why balloon activities

8/13/2019 Why Balloon Activities

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Why Balloon Activities?

Balloons - in one form or another - have fascinatedhuman beings for centuries.

Balloons are incredibly forgiving and help in buildingpeople's confidence.

Balloons are fun, portable, and inexpensive. Balloons add suspense to the atmosphere - there is a

healthy sense of prolonged hope when playing with

balloons!

Conducting Balloon Activities

Balloon games can be used as party games, funfillers, energizers, icebreakers, or for longer trust-

building, team building and therapeuticsessions. Create a unique sequence for your group,

using these 40 balloon game descriptions as a guide.

Time: 5 mins to 1 hour Location:Preferably inside. Balloons are

susceptible to even the slightest wind whichcan be frustrating. Plus, there are fewer

accidental balloon bursts inside.

Equipment:Ideally, start with 2 to 3 assortedround 9 to 12 inch (medium to large) round

latex balloons per person (deflated). The

actual number needed depends on group size,

the specific activity, and whether it involvesbursting balloons. Sports equipment,

permanent markers, and slips of paper are

optional. To purchase the ideal balloons inbulk, seeBalloon Activities Kit.

Hygiene:Only one person inflates eachballoon.

Hyperventilation: Can occur followingquick, deep breaths from the top of the chest

when blowing up balloons, leading to a lack

of CO2(Carbon Dioxide) in theblood. Symptoms include

lightheadedness. Encourage anyone

experiencing this to sit down and to breath

slowly.
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Environmental: Latex balloonsare biodegradable (at the same rate as an Oak

leaf). Latex is a natural substance,

produced from the milky sap of the rubber

tree. To learn more about environmental

aspects, seeBalloon Industry Links.

BALLOON

ACTIVITYDESCRIPTION

Balloon History

Balloons - in one form or another - have fascinated humanbeings for centuries. Ask participants to guess who

invented the modern balloon and when it was invented

(Answer: In the mid-1800s by MichaelFaraday). However, it wasn't until 1931 that there was

mass production of modern-day blow-up-by-yourself

colored latex balloons. To learn more about balloon

history, seeBalloon Industry Links.

Balloon Inflation

Each person blows up a balloon. Balloons work best forgames at about 85% of inflation capacity. Keen

participants often over-inflate which leads to higher

burstage. Less confident participants may under-

inflate. You can turn the ideal inflation into a game anddemonstration. Show the ideal inflation and walk around

coaching people. 85% inflation also allows a handydistance for tying a thumb-knot in the neck of theballoon. Some participants may need a hand to tie the

balloon off - encourage cooperation amongst participants

rather than doing it yourself.

Balloon Juggle &

Sort

Challenge participants to keep all balloons (1+ per person)

in the air. This gets the group moving andcooperating. Once they've got the hang of it, make it

harder by adding in more balloons or placing restrictions

e.g., no hands to keep balloons up. Ask participants to

keep juggling the balloons, but to sort them into colors

(works best with large groups).

Balloon Frantic

Two to three inflated balloons per person are needed and a

stopwatch. Each person has a balloon, with the rest in a

nearby pile. Everyone begins bouncing their balloons inthe air. Every five seconds, another balloon is added. See

how long the group can keep the balloons bouncing before

receiving six penalties. A penalty is announced loudly (to

create stress!) by the leader when a balloon hits the floor,
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or once on the floor, if is not got back into play within five

seconds. The leader keeps a cumulative score by shouting

out "one", "two", etc. When the leader gets to "six", timeis stopped. After some discussion, the group tries to better

its record with another attempt.

Catch the Balloon

A handy name game. Stand in a circle. Toss a balloon inthe air and call someone's name. That person must catch

the balloon before it touches the ground. If the personsucceeds he/she then tosses the balloon up and calls the

next name. A variation ofGroup Juggle.

