The B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students enjoyed a beautiful day at the park, working on team building skills. This year, facilitators Donna Mansolillo and Kathy Gorman Gard have focused several of the Community Based Instruction (CBIs) on getting the students outside and interacting with one another in a relaxed environment. This was key for students after coming back from a year of virtual learning from home.
Some of the team building activities that the students took part in were a Scavenger Hunt and the Balloon Pop Communication activity. First, the students participated in the Scavenger Hunt and were assigned to a group. Each student received a job during the scavenger hunt…the group leader, the photographer, and one student to write down what they found. This Scavenger Hunt was done very different from the traditional ones. Students used their phones to take pictures instead of gathering the items they found.
One of the items listed on the scavenger list was, “Find something beautiful”. Each group came up with different ideas of what they found beautiful. Some of the responses from the different groups were, the sky, trees, and birds.
The next activity, students were each given a balloon. Inside the balloon was a question that they had to answer. First, the students had to keep the balloon up in the air without letting it pop. Once the balloon popped, each student read their question and shared with one another. Some examples of the questions were, “Who is the most important person in your life, what have you done that makes you proud of yourself, and If you knew you were going to have your last meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?” The students answered thoughtfully, and each person respected what their classmates shared.
After team building, it was time for lunch! Students brought their lunch with them and enjoyed the rest of the time socializing with one another. Todays CBI focused on Resources, Independence, Development, Growth, Empowerment and Social Skills.
