujec https://www.ted.com/talks/tom_wujec_build_a_tower?language=en
The Respiratory System Worksheet. Learn about how we breathe! Get to apperceive bodies central and out with these simple analysis appearance pages. This one focuses on the respiratory arrangement and how your anatomy absorbs carbon dioxide like added active things.Find the blow of the Awesome Analysis alternation here.No standards associated with this content. The Respiratory System Worksheet. Pleasant in
Free English ESL Printable Worksheets and Exercises, Grammar Exercises, Flashcards, Vocabulary Exercises Cards and Games For Kids
Five engineering challenges for kids – with wooden clothespins, binder clips, and craft sticks! It’s a simple STEM activity that kids of all ages will love. Move over, expensive building sets! These simple materials were a huge hit with my boys. The first time we got them out, Owen (almost 7) spent well over an […]
The Best 37 Team Building Activities.
Help Save Fred is a great stem activity! This save Fred the worm is super fun stem activity will help your students strengthen team building skills and...
I decided to take on my own challenge of incorporating a STEM activity every day for a week. It turned out to be a huge success where both my students and I had a blast. Here were the various …
As a former classroom teacher, I can answer this question in many ways - picture books, morning meetings, get-to-know-you events, and teamwork games were all strategies I used. Now, as a specialist, I still do some of these things - especially games. That's one of the things that leads to the teamwork you see in the photo. It's kids working together to solve a STEM Challenge. (That one is a Cargo Drop!)
Gain Access to Over $50 in Science Duo Resources Completely Free! This bundle includes one resource from each of our 16 major product lines Click Here to Learn More Hello everyone! We are Scott and Natalie of The
Are you looking for something that will have ALL of your elementary students engaged from young kids to older? Do you hate planning out stem projects that use hard-to-find equipment and are exhausting to prepare? Have you tried easy STEM activities yet in your classroom? Easy stem challenges are a great way to have students […]
European Exploration is a free app for kids where students can play the simulation games and learn about the history.
I have to give credit to my practicum supervisor for this one (as I am sure I will be doing a lot over the next few months as I continue on in my practicum course). Every Monday when I am at my si…
The top 10 most popular posts featured on Let's Play Music over 2013 including First Piano Lessons to do at home and circle time songs and games.
Here is a collection of eight class discussion techniques to structure classroom discussion and ensure all students' equal participation.
These team-building games can promote cooperation, help establish a positive classroom environment, and provide a fun reprieve from routine.