Balloon Bop

An extension of Catch the Balloon. Now the balloon is not

caught, but kept in the air. As well as calling out

someone's name, also call out a body part which thatperson has to use to keep the balloon in the air until he/she

calls another person's name and body part.

Balloon Blow

Divide into teams. Each team stands in a small circle. See

which team can keep a balloon aloft the longest using only

breath. Watch out for hyperventilation!

Balloon Help

Start off with everyone in a circle, facing inwards, handsbehind back. The objective is for everyone to be in the

center keeping all balloons afloat. Put between zero and

three balloons in people's hands behind theirbacks. Participants should not let on to others how many

they have. The leader starts by trying to keep three

balloons afloat in the center. When it becomes difficult,

the leader calls somebody's name and says "X, I need your

help!". That person comes in with all their balloons andhelps until it becomes difficult and then they call "Y, I

need your help!". If a balloon falls on the ground, it mustbe picked up by someone in the center and kept afloat.

Balloon Finger

Balance

Try balancing a balloon on the end of your finger. Have acompetition to see who can do it for the longest. The

balloon must not be held, only balanced, and it must not be

tapped. The finger must be in direct contact with theballoon at all times. Good for focus, concentration and

physical movement.

Balloon Ball Games

Ball sports take on a new dimension when a balloon is

used instead, e.g., get people into pairs, 1 balloon betweenthem. Get them to play a series of 1 on 1 sports e.g.,soccer, volleyball, table tennis, etc. - add equipment if you

want, but without equipment people will improvise

wonderfully. On a soft surface there can be dramatic

diving. Variation: Ask participants to play some points inslow-motion.
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Icebreakers

1. ALL RIGHTOKa. Every time you, the facilitator, say "alright," your participants respond with

"OK." Each time you say "OK," your participants respond with

"alright." This game is played for the rest of the progression.

2. POSITIVE RECOGNITIONSa. Explain the value of positive recognition, and then demonstrate the unique

way that you will be showing this to each other the rest of the day. Perform,in rapid sequence, 2 hand-to-thigh slaps, 2 hand claps, 2 finger snaps, and

then show both "thumbs-up" like the Fonz while saying, ever so cooly,

"yeah."

3. WE'D LIKE TO WELCOME . . .a. With everyone in a big circle, call out a category; if the named category

applies to anyone in the circle, they run and form an inner circle in themiddle, perform a "positive recognition" (see number 2 above) for

themselves, turn and face the outer circle, and then the outer circle performs

a "positive recognition" for the inner group. The inner group returns to thelarge circle, and then you the facilitator call out another category. After

you've called out a few, invite the group to call out categories that work for

them.b. Categories I've Used: You'll want to choose categories that are relevant for

your group. For a group of AmeriCorps volunteers, I used Under 25; over

25; from Jackson, from north, south, out-of-state, a wife or husband, a

mother or dad, a primary caregiver, exercise at least twice a week; currentlyattending J State, USM, Alcorn others; if you have completed a 2 year

degree, a 4 year degree, if you have a masters or PhD, if you think that workis about more than getting a paycheck; if you have big dreams for thedifference you can make; if you are an AmeriCorps member. Try to end

your category list with one that brings everyone together.

4. GET A GRIPa. With everyone in a large circle, instruct each person to place their right hand

palm up in front of the person on their right's midsection; they are then toposition their left hand directly over the palm in front of their own

midsection with index finger pointing down approximately one inch above

the palm. On the count of three, each person should try to grab the finger

above their right palm while simultaneously moving their own left indexfinger up, out and away to safety. One, two, three . . . do the activity at least

twice so folks will get the hang of the movements. A fun way to illustrate

the concept that you can't concentrate on more than one thing at a time verywell.

