Mission Possible

At the beginning of the school year, I believe it is important to bring each class together with team building activities. This week, 2nd-4th grade students have been challenged to play "Mission Impossible". In addition to team building, this game is a critical thinking exercise where each group must take their time and figure out a solution. But, as I tell the students--it is not so much the strategy as the teamwork that will get them across the ocean. We talked about cooperation and teamwork and how it is one of the most important life skills we will practice in P.E. this year.

The object of this activity is for everyone in each group to cross the shark infested water (complete with the "Mission Impossible" movie theme music) with an equal amount of various equipment, and transport medicine and food (a.k.a about 50 bean bags for each group) without stepping into the water--if they step in the ocean or drop the medicine/food, they must start from the beginning again.

It is so much fun for me to watch students work together--work out frustrations, become leaders, and take a seat back and listen to their classmates ideas. At the end of the year we will play this game again and it is so much fun to see how they have learned and grown!

Here are some snapshots of the 4th Grade on their way to Mission Possible: