Life SKills Activity Book

Life Skills Activity Book

2007 P E A C E

C O R P S

G E O R G I A

Contents: Ice Breakers...................................................................7 Communication ............................................................ 15 Character Building and Responsible Behavior........................ 29 Self-Awareness and Self-Esteem........................................ 43 Teamwork and Leadership................................................ 57 Emotional Health........................................................... 67 Decision Making ............................................................ 77 Peer Pressure............................................................... 87 Saying No..................................................................... 95 Peer Mediation and Conflict Management .......................... 101 General Health, First Aid and Safety................................. 109 General Hygiene.......................................................... 119 Dental Health.............................................................. 127 Nutrition and Consumer Health....................................... 135 Fitness...................................................................... 157 Gender Issues............................................................. 163 Smoking and Substance Abuse......................................... 169 Sexual Education ........................................................ 183 HIV/AIDS.................................................................... 189



Peace Corps Georgia March, 2007 Layout and design by Tengiz Gogotishvili 

About the Activity Book This activity book was designed for Peace Corp Volunteers and their counterparts in Georgia. Most of these activities were taken from other sources and tailored to fit a Georgian classroom/camp setting. The book was created in order to encourage Georgia-appropriate Lifeskills clubs and/or lessons. These are not lesson plans or a curriculum for clubs/lessons. Some of these activities may need to be further changed to fit your club/lesson. Information is provided in order to insure the activities are culturally sensitive and age-appropriate, but not all activities may be appropriate for your group. Make sure you talk to your counterpart and other members of the community before using these activities. You also may need to look up additional information to supplement your activity. If you have any questions, please contact your program managers or the Lifeskills staff.

Thanks to the Editors Edited by: Emily Dumovich The following volunteers/staff contributed to the editing process of this book:

Eka Zhvania Chris Jones Travis Mecum Aaron Yarbrough

Michael Cecire Carole Kindling Elise Pizzi Erica Zaiser

Shane Humphrey Rebecca Madden-Sturges Cathrine Scott

Special Thanks A very special thanks to other Peace Corps countries who contributed their lesson plans!

Peace Corps Moldova

Peace Corps Ukraine

Peace Corps Armenia

A Note from Life Skills Staff Life Skills/HIV/AIDS Awareness is one of the priorities in terms of initiatives introduced by Peace Corps posts. Even though the importance of the Life Skills/HIV/AIDS education was fully acknowledged Peace Corps Georgia, the initial progress due to its implementation was very slow. The first effort to promote the idea of Life Skills Education at the Secondary School level was made in year 2005 at the meeting with the Ministry of Education representatives. That was the crucial time for the Ministry itself, since it undertook the first step to try out the supplementary textbook on Healthy Life Style/Sexual Education on secondary school level. As a result, the initiative encountered significance resistance from parents associations and the church. Therefore, the Ministry recommended PC staff just to wait for the development of the National Curriculum on Life Skills, being underway. The second meeting with the Ministry was conducted a year later to follow-up on progress achieved in terms of Curriculum development and find the niche for volunteers to address the initiative on regional levels. The scope and focus of Life Skills/HIV/AIDS Education were broadly discussed at the meeting. The Ministry suggested volunteers to start Life Skills Education as extra-curricular activities and expressed their interest to share information about successful practices/materials applied or any update about its progress on regional level. In February, 2006 the first one-day Life-Skills Training Workshop was implemented by Program and Training Unit Staff for all interested volunteers. It was the first step Peace Corps formally undertook in terms of Life Skills/ HIV/AIDS education considering the sensitive nature of this subject in Georgia. The Healthy Lifestyle Committee was established by the end of the training. It was a lengthy discussion about cultural implications, comprehensiveness and feasibility of the mission statement and goals framework. It was agreed that mission statement did not have to focus on just HIV/AIDS though there is possibility it could directly be addressed in the statement in future. The mission statement states: “The Healthy Life Style Committee will promote education initiatives to assist Peace Corps volunteers and Georgians alike in healthy living. The committee shall provide support and resources for volunteers, staff, organizations, and Georgians involved in healthy lifestyle education.” The main goal for the first year was to develop the Committee vision and materials for the volunteers’ application in their corresponding sites. The activity Book developed by Georgia 5 Volunteer Emily Dumovich (Georgia 5) with the assistance of Healthy Life Style Committee members is for volunteers and their counterparts to work with different age groups of audience. The activities are screened in terms of cultural and traditional sensitivity to be appropriately perceived by the local communities. The Special Thanks to all the volunteers who have been involved in creation of the first Life Skills Activity Book for Peace Corps Georgia.





Ice Breakers 



Birthday Line-up Topic: Ice Breaker, Teamwork Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Learning alternative forms of communicating, team work, and leadership. Number of Students: 10-17 Age Range of Students: 8-30 Time Required: 15-30 minutes Materials: Patience and creativity! Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Tell the students that they are not allowed to speak during the entire activity. 2) Tell students they must line themselves up in order of their birthday and month. 3) This is NOT by age, just by month. 4) They can mime, use actions and gestures to figure it out, but they can not talk or write. 5) You may have to give some assistance but make sure you are letting them do most of the work. 6) The first person in the line should be the closest to January 1st and the last one closest to December 31st. 7) When everyone is finished have the students call out their birthdays. 8) Ask the students if they were all in the right place. 9) If they were not, have them fix the mistake. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What it was like not to be able to communicate with words?  What were the challenges? Successes? Strategies?  What methods of communication did you use to overcome your challenges?  How did you use teamwork to complete the task?

Invisible Ink Topic: Ice Breaker, Fun Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To bring fun to the class and get students comfortable and knowing each other. Number of Students: 8-17 Age Range of Students: 5-30 Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: Paper, Toothpick, Small glass, Milk or Lemon Juice, Iron Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Pour milk or lemon juice into several small glasses. 2) Have students dip the toothpick into the milk/lemon juice and write personal information on a piece of paper (clean white paper works the best). 3) Personal information should include: name, age, grade, favorite pet/food etc. 4) Give the students at least 10 minutes to finish this. 5) Wait for it to dry.

6) Tell students to find someone they don’t know and exchange papers (do not let them share names until later). 7) Have students come to you. Run the iron over the paper (it is not suggested that you let children use the iron) to show the secret message! 8) Now the students know who their partner is! 9) You can use many different variations of this… be creative! Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Have partners introduce each other to the rest of the class

Pulse Topic: Icebreaker, Teamwork Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To make students comfortable in a class and to build teamwork. Number of Students: 5 and more Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 5-10 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Have the group stand in a circle holding hands. 2) Tell the group to shut their eyes. 3) Start a “pulse” by squeezing a person’s hand. That person then squeezes the next person’s hand and so on. See how long it can travel around the circle before it is lost. 4) To make this activity more challenging, have the students squeeze twice to change direction of the pulse. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics: How did you feel during this activity? What were the challenges? What did you like/dislike? How many people would it take to stop the pulse from getting around the circle?  What does this teach us about teamwork?    

Group Music Topic: Icebreaker, Teamwork Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To make students more comfortable and build teamwork. Number of Students: 5- 20 Age Range of Students: 8-17 Time Required: 5-10 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Have the group stand in a circle. 2) Ask for a volunteer. 

3) Tell the volunteer to start with a single sound, (hopefully with rhythm) and tell them to continue that sound the whole time. 4) Tell the next person in the circle to make a different sound they think will go with the first. 5) Continue this around the circle until everyone is making sounds. 6) Hopefully you will create some interesting music! 7) They can hum and sing notes, but encourage them to do other things than sing words. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:    

What were the challenges of this activity? Why was it important to work together?

What happens if someone is not working with the team? How does this relate to teamwork in real life?

Familiarity with Numbers Topic: Icebreaker, Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To familiarize students with numbers, to provide an opportunity for social interaction and the development of basic social and life skills. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 6-15 Time Required: 10-15 minutes Materials: None

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Have the group get into a circle. 2) Start off a rhythmic clap by clapping your hands, slapping your thighs, snapping your fingers, etc in time to an introductory statement. For example: “My name” – clap clap – “is Nino” – clap clap – “I live” – clap clap – “in Kobuleti” –clap clap. 3) Go around the circle in this way until all participants have introduced themselves to the rhythm. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Ask the students to repeat other students’ names to see if they learned the names

Everybody With… Topic: Icebreaker Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To get people comfortable and to have fun! Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10 – 15 minutes Materials: Chairs (enough for every person)

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

1) Match up students in pairs. 2) Have each pair face each other, hands towards opponent, fists closed. 3) Leader/teacher says “1,2,3 SHOW”. 4) On “SHOW” each person extends any number of fingers. 5) The first person to add the total number of fingers wins a point. 6) You can vary this activity by using subtraction or multiplication. 7) The leader may also say “1,2,3 Add” or “1,2,3 Multiply” to let kids know which one they need to do (this makes it more challenging). 8) You can also have the pairs count for themselves. 9) Variation: Have the class stand in a circle. Say “1,2,3 (number)” Anyone who extends that number needs to sit down. Do this until everyone is sitting down or you have one person left as a winner.

1) From a circle of chairs, one less than the number of participants. 2) Appoint a volunteer who stands in the center of the circle of the chairs. 3) That person calls out “Everybody with ….” And then adds their own idea. For example: “Everybody with black shoes” or “Everybody who ate bread this morning”. 4) Everyone who fits the description stands up and switches chairs as quickly as possible. 5) They cannot stand up and sit back down in the same chair and they cannot sit in the chair next to them. 6) They should stand and run to a chair across the room. The volunteer tries to sit too. 7) Whoever is left standing goes into the middle of the circle and does the same as the last volunteer.

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:

 Did this activity help everyone become more comfortable with each other?  What did you learn about your new friends?

 What were the strategies of the winner?

Rhythm Clap Topic: Icebreaker Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To introduce people in a fun way! Number of Students: 5-30 10

Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10 – 15 minutes Materials: None

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:

Life Boat Topic: Icebreaker, Teamwork Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To help students work as a team and to have fun!

Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10 – 15 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Have all participants spread out in the room. 2) Tell them to imagine they are floating in a great sea, like the Black Sea, after as shipwreck. 3) They need to form life boats to survive. 4) The facilitator will call out a number (6 for example). 5) Participants must form strong groups according to that number (so if you call six, they must form groups of six) to keep from drowning in the sea. 6) If the group is formed with less or more than the number the facilitator calls, they “sink” and must stand on the side until the group continues. 7) If there is only one or two people left they also “drown”. 8) Play this until there is only a few left. 9) Play this twice for those who get out early and want to play again. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What were the challenges of this activity?  Did you have to work together? Why or why not?  Why was teamwork important for this activity?

Shout, Whisper, Sing! Topic: Icebreaker, Communication Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To help student’s learn each other’s names. To practice communicating. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10- 15 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask participants to stand in a circle. 2) Explain that you are going to call out someone’s name as you cross the circle towards that person. 3) He or she should then move from his or her position in the circle to the place where you were standing. 4) That person should call out someone else’s name. That next person should also move, and so on. 5) When your name gets called again, continue with the game, but this time, whisper the name of the person you chose next. 6) Ask everyone to whisper next when it comes their turn. 7) Finally, when your name is called again, say that this time they name of the next person must be sung out. 8) Continue until everyone has had a chance.

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Did you learn the names of the students in the circle?

I’m Going on a Trip Topic: Icebreaker Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To get to know the people in the group. Number of Students: 5-40 Age Range of Students: 8 and up Time Required: 10 – 15 minutes (depending on group size) Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask the participants to stand in a circle. 2) Start by saying “I’m going on a trip and I’m taking a hug”. 3) Hug the person to your right. 4) He or she then has to say, “I’m going on a trip and I am taking a hug and a pat on the back” or anything else that person wants to “bring”. 5) He or she then has to give the next person a hug and a pat on the back. 6) Go on around the circle until everyone has had a turn, adding what they would like (encourage creative thinking!). 7) Each person must repeat what the last one said and then add their own to the list. 8) If someone has trouble remembering, encourage others to help him or her. 9) You can do this same exercise with other objects or with names as well (“My name is Nino and I am going on a trip. I am taking a nut cracker). Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What did you learn about the other people in your group?