5. CREATIVE HAND SHAKE


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a. Instruct the participants to find three people they dont know (one at a time),shake their hand and look them in the eye.

b. Now find three more people you don't know, and one at a time look them inthe eye, and perform high fives.

c. Now find three more people you don't know, look them in the eye, andperform over the back high fives.

d. Finally, find the only remaining three people in the room you don't know,look them in the eye, and create, between you and your partner, a completely"new" handshake. Each of the three handshakes must be unique (although

all of your participants will be watching and learning from the creative

attempts going on around them). Ask any who are particularly proud of

their handshakes to demonstrate for the whole group.

Folks should be thoroughly warmed up, having a wonderful time and ready for

more.


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So What are We Doing Today, Teach?

Dealing with the Demanding or Cynical

Student

If you have taught for much time at all, you have encountered this type of

student: she will come in, throw her books down, and sprawl in her desk.

She will sit just close enough to you for you to hear her muttered remarks to her peers.Perhaps shell challenge you and the class directly: why does she even have to be in this

class when it so contrary to her goals and needs and personhood? The exercises in class arepointless, as far she is concerned. The odd thing is that you have done nothing to offend

this student personally, as far as you know, although she acts almost as if you have. Of

course you havent;you have just met the demanding and/or cynical student.There are anumber of causes outside of the teacher that contribute to the behavior of this kind of

student and different ways to address them.

Reasons for the Behavior of the Demanding/Cynical Student and Methods

to Address Them

1. 1Not Intrinsically Motivated
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The demanding/cynical student is not intrinsically motivated, to say the least,

to be in your class.Of course moststudents have varying degrees of motivation

outside of the innate love of learning: they are there for the grade, the degree,

sometimes by court order, etc. Most, however, recognize their own agency in thesituation: rarely does anyone hold a gun to a students head and tell him to register

in a class. However, the demanding/cynical student behaves as if she does have agun to her head, so much so that she feels resentment and a degree of victimization:some force outside of herself made her register for your class. Getting the student to

accept her own agency in the situationthat she, ultimately, chose to come to

classmay be a first step.

2. 2Not Seeing the Value of the Class

Many students are unable to make the connection of a specific class to long-

range goals.That is indeed part of the nature of being a student or beginner in afield: not understanding enough of the field to see how one level progresses toanother. Helping students then see this progression helps the student in a number of

ways: they begin to value this first step and then also to develop understanding of

the field and its breadth and depth.

3. 3Not Having a Personal or Professional Goal

Sometimes the problem with the demanding/cynical student isnot having a

real goal, or a realistic goal, to apply the class to. Therefore, the class seems likea waste of timeprecious time she could be spending doing something else.Discussing with the student what brought her to class in the first place, and linking

the class to that goal, might help, as does discussions with the class as a whole on

their career aspirations and applications of the course.

Use These Ways to Address the Demanding or Cynical Student

1. 1Show Your Concern for the Student

One reason students can put up a defensive faade is feeling undervalued or

underappreciated, their individuality not recognized.Therefore, show real

concern for your student. So why are you here? What do you hope to accomplish?

What made you enroll in the class? What are your goals? These questions should

not be asked sarcastically but rather with genuine interest, as the more you showinterest, the more students develop trust and the more you are able to serve them.
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Let Your Students Help You Be a Better Teacher for Them

1. 1A good teacher is an assertive teacher

Your students can have problems, bad days, stress, or even depressions as well. If you see that some of your students start to study worse, have no desire to do all

schoolwork you give them, and just want to give up everything, do not be in a hurryto argue and tell them about how bad or lazy they become.

You can become like a parent to them. Support your student, ask about whathappens to him, push him to do better. If you see that your student is depressed,

maybe it would be better to meet with him after classes and find out what exactly is

going on.

2. 2Be their friend, but don't go too far

Students just don't like when their teacher starts behaving like a student

himself.Stay professional, help students with schoolwork, listen to them, talk abouttheir lives, but remember who you are. Even if you are a young specialist, and you

are almost of the same age with your students, there is no need to use all those slang

words (even if you use them in your everyday life).

Your students will find it rude and unprofessional. As far as you understand, this is

not the best method to get a good reputation. Your students just will not take youseriously.

