Friendship Group Update, Week of Dec. 13

At school it feels like we’re going down the homestretch….the last week before a well-earned winter break.  (I have a feeling that parents aren’t quite as excited about this as teachers are!)  In the spirit of play and fun, we are doing a couple of different things in group this week to practice our play skills as well as build on our ability to cooperate with one another. 

I introduced a new group of folks to students this week to help incorporate play and emotions: the Emotes.  They are an animated bunch of characters whose name indicates what feeling they represent (Abash is embarrassed, Jumpy is shocked, Joi is excited, etc.).  I’ve got a poster with the full collection, as well as the first comic book, and (best of all) the action figures.  For the boys, it was an especially fun way for them to act out emotions through their play.  You can check them out at www.emotes.com.  I haven’t vetted the site too thoroughly, but it’s certainly interesting at first glance!

Finally, we worked cooperatively to make bubbles.  Students had to work together on teams to create the biggest bubble they could by using water, dishsoap, and straws.  It was a fun activity and I am quite impressed with the bubble-blowing talent at Hilltop. 

I hope everyone’s winter break goes well and I am looking forward to kicking off our unit on mindfulness in January.  Have a happy holiday season!

5 Point Scale Books

I forgot to mention earlier that the 5 Point Scale Booklets that we worked on throughout October and into November will be going home with the kids this week.  They turned out pretty cute and hopefully they're a helpful tool as well!

Friendship Group Update, Week of Dec. 6, 2010

This week in group we’re just going to continue right on playing!  Last week we finished up our anxiety plans, discussed ways to choose and make friends, and played a fun game.  With the younger students we focused more on the fundamentals of play: taking turns, following rules, and being a good sport.  This week within all of the groups we will be directing our attention to the communicative aspect of play: asking to join a group, listening and responding appropriately to others, and being mindful of what our body language is saying, as well as the body language of others, during social situations.  (I know how to take the fun right out of playing, don’t I?)

For some students the social nuances of play come naturally, while for other students they must be learned and practiced.  Next week we’ll be playing team-building games which will require a great deal of communication, cooperation, and flexibility.  Watch out! 

I should mention that I was hoping to do a game with the groups on the Smartboard this week, but a lot of the games I came across that would be appropriate for what we’re learning would be best suited on the computer for one student, not a whole group. I recommend going to Jill Kuzma’s website (www.jillkuzma.wordpress.com) for some great computer game ideas.