Meat! Meat! Meat! Topic: Icebreaker Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To get the class comfortable and have fun! Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10 – 15 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)

Ask participants to stand in a circle. Ask for a volunteer. The volunteer calls out “Meat! Meat! Meat!” The group responds “Meat!” Again the volunteer says “Meat! Meat! Meat!” The group again responds “Meat!”

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7) The volunteer then lists type of meat that can and cannot be eaten, such as chicken/pig/cow or dolphin/hawk or dinosaur. 8) If it can be eaten, the group must jump and say “Meat!” 9) If the animal cannot be eaten, they must stay still. 10) Whoever fails to jump and say “Meat!” on a animal that can be eaten or jumps when the animal cannot be eaten must move to the center and call the next round. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Were there any disagreements on what you can eat? What about dog? Bear?

Fire On the Mountain Topic: Icebreaker Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To get comfortable and have fun! Number of Students: 10-50 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10-15 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask participants to stand in two circles – a small one inside of a larger one. 2) Every person in the inner circle should have one person behind him or her. 3) There must be an equal number or participants in each circle. 4) You stand in the center of the circles. 5) The outer circle should then start running around the outside of the inner circle while you say “Fire on the mountain!” 6) They respond by saying “Fire!” 7) You say “Fire on the mountain!” 8) They say “Fire!” 9) You continue on and on until you say “Put it out!” After you shout “Put it out!” jump in front of one of the members of the inner circle. 10) Each of the participants from the outer circle then also tries to get in front of a member of the inner circle. 11) The person left without a place moves to the center and starts the game again. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Did this activity help you become more comfortable with the group? How?

Banana-Banana-Coconut (Duck, Duck, Goose) Topic: Icebreaker Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To get comfortable and to have fun! Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages 12

Time Required: 10-15 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask participants to sit or stand in a circle. 2) Choose a volunteer. 3) That volunteer walks behind the chairs or people. 4) He or she touches each volunteer while saying “Banana, banana, banana” as they touch each person. 5) When the volunteer finally says “Coconut!” the person who he or she touched must chase the volunteer around the circle. 6) The volunteer tries to get into the empty spot before being caught. 7) Whoever is left standing outside the circle leads the next round. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  You can change the words to this game to objects that relate to your group (healthy, health, sick etc)

Water, Land, Sky Topic: Icebreaker Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): This is just a fun warm up Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10 – 15 minutes Materials: Optional: tape or chalk (to draw lines on the floor), paper, marker, prize for the winner Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before class make three signs, “Water” “Land” and “Sky”. 2) Draw three long lines down the center of the room. 3) Mark one with the “Water” sign on the first line. 4) Mark the middle one with the “Land” sign. 5) Mark the last line with the “Sky” sign. 6) All participants should stand on the “Water” line. 7) The caller cries out “Water, Land,” or “Sky” repeatedly 8) The participants must hop from one line to the other. 9) Any participants who fails to hop, hops to the wrong line, or wavers, is out and must stand out of the game. 10) The person who is in the game longest wins the game. 11) You can also have them do other actions to each line, like crab walk, crawl or hop on one foot. 12) Have a student be the caller after you have done one round. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What were the challenges of this activity?  What advice would you give to another group who were going to play this game?

Keep On! Topic: Icebreaker Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To get comfortable and have fun! Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 10 – 17 Time Required: 10 - 20 minutes Materials: A small item Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) 2) 3) 4) 5)

6) 7) 8) 9)

Ask students to form a circle. Choose a volunteer. The volunteer must then go outside the room. The circle of participants choose small item to hide from the volunteer. The entire group starts to sing “Keep On! Keep On! Keep On!” (to the tune of a Auld Lang Syne or some other familiar tune – maybe Jingle Bells?). The volunteer is asked to come back into the room and starts to move around. If he or she is very far from the hidden item, the singing gets louder. If he or she is very close to the hidden item, the singing gets quieter (you can do the opposite as well). Continue signing until the volunteer finds the object.

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Was it difficult to be the volunteer? Why or why not?  How did the group work together to help the volunteer?

Hand in Hand Topic: Closing Exercise Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To bring closure to a session or day. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 5 – 10 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Everyone stands in a tight circle. 2) Ask the first person to your left to put his or her right outstretched arm into the middle of the circle and say something he or she has found difficult about the session. 3) Then have the students add something he or she has found good about the session. 4) Ask the students to use these phrases: “I didn’t like it when…” and “I did like it when…” 5) After each student has finished, the person to his or her left will do the same, placing his or her hand on top of the hand already in the middle. 6) Continue around the circle until all the participants have their right hand placed in a tower on top of one another. 7) Finish by saying that this tower of hands can represent the strength together as a group.

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  None, this should be the last activity of the day.

Fun Bag Topic: Fun Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Just for fun! Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10 – 15 minutes Materials: Paper, Scissors, Pen/pencil, Bag/box Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Cut up small papers and write different words, actions or people on the papers (sample words are given at the bottom). 2) Fold up the papers and put the names of different participants on the front of the folded paper. 3) Put all the papers in a bag or box. 4) Whenever the group gets bored or needs a break, someone can shout “Fun Bag!” and draw a paper out of the bag/box. 5) The paper should be handed to the person whose name appears on the front. 6) That person will stand in front of the room and act out what is written on the paper without speaking. 7) The other participants should guess what the person is trying to be. 8) You can choose great Fun Bag words, actions and so on to match what you are teaching that day or that week. 9) Remember to add relevant local ideas or dances to the fun bag! Sample Words:  Drunk man  Bus driver  School director  Pregnant woman  Smoking person  Priest  Tangerine farmer  Kissing  Proposing to a girl Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  None

Name Your Personality Topic: Icebreaker Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To add more to normal introductions. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10-15 minutes Materials: None

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Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Have everyone sit in a circle. 2) Tell each participant to say their name and a characteristic that starts with the same letter as the first letter in their name (for example, “My name is Giorgi and I am great!”). 3) The next person should then say the names of the two people before him/her and their characteristics. 4) Every person must say the name/characteristic of all the people before them. 5) The last person has to remember everyone’s names and characteristics! Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Did you learn anything new about the people in your group? What did you learn?

Title Throw Away Topic: Icebreaker Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To rid the group of labels before they start the class/lesson Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10 and up Time Required: 20 minutes Materials: Paper, Pens/pencils, Trash can or bag Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) As people come into the room to begin the class, give them name tags (small sheets of paper). 2) Ask them to write their names and titles on the name tags (for example, Name: Maqvala, Title: English Teacher). For younger students, have them write down a label that has been given to them by their peers or their family (for example, Name: Dato, Title: Eating a lot). 3) When everyone is seated and ready to do the introductions, make sure you begin by stressing your own name and title.

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4) Then have everyone go around the groom and give their names and titles. 5) After everyone has introduced themselves, talk a bit about the importance of feeling comfortable to speak freely, with no reservations, in a class such as this one. 6) Explain that often participants feel uncomfortable truly expressing their opinions because their boss might be in the room, or because some participants might feel others are more educated or more popular than they are (this will have to be changed depending on age of audience). 7) Stress that it is crucial to the success of the program for everyone to let go of their confining titles and positions in society. 8) They must approach the ideas and discussion as the whole, entire human beings they are rather than from just one angle given to us by our titles in life. 9) After making this speech, explain that we are now going to free ourselves from the confines of our positions and make ourselves more comfortable to speak our opinions. 10) Dramatically tear up your name tag and re-introduce yourself using just the name you want everyone to call you. 11) Go around the room with a trash can or bag as participants, one by one, tear up their name tags and tell everyone else the name they would like to be called. 12) Collect the torn name tags in the trash can or bag. 13) Reissue new sheets of paper to serve as name tags if you like, but this time people should write just what they want to be called. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How did this activity make you feel?  How can titles be harmful?  Can titles sometimes be a good thing? How?

Communication 15

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Peek-a-Who Topic: Communication, Teamwork, Icebreaker Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To help students work as a team and develop communication within the team. To learn names of students in the group. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 8-17 Time Required: 20 minutes Materials: Large tarp or large sheet Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide the class into two groups. 2) Place them on either side of the tarp/sheet. 3) Ask team members on each end to of the tarp/ sheet to hold it up so that neither team can see each other. Taller students work better. 4) One person must go up to the front on each side. 5) When the tarp/sheet is dropped the team must shout the person in the front’s name first. 6) Who ever shouts first takes the other person over to their team. 7) Do this until everyone is on one team. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How did you feel when you played the game?  How did you have to work together, what were your strategies?  How did you communicate?

Communication Puzzle Topic: Communication Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To list barriers to good communication. To identify good communication skills. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 10 and up Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Communication puzzle (cut up in five pieces) in an envelope for each participant, Blackboard/ whiteboard/flipchart, Markers or chalk, Handout: Communication puzzle (complete), Handout: Processing Exercise (one for you only); Optional: Prizes for winners, Candy for the whole class Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Tell students that communication skills are perhaps the most important skills you can have. Examining barriers to good communication and thinking about steps to good communication is very important. 2) Pick a volunteer to leave the room. Tell the rest of the class to remove everything from their desks. 3) Give one envelope to each student and tell them they must not open it or even touch/look at it. Tell them to wait for further instructions.

4) Explain that they will get three chances to assemble the puzzle. 5) Tell the class: Do not take the pieces of the puzzle out until the volunteer says so. Under no circumstances are you allowed to look at someone else’s puzzle. Absolutely no talking is permitted. There can be no questions. Wait for the volunteer to give instructions. Follow the instructions stepby-step. After the volunteer is finished, we will check each puzzle for a winner before going to the second round. 6) Tell the volunteer: Give the volunteer a cope of the puzzle sheet. Tell him/her to make sure that the participants can’t see the sheet. Explain that each member has pieces of the puzzle. The volunteer is to go inside and explain step-by-step how to put together the puzzle. Emphasize that under no circumstance should the volunteer answer any questions. There should be complete silence from the members. If a question is asked, they are to ignore it. Ask the volunteer to stand with his or her back to the group while providing instructions on how to complete the puzzle. 7) The volunteer goes back to the room. Make sure his/her back is to the group while he/she talks. 8) When he/she has finished, see who has put together the puzzle correctly Ask the volunteer to leave the room again and wait for more instructions. 9) If someone has finished the puzzle, congratulate him/her, make sure no one sees the puzzle and take him out of the group. 10) Second round say the same thing as before, but this time they can ask questions if they want. 11) For the volunteer, they are allowed to face the group, BUT he/she is NOT allowed to answer any questions. Tell him/her to ignore any questions given to him/her. 12) Guide the volunteer back to the room and conduct the second round. Some will be annoyed, but that’s part of the point. If someone gets the puzzle right, do the same as the last round. 13) For the third and final round, participants should feel completely free. They may ask questions and/or look at puzzles around them. They should do whatever they want to do to finish. 14) The volunteer is also to feel complete free. He/ she can answer any questions, or do whatever it takes to make sure all the participants finish the puzzle. 15) Use the handout “Processing Exercise” to fill out the three flipcharts as a class: First Round, Second Round, Third Round. 16) Bring out the blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart and have the group make a list of good communication skills.