3. 3Make your lesson relevant to their lives

If you want your students to remember your lessons, just try to connect the

information you provide with some moments of your students' life.You can use

some of them as an example, describing this or that situation: it would be moreinteresting for them to visit such lessons, but not those boring ones where you try to

explain them the importance of differential equations for our science.

Just try to come up with an example, how these differential equations can help

THEM in the future.


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4. 4Your time should be used wisely

Remember who you are and where you are.Students don't like, when their

teacher begins to tell them about his life, how better it was when he was younger,how better and more patient all students were then, blah-blah-blah. Your student

visits your lesson to learn something on the subject, so, don't give him a reason tomiss this class next time.

Remember, that time is important for your students as well, so, they would not behappy to waste it for lessons which don't give them anything except personal stories

from their teacher's life.

5. 5

More explanations

Even if you consider yourself a cool teacher who explains everything in a way

that even the stupidest person would understand you, don't be lazy to explain it

to your students several times, and what is even more importanttry to do

that in different manners.Sometimes, they really don't get it, but it's not becausethey are stupid: maybe some of them just think different.

Be patient, and explain your material over and over again, making sure all studentsunderstand what you're talking about. You know, how difficult it will be for them to

learn further, if they don't get the basis.

6. 6Teach in a variety of ways

Don't be lazy to use as many different materials for your lessons as possible.Students believe that the best teacher is able toteach in a big variety of ways:use

books, videos, music, presentations, speeches, and everything that can be interestingfor your students to accept (you know them better, so, you will definitely come up

with good ideas).

If you show them a video, then give some papers with facts described in that video,then tell them all this info yourself, it will be much easier for your students to

understand and get the material.

7. 7Be firm
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It doesn't mean you should be a dictator.Butstudents do not like teachers who

are too soft and mild.Too nice is not always nice, especially when it comes to

teaching. There are always some students in a class (we think, you remember all

those movies about high schools), who will try to persuade you that they do notneed the material you give. Don't make a sad face like that Okay meme on the

Internet has!

Just stay consistent!

8. 8A good teacher always has objectives

When you start a lesson, make your students understand clearly what they will

learn today.You should have clear objectives, as such a plan will help students

concentrate and know what they are supposed to do during this class.

You can write something like do nows on the board, or just tell them your plan

step by step.

9. 9Be a good example for your students

One student has told us a story about his teacher, who always brought tasty

organic food and shared it with those students who didn't bring lunch with

them.He looked younger and very energetic, and some students changed their mind

about what they age, because they just wanted to look like a teacher.

This is an example of a teacher who influenced his students positively. If you followthis advice, your students will thank you.

10.10Believe in them!

Don't ignore your student, if you see he is not interested in your subject, or he

doesn't understand anything.Just try to believe in everyone, and don't leave any

of your students behind.

Ask each of them to explain what exactly they don't like or understand, explain this

once again, make sure they've got it this time. It is very important for a student to

feel the support of his teacher and know, that he will always help when it is needed.

The article is written by Alex Strike. He is a blogger and staff writer ofthesis help,a website that

helps students reach their academic goals. Alex is always ready to share his thoughts on different
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topics and help you with writing. You can find more his works on Google+, and he will answer all

your questions.

Lesson Planning 101: 6 Easy Steps forEffective Lesson Planning

Planning lessons for my ESL class has not always been an easy one.

Although formal training provided me with the basic tools of teaching, I have found thatunderstanding the needs of my students ahead of mine is the most important aspect to takeinto consideration whenplanning any lesson.Every class is different! As teachers it is vital

for us to identify the type of learners we have (i.e. visual, auditory, and kinesthetic) before

planning a lesson as it makes work a little easier.Visual learnersprefer using images,pictures, colours, and maps to organize information and communicate with others, while

auditory learners are able to learn better by hearing information andkinesthetic learners

study best when they are moving, or doing physical activities or working with their hands.

