Magic Balloons
Age group
Primary CMS area
Area 1. Personal Effectiveness
Other CMS areas
Understanding the world
Managing relationships
Unit Description
Activity 1. Circle Play
Learning outcomes
General objective:
– Get to develop self-awareness in children
Specific objective
– Reflect on their abilities, capacities and aptitudes through a funny motility game
– Share with others about of inner self
Description
– A group of 6 volunteers will come in front of the class. The group will form a circle. A sheet of paper will be placed close to the feet of each child. Each sheet will show a number (from 1 to 6) and a message/a question. Music will be used and students will rotate in a circle, outside the paper sheets, on the rhythm of the music. When the teacher stops the music, each student will stop in front of a sheet. The teacher will use a dice, throw it in the middle of circle and will say the number that will appear. Thus, the student placed in front of the sheet with this number – will answer the question asked on the paper. The play can be repeated with other students involved.
Variant: it could be more circles in the same time, working together.
Learning materials
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYU4OgMDSjM
- Sheets with messages: one number and a message each (Example: 1- What is your favorite hobby? Describe it!; 2- Tell us about your best achievement! 3- Three personal qualities; 4- Something I want to learn ; 5- Something that I can do better; 6- My future dream/career dream)
- A dice
- A CD player
Time
- Introduction to the activity (10 minutes)
- Play/activity, until all students speak (30 minutes)
- Closing reflections (15-20 minutes)
Role of the Teachers
Methodology
Activity 2. Magic Balloons
Learning outcomes
General objective
- Get to reflect on personal strengths, skills and talents.
Specific objective
- To recognize professions in experiential way.Explore personal skills
- Reflect on the power of own /personal strengths
Activity name
Magic balloons
Introduction: The teacher will spread markers and worksheets for every student and will introduce the task- making a self-portrait. Each student will create a self-portrait. (10 minutes) and then the teacher will ask students to form small groups (4,5 students) and to discuss about their strengths (skills, talents, qualities, capacities).
Activity: in small groups, they will receive coloured balloons and every student will choose and note, on the balloon his most important personal skill/ ability. When all the balloons are written, students will put them together and tie them so that the balloons would rise up in the air caring the self-portraits.
The assessment: children will be asked to share the meaning of this exercise, their feelings working together. A creative conclusion can be “personal qualities can help you grow up”.
Learning materials
- a feedback sheet
- a worksheet –frame for self portrait
- at least 30 balloons/a class, 5 balloons/group
- at least 30 markers
Time
1 hour:
- Introduction, materials distribution (10 minutes)
- Creating self-portraits- making groups, presentation in groups, personal decision- writing the most important skill on the personal balloon (40 minutes)
- Closings- reflections about the power of the skills in life, feelings, thoughts about future, desires, goals (10 minutes)
Role of the teachers
Methodology
Self-exploration, personal reflection, peer activity
Assessment
A feedback sheet:
- Note a single word expressing your feelings at the end of this activity
- Draw a symbol of what you have learned about you today.
Activity 3. Paper Balloons
Learning outcomes
General objective:
- Get to reflect on personal improving strategies
Specific objectives:
- Identify personal issues that can be improved
- Note some action strategies for personal development
- Offer suggestions for improving behaviours of your classmates
Activity name
Children will have to find new skills they want to develop and then will have to reflect on strategies and possibilities for achieving this.
The activity proposes a reflection session on a personal weakness, something to be changed, to be straightened or improved in themselves, ways of thinking or acting. Using a worksheet representing a drawn balloon, every student will have to write first his/her name and than to write inside the balloon what he/she wants to improve in himself/herself. Outside the balloon- the students will fill practical ways to do it (actions, persons who can offer support, suggestions). After that, every student will squeeze his worksheet, making a little paper balloon, and the teacher will collect all the paper balloons in a box. Randomly, the students will extract a paper balloon, which must be different from his/her own. Every student will write a suggestion for improving the weakness of the classmate whose ticket he extracted. The exchanges of paper ballons between students will be made and every student will receive a little advice written on the sheet by a partner student.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dlLw7_v_Do
- a paper box for gathering paper balloons
- worksheet – a drown balloon, markers
1hour
- Introduction of the activity (10 minutes)
- Activity – writing weaknesses, finding a personal solution, extracting another paper balloon, writing new suggestions for improvement (35 minutes)
- Sharing received solutions, conclusion (15 minutes)
Self-reflection