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Communication Puzzle

Processing Exercise First Round  What are some of the problems that came up during the first round?  Why was it difficult to complete the puzzle?  What was good about this round? Frustrating?  What would have made it easier to complete the puzzle?  How did they feel during this round? Examples:  No way to communicate  Volunteer not even facing us or looking at us  No eye contact or encouragement  Went too fast or did not realize we were not getting the puzzle  Did not understand any of his/her instructions Second Round How was it better this time? Was anything improved? What were the frustrations? What were feelings associated with being ignored by the speaker?  What does this mean for communication skills?    

Examples:  Asked questions, but was ignored  Volunteer was not helping us  We could see his/her face this time, and that helped sometimes 18

 He/she slowed down because it was clear we were not getting the puzzle  Faced us this time, looked at us, felt more in touch with speaker Third Round  Why was it much easier to complete the puzzle?  List all the things that were helpful that happened during this round. Ideas might include 1) Moved around the room and helped us 2) More encouraging, improved body and eye contact 3) Answered our questions, responded to our needs 4) Seemed much more friendly and helpful 5) We were allowed to help each other, more support 6) Thought we knew what the puzzle would turn out to be, but it does not look like anything Good Communication Skills Examples:  Body language, gestures, good eye contact  Responsive to questions, encouraging attitude  Important not to assume you know what the person is saying, but to keep your mind open (corresponds with thinking they knew what the puzzle would look like in the end)  Encouraging words or sounds  Listening skills  Feedback

Statues of Power (Tableaux) Topic: Communication Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To stimulate some of the emotions associated with power and how these emotions effect us. Number of Students: 10-30 Range of Students: 12 and up Time Required: 40 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide the class into pairs. 2) Each pair is going to produce a tableaux (frozen image) showing one person in a position of power and other in a powerless position. 3) Allow a few minutes for the pairs to make their first tableaus. 4) Ask them to also change roles during their preparations. 5) After they have had time to prepare their tableaux, give each pair the opportunity to show them to the rest of the class. 6) Ask for quick comments about what people observe. 7) Ask the members of each tableau to express what they are feeling in one word (proud, scared, humble, and so forth). 8) Ask the class the following questions:  Which of the two positions felt more familiar?  Can they relate any of the emotions they felt to situations in their lives?  What did they feel for the powerless person when they were in the position of power? Vise versa? Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What does power mean to you?  What are traits of powerful people? Are they all the same?

Assertiveness: Attack and Avoid Topic: Communication Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To examine attacking and avoiding behavior, where and when they use these behaviors and how tone and body language can create each of these behaviors: 5-30 Number of Students: 10 and up Time Required: 40 minutes Materials: List of actions (one for you); Optional: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Paper, Pen/paper Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask participants to listen to a list of actions you are going to read out. A list of actions can be found on the next page.

2) If they think they do an action often, they should put both hands in the air. 3) If they think they do an action sometimes, they should put one hand in the air. 4) If they think they never do an action, have them keep their hands down. 5) Pause a few moments after reading each action to let the class gage how many hands there are in the classroom (don’t do this too long or people might be afraid of being judged). 6) Tell the students that the actions are from two groups: attacking and avoiding (write these two groups in the board if you have one). 7) First read the attacking group and pause a moment to let the kids think about it 8) Then read the avoiding group and do the same. 9) Brainstorm with the group the word “attack” and the word “avoid” – ask everyone what that word means to them (you can write this on a the board). Allow two minutes for each word. 10) Ask the group why they would behave in an attacking or avoiding way. Ask a few volunteers to describe their examples to everyone. 11) Ask participants to consider how “attacking” or “avoiding” could be expressed. What would they say? How would they say it? How would they say it with their bodies? You can write the ideas on the board. 12) Ask the group to come up with examples of phrases they could use in attacking and avoiding situations. This can be fun, so try to encourage creativity! Give them a few examples: “Why do you care??” “You are wrong!” “If you don’t answers me I will…” (attacking), “I don’t feel so good” “Nevermind” “It doesn’t matter” “Whatever” (avoiding). 13) For more advanced students, you may say a phrase and ask them how they would change it into an attacking or avoiding phrase. 14) Point out that body language can change everything! Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How did the attacking phrases make you feel?  How did the avoiding phrases make you feel? List of Actions Attacking          

Nagging Shouting Persisting (I am right!) Revenge (I’ll get you back!) Warning (If you don’t…) Interrupting Exploding Sarcastic Insulting Correcting

Avoiding  Withdrawal  Sulking in silence  Taking it out on the wrong person 19

Saying that you are being unfairly treated Talking behind someone’s back Feeling ill Being polite but feeling angry Feeling low and depressed Not saying anything but now wanting to hurt the other person  Trying to forget about the problem      

The Yes or No Game Topic: Communication, Self-Awareness, Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To show how body language, tone and other forms of expression can affect both sides of an argument. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10 and up Time Required: 20 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask students to stand up and split into two groups. 2) One group should make a line facing the center of the classroom. 3) The other group should make a line facing the other group. 4) Explain that one group is the “yes” group and one group is the “no” group. 5) In the “yes” group, the only word allowed is “yes” and in the “no” group the only word allowed is “no”. 6) When you say “go”, each group needs to try to convince the other, but they can only use the assigned words – yes or no. They do this by using body language and tone of voice, not words. 7) After a minute or so, have the group change roles. 8) After another few minutes, ask the students to describe how they felt about doing this exercise. 9) Ask about body language or use of “attacking” or “avoiding” actions. 10) Discuss how laughter is also another form of expression. Laughter can be both good and harmful depending on the timing. 11) Ask for examples. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What other expressions do you use when you are trying to convince someone?  Why are expressions important in communication?  Can you communicate only using expressions? Why or why not? How?

Passive, Assertive, Aggressive: Role Plays Topic: Communication, Character Building

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Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn the differences between passive, assertive and aggressive behavior. To discuss what actions make behavior passive, assertive or aggressive. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 12 and up Time Required: 45 minutes – 1 hour Materials: Behavior handouts for each group; Optional: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Explain to the class that they will see three role plays to understand the differences between passive, assertive and aggressive behavior. Before the exercise you should go over what the three behaviors are (see handout below). Ask group to come up with examples of each. 2) Divide the class into three groups. 3) Give each group one of the behaviors: passive, assertive and aggressive (try to keep this a secret from the rest of the class!). 4) Give each group a handout with a description of each behavior. 5) Tell the groups they are to come up with a short role play to express their behavior. 6) Give the groups at least 15 minutes to come up with their role play. 7) When everyone is finished, have the aggressive group go first (don’t let them say what they are before the role play). 8) After the first one discuss the following questions:  Is (name)’s behavior passive, assertive or aggressive?  Why? What did (name) do to make you decide he/she was aggressive? What did he/ she say? How did he/she say it? Describe body language. 9) Have the passive group go next. 10) After they have finished ask the same questions as the first group. 11) Have the last group go (assertive). 12) Ask the same questions to the class as the first two groups. 13) Emphasize the actions in assertive behavior. These might include:  Speaking in a calm, firm voice  Discussing needs, making feelings clear  Checking to see if the other person is comfortable with statements made  Body language – facing the other person, looking him/her in the eye Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What behavior is the most productive? Why?  What behavior do you see yourself doing the most? Why?  How does it feel when someone is being passive with you? Aggressive? Assertive?

Behavior Handout Passive Behavior  Giving in to the will of others, hoping to get what you want without actually having to say it. Leaving it to others to guess or letting them decide for you  Taking to action to assert your own rights  Putting others first at your expense  Giving in to what others want  Remaining silent when something bothers you  Apologizing a lot  Acting submissive – for example: talking quietly, laughing nervously, sagging shoulders, avoiding disagreement, hiding face with hands Assertive Behavior  Telling someone exactly what you want in a way that does not seem rude or threatening to them  Standing up for your own rights without putting down the rights of others  Respecting yourself as well as the other person  Listening and talking  Expressing positive and negative feelings  Being confident but not too “pushy”  Staying balanced – knowing what you want to say, saying “I feel” not “I think”, being specific, using “I” statements, talking face to face with the person, no whining or sarcasm, using body language that shows you are standing your ground and staying centered. Aggressive Behavior  Expressing your feelings, opinions or desires in a way that threatens or punishes the other person  Standing up for your own rights with no thought of the other person  Putting yourself first at the expense of others  Overpowering others  Reaching your own goals, but at the sake of others  Dominating behaviors – for example: shouting, demanding, not listening to others, saying others are wrong, leaning forward, looking down on others, wagging or pointing finger at others, threatening, or fighting

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Opening a Fist Topic: Communication, Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To practice assertive behavior when facing someone aggressive. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 14 – 17 Time Required: 25 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Explain to the class that body language can influence other people’s responses to us. For instance, if someone is acting us aggressively, he or she may be leaning towards us with clenched fists. By changing our body language we can improve the situation. For example, if we are sitting down, we can relax our shoulders, uncross our arms, open our palms upwards, uncross our legs, hold our heads straight, and/or look right at the aggressive person. All of these changes help to create a more balanced response in the aggressive person. 2) Ask the participants to divide into pairs. 3) Tell them that first, one will act as the aggressive person and the other will act as the assertive person. Then they will switch roles. 4) The aggressive ones must hold their hands up in a very tight fist and pretend to feel very angry. 5) The assertive ones must try to persuade or convince the aggressive ones to undo their fists. 6) The assertive ones should use all their skills to persuade the aggressive ones to calm down and open their fists. 7) The aggressive and assertive people should not touch each other. 8) The assertive one can say anything that they think will convince the aggressive one. 9) If the aggressive ones think the assertive ones have done a good job, they may open their fists. But they must NOT give in too easily! 10) Give the pairs eight minutes to try out their assertiveness skills on each other. 11) Praise and encourage everyone and explain that it gets easier with practice. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How did it feel to be talked to with a closed fist? With an open fist?  How do expressions help us communicate?  Do we sometimes expression one emotion but say another?

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Assertive Messages Topic: Communication, Peer Pressure, Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?):To practice creating assertive messages. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10 and up Time Required: 40 minutes Materials: Handout: Steps to Deliver an Assertive Message, Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Scenario Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Review the definitions of passive, assertive and aggressive:  Passive: not reacting visibly to something that might be expected to produce manifestations of an emotion or feeling  Assertive: confidently aggressive or selfassured; positive: aggressive; dogmatic  Aggressive: characterized by or tending toward unprovoked offensives, attacks, invasions, or the like; militantly forward or menacing 2) Talk briefly about how assertive behavior can improve communication and interactions. 3) Hand out the sheet “Steps to Deliver an Assertive Message” (you can also have it on the board if you like) 4) Explain the situation at the top and then go stepby-step through the handout 5) Act out the “messages” 6) Remind the group that body language and tone is very important! 7) Make sure everyone is clear on the steps before proceeding 8) Use the following message to develop assertive messages:

Giga and Giorgi are good friends. Giga has a part-time job and he has loaned money to Giorgi on several occasions. Lately, Giga has noticed that Girogi is becoming slower to pay the money back. Giga decides to discuss this matter with Giorgi and ask Giorgi to pay the money back sooner

9) After reading the situation aloud and making sure it is clear, go through the steps and have the group come up with their own messages Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Why is delivering an assertive message sometimes important?  In which situations would you use an assertive message?  Can being assertive sometimes be negative? When?

Steps to Deliver an Assertive Message Giga and Giorgia are good friends. Giga has a part-time job and he has loaned money to Giorgi on several occasions. Lately Giga has noticed that Giorgi is becoming slower to pay the money back. Giga decides to discuss this matter with Giorgi and to ask Giorgi to pay the money back sooner.

Steps

Description

Words you might say…

Messages

1) Explain your feelings and the problem

State how you feel about the behavior or problem. Describe the behavior or problem that violates your rights or disturbs you

    

“I feel frustrated when…” “I feel unhappy when…” “I feel…when…” “It hurts me when…” “I don’t like it when…”

“I feel as if I’m being used when I lend you money and don’t get it back in good time.”

