Team Building/Adventure Activities

For the past few weeks the seventh graders have been working on team building/adventure activities.  This unit is so interesting to watch.  The seventh graders come from five different elementary schools into a junior-senior high school which is somewhat intimidating.  Most of them only know an average amount of 20 students.  They are mostly shy and not sure of how to work together to achieve goals.  We work to develop positive communication and problem solving skills for three weeks (they have PE every other day) until they demonstrate an understanding of working together to achieve a common goal. The best part will come the first week of October.  The students are placed in groups, handed a challenge and organizer card explaining their challenge and begin by making a plan for their challenge.   Over the next two weeks they work together with the same group to solve six different challenges demonstrating their social development.  After completing each challenge they fill out a team report card explaining how they were successful.  The challenges range from beginner, intermediate to advanced.  Sometimes their plans don't work and they get frustrated, but they try different attempts until they figure it out.  It is so great watching how well they develop the skills to work together. Every year I invite administrators down to watch and sometimes join in...It's a great way to start the year!