Try to pick a topic that will appeal to everyone in class (teacher included) and one withwhich you are able to be flexible. Even if your lesson topics come a textbook and the text

dictates a certain theme try to personalize the lesson as much as possible so that you hold

the students attention for the entire lesson. Assuming your class is 45 minutes long, youwill need to have enough prepared to fill that time without becoming repetitive orredundant. You will also want to make sure that your lesson covers the four basic learning

skills, i.e. reading, writing, listening and speaking as these are important when teaching a

second language. The following six steps have been a real treasure in my box of teachingtools. You may encounter a few problems during your execution; however, proper

classroom management should iron out those issues. Executing this lesson planning
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strategy in my classroom as brought amazing results. I hope that you and your students will

have the same level of success and mine.

Apply These 6 Stages in Your Successful Lesson Planning

1. 1Lead-in (3 minutes)

This is where you will introduce your topic to the class.Audio-visual aids such

as a music video are an excellent lead-in tool. The lead-in should be 5 minutes or

less as it is just a warm-up. For example: the famous nursery rhyme Old McDonaldhad a farm, could be a fun lead-in for a lesson on animals. Your objective here is to

lay the foundation for your lesson. You dont want it to be too long as it should not

overshadow your lesson.

After listening to the song/watching the video you can ask the students to make aprediction on what topic the lesson would be based on for the day, it gives them alittle thrill when they make the correct predication.

2. 2Elicitation (5 minutes)

Elicitation is basically extracting information.At this step, you want to test the

students current knowledge on the topic. A good way to elicit information from thestudents is to show them a prop, flashcards or a PowerPoint presentation. Each

image or prop will get the students talking and more engaged in your lesson. Forexample, in a lesson on animals you will show the class images of different animalsand get the students to identify the animals. You can take it a step further with

higher level students and try to get them to name the offspring. Another fun idea is

to play sounds of different animals and have the class identify the creature from justthe sound; this would be an excellent way to practicing listening. Your aim here is

just to test the students knowledge on the topic.

NB:Using funny looking images creates a lighter atmosphere in the classroom as it

draws the student in andbuilds greater engagement.

3. 3Presentation (7 minutes)

In this step you will be presenting the main topic.So, if you chose the theme ofanimals you should have a focus area such as animal homes. During your

presentation you will talk about this topic. PowerPoint presentations; Flashcards or

Charts are great for this stage of your lesson. Using your students current
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knowledge on the theme will be useful at this stage of the lesson. At this point of

the lesson it would be appropriate tointroduce the class to new vocabulary and key

phrases. The objective of this step should be for the students to learn the appropriate

use of key terms and phrases and how to use them in the proper context. It will alsobroaden their current knowledge on the topic.

4. 4Controlled Practice (10 minutes)

After presenting your lesson and teaching new vocabulary, you would want the

students to put into practice everything they have studied. The best way to test

their knowledge on the day's lesson is through a worksheet. Another great tool is

doing a role-play in which the students can act out different social situations while

using the key phrases and vocabulary taught for the day. Most often your topic willdictate the type of activity most suited for the lesson. The activities done at this

stage should be able to help sharpen the four basic language learning skills. Try toget all the students involved and assist them where necessary.

5. 5Freer Practice (15 minutes)

Once again you will be testing the students knowledge on the lesson just

taught; however, with this step you can be more flexible.Games are great forthis as it creates a "freer" learning environment. It's both entertaining and

educational. With this step you can do more than one activity depending on your

time. Encourage peer teaching, that is, get the students to help each other.

6. 6Review and Follow up (5 minutes)

Towards the end of the lesson it's good to do a quick review to tie up the lesson

and at the same time check of the students was able to grasp all the concepts

taught.Its a good idea to go over the new vocabulary and key phrases taught.Review could also be done in the form of a short worksheet like a word-search

which they can complete in class or something longer if you wish to give the

students homework for the day.

Note:The times indicated here are just for reference purposes.
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