2) Make your request

State clearly what you would like to have happen

    

“It would like it better if…” “I would like you to…” “Could you please…” “Please don’t…” “I wish you would…”

“I would like it better if when you borrow money you would give it back as soon as possible.”

3) Ask how the other person feels about your request

Invite the other person to express his or her feelings or thoughts about your request

    

“How do you feel about it?” “Is that okay with you?” “What do you think?” “Is that all right with you?” “What are your ideas?”

“Is that okay with you?”

Answer

The other person indicates his or her feelings or thoughts about your request

The other person responds

4) Accept with thanks

If the other person agrees with your request, saying “thanks” is a good way to end the discussion

   

Creating Our Own Assertive Messages Topic: Communication Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To create assertive messages. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10 and up Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Scenario cards (next page), “Steps to Delivering an Assertive Message” handout (found on page before activity) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Explain that the class will be creating their own assertive messages. 2) This may be hard/awkward at first but will become easier with practice. 3) Split the class into pairs. 4) Give each person a different scenario card (each pair will have two scenario cards, one each) and a handout.

“Thanks” “Great, I appreciate that.” “I’m happy you agree.” “Great!”

“Yes, I guess you’re right. I’m not too good at getting money back right away, but I’ll return it sooner next time.” “Thanks for understanding. Let’s go and listen to some music.”

5) After reading each situation, each person will write out assertive messages following the steps on the handout “Steps to Delivering an Assertive Message”. 6) Then each person will share the messages with their partners, getting any advice and making any changes that they might decide together. 7) The pair will act out each situation with each other and practice delivering their assertive messages. 8) Go around to each pair and ensure that the instructions are clear and assist people if needed. 9) Allow 30 minutes for this part of the exercise. 10) After each pair practices two different situations, invite interested pairs to come up in front of the class and act out their assertive messages. 11) Use this time to spark discussion. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Can you think of any real life situations where you have had to be assertive?  Can being assertive be a negative thing? When?  Do leaders sometimes deliver assertive messages? When/why? 23

Assertiveness Scenario Cards 1) A person of the opposite sex asks you to go to a party with him or her. You don’t know anyone who is going, which makes you feel a little uncomfortable. You have also heard that this person uses drugs and does not have a very good reputation at school. You decide to be assertive and say no. 2) You are talking to a number of your friends. Most of them smoke and are teasing you about the fact that you do not smoke. One of the members of the group hurts your feelings by saying something inappropriate. You decide to make an assertive reply. 3) You decide to get your ears pierced. You friend tells you that you can get it done at a place in town. You go to the place, but it does not look very clean. You have heard about people getting serious diseases from dirty needles. You decide to ask the person if the needles are clean and to see the equipment used for cleaning. The person won’t show you, but insists that the shop is very clean and safe. The person urges you to get the procedure done. You decide to say no assertively. 4) A friend of your family asks if you wan t a ride home from school. You do not feel very good about this person and you feel uncomfortable about the situation. You deice to be assertive and refuse the ride.

Persuasion Categories Topic: Communication, Peer Pressure, Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To recognize persuasion and distraction from assertive statements and come up with responses. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 13 – 17 Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Large Persuasion Cards, Small Persuasion Cards (for each participant), Tape; Optional: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Tell the group that they will take a look at the different ways people might try to get you off your Topic: (an assertive message) or refuse to accept your assertive message. 2) Tape the different Large Persuasion Cards at different points along a blank wall. 3) Review each card and discuss how people can use the technique to convince, persuade, or distract from assertive messages. 4) Hand on Small Persuasion Card to each participant. 5) All members of the group should stand up, read the statement on their cards, explain the possible categories where the statement might belong and tape the statement to the wall underneath the appropriate category.

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6) Ask the group “What do you say when someone tries to get you off the Topic:?” (you can also write this on the board). 7) Brainstorm possible ideas with the class. 8) Some ideas might be:  Please let me finish what I’m saying.  Please don’t stop me until I’m finished.  That’s fine, but please listen to what I have to say.  I know you think… but let me finish what I’m saying.  Thank you, but…” 9) Ask the class “What do you say when someone is trying to persuade you?” and brainstorm. 10) After you brainstorm, categorize them into three categories: Refuse  No, no, I really mean no.  No, thank you.  No, no – I am leaving. Delay  I am not ready yet.  Maybe we can talk later.  I’d like to talk to a friend first. Bargain  Let’s do… instead.  I won’t do that, but maybe we could do…  What would make us both happy? Large Persuasion Cards      

Reasons No Problem Threaten Put You Down Getting Off the Topic: Argue

Small Persuasion Cards                   

You’re just afraid Why not? Everyone is doing it! You know that I love you. I’ll find someone else who will. Nothing will go wrong. I’ll take care of everything. Aren’t you grown up enough to do this? But we’re getting married anyways. You have nice eyes. What do you know about… anyways? You owe me. What do you think can happen? Do it or goodbye. I can hurt you if you don’t. Don’t worry. I’ve got it all handled. You can’t get addicted if you just do it once. You’re old enough now. I like you when you’re angry.

Persuasion Categories Put you Down  You’re just afraid  Aren’t you grown up enough to do this?

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:

Argue  Why not? Everyone’s doing it!  What do you think can happen?  What do you know about… anyways? Threaten  Do it or goodbye.  I’ll find someone else who will.  I can hurt you if you don’t. No Problem  Nothing will go wrong  Don’t worry.  I’ll take care of everything.  I’ve got it all handled. Reasons  But we’re getting married anyways.  You can’t get addicted if you have it just once.  You owe me.  You’re old enough now. Getting Off the Topic:  You have nice eyes  I like you when you’re angry  You know that I love you.

Persuasion Role Play Topic: Communication, Peer Pressure, Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To practice using phrases when someone is trying to distract or persuade you. Number of Students: 6-30 Age Range of Students: 10 and up Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart; Optional: Role Play Cards; Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Review and explain the three categories for responding to persuasion or people trying to distract you (refuse, delay, bargain). Refuse  No, no, I really mean no.  No, thank you.  No, no – I am leaving. Delay  I am not ready yet.  Maybe we can talk later.  I’d like to talk to a friend first. Bargain

2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8)

 Let’s do… instead.  I won’t do that, but maybe we could do…  What would make us both happy? Split the class into three groups. Assign each group one of the categories. Give each group a role play card. Tell them they must make a role play using a phrase or strategy from their category. Give each group at least 15 minutes to come up with their role play. Have each group perform in front of the class. Discuss each role play after they are finished.

 Have you ever had a friend/family member try to persuade you to do something you didn’t want to do?  Can persuasion be a good thing? How? Persuasion Role Play Your older brother is supposed to give you a ride home in his car. You meet him but he is staggering and slurring his words. You feel that he has had too much to drink and it would be not wise to ride with him in his car when he is driving. He tires to persuade you to go with him. Each group will do the role play using different endings (refuse, delay or bargain) Work together to come up with a SHORT role play to show this situation. Use the following kinds of statements in your role play. Sister: “I feel scared about driving with you when you have been drinking” Brother: “What do you know about drinking anyway?” Sister: “Please let me finish what I am saying. I don’t want to drive home with you and I really don’t think you should be driving. What do you think? Will you please not drive home?” Brother: “Hey, I’m fine. You have nothing to worry about.” Sister: (Use alternative endings)

Mother-Child Trust Call Topic: Communication, Trust Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To build communication skills and trust within the group. Number of Students: 6-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10 – 15 minutes Materials: Optional: Blindfolds Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask the participants to divide into pairs. 2) The pairs should select one person to be the “mother” and one person to be the “child”. 3) Each pair should also choose one animal. 4) The “mother” should make the sound that animal makes so the “child” will know the “mother’s” voice. 5) Now separate the groups – all “mothers” on one side of the room and all the “children” on the other side. 6) “Children” must close their eyes. You may also use blindfolds. 7) “Mothers” will make the animal sound while moving about the room. 8) With their eyes closed, the “children” must try to find and touch their “mothers”. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What does this activity show about communication? 25

Body Language Topic: Communication Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To demonstrate how easy it is to read body language and the importance of body language in communication. Number of Students: 6-30 Age Range of Students: Time Required: 20 – 30 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide the group into pairs. 2) Each pairs should think of a discussion that one of them has had with their spouse, friend, or anything that developed into an argument. 3) The pair should first establish the two characters and their relationship. 4) They should then re-enact the argument between them in mime, only using their bodies and faces, with no words. 5) Give the pairs a few minutes to work on this. 6) Then ask everyone to return to the group. 7) Pick out two pairs whose scenes looked particularly clear. 8) Ask the first pair to re-enact its scene in the middle of the circle. 9) Ask members of the audience to tell the story the pair is acting out. 10) Point out how easy it can be for us to know what is going on in general through what we do with our bodies. 11) Repeat with the second pair. 12) Point out the different types of body language, such as eye contact, distance between people, and positions. 13) Finish by suggesting that participants think over the next few days and week, about the ways they use their own bodies to say things to one another. 14) Encourage them to think how they might use their bodies differently in different contexts to convey different messages to people. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What are the different types of body language?  Do we sometimes subconsciously communicate with our body without even knowing it? How?

Pass the Picture Topic: Communication Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To demonstrate how people can understand things differently. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 20 – 30 minutes Materials: Flipchart paper or large plain paper (2), Markers 26

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask for five volunteers to leave the training area for a few minutes. 2) Bring out a piece of flip chart paper (or plain paper). 3) Ask the remaining people to agree on a picture, and two or three people to draw it. 4) The picture could include, for example, a house, animals, a tree and so forth. 5) They should not make it too complicated. 6) Then hid the picture and ask someone to call the five volunteers into the room. 7) One volunteer is then shown the picture for about a minute. 8) This volunteer must then describe the picture in words to the second volunteer. 9) The second volunteer in turn describes the picture to the third volunteer and so on. 10) When the fifth volunteer has heard a description of the picture, he or she should be handed a new piece of paper and some markers. 11) He or she should then try to draw the picture as he or she understands it to look from the description. 12) He or she should receive no help from the rest of the group! 13) When he or she is finished, compare it with the original picture. 14) There should be some interesting differences. 15) Thank the five volunteers. 16) Point out that it is often much harder than we supposed for all of us to understand things in the same way. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What does this activity show us about communication?  How does this relate to real life?

Rumors, Telephone Topic: Communication Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To show how rumors can distort information and make it far from the truth. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10-15 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask everyone to stand in a circle or line. 2) Think of a phrase to whisper beforehand, such has “How many people like khajapuri?” or “I wish I could go to the sea”. 3) Whisper this phrase quietly to the person to your right. Make sure no one else can hear you. 4) This person whispers exactly what they heard to the person to his or her right and so on until you get to the last person.

5) The phrase is not allowed to be repeated and they must say exactly what they heard. 6) The last person says what they heard out loud to the group. 7) Announce to the group what you had originally said. 8) There should be some funny differences! 9) Let someone else try and make up a phrase. 10) Discuss how this relates to communication and spreading rumors about people. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Based on this activity, should we always believe the rumors we hear? Why or why not?  What can we do to stop bad rumors?

Pooey Topic: Communication Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To demonstrate different methods of communicating. Number of Students: 10-40 Age Range of Students: 10 and up Time Required: 10 – 15 minutes Materials: An open space for walking around; blindfold for each student or complete darkness Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Hand out blindfolds or make sure you are in place where all light can be blocked out. You can ask students to close their eyes, but this is hard to do and many students will peek. 2) Ask everyone to put on their blindfolds or turn off the lights. 3) Tell the group to stay still. 4) Tap one person quietly without letting others know who you tapped. 5) Tell the group that the person who you touched cannot speak, but they are the Pooey. The other members of the group should NOT know who the Pooey is. 6) Tell the group that they must shake each others hands and ask “Are you the Pooey?” 7) If they are NOT the Pooey, the other person must say “Yes, I am the pooey.” The students then must leave that person and try to find another person who is the Pooey. 8) If a student shakes hands and the other person IS the Pooey, the Pooey does not speak. That person then must hold hand with the Pooey and become part of the Pooey. This means that if another person shakes hand with that part of the Pooey, they must also be silent. 9) This will continue until everyone is holding hands and have become part of the Pooey 10) After everyone has become part of the Pooey, stop the game. *Note: The name “Pooey” doesn’t translate well, so you may want to change the name. Any name will be okay, but try to make it funny if you can.

