Icebreaker activities are a great way to get kids talking about themselves and connecting with their classmates. The Free Spirit Advisory Board is here to share their tried-and-true activities to break the ice and help kids feel excited for the new school year. “Working with preschoolers—they are very visual and like to touch things. In […]
ChiTag Event
One of the events that I like to attend is the Chicago Toy and Game Show, that usually is held in November at Chicago’s Navy Pier. This show is a great place to find innovative and different toys, games and technology that can be used with students for counseling. This event is fabulous, and once many of the venders find out you work for a school or an organization that assists students, they often will give you a discount, freebies, or even offer you a samples of their games or items. You can meet the inventors of the games, and see the games and toys tried out by people at the events. This is how I could envision many of the therapeutic effects of the games. If you haven’t gone to an event such as this, and you love toys, tech and games, you shouldn’t miss this event next year.
Life size operation game
Above is the inventor of the game, Operation.
Great game for SEL
I love this game, as it is like the old game you played with your friends “Concentration”, without a board. You get a category and think up words within that category, and you are eliminated when you can’t guess a word. The twist in Tapple is, you have to find words that begin with a certain alphabet and each letter is tapped out until only a few letters are left and you have to guess a word in that category that starts with one of the remaining letters.
A variation of the game could be teaching the students emotion words and having them use the Tapple tool to tap out the various emotions that begin with different letters. This addresses Common Core Standards and you have so much fun! Go to the Tapple game site USAOPOLY to see a description of Tapple and another game that I find promising, SELFIE (and yes, it relates to selfies taken with a cell phone and how you appear to others, no cell phone needed).
Are you looking for a place to find games that help students cooperate? Well here is a great company that creates these type of games. I have Hoot Owl Hoot and Count Your Chickens. Here’s their story from the web site:
Peaceable Kingdom Games
Since 1983 Peaceable Kingdom has created fresh, fun, award-winning products for kids that educate, inspire and tickle funny bones! The company was founded on a single product – a poster featuring the beloved art from the classic children’s book Goodnight Moon. Almost 30 years and more than 5,000 products later, we have grown to be a leader in juvenile stickers, greeting cards, and cooperative games.
Peaceable Kingdom’s mission is to make good, do good, and be good. Here’s how we do it!
• we donate frequently to charitable organizations that support the well-being of children
• we are committed to working only with socially-conscious manufacturers
• we use sustainable and eco-friendly materials like FSC and recycled papers, soy-based inks, and corn-based plastics whenever we can
• we maintain integrity in all business relationships
• we have fun while we work!
Connect with the kids in your life with Peaceable Kingdom.
Me at the CHITAG show
This month I had the pleasure to attend the CHITAG show at Navy Pier. This is the second time I have gone and it was as enjoyable as the first time I attended. I normally blog about great tech tools that you can use in the school settings with iPads, tablets or computers, but I think this post will be equally rewarding. I came across two companies that have excellent material for use in therapeutic settings. I will highlight them both in their own separate blog posts. Check out their sites and games, I’m sure you will agree they have good stuff.
Click photo for NASW site
thesocialworkpad
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