I'm always surprised when I bring back a brain break from years past, and it doesn't go as I thought it would. Perhaps it is to be expected; I know from experience that I must tweak my lessons and units from year to year to accommodate the different learners I have, so why should other activities be any different?
Today, I dug out the chopsticks and superballs for the brain break, and it just wasn't quite as much fun as it was last year. The kids still had a good time, and it was an effective movement break, but it was a little flat.
I stood holding a super ball in a pair of chopsticks and pondering the situation as my last class settled back to work. When the ball slipped from my grip, I automatically grabbed for it with the chopsticks, and to my surprise and delight, plucked the ball out of the air.
"Whoa! Did you see that?" one kid gasped. "Can you do it again?"
"Maybe," I laughed, "I used to be able to do it all the time."
"When?" asked someone.
"In graduate school," I shrugged, "about 40 years ago!"
"Can I record you?" said the first student.
"Go ahead," I agreed, and it took a few tries, but I managed to catch it again. "Let's see the video," I said.
The student pulled it up and scrolled forward to the point right before I successfully caught the ball. "Whoa!" she said again. "Do you see the look on your face?"
It was pure delight.
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