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Was it easy to find the Pooey? Why or why not?  Did it confuse you when people who were not the Pooey said, “I am the Pooey”?

Animal Noises Topic: Communication Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To demonstrate the strength of communication with only sounds. Number of Students: 10-40 Age Range of Students: 10 and up Time Required: 10 – 15 minutes Materials: A large open space, Blindfolds for each child or complete darkness Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Hand out blindfolds to each child in the group. If there are no blindfolds available, make sure you are in a dark room with NO LIGHT. 2) Before the students are blindfolded/you turn off the light, explain the rules to the game, 3) When they are blindfolded or when the lights are off, name three animals. 4) Tell the students to chose one of those animals to be WITHOUT saying it (it is important they don’t let anyone else know what they are). 5) When the students are blindfolded or the lights are off, the students must find other students who are the same animal as them by making the animal’s noise. 6) They must NOT say their animal’s name nor talk at all. ONLY ANIMAL NOISES!!! 7) When the students are finished, they will let you know. 8) When they are finished, ask the students to take off their blindfold or turn on the light. 9) Ask the students to check and see if they are in the right groups. 10) Once they understand the game, name animals with more difficult sounds. If you want a big challenge, name animals which don’t have a real sound (for example, a giraffe, hippo, rabbit etc). 11) Discuss the activity after it is finished. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Was this a difficult activity? Why or why not?  What strategies did you use to find the other animals in your group?  Was there a leader in any of the groups? How did that leader help?

Listening Pairs Topic: Communication Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To show the importance of good listening and to talk about how it feels not to be listened to. 27

Number of Students: 6-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 15 – 20 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide the group into pairs 2) Once should describe to the other an event in his or her life which make him or her feel very happy. 3) The listener should say nothing but just concentrate hard on hearing what is being said. 4) After a couple of minutes, ask the listeners to stop listening. 5) At this stage, the speaker should continue to describe his or her happy experience, but the listener should stop listening completely (maybe plug ears or talk to another listener). 6) He or she could yawn, look elsewhere, turn around, or whistle too. 7) The important thing is that he or she is not longer listening to the speaker as the speaker continues the story. 8) After a couple of minutes, yell “STOP!” 9) At this stage, the speaker and listener should change roles and do the exercise again. 10) Ask participants how they felt as speakers telling their story to a willing, interested listener compared with telling it to a bad listener. 11) Process the exercise. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Is it always easy to listen to people? Why or why not?  Why is listening important?  What can happen if you don’t listen?  How do you feel is someone is not listening to you?

Folding Paper Game Topic: Communication Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To show students different forms of communication and how a lack of any of those forms can make communication harder. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 20 – 30 minutes Materials: Sheets of paper (one for each participant) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) 2) 3) 4)

Ask every participant to close their eyes. Make them promise to keep their eyes shut! Hand each participant a sheet of paper. Ask participants to do the following:  Fold their paper in half  Tear off the bottom right-hand corner of the paper  Then fold the paper in half again  Next tear off the lower left-hand corner 5) Remind them not to peek! 6) Now ask them to open their eyes and unfold their pieces of a paper. 7) Have them show their paper to the other students. 8) The papers should look different. 9) Ask participants what this exercise can show us. 10) One point is to show everyone how even simple instructions can mean very different things to different people. We often think we are saying something clearly to someone, only to discover later that what we meant and what they understood were quite different. 11) Everyone followed the instructions correctly, but the results were different. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What does this tell us about communicating with different people?  How does culture affect communication?

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Character Building and Responsible Behavior 29

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The Problem With Excuses Topic: Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To analyze common excuses for dangerous behaviors. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 12 – 17 Time Required: 1 hour Materials: List of dangerous activities, Blackboard/ whiteboard/flipchart; Optional: Cards with excuses prepared Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before class, create a list of dangerous activities that students should not participate in 2) Divide class into groups of three or four 3) Give each group one of the following excuses  Just one (or a little won’t hurt)  I can control myself, so this one time won’t matter  Everybody’s doing it  I don’t want to be left out  I deserve this  I feel stressed out. This will help me relax  If I don’t do this, they will think I’m a …  If I don’t do this, they might not like me  If I don’t do this, they might get made at me  I’m too young for this to hurt me 4) Have each group analyze each excuse 5) They should first determine in what situation might someone use the excuse 6) Then have the group determine why it isn’t a good reason to do something 7) After five minutes, rotate the excuses 8) Give each group an opportunity to discuss eat of the excuses 9) Have each group chose a dangerous behavior 10) Ask them to write a list of excuses NOT to do the behavior

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Give students the questionnaire and have them fill it out (five minutes) – you should of course translate it before handing it to students. Are You a Caring Person? True/False ___ ___ I am never mean, cruel, or insensitive ___ ___ I treat people with kindness and generosity ___ ___ I am charitable ___ ___ I give of myself for the benefit of others ___ ___ I am responsive to the concerns and needs of others I conclude that: ___________________________ 2) Have students write an essay on one of the following Topic:  Describe the most caring thing anyone has ever done for you. What effect did that have on you?  Write a thank you note to someone in your community who did something very caring.  Write about a real or an imagined experience in which you performed a random act of caring and the results it produced.  Imagine that you have just inherited $20,000, and you want to spend it all to help other people. What would you do with it and why? What effect would it have on the people you would be helping? Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What kinds of activities did you identify in your essay as caring?  How does it feel when someone does something you identify as caring for you?  How does it feel when you do something caring for someone else?

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What other excuses do people use to rationalize dangerous or inappropriate behavior?  Why do we talk ourselves into doing things that we know we shouldn’t be doing?

Are you a Caring Person? Topic: Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To identify and discuss personal emotions with regard to caring. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 45 minutes Materials: Paper, pen, questionnaire

Making Introductions Topic: Character Building, Self-Esteem Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To feel at ease when introducing people and themselves. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10 and up Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): Throughout your whole life you will be meeting new people almost every day. Being able to do this easily is one of the first and most important steps of making friends. A person’s first impression of you is formed within the first few minutes after meeting you. This impression often stays with them and af31

fects what they think of you or how they feel about you. People often decide if they want to get to know someone because of a first impression. 1) Discuss how this skill can help the student. Your ability to handle meeting people and making introductions with ease will be valuable to you throughout your whole life. This skill can help you to:  Feel more comfortable at parties, in a new club, at school, or any time when you are around strangers  Make friends more easily  Give an impression of poise and self-confidence  Be at ease when applying for jobs 2) Discuss how you make introductions - When you are being introduced:  Smile  Try to think about making the other person feel at ease and then you won’t have time to feel nervous or uncomfortable  Be warm and friendly  Look the other person in the eyes  Step forward  Be sincere in what you say What you might say: How do you do? Hello, how are you? I am glad to meet you I have been looking forward to meeting you  How do you do, “name”? Have students list other possible ways to respond to an adult and to a person their own age. Tell students each person must find out what is most comfortable and natural for them to say. This comes only through practice. The most important thing is to say SOMETHING. No one wants to feel ignored. If the other person puts his hand out to shake hands, meet him with a warm, firm handshake. Discuss methods of greeting in Georgia (kissing on a cheek). What are appropriate gestures between men/women? When you are doing the introduction:  In introducing man-woman, say lady’s name first (Nino Jashi, I would like you to know Giorgi Gugunava)  When introducing a much older person to a younger person, say the older person’s name first  After your two friends have had a chance to speak, it is thoughtful to give them something to talk about Try introducing:  One group member to another  Your leader or teacher to another student When students are comfortable with this, take turns introducing one person to the whole group.    

3) 4)

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Give a Smile Topic: Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To show children how doing things for other people can make them happy. 32

Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 11 and under Time Required: 40 minutes Materials: Paper (for each child), Makers/pens/colored pencils; Optional: Glue, Scissors, Yarn, Stickers Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before this activity, talk with the group about being nice to others. Here are some questions you could ask:  Why should we be nice to other people?  Should we be nice to people who are different from us? Why?  What does respect mean?  Why should we respect the feelings and property of others?  Why should we be polite to others?  There is a Golden Rule that says “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. What does that mean to you?  Do you think the Golden Rule is a good rule? Why or why not? 2) Hand out paper and markers/pens/colored pencils to the students. 3) Tell the class that they are going to make greeting cards for someone they think would need a nice card or a smile. Examples could be nursing homes, orphanages, family members that get ignored, sick people, people in hospitals etc. 4) Have children make their cards. 5) Tell the children to be sure to say something nice about that person in the card. 6) If the people are in one place collect the cards and deliver them to the place as a class. 7) If they are in several places, have the students deliver their cards to that person (be sure to have a way of checking up on if they brought them or not, try to really encourage them to give them to the people). Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How do you feel if someone is mean to you?  What happens when people aren’t nice to each other? Among your friends? In your family? In the world?  What does it feel like to be left out of a group activity?  What is embarrassment? Jealousy? Anger?  What might make us feel these things? Are they normal feelings?  What can you do if someone makes you feel embarrassed, jealous or angry?

Pleasing Others Topic: Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To think about activities that please other people. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 11 and under Time Required: 30 minutes

Materials: Paper (for each student), Colored markers/pencils/pens; Optional: Other art supplies to make the pictures more fun, Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Chalk/markers Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask the students if they think it is right to do things for other people. 2) Ask them to come up with examples of things they could do for other people to make them happy. 3) Tell the students that there are probably already things they do on a regular basis that they do to please other people. 4) Ask students to sit and brainstorm for a minute or two about things they do to make other people happy. 5) Give each student a piece of paper and colored markers/pens/pencils. 6) Tell the students they must now draw a picture of something they do in a normal day that makes others happy (something they don’t do just for themselves). 7) Some examples are:  doing chores around the house  getting dressed up for a special occasion  not talking in class or at a performance  washing the dishes  visiting a relative you don’t really like 8) Give the students at least 10 – 15 minutes to work on their drawing. 9) When they are finished have the students stand up and explain their picture to the class briefly. 10) You can write these on the board to make a list if you would like. 11) Discuss the activity and how it made them feel. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Why is it a good thing to make other people happy?  What are some things that you would like others to do for you to make you happy?

Thank a Friend Topic: Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To explore people’s reactions when you do something nice for them, or just say thank you! Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 11 and under Time Required: 30 minutes in two class periods Materials: Paper (for each student), Colored markers/pens/pencils, Pencils; Optional: Stickers, Glue, Scissors, Colored paper, Blackboard/whiteboard/ flipchart, Chalk/markers, Envelopes Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask the students to think of a nice thing a friend has done for them recently. 2) Ask the students why they think their friend did that thing.

3) Ask the students how they felt when their friend did a nice thing. 4) Tell the students you are now going to make cards for their friend who has done nice things for them. 5) The cards should say “Thank you” on them and say what their friend did and how it made them feel inside the card. 6) Give each student a piece of paper and colored markers/pens/pencils. 7) Give them at least 15 minutes to complete their cards. 8) If you have envelopes, give them an envelope and have them put their friend’s name on it. 9) Tell the class they must give the envelope to their friend before the next class. 10) At the next class, ask the students how their friends reacted when they received the card. 11) If you have a board, write down the reactions on the board. 12) Ask the class how they felt giving the card (write them on the board if you can). 13) Discuss how doing nice things for people make you and the other person happy and how saying thank you is always a good idea. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Are there ever times you should say thank you, but you don’t want to?

