Everyday Innovative Activities

Happy February 27th!

This class period, we started with our last small group activity where we were placed into groups of three and played the model, artist, and clay. The small groups divided the roles of the model, artist, and clay, and switched each round. The model would position himself or herself into whatever position he or she wanted. Then, the artist, whose eyes were closed, would have to feel the model to see how he or she was positioned. The artist would then turn to the clay and try to position him or her into the same stance as the model. For this game, the people involved must be very comfortable with touch; however, we talked about how it could be adapted in a way that would allow for those who are not as comfortable with touching. Either, the model could tell the artist how he or she is positioned and then the artist would only touch the clay, or the game could follow more of a "telephone" sequence where the model would tell the artist what to do to the clay and then the artist would tell the clay what to do. We also talked about working with cognitive disabilities. Here we thought that it would be beneficial for the small groups to keep the artist's eyes open and simply try to match the model with the clay.

Our next activity was to talk about the childhood game of Red Light Green Light and its goals and disadvantages. We decided that the goals were to follow directions, let everyone be involved or included, engage the mind with body, and to have competition. This game also allows for a fun entertainment and a chance for the children to switch from a participant role to the director. Although there are many good goals for children in this game, it also has many disadvantages. The child would need to be able to move quickly and stop quickly physically while processing quickly as well. The game is very auditory and needs a large space. This is also a game that has winners and losers.

We talked about the different adaptions that could make this game more accessible to all populations, and thought that arm and hand movements would fix the audio aspect of the game. Then we were taught a complete adaptation to the entire game, and we became trains. The Red Light Green Light version included a group of about four who were connected into a train formation. The goals of the game are the same, but the rules are different. Instead of "red," "yellow," and "green" there is "switch," "reverse," "tunnel," and "whistle." The train would have to move through an obstacle course while chugging and following the rules. "Switch" is when the the person from the front of the train would move to the back and the back of the train would move to the front. "Reverse" is moving backward instead of forward. "Tunnel" is when the train has to move very slowly with their eyes closed. Finally, "whistle" is an action the the conductor does to make the trains "toot-toot." This was a very fun game that I will use in the future!

Our next assignment in class was to gather into our groups and create a "project RUNWAY" activity for a specific population. My group chose to design an activity for youth-at-risk. We were first asked to create an article of clothing using unique materials while describing the goals for the population. Then we were asked to create something similar to the clothing with the same goals, and lastly, we had to come up with a completely different activity that didn't need to go along with the other two OR have the same goals.
My group decided to have a wilderness theme as if we were on a camping trip the the youth-at-risk. The first activity was for the youth to create their own hiking boots using sticks, duct tape, garbage bags, and fruit snacks. Their goals were to learn how to utilize all the materials, self expression, and working on their social speaking skills. After their creations were complete, the youth needed to try to sell their product to the others. They would all vote on whose was the best then.

The second activity was for the youth to create their own tattoo sleeve using mud, grass, sand, and leaves. The goals were the same, and the group would again vote on the best. The third activity was to build their own shelter within small groups of three or four. They would be given newspaper, garbage bags, and anything else that they could find in the environment. Our group needed to remember that we could not have any sharp objects or equipment that could be used in a harmful way. We also knew that gang symbols and profanity would not be apart of any of the youths' self-expression.

Overall, this class was a great experience of trying our best to think outside of the box!

~Sarah