Brain Games

Getting themselves into "Trouble"

Now that the start of the year craziness has died down a bit, school has gotten into a pretty good routine. As I reread that sentence I have to laugh because I realize that our routine is just organized chaos that I have adapted to. Either way, things are going smoothly for the most part and it is hard to believe that winter break is just around the corner. Though I realize it has been over a month since I last checked in, I have to admit that the break from writing has been refreshing. Over the past few weeks, I have been able to focus on my students and paperwork, but also my ever growing list of "books to read". Most days, I come home from school and go for a walk with Caitlin and Emily as we try to soak up the ever shrinking amount of daylight we have. Then, I have dinner with Sam and spend the rest of the night curled up on the couch with my nose in a book. However, on Tuesdays I stay at school a bit later to spend time with some of my favorite people. 

Learning to play "Yahtzee"

In the beginning of the school year I decided to start a “Brain Games” club as a way to give our students time to just be kids. Knowing the students in my school and what some of their home lives are like, I wanted to provide them with a safe space to play fun, educational games with their friends. Through “Donors Choose” I was gifted with a variety of games to help keep the kids entertained and challenged. A few weeks ago, I had my first club gathering and I was anxiously excited to see which of the students would take part. At the end of the day, I was pleasantly surprised as 12, out of our school's 25-ish, students came to see what my club was about. There were a few middle schoolers that I was surprised to see, and even some high-school students that wanted to attend but who had to go to volleyball practice. The kids and I all had a great time as they played games they enjoy and also learned how to play some new games. One of the group favorites has been “Hedbanz”, a game that is sure to bring countless giggles and funny questions as each person tries to guess what object is out of sight on their forehead. One of my coworkers joined me on the day of the first get together and we both caught ourselves stopping just to watch the students play and listen to their laughter. It was a very satisfying feeling when it was time to go home and the kids all begged to stay longer. 

Giggling over a game of "Hedbanz" :)

When I set up this club, I planned to hold it once every other week. However, the popularity of it has continued to hold strong and has brought me to schedule the club for each week. I have even been thinking about holding “meetings" twice a week, especially now that the days are getting much shorter and the temperature has been continuing to drop. At our whole school morning meeting yesterday, I told the students that we would have to take next week off as we have another school event planned. I wasn’t expecting the level of disappointment that I received, and therefore promised to schedule a get together for another day next week. That promise, along with our principal's request to come teach them how to play chess, quickly turned their frowns upside down. 

It is one thing to have a vision and to do what you can to make it a reality, but it is a completely different thing to see the result of your work and the impact it can have on a group of kids. The concept of my club is such a simple one in my mind because I played games all the time growing up, but this process has reminded me that the children I work with have different home lives and varying access to what I have always considered as staple household games. After only three meetings, I am happily enjoying the turnout of my club and looking forward to continuing it throughout the rest of the year. Due to shipping delays, not all of the games I ordered have arrived yet, but I am excited to see as the kids are exposed to some of my childhood favorites like “Guess Who?”, “Sorry”, and "Connect Four”. I have also been thinking of additional games that I’d like to invest in, but any suggestions are gladly welcomed!