Manners in the Bag Topic: Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn to share and to say please and thank you. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 10 and under Time Required: 30 – 45 minutes Materials: Small paper bags (one for each student), Scissors (one pair for each group), Puppet face cutouts (one per student) (see next page), Yarn (in balls), Glue (one for each group), Markers (only one or two for each group); Optional: Colored markers/ pens/pencils, Other items to make puppets more decorative Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Tell the class they will be learning about sharing, saying please and saying thank you today. 2) Split the class into small groups of four or five. 3) Give each student a paper bag and a puppet face cut-out sheet. 4) Tell the groups that they must make a puppet (have an example ready to show them). 5) Give the groups one pair of scissors, one glue bottle/stick, and only one or two markers. 6) Tell them that they must share these items. 7) When they ask for an item, they must say please. 8) When they receive an item they must say thank you. 33

9) Give them at least 15 – 20 minutes to finish their puppet. 10) Monitor the class to make sure they are saying please and thank you. 11) After everyone is done, ask them if it was easy to say please and thank you and how it made them feel to share. *Note: This can also be a fun activity for beginning English classes when learning “please” and “thank you”. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Are there ever times when you should share but you don’t want to? Puppet Face Cut-outs

7) Tell the groups to write “respect” in large letters in the middle. 8) Now tell the group to either illustrate or cut and paste different ways they can show respect to other people. 9) Examples include:  Sharing  Helping with chores  Cooking for someone  Helping someone feel better if they feel bad  Helping someone who is hurt  Assisting a teacher 10) Give the groups at least 15 – 20 minutes to complete their posters. 11) After each group is done, have them come up and present their posters to the class, explaining what each picture means. 12) If you have the space, put the posters on the wall to remind the students how they can show respect to others. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Are there also ways you can be disrespectful? What are some examples? How do they make the person feel? How do they make you feel?

Courtesy Circle

Showing Respect Topic: Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To talk about different ways of showing respect to other people. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 17 and under Time Required: 45 minutes – 1 hour Materials: Large poster board (one for each group), Markers, Pencils; Optional: Old magazines, Scissors, Glue, Colored markers/pens/pencils, Blackboard/ whiteboard/flipchart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask the class what the word respect means to them (if you have a board, write the word on the board). 2) Come up with ideas (if you have a board, write the ideas on the board). 3) Ask the class to think of different ways they can show respect to other people (write these on the board if available). 4) Divide the class into groups of four or five. 5) Give each group a poster board and markers. 6) If you have old magazines, scissors and glue, give those out to the groups.

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Topic: Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To practice giving compliments to each other. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 15 and under Time Required: 10 – 15 minutes Materials: Optional: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Chalk/markers Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) If you have a blackboard and the time available, ask the class to come up with some examples of compliments they could give to each other and write them on the board before the activity. 2) Ask the class to get into a circle. 3) Tell them that this activity will help them practice to say nice things to others. 4) Start off the circle by giving a compliment to the student on your right. 5) Tell the students that they must all give a compliment to the person on their right in turn. 6) Once they have gone all the way around the circle, reverse the direction so that they are now saying a compliment to the person who previously gave them a compliment. 7) Ask the class how they felt during the activity. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Who are people you could give compliments to during a typical day?

 When do you think it is most important to give compliments?  How do you think compliments make other people feel?

Heart of Gold Topic: Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To discuss and act out kind things we do to other people. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 15 and under Time Required: 30 – 45 minutes Materials: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Chalk/ markers; Optional: Props for skits Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask your class to think about nice things they do for other people. 2) Write these ideas on the board. 3) Now ask your class for ideas on nice things they could do for other people. 4) Write these ideas on the board. 5) Some ideas might be:  Helping a friend who feels bad  Helping your mother with the dishes  Helping a teacher clean the chalkboard  Opening the door for someone  Giving directions to someone who is lost  Sharing candy with a sister or brother or friend 6) Divide the class into groups of four or five. 7) Tell the groups that they must choose one of the things on the board and create a skit. 8) Give them at least 10 to 15 minutes to create their skit. 9) Have each group perform their skits in front of the class. 10) After each skit, ask the class what the nice thing was and how they think it made the person feel. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How do nice acts make you feel?  How do nice acts make other people feel?  Did this activity give you any new ideas on how to be nice to others?

Pretend It’s You Topic: Character building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To practice how to act without hurting someone’s feelings in awkward situations. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 15 and under Time Required: 30 – 45 minutes Materials: Situation cards; Optional: Props for skits

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Explain to students that we cannot always say what we want to say. Sometimes we have to be careful not to hurt other people’s feelings so we must be careful with what we say. If you are in a situation where you want to say something negative, you should still say something positive. 2) Give some examples of these kinds of situations. 3) Divide the class into groups of four or five. 4) Give each group a situation card with different awkward situations. 5) Tell the groups they must come up with a skit to show how they would handle the situation. 6) Give the groups about 10 or 15 minutes to make their skit. 7) After everyone is finished, ask the groups to perform their skits to the class. 8) After each skit, ask the class if they thought what the skit showed was the appropriate response. Ask for additional ideas

Situations for cards (translate with your counterpart, then write)  Your aunt Nino comes to your house wearing a very big and silly looking hat. She asks you if you like her hat. What do you do?  You visit your friend’s house and his/her mom makes you dinner. You do not like the food that she made. What do you do?  You are having a birthday supra and your friend comes and brings you a gift. When you open the gift, you find that it’s something you didn’t want and you are disappointed. What do you do?  You are watching your favorite show on TV, when your uncle, who is visiting from Russia, asks you to change the channel to something you don’t like. What do you do?  Your friend has spent all day drawing you a picture and he/she gives it to you before you leave school. When you look at it, you can’t tell what it is! He/she asks you if you like it. What do you do?

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Can you think of any real life examples of when you have had to say something nice when you wanted to say something negative?  When are good times to say what you truly feel?

Share and Share Alike Topic: Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To practice sharing with others. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10 and under Time Required: 20 minutes Materials: Favorite objects or toys from each child

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Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before the class (in the pervious class is best) tell the students that they must bring their favorite toy, object, picture, book etc to class for an activity. 2) Have everyone take out their object. 3) Tell the class that they now must all “share” their object with the rest of the class. 4) Ask them to go around and talk about and let other’s look at/use their object. 5) Give them enough time so that everyone will be able to see each other’s things. 6) When you are finished, ask the students, one at a time, to come to the front of the class with their object. 7) When the students is in front of the class, ask the class about the object in his/her hand. 8) They should know a good amount about it if that person shared.

 At the beach  In a park  On the playground  In the yard  During a sports event (like soccer)  During a dance party 7) Divide the class into groups of 4 or 5. 8) Assign each group a different place where low voices or silence is needed. 9) Tell the groups they must create a skit to show the kind of voices that are needed in that place. 10) Give the groups at least 10 to 15 minutes to create their skits. 11) After everyone is done, have the students perform their skits. 12) After each skit, ask the class if the voice level used was appropriate and why or why not. 13) Discuss the reasons why low voices or silence is needed in certain places.

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:

 How did it feel to share?  How did it feel to be shared with?  What other things can you share besides your favorite objects?

 How does it feel when someone is using loud voices during your performance or when you are saying something?  What can you do if someone is being loud and annoying when they aren’t supposed to?

Shhhhhhh Topic: Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To teach children about the different places low voices or silence is needed. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 10 and under Time Required: 30 – 45 minutes Materials: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Chalk/ markers; Optional: Props for skits Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Explain to the students that are some places and situations where low voices or silence is needed and some places where you can be noisy. 2) Ask the class for examples of places they know low voices or silence is required. 3) Write the ideas on the board. 4) Now ask the class for examples of places they can be noisy. 5) Add onto the list if needed. 6) Examples are: Quiet  During a performance (dance, theatrical, vocal, school, etc)  In class  In a library  When someone else is talking in class  During a test  In a hospital  In church

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Loud

Good Deeds Checklist Topic: Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To keep track of good deeds during the week. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 15 and under Time Required: 10 minutes in-class, one week out of class Materials: Good Deed’s checklist, Pencil; Optional: Notebook, Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Chalk/ markers Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Give each student the checklist and explain what to do. 2) If you don’t want to print out lists for everyone, write it on the board and have the students write it in their notebooks. 3) Tell the students they must keep this list with them during the week. 4) When they have done a good deed on the list, they must check it off. 5) Tell them that this is NOT a contest and honesty is expected. 6) After the week is over, have students look at their lists and think about the good things they have done for others and the things they would like to do next week. 7) This would also be a good time for a journal write so students can reflect on the week. 8) Be sure to translate the checklist before giving it to your students.

Good Deed Checklist: Share something ........................................... Open a door for someone . ............................... Take turns playing with a toy ............................ Pick up some trash . ....................................... Help a classmate with a lesson .......................... Give someone a compliment ............................. Help a young child ......................................... Help someone with a chore .............................. Help someone carry something .......................... Pick up something dropped .............................. Help your parents with a job at home . ................ Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics: How did doing good deeds make you feel? How did doing good deeds make others feel? Will you do these again? Were there any that were particularly difficult? Any particularly easy?  Which ones did you miss? Would you like to do them soon?    

Bashing Bad Habits Topic: Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To describe bad habits and ways in which we can stop these bad habits. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10 and under Time Required: 30 – 45 minutes Materials: Paper (for each student), Colored pens/ pencils/markers, Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Chalk/markers; Optional: Tape Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask your students what is a bad habit and if they think bad habits are hard or easy to break. 2) Explain to your students that even if bad habits are hard, they CAN be broken with good decision making. Ask the students to give you suggestions of bad habits and make a list on one side of the board. Examples can be:  Chewing fingernails  Watching too much TV  Interrupting people when they are talking  Smoking  Talking disrespectful to parents  Eating too much candy/fatty foods  Not picking up after yourself  Saying bad words 3) Now ask for suggestions on how to overcome these bad habits. 4) Write a list on the other side of the board, connecting habit w/ solution. Some examples can be:  Replacing candy/fatty foods with healthy snacks like vegetables.  Start another hobby such as playing football or reading instead of watching TV.

 Take care of your nails and be aware of biting them.  Wait until someone has finished his/her sentence before you say anything.  Don’t start smoking! Or exercise and keep busy to distract yourself from smoking if you already have started.  Be sure to look around a room and see what you have left around before you leave the room.  Set up a “bad word” jar, where you have to put in 20 tetri every time you say a bad word.  Always say “please” and “thank you” to your parents. 5) Give each student paper and pens. Tell students to draw a vertical line down the center. 6) On one side they draw a bad habit they have - the other side they draw the solution for this habit. 7) Have a few students present their drawings to the class. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How do bad habits hurt us?  Are their any good habits? What are they?

What Does it Mean? Topic: Character Building, Responsible Behavior Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To assist students in understanding what is responsible behavior. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 10-15 minutes Materials: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) On the board write these definitions of responsibility and irresponsibility: A responsible person… - thinks ahead - uses self-control - accepts the consequences for his or her actions - meets his or her obligations - sets a good example An irresponsible person… - blames others - doesn’t complete tasks they were assigned or agreed to do gives up, especially when others are depending on him or her - doesn’t offer to help even if he or she can help 2) Lead a class discussion on the meaning of each aspect of responsibility. 3) Variations may include: 37

On the board write definitions of responsibility and responsible: Responsibility: - A task or duty a person must accomplish or complete in a satisfactory manner - An object, person, or animal which are in the care of a person Responsible: - A person legally or morally obligated or held accountable to carry out a duty, care for a person or thing - A person charged with making decisions for others and taking the blame for their mistakes - A person who can be relied on to do what they agree to do Lead a discussion on the meaning of responsibility and responsible. Ask students to work in pairs (small groups) and make two lists of what a responsible person does and doesn’t do. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Identify example responsible/irresponsible activities with the class.  Conduct skits to show responsible/irresponsible behaviors.

