Exercise As Brain Food
In the past 12 months there has been a growing mountain of research that has generated a lot of excitement in PE and adventure-based learning circles which speaks to the CRITICAL VALUE of integrating play and exercise in our lives, every day! Especially for kids.
Click the image at right to read this short article.
As John Ratey says in his book ‘Spark,‘ exercise and play are as essential to human development and health as sleep and nutrition. I highly recommend reading his book for more details.
So… how often did you exercise / move your body today? That’s what it’s designed for.
Coloured Ball Debrief
Wonderfully creative and random way to debrief your group’s experience.
At A Glance
Participants are asked to randomly pull a ball out of a bag, the colour of which will direct the focus of their response.
What You Need
- Selection of balls (different colours) or other multi-coloured items.
- Form one large or several small groups.
- Everyone standing or sitting in a circle.
What To Do
I love to use this technique because it’s creative and produces totally random results.
It may sound like… “In a moment, I will pull a series of balls out of this hat. Each of the balls is a different colour, and each colour represents something in particular about today’s lesson. For example, when I pull a yellow ball out of the hat I want you to share a highlight, if I pull a black ball I want you to share something about today you didn’t like, if I pull a red ball I want you to share something you saw someone else do today, or if I pull a blue ball, I want you to share something you learned today. Okay, our first ball is…”
Variations
- Choose to direct each question for the whole group to answer.
- Pass the bag around the circle so each person can pull their own coloured ball.
- Return the ball back into the bag after each response.
Click here to make a comment, or share a variation of this exercise…
One Minute Debrief
One of the quickest and easiest debriefing techniques ever devised!
At A Glance
A group is asked to respond rapidly to one or more questions in no more than sixty seconds.
What You Need
- Form one large or several small groups.
- Everyone standing or sitting in a circle.
What To Do
This is perfect for those moments when you have very little time to debrief your group’s experrience.
It may sound like this… “Using my watch, you have exactly 60 seconds to share whatever you’re thinking about two important questions (or topics). Are you ready? Okay, your first question is … (enter question, time elapses) … ten seconds remaining … Okay, second question is .. (enter question) .. quick, less than ten seconds to go …”
Variation
- Use this timed strategy with the Whip Around technique, to encourage everyone to participate.
Click here to make a comment, or share a variation of this exercise…
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Who am I?
Hi, I'm Mark Collard.
This blog shares some of the most successful group games, team-building activities & programming tips I know.
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