Why Balloon Activities?

Balloons - in one form or another - have fascinated human beings for centuries. Balloons are incredibly forgiving and help in building people'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, fun fillers, energizers, icebreakers, or for longer trustbuilding, team building and therapeutic sessions. 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 which can be frustrating. Plus, there are fewer accidental balloon bursts inside. Equipment: Ideally, start with 2 to 3 assorted round 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 involves bursting balloons. Sports equipment, permanent markers, and slips of paper are optional. To purchase the ideal balloons in bulk, see Balloon Activities Kit. Hygiene: Only one person inflates each balloon. Hyperventilation: Can occur following quick, deep breaths from the top of the chest when blowing up balloons, leading to a lack of CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) in the blood. Symptoms include lightheadedness. Encourage anyone experiencing this to sit down and to breath slowly.

Environmental: Latex balloons are 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, see Balloon Industry Links.

BALLOON ACTIVITY

DESCRIPTION Balloons - in one form or another - have fascinated human beings for centuries. Ask participants to guess who invented the modern balloon and when it was invented (Answer: In the mid-1800s by Michael Faraday). 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, see Balloon Industry Links. Each person blows up a balloon. Balloons work best for games at about 85% of inflation capacity. Keen participants often over-inflate which leads to higher burstage. Less confident participants may underinflate. You can turn the ideal inflation into a game and demonstration. Show the ideal inflation and walk around coaching people. 85% inflation also allows a handy distance for tying a thumb-knot in the neck of the balloon. Some participants may need a hand to tie the balloon off - encourage cooperation amongst participants rather than doing it yourself. Challenge participants to keep all balloons (1+ per person) in the air. This gets the group moving and cooperating. 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). 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 in the 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,

Balloon History

Balloon Inflation

Balloon Juggle & Sort

Balloon Frantic

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", time is stopped. After some discussion, the group tries to better its record with another attempt. A handy name game. Stand in a circle. Toss a balloon in the air and call someone's name. That person must catch the balloon before it touches the ground. If the person Catch the Balloon succeeds he/she then tosses the balloon up and calls the next name. A variation of Group Juggle. 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 that Balloon Bop person has to use to keep the balloon in the air until he/she calls another person's name and body part. Divide into teams. Each team stands in a small circle. See which team can keep a balloon aloft the longest using only Balloon Blow breath. Watch out for hyperventilation! Start off with everyone in a circle, facing inwards, hands behind 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 their backs. Participants should not let on to others how many they have. The leader starts by trying to keep three Balloon Help 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 and helps until it becomes difficult and then they call "Y, I need your help!". If a balloon falls on the ground, it must be picked up by someone in the center and kept afloat. Try balancing a balloon on the end of your finger. Have a competition to see who can do it for the longest. The balloon must not be held, only balanced, and it must not be Balloon Finger tapped. The finger must be in direct contact with the Balance balloon at all times. Good for focus, concentration and physical movement. Ball sports take on a new dimension when a balloon is used instead, e.g., get people into pairs, 1 balloon between them. Get them to play a series of 1 on 1 sports e.g., soccer, volleyball, table tennis, etc. - add equipment if you Balloon Ball Games want, but without equipment people will improvise wonderfully. On a soft surface there can be dramatic diving. Variation: Ask participants to play some points in slow-motion.

Icebreakers
1. ALL RIGHT OK a. 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 RECOGNITIONS a. 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 the middle, 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 the large 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; currently attending 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 work is about more than getting a paycheck; if you have big dreams for the difference you can make; if you are an AmeriCorps member. Try to end your category list with one that brings everyone together. 4. GET A GRIP a. 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 to position 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 index finger 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 very well. 5. CREATIVE HAND SHAKE

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

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 are pointless, 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 a number 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. 1

Not Intrinsically Motivated

The demanding/cynical student is not intrinsically motivated, to say the least, to be in your class. Of course most students 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 the situation: 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 a gun 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. 2

Not Seeing the Value of the Class

Many students are unable to make the connection of a specific class to longrange goals. That is indeed part of the nature of being a student or beginner in a field: not understanding enough of the field to see how one level progresses to another. 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. 3

Not Having a Personal or Professional Goal

Sometimes the problem with the demanding/cynical student is not having a real goal, or a realistic goal, to apply the class to. Therefore, the class seems like a 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. 1

Show 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 show interest, the more students develop trust and the more you are able to serve them.