The Furry, Scaly and Feathered Topic: Character building, Responsible Behavior Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To communicate responsibility towards pets. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 8-17 Time Required: 10 – 15 minutes Materials: Paper, Pens/pencils; Optional: Colored pens/pencils Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask the class how many students have pets. 2) Ask the students who have pets to explain to the class the responsibilities they have for their pets. 3) Tell all of the students to draw pictures of their pets if they have one, or draw imaginary pets if they don’t have one (they can be as creative as they want!). 4) You can also have all students create an imaginary/exotic pet for more fun. 5) Ask the students to list the things they think are important when caring for their pets. 6) Remind the students that caring for a pet means giving the animal not only food and water but also regular attention and cleaning up after it. 7) If the students can’t think of pets that they properly take care of, have them pretend it is a show dog or an animal at a zoo (something they can’t just throw bread to and leave outside). 38

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Do you need to be responsible to own a pet?  What happens if you don’t provide certain things for your pet? (for example, if you don’t pet your dog he may get frightened of people or not like you)

Keep Going Topic: Character building, Responsible Behavior Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To teach the value of following through and to help students recognize the effects of quitting. Number of Students: 10-15 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 15 – 20 minutes Materials: Books, Whiteboard/blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Explain to your students that a person of character doesn’t quit, especially if others are depending on him/her. 2) Demonstrate the effect that quitting can have on others by the following activity: 3) Choose two pairs of students and have them stand at the front of the room. 4) Put a pile of about twenty books in front of each pair. 5) Instruct the children to move the books as fast as they can to the back of the room, but each person can move only one book at a time; 6) The team who moves all the books first wins. 7) Before they begin, choose one child to quit after carrying five books, complaining that the work is too hard. 8) When the activity is over, ask everyone how they felt about the fact that one child quit/or the general outcome of the game. 9) Ask how it changed the contest. 10) Have all the students think of phrases a person uses to “give up” on doing a task. 11) Write them on the board. 12) Include the following:  It’s too hard  I can’t  I’m too tired  Who cares?  I don’t want to  I won’t succeed anyway 13) As a group, think of positive phrases to counter the negative ones. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Why is it important not to give up? Why is it important not to give up on a team?  What are some examples of people in history who didn’t “give up”?

The Price of Choice Topic: Character Building, Responsible Behavior Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To teach students responsibility with their every day duties. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 8-17 Time Required: 20-25 minutes Materials: 3x5 index cards (or pieces of paper) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Create a matching game of actions and consequences. 2) On a 3x5 cards (or pieces of paper), write actions such as “I watched TV instead of studying my spelling words” or “I did not wear my helmet while riding my bike”. 3) On other cards write corresponding consequences, such as “I did not do well on my English test” or “I crashed and had to go to the hospital”. 4) Create twenty pairs. 5) Put your students in groups of five or six. 6) Give each group an opportunity to play the matching game (at the same time). 7) See which group can do it the fastest (have them race each other). 8) Once the games are finished, lead a discussion about actions and consequences. Other options:

 You get too much change at the store  You find a wallet or purse  You break your mom’s favorite lamp  You didn’t finish your homework in time  You lose a library book 3) Give each group a different situation from your situation card pile. 4) Have the groups work together to create a list of do’s and don’ts for each situation in response to the question “How would a responsible person handle this problem?” 5) After the groups are finished, ask them to share their answers with the class. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What would an irresponsible person do in this situation?  What would you do? Is it responsible or irresponsible? Why or why not?

Travel Safety Topic: Character Building, Responsible Behavior, Safety Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To teach students to be responsible for their own safety and health. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 13-17 Time Required: 45 minutes – 1 hour Materials: Paper, Pens/pencils; Optional: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart

* In a smaller class, do the matching game as a class without the competition

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:

1) Read the following quote to the class:

 Can you think of real life examples where irresponsible behavior led to bad consequences?  Why do you think some people decided to participate in irresponsible behaviors?  What are ways you can help someone make a responsible decision?

What Would You Do If… Topic: Character Building, Responsible Behavior, Decision Making Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To teach students to be responsible and trustworthy in everyday life Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 15-25 minutes Materials: Situation cards; Optional: Blackboard/ whiteboard/flipchart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide the class into five or six groups. 2) Think of a variety of situations as a class. Some examples are:



“I like feeling when I’m traveling that I am responsible for myself and my few possessions. In some ways I am in complete control of everything I do.”

*Nino Japaridze, executive, Tbilisi 2) In pairs or small groups make a list of what you will need for a week long trip. 3) Tell the class to justify their choices from a position of a responsible person. Variation 1) Read the following text:

Before we do anything in life, even the most impulsive of us do some preparation. We educate ourselves to prepare for careers, plan strategies for important meetings, develop menus for simple or extravagant meals. Preparation helps us reduce our fears by giving us knowledge and builds confidence by increasing our comfort with the unknown. Preparing mentally and emotionally for traveling overseas is just as important as obtaining your visas and shots. Give yourself time to work through fears you may have about safety, traveling alone, or fitting into a different culture. 39

2) Ask students to make a list of things to do before a trip abroad (discuss each item from the position of being responsible for your own safety and life. 3) Ask students (especially girls) to make a list of things to do before a trip alone (discuss each item from the position of being responsible for your own safety and life). 4) Ask girls to come up with strategies for avoiding or responding to unwanted attention. For example, to avoid unwanted advances, a woman should:  Walk with purpose  Think and look ahead to anticipate compromising situations  Consider wearing a wedding ring  Dress conservatively  Communicate a feeling of confidence and responsibility  Try to sit or stand next to other women or families in public places How to respond to unwanted attention:  Completely ignore comments, cat-calls and whistles  Avoid all eye contact  Don’t try to speak their language  Listen to your inner voice. If you are uncomfortable, get out of the situation right away Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What are other dangerous situations you can avoid by planning ahead?

Risky vs. Healthy Behavior Topic: Character Building, Decision Making, Responsible Behavior Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To develop an understanding of how risky and healthy behavior compare. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 20 – 30 minutes Materials: Paper, Crayons/markers, Pens Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Explain the differences between risky and healthy behaviors (for older students you can have them help you come up with differences). 2) Ask the class for examples of each behavior. Here are some examples: Risky       

Throwing rocks at windows Riding in a car without a seatbelt Driving too fast Drinking and driving/walking home drunk Eating without washing your hands first Smoking Jumping into a river head first

Healthy     40

Eating fruits and vegetables every day Talking walks with your friends Using your seatbelt in your car Driving the speed limit

3)

4)

5) 6)

 Reading about how smoking is bad for you  Making sure the water is safe before going swimming  Staying at a friend’s house when you are drunk For younger kids, have them draw one picture of a healthy behavior and one picture of a risky behavior. For older kids have them write down one healthy and one risky behavior (they can also illustrate it if they want). Ask them to read out loud to the class/show their picture beginning with their risky behavior. Go back and have them read/show their healthy behavior.

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Can you think of a time when you participated in a risky behavior? A healthy behavior?  What are ways to avoid risky behaviors?  What risky behaviors do you see as problems in your community?

A Way in Which I’m Responsible Topic: Responsible Behavior, Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To define responsibility, list responsible behaviors regularly performed, describe tasks students are responsible for that promote good health, and identify behaviors that do not lead to good health. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 30 – 45 minutes Materials: Pens, Paper; Optional: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Explain what “responsibility” means (you can write the definition on the board if you have one). 2) Give examples of responsibilities between teachers and students, parents and children, friends and friends, etc. 3) Ask students to write down two responsibilities they have at home and two at work/school. 4) Have everyone read them out loud. 5) Ask the students to write down health responsibilities they have. Examples are good hygiene, cooking, taking care of others, going to the doctor, following a doctor’s instructions, seeking out health information, etc. 6) Ask students if other people in their households have health-related responsibilities. 7) Ask the students to list behaviors they know can result in health problems. Examples are: drinking, smoking, not seeking medical or pre-natal care, throwing garbage in the river, not taking prescribed medications, etc. 8) Ask the students what are the benefits to taking responsibility for their health and the health of those around them.

9) Emphasize the importance of being responsible and each individual’s responsibility towards others. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What are risky behaviors? How do they effect being responsible?  Why do people engage in risky behaviors?  Why do people engage in responsible behaviors?  Why do you think that irresponsible behavior is sometimes considered “cool”?

Support for Responsible Behavior Topic: Responsible Behavior, Community Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To identify common situations where students’ intervention might be helpful, identify strategies to support responsible behavior, and list resources available in their communities that they might use if they require assistance or information. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 14 and up Time Required: 1.5 – 2 hours Materials: Hand out: Peer Support Situation Cards (next page), Slips of paper or index cards; Optional: Props for role plays Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Introduce the Topic: to the group. Discuss that sometimes young people take risks with their health and safety. Because of serious consequences, taking risks can be very dangerous. Young people who make healthy decisions (not to smoke, use drugs, to use a condom or to be tolerant) need the support of their friends, family and community. 2) Divide the class into groups and give each group a role play card. 3) The groups must read and discuss the situation, decide what they would do to give the main person in the story support for their healthy decision, and create a role play. 4) Have all groups perform their role plays. 5) Discuss the strategies suggested by the group and provide additional ideas. 6) You may want to ask the following questions:  Why do many young people feel it is not “cool” to support healthy decisions?  What difficulties might you have if you support these healthy behaviors?  How might you overcome these problems? 7) Remind the class about the important responsibility they have as friends. Supporting healthy decisions when they look “uncool” is one of their most important, but perhaps the most difficult, tasks. As friends/educators, they can set the tone for behaviors of other young people. If young people begin to see that not using drugs, not smoking or using a condom has the support of their friends,

it will be much easier for everyone to choose to make healthy decisions. 8) Discuss different types of issues that students should not try to deal with by themselves. They may have the opportunity to talk privately with young people who need more information and counseling than they can’t provide. Therefore it is important to know where to get help in the community. Use brainstorming, small group work or a field trip. 9) Students should identify a number of sources and how to reach them. Examples of these can be different clinics, NGO’s, hospitals, student centers or even helpful teachers and church elders. Peer Support Cards 1) You have been dating a person for a short time and you feel you are in “love” and will get married. This person is trying to persuade you to have sex before you get married. You use all your assertive skills but the situation gets worse. He or she will not agree with you and becomes impossible to talk to. You ask a friend who is with you to walk you home. On the way home, you tell your friend what happened. Your friend supports your decision not to have sex and to wait by saying “………..” 2) You have had the same sweetheart for over a year. You love each other very much and plan to get married soon. You have talked about sex and have agreed to use a condom to protect yourself against unwanted pregnancy or STIs (sexually transmitted diseases). You decided to have sex with a condom a few times, but this night you forgot to bring a condom and you would still really like to have sex. Later you decide not to have sex that night, but just to spend time with each other. The next day you discuss the decision with your best friend. Your friend supports your decision by saying, “……….” 3) After school, you and your friends want to go to the local store for candy. Someone says, “I know the storekeeper and he/she will give us cigarettes. We should buy some and smoke them.” Another person says, “Smoking is really bad for you and it smells. I don’t think it’s a very good idea.” This person asks you what you think. You say “………..” 4) It is Monday morning and you are talking to some friends about what happened over the weekend. One of the members of the group is bragging about being at a party where there was a lot of alcohol and sex. He even mentions they went to the prostitutes afterwards. A couple members of the group are impressed and say things that support him, like “Yeah! You must have had a good time!” You are not impressed by this, and you feel you should say something. You say “………” 5) You are at a dance. You notice a group of people in the corner laughing and pushing someone. Getting closer, you overhear them teasing the boy or girl because he or she is refusing to drink some of the wine they are passing around. They are a bit drunk and are getting rough with that person. The person keeps trying to refuse to drink – saying he or she does not like alcohol. They continue to tease him or her. You say “……….”

