The last time I checked in with you, I promised a few bookish updates and more creative team-building tasks. The last couple of weeks have been more of a whirlwind than I expected though so those posts aren't ready yet. In the meantime, I thought I'd share an interview I recently did for the Rochester… Continue reading Interview: Rochester Area Children’s Writers & Illustrators
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10 Verbal Team Challenges you Must Give your Team or Class Today
Okay, so you’re faced with a new day of teaching or another team practice. Your kids are a bit sleepy. Maybe not sleepy… just less energetic than you had hoped they’d be today. Well, can you blame them? The honeymoon of the first week or two of school is over. Reality is setting in that… Continue reading 10 Verbal Team Challenges you Must Give your Team or Class Today
Team Building is not a Bed of Roses
There’s something so spectacular about wildflowers, especially in September. The colorful petals fill the fields in such a random way. Each one different and pretty enough on its own. But when grown side by, the collective view is stunning. It almost makes you wonder if it was planned, though by definition, we all know they are… Continue reading Team Building is not a Bed of Roses
Spontaneous Hybrid Practice Problems
Hey there! Happy Friday. By now you may have seen my first list (1-5) of spontaneous- inspired hybrid practice problems that I refer to as hybrid team tasks. But, even if you have, I thought I would highlight them and explain why your team needs to try them! So, what is a hybrid team task? … Continue reading Spontaneous Hybrid Practice Problems
Spontaneous Hands-on Practice Problems
Are you a visual learner? Or do you learn best by listening? Neither? Well, maybe you fall into the reading/ writing camp. Or maybe you're a kinesthetic learner. Kinesthetic learners learn best by doing. They respond well to information or solve problems best when given a tactile experience—anything they can play with and touch. Have… Continue reading Spontaneous Hands-on Practice Problems
5 Years for Flip the Silver Switch!
The years since my second book was published are flying by faster that the Crimson Five’s aero bus… the one that transports them to the Piedmont Challenge Global Championships in Quebec! To celebrate, last night I started re-reading it. It’s kind of strange how the details and memories of writing this book came crashing back! … Continue reading 5 Years for Flip the Silver Switch!
Spontaneous Verbal Practice Problems
This week I added a new tab to the site: Spontaneous Tasks. It’s full of spontaneous practice problems, used by Odyssey of the Mind coaches to get their teams ready for competition. I’ll be adding more soon, but the ones highlighted so far are some of my favorites. But what if you’re not an OotM… Continue reading Spontaneous Verbal Practice Problems
10 Years!
120 months. 3,560 days. Today marks the 10th anniversary of swirl and spark! A whole decade of blogging. That’s a lot of words. Today I’ll probably fall down the rabbit hole. I’ll go back and click through my History of Blog Posts, all archived by year and month on this page. I’ve done it before.… Continue reading 10 Years!
MARSHMALLOW CHALLENGE Team Building Activity
Ready for another outstanding team building activity? You’ve most definitely heard of this one. That’s probably because the famous Marshmallow Challenge is a classic problem-solving exercise and the origin of all other team building activities! It was invented by Peter Skillman and made popular by Tom Wujec. Originally created as a simple design exercise for… Continue reading MARSHMALLOW CHALLENGE Team Building Activity
LEGO FLAG BUILDER Team Building Activity
I bet you’ve played with LEGOs. Your kids probably have too. But have you ever used LEGOs to improve your team’s collaboration skills? The LEGO FLAG BUILDER activity is a fantastic way to do exactly that. But it’s more challenging than you may think at first glance. Why? Because everyone knows how to build with… Continue reading LEGO FLAG BUILDER Team Building Activity