eMINTS+Resources+We+Can+Use


 * A list of great resources. **


 * **eThemes -  Your source for content-rich, kid-safe online resources that will help enhance your teaching and save you time **

__Community Building Activities: __

**Language and Word Games - From Youth Learn**

 * **20 Questions.** Most people remember this game from childhood; in it, one person picks something to be, like a famous person or an animal, and then the rest of the kids ask yes/no questions until someone guesses who that person is. It's a great way to keep kids focused when they have to stand around waiting or are moving between places. Here's a tip: If one kid is starting to act up a bit, put him in charge of the game or have him go first. It will bring him back on track.


 * **Frozen-in-Motion.** The leader and participants sit on their chairs. Initially, have the participants feel the floor, feel the chair and feel the space they are in. This can be done with eyes open or closed. Participants are then directed to feel and replicate an emotion, such as boredom, surprise or anger. The leader (the teacher or a student) then says, "Freeze!" Everyone freezes like statues, and the leader now says, "We are in the museum of boredom" (or surprise or anger, whatever the selected emotion is). The leader selects one person to hold his or her frozen pose and be the "statue" and everyone else focuses their attention on that person. Ask the class to describe different aspects of the statue, such as the posture or facial set. This is a great exercise for training observation skills and is good for building enhanced vocabulary for writing.

> Let the kids mingle and talk to each other, sharing the quotes until they find their partner. Make sure they understand that it's not a race. Once all the students have found their counterparts, have them return to their seats. You can stop now or continue discussing it as a group. Try asking questions like, "What strategy did you use to find the other person?" or "What does your quote mean to you in your personal life?" Try this activity using other things written on the cards, such as characters or quotes from books you read during the year.
 * **Proverbs.** Take some standard 3"x5" index cards and write on them a number of famous quotes or proverbs that reflect the core values of your center. Make two cards for every quote, and be sure that the quotes are appropriate for the age and reading level of your kids. Bring the cards to class, and distribute them face down to the kids, either by passing them out at random or by letting them select from a box. Have everyone read the cards silently to themselves. Now tell them that everyone in the room has someone with the same quote; ask them to find that person and talk about what the quote means. (If you have an odd number of children in the group, use a card yourself.)


 * Lesson Plans Links for Middle School Teambuilding: **
 * Teamwork
 * Teamwork Poetry Presentation
 * BRAIN BOOSTERSfrom Discovery Education
 * Group Cooperation
 * [[file:Sit Down Teambuilding.docx]]