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Please and Thank You Topic: Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To teach children when it is right to use please and thank you. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 11 and under Time Required: 30 - 45 minutes Materials: Paper (2 pieces per child), Markers/pens, Story using please and thank you (example on next page) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Give two pieces of paper to each student. 2) Tell the students they must make a sign on one sheet of paper saying “Thank you” and on the other piece of paper make a sign that says “Please”. 3) After the students are done making their signs, ask them to give you some situations where they would use each word. Some examples are:  When someone gives you a present – thank you  When you would like your mother to buy you some ice cream – please

 When your friend tells you that you look nice today – thank you  When you are at a store and want to try on a shirt – please  When your grandmother braids your hair – thank you  When your mother makes you dinner – thank you 4) Now tell the children they must listen to a story. 5) Tell the children that in the story there will be different scenarios where the character needs to say please and thank you. During these times you will pause and they must hold up the correct sign (if the character must use “please” have the students hold up the “please” sign and vise versa). 6) Read the story. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How does saying please and thank you make you feel?  How does it feel when someone says please and thank you to you?  How do you think it makes the other person feel when you tell them thank you and/or please?

Example “Please and Thank you” Story Giga has a long day ahead of him. He needs your help to know when to say “please” and when to say “thank you”. Listen to Giga’s day and help him say “please” and “thank you”. Giga woke up at seven o’clock to get ready for school. He had a very long day ahead of him! He has been invited to his friend Jaba’s birthday party after school. After Giga gets dressed and brushes his teeth, he walks downstairs to eat breakfast. His mother gives him papa to eat. **PAUSE** (Please or thank you?) He eats his papa, but he also wants tea. He asks his mother for tea. ** PAUSE** (Please or thank you?). During breakfast, Giga asks his father for money to buy Jaba a present. His father says yes and gives him five lari. **PAUSE** (Please or thank you?) After he finishes his breakfast, he walks out the door to school. His little sister runs after him. “Giga! You forgot your English book!” She gives him his English book. **PAUSE** (Please or thank you?) Giga starts walking to school. On the way to school he meets his friend Tengo. Tengo reminds Giga that there is a test in English today and tells him that he will study with Giga at lunch before the test. **PAUSE** (Please or thank you?) Giga and Tengo walk to school and arrive at school a little early. Giga wants to ask his math teacher for help before class starts. He walks up to the math classroom and his math teacher Ia is there preparing for class. Giga asks her for help. **PAUSE** (Please or thank you?) After his math teacher helps him, Giga walks to class. His friend Tengo has saved a seat for Giga. **PAUSE** (Please or thank you?) After class, Giga walks outside. On the way he meets his friend Lali. Lali tells Giga that she likes his new hat. **PAUSE** (Please or thank you?) During break, his friend Jaba meets him in the school yard. “Happy Birthday Jaba!” says Giga. Jaba says… **PAUSE** (Please or thank you?) His friend Tengo has brought a basketball to school to play with. Tengo tells Giga that he can use it for a while. **PAUSE** (Please or thank you?) When Giga goes back to class, he realizes that he lost his pen. He asks his friend Nino to borrow a pen. **PAUSE** (Please or thank you?) After school, Giga takes the money he received from his father to go buy Jaba a present. He walks into a store that sells toy cars. Giga finds a toy car that Jaba would like very much. It costs four lari. He brings the car to the storekeeper and asks to buy the toy car. **PAUSE** (Please or thank you?) The storekeeper takes the five lari and gives Giga back one lari. **PAUSE** (Please or thank you?) Giga walks out of the store and starts to walk towards Jaba’s house. One the way he forgets which house was Jaba’s. He asks a neighbor to tell him which house was Jaba’s. **PAUSE** (Please or thank you?) The neighbor tells him that Jaba’s house is the blue house on the right. **PAUSE** (Please or thank you?) When Giga arrives at Jaba’s house, Jaba is at the door to greet him. Giga gives Jaba his present. Jaba says… **PAUSE** (Please or thank you?). Jaba’s mother asks Giga to sit down and brings him a glass of campoti. **PAUSE** (Please or thank you?). Soon other friends arrive and they all sit down at the table to eat khinkhali and eat cake. Giga wants the pepper that is on the other side of the table and asks his friend Nino to give it to him. **PAUSE** (Please or thank you?) After a while, Giga needs to use the restroom, but doesn’t know where it is. He asks Jaba’s mother. **PAUSE** (Please or thank you?) Soon it is time for Giga to go home. He has had a lot of fun at the party. Jaba and Jaba’s mother say goodbye. **PAUSE** (Please or thank you?) When Giga arrives back home, he is very tired. He says goodnight to his parents and falls asleep. It was a very long day!

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Self-Awareness and Self-Esteem 43

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“Me” Collage Topic: Self-Awareness, Self-Esteem, Communication Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To help students express themselves and identify what make them who they are and what is important to them. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 45 minutes - 1 hour Materials: Magazines (many), Scissors (several pairs), Pens, Glue, Paper; Optional: Colored paper, Poster board, Colored pens/pencils, Markers Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Tell students to individually cut pictures or word phrases out of magazines that represent their personal interests and abilities, or who they are. 2) Tell students to glue pictures and words onto a sheet of construction paper/regular paper to form a collage (give them at least 20 minutes for this) Encourage them to put down many different things. 3) When they are finished, collect the collages. 4) Number the collages and hand them up. 5) Completed collages will be displayed and numbered. 6) Tell students to write down who they think each collage belongs to (this is to be done with NO talking). Give them several minutes for this. 7) Each collage should be matched with its owner and the owner should be given time to explain what he/she put on their collage and what the symbols meant. 8) You can keep them in your room on display if students allow you to. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Discuss what students think makes up a person.  Talk about how everyone is different inside and out (diversity).  Talk about self-esteem.

Love-Line Topic: Self-Esteem Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To communicate feelings and to improve the self-esteem of others. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 30 – 40 minutes Materials: 1 large envelope for each student, A stack of 3x5 cards cut in half (or paper), Pens or pencils, One piece of heavy string or rope (length depends on group size), Hole punch (or something to poke holes in cards/paper Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before class, cut a large piece of string (length depends on how many students are in the class,

make sure you can fit every envelope on the string). 2) Give each student one envelope. 3) Have each person in the group put his/her name on the envelope. 4) Have students punch a hole in the corner of the envelope and thread through the string (so everyone’s envelope is dangling on the string). 5) Attach the rope or heavy string along a wall or in between chairs so the envelopes dangle in the middle. 6) Cut 3x5 cards in half and provide a stack for the group members to use at any time. 7) Inform everyone to write a nice note or compliment on a card to anyone else in the group. 8) Put that comment or note in that person’s envelope. 9) Encourage the group to write positive notes to as many people as they can (if the activity happens over several days group members should write notes to everyone). 10) At a designated time allow everyone to read his or her “love line” notes. 11) When the activity is finished, a group member may take his/her envelope home to read in the future. *Note: This activity can be finished in one class period or over a period of time Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How do you feel after reading all the notes that you have been given?  How did you feel when writing notes to other people?  Why is it important to be able to accept and to give compliments?

Glory Story Topic: Self-Esteem Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To increase students’ self-esteem by recognizing positive traits in others and hearing positive comments about them. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 12-17 Time Required: 25-30 minutes Materials: Paper, Pens/pencils Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide the class into groups of 3-5. 2) Separate the groups so that they cannot hear each other. 3) Have each group take out a couple sheets of paper and a pen/pencil. 4) Assign each group one of the other groups and ask them to write down all the names of the people in that other group on their paper. 5) Ask each group to write a story that includes all the members of the other group as the characters. Include the positive traits, strong points and assets of each person as a part of the story line. You may need to provide guidance to students who are having trouble writing a story. 45

6) Once all the stories are written, ask each group to read their story to the entire group. 7) Leave room for discussion. * Note: The group should know each other well before they do this activity Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Were you surprised by any of the attributes that the other group included as part of your character?  Can you think of any additional positive traits that you could add to your character or to anyone else’s character?  How can you build upon your strong points to improve you life and to develop you “character” into what you really want to be?

Bold Billboard Topic: Self-Esteem Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To give students the opportunity to express their positive traits and attributes in a non-threatening environment. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: One large sheet of paper for each group, Paints, paintbrushes or fat colored markers, Tape Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide the class into groups of 3 or 4. 2) Give each group a large piece of paper. 3) Tell the groups that they must make a billboard that is big, bold and colorful. 4) The billboard also must have words and pictures that reflect the positive traits of those creating it. 5) Each person must advertise him/herself through their group’s billboard by highlighting his/her own unique and positive traits. 6) Once everyone has completed their billboard, ask each person to read their billboard to the group. 7) Hang billboards on the wall if there is room to do so.

Age Range of Students: 12-17 Time Required: 30 – 40 minutes Materials: Large pieces of paper for each group, Colored markers/paint, Tape Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide the class into groups of 3 or 4. 2) Give each group a large piece of paper and markers/paint. 3) Tell them they must create a storefront that expresses everyone in the group’s positive attributes and personal qualities. 4) They can use signs, posters, or items (for example: they might advertise books for people who like to read, skis for a skiing fan, a radio for a music lover etc). 5) After each group has finished, have them present it to the class. 6) Put up the storefronts and allow time for everyone to look at the posters. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Did anyone have difficulty thinking of things to but on your storefront?  How did you feel when others were looking at your storefront?  Why is it important to be able to identify positive things about yourself? Why is it important to be able to tell other people these things?

Self-Esteem Graffiti Topic: Self-Esteem Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To give students the opportunity to express their positive trains and attributes in a non-threatening environment. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 12-17 Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: Large pieces of paper for each group, Colored markers/paint, Tape Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Did anyone have difficulty thinking of things to but on your billboard?  How did you feel when others were looking at your billboard?  Why is it important to be able to identify positive things about yourself? Why is it important to be able to tell other people these things?

Storefront Topic: Self-Esteem Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To allow students to use adjectives, pictures and objects to express who they are. Number of Students: 10-30 46

1) Divide the class into group of 3 or 4. 2) Give each group a large piece of paper and colored markers/paint. 3) Tell each group to make “graffiti” on their paper. 4) First, everyone should put their names on their papers and then paint two positive words describing themselves. 5) Each person must then go around the group and paint at least one nice word or comment on everyone else’s paper. 6) Let everyone have time to look at their paper and everyone else’s paper. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Did anyone have difficulty thinking of things to put on your graffiti?

 How did you feel when others were looking at your graffiti?  Why is it important to be able to identify positive things about yourself? Why is it important to be able to tell other people these things?

King’s Throne Topic: Self-esteem Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To increase self-esteem through receiving positive comments from peers. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 25-30 minutes Materials: Paper, Pen/pencils, Chair Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Set up a chair at the front of the room. This is the “king’s throne”. 2) Divide the class into groups of 10 – 15. 3) Have each person write down a positive comment about each member of the class. 4) Once everyone has completed writing down their compliments, select one member of the class to sit in the chair (the king’s throne) at the front of the room. 5) Have the class take turns and read their comment about the person in the “king’s throne”. 6) Allow enough time for each person to sit on the throne and hear all of the comments written about them. 7) Discuss the activity. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How did you feel when you were on the king’s throne?  How does it make you feel when you hear positive comments about yourself?  Why is it important to hear positive things from others?  Do you more often hear positive comments made about yourself or negative comments?  If you mainly hear negative comments, how can you put yourself in situations where you