How We Build Team Players

Team building, team bonding, or team development...whatever you want to call it, our Upper School students called it FUN this week!

 This week our 5th-8th graders took part in a team building activity each day to strengthen old bonds while creating new ones. 

 On the first day of school, students played a game called Blobs and Lines. They were asked to line up based on a number of differences such as height, shoe size, or the number of people living in their home. Students moved to different “blobs” for other statements such as 'I have a dog' 'I have a cat' or 'I have a dog or cat'. Blobs and Lines allowed students to see what they had in common with their peers while also learning what makes them unique from each other. 

 Later, these bonds were put to the test as they worked in teams to complete an escape room challenge. For this project, the groups consisted of a mixture of 5th-8th graders to allow students to work with peers with whom they may not normally interact. Each group had to solve a series of puzzles in order to 'escape' the room. Initially, they were fairly quiet which “made things awkward” as one student said. As time went on, the awkwardness fizzled and by the last puzzle the room was buzzing with excitement.

 While these games are fun, it also helped our students develop soft skills such as communication, flexibility, intentional listening, and respect for each other's ideas in order to reach the end goal. Students also found out that they had more in common with their peers than they realized and they made connections with people they may not have normally made. 

 In October, Upper School students will spend two days at Camp Weaver. This experience will allow our students to further strengthen their bonds. Under the guidance of the camp counselors, our students will participate in low ropes courses to build trust and to work cooperatively. During their time at Camp Weaver, they’ll also be able to participate in high ropes courses, canoeing, archery, and make kosher s'mores! 

 At B’nai Shalom, we work everyday in our classrooms to help our students foster important collaborative and communication skills. This work ensures that, whatever the activity may be, our students are comfortable enough with one another to work together to solve problems, overcome obstacles, and have difficult conversations.