2. 2

Show Your Knowledge of the Field

Students sometimes enter class with a real skepticism of the intelligence and competence of teachersperhaps justifiably, having been exposed to more than one poor example. Talking to students about your background in the field, demonstrating your knowledge, not to show offwell, yes, maybe to show off, but with the ultimate good intent of demonstrating why youre there, why you were chosen to teach the class, and in fact you do have something to teachhelps build trust with students.
3. 3

Show Your Enthusiasm for Your Field

Discuss what your subject has done for you and your life: writing has opened doors for me, for example, not only in employmentemployers actually need people who can writebut also personally: I have written, effectively, everything from love poems to bat mitzvah blessings to challenges to parking tickets to eulogies. I often begin a semester of developmental composition by asking who actually likes to write. Few raise their hands, but students usually visibly relax and actually laugh in some cases, realizing that no judgment is going to be passed on them for not liking it. And then this leads into a discussion of reasons to actual like writing and what it can do for you.
4. 4

Make the Connections Explicit to the Student

From the general discussion of the value of writing, the teacher can then proceed to showing how writing will advance student goals. Talk about how the subject can be used outside of class, its real-life applications, whatever chance you get. This helps build student enthusiasm and motivation to learn.
5. 5

Different Opportunities for Practice and Different Authentic Assignments

One of the problems with schooling in general is that students, even very young ones, usually sense when an assignment is inauthentic, that is not a real part of the field and nothing youd ever actually do in the real world. Why should I care about writing or want to come to writing class if its all about the fiveparagraph, or seven-paragraph, essay? When am I ever going to need this in the real world? But if students practice love letters, or persuasive speeches, letters of

complaint, acceptance speeches, letters to the editor, wedding toasts, email messages to fundraiseall tasks people do in real lifewell, the question becomes, who wouldnt want to become a better writer?

How to Become the Best Teacher: Students' Advice

Nobody's perfect.
And when you are a teacher, it becomes even more difficult to become perfect for ALL your students. It's clear, that we all are different, so your students are, and each of them has his own learning style. When your teaching style suits a learning style of your student, you will definitely become his best teacher ever. This is like to be on the same wave with someone. But it's obvious, that all your 30 students (or 20, or even 10, it doesn't matter actually) will never have the same opinion about your teaching methods, so, misunderstandings are impossible to avoid. However, you always can become a better teacher for your students, the main thing is to listen to them carefully. Here we have 10 advice from students to teachers, that will help you understand their principles better. You teach them of course, but you can always let them teach you a bit as well, can't you? So, if you want to become the best teacher for your students, you'd better not ignore what they say.

Let Your Students Help You Be a Better Teacher for Them

1. 1

A 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 hurry to argue and tell them about how bad or lazy they become. You can become like a parent to them. Support your student, ask about what happens 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. 2

Be 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 about their 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 you seriously.
3. 3

Make 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 more interesting 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.

4. 4

Your 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 to miss this class next time. Remember, that time is important for your students as well, so, they would not be happy 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 important try to do that in different manners. Sometimes, they really don't get it, but it's not because they are stupid: maybe some of them just think different. Be patient, and explain your material over and over again, making sure all students understand 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. 6

Teach 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 to teach in a big variety of ways: use books, videos, music, presentations, speeches, and everything that can be interesting for 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. 7

Be firm

It doesn't mean you should be a dictator. But students 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 not need the material you give. Don't make a sad face like that Okay meme on the Internet has! Just stay consistent!
8. 8

A 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. 9

Be 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 follow this advice, your students will thank you.
10. 10

Believe 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 of thesis help, a website that helps students reach their academic goals. Alex is always ready to share his thoughts on different

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 for Effective 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 that understanding the needs of my students ahead of mine is the most important aspect to take into consideration when planning 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 learners prefer using images, pictures, colours, and maps to organize information and communicate with others, while auditory learners are able to learn better by hearing information and kinesthetic 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 with which 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, you will need to have enough prepared to fill that time without becoming repetitive or redundant. 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 teaching tools. You may encounter a few problems during your execution; however, proper classroom management should iron out those issues. Executing this lesson planning

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. 1

Lead-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 McDonald had 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 a prediction on what topic the lesson would be based on for the day, it gives them a little thrill when they make the correct predication.
2. 2

Elicitation (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 the students 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. For example, in a lesson on animals you will show the class images of different animals and 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 just the 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 and builds greater engagement.
3. 3

Presentation (7 minutes)
In this step you will be presenting the main topic. So, if you chose the theme of animals 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

knowledge on the theme will be useful at this stage of the lesson. At this point of the lesson it would be appropriate to introduce 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 also broaden their current knowledge on the topic.
4. 4

Controlled 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 will dictate 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 to get all the students involved and assist them where necessary.
5. 5

Freer 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 for this 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. 6

Review 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.