Educatorial

The brain break today involved chopsticks and superballs, a throwback to my graduate school days. Back then, I shared an office with 3 other MA candidates at ODU. We were all teaching Freshman Composition, and we had a lot of ways to avoid grading the awful essays we assigned. In addition to going out to lunch and drinking beer and shooting pool, when we were actually in the office, we often ordered takeout. 

It was one sleepy afternoon, after a heavy Chinese meal, when I plucked a superball from the junk bowl on my desk with an extra pair of chopsticks and bounced off the tile floor, trying to catch it. My colleagues, at first amused by my ridiculous attempts, were both amazed and delighted when I managed to pluck the ball from the air. 

After that, everyone was armed with chopsticks, and our superball collection grew every time we passed a gum machine with a quarter. It turned out that catching superballs with chopsticks was not a one-off, and we experimented with different game rules for Chopball, as we called it, throughout the semester, as well as gifting each other several sets of fancy chopsticks from Pier 1. For years I always had a tin of high-bounce balls and a bunch of chopsticks, but also for years, I have not owned either.

Until this week! Something reminded me of those Chopball days, and I was inspired to order a couple dozen superballs and sets of chopsticks. For under 20 bucks, I was up and running, but without a consistent game framework. Over the weekend, it occurred to me that we could adapt the rules of "Rob the Nest" and that is what we did. The quick little game was a big success, and I'll definitely add it to my collection.

Who says grad school doesn't prepare you for life?

Still Got It

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.

Mother of Invention

Every year it's different. 

The structured group "brain breaks" that have been successful with other sixth grade groups in the past have this year given way to timed instructional and work sessions or stations punctuated by brief (also timed) breaks. So where in other years kids would compete in fun minute-to-win-it type activities, now my classes have five minutes to move about, get water, use the restroom, talk to their friends, and play with the toys and fidgets I have in my room.

The structure works for this group, who struggled early on with finding a successful cooperative dynamic for mini-competitions and challenges, and it's kind of fun in its own way. Plus, I don't have to have a yo-yo for everyone, a couple will do for those who choose to use them. Likewise, 3-4 kids will play a round of magnetic darts, while another might solve the speed cube. There are puppets, a headband with a punching ball, chopsticks, bouncy balls, a foam football, mini golf clubs, juggling balls, and more. The only rule is that all electronic devices have to be closed. 

I was worried that if everyone was doing their own thing, we would lose some of that sense of community that a group activity can build, but I have found that not to be true. Even in the short time they have, small groups form and reform, and many kids seek me out during those breaks, too, either to play with them or witness their amazing accomplishments. 

All in all, what started out as a concession to what I considered a gap in this class's social skills has turned into a net positive. I can add the concept of self-directed free time to my list of breaks, and it might even end up near the top.