I recently watched a TED Talk by Catherine Price called, Why Having Fun is the secret to a healthier life. She states that “fun is the secret to feeling alive”. She posits that fun makes us healthier and happier and makes us more present in the moment; fun unites us as human beings. She also shared that we sometimes mix up having a nice time with having fun. We often say, “That was fun!” when we had a nice time or enjoyed an activity. Price says that “true fun produces a visceral sense of lightness and joy” and possesses three factors: “playfulness, connection and flow.”
Her TED Talk made me think about fun within the classroom and at home. When was the last time everyone truly laughed? How might the three elements of fun, “playfulness, connection, and flow” enter into the classroom?
Idea 1: Mini maker challenges
Some of the most memorable and hilarious moments in my Library Learning Commons were around mini-challenges. Most notably, the Marshmallow Challenge has always been a hit and has kids laughing, connecting and in flow. My friend, Tisha Richmond has her kids create their favourite things out of Play Doh as well as work in groups of three to create a Rice Krispy square creation which exemplifies one thing they all have in common. Read more about these activities here. Aluminum foil creations also work well!
During our holiday makerspace, we provided kids with cardboard, glue, glitter, etc…and challenged them make a gift for their parents or carers. Cardboard challenges can also be a fun way to extend learning. Check out the Global Cardboard challenge here. When kids watched Clouds Over Sidra (a VR film from Within), we invited them to create something out of cardboard which would make Sidra’s life in the refugee camp better. It was a serious topic, but the playfulness around the process of making the cardboard creation had kids groaning and laughing with one another.
Keeping cardboard or play doh around for mini-challenges can may be a good way to consolidate learning and promote team building and connection.
Idea 2: Playing Games
One day, I watched in amazement as 12 high school kids gathered around 1 screen. I thought for sure they were up to something nefarious. Instead, I realized they were all playing Geoguessr; a geography game. When our Library had a Wordle challenge, kids came in eager to share and Boggle Friday is the highlight for many kids walking into the Library (here’s the template I use). GimKit, created by Josh Feinsilber when he was a student, is a fun platform my students really enjoy. These activities as bell-ringers add an element of fun and frivolity to the classroom culture while building vocabulary too! I have previously written about Gaming and Literacy here.
Breakout EDU or Escape Rooms in the Classroom
I am a huge fan of Escape room activities in the classroom because I have never played a game without hearing kids share how much fun it was. You can create Escape Room games on your own, or together with a learning, instructional coach or teacher-librarian. Here is a simple example of one a friend of mine created for a leadership class and here is a King Lear Breakout folder I co-created with an English teacher (please do not ask for edit access–make a copy if you want to use it)., and here is a quick tutorial for how to create an Escape Room in Google Slides and forms (this one uses Google Slides only). Breakout EDU is an educational platform which makes it easy! Breakout EDU has games around every subject area and grade (some of them FREE) which you can pick up and use if you have their breakout boxes (although lots of educators make up their own boxes from locks purchased on Amazon).
Ask a Biologist is a site which has lots of Science experiments and games to use in a Science Classroom.
About technology…
As the author of the book, “How to Break Up With Your Phone,” Price has strong feelings about how our phones distract us and prevent us from connecting with people in order to have fun and while I think there is much truth to this, I don’t agree with her about the fact that having fun can’t have an element of technology in the mix. Breakout EDU and Escape room games combine tech and non-tech fun and one of my favourite games is Heads Up! I have also used Minecraft EDU with students working on creating Sustainable Cities and can see them connecting, playful, and in flow. And I have seen kids laugh hysterically as they make their own Green Screen creations. The key to using and modeling technology in any context is to ensure that kids understand the importance of moderation and balance.
As I begin a new school year, I hope to intentionally make room for fun and goofiness! Would love to hear your ideas!
Wishing you a wonderful new school year,
🙂 Jen
PS. If you are looking for a book for new teachers, I recently contributed to Because of a Teacher Volume 2; it is an amazing compilation of wisdom and ideas from some pretty awesome educators. I am also booking parent speaking engagements for the 2022/2023 school year around the ideas in my book, Raising Digital Leaders. Learn more here. I am also available for a limited number of keynotes as I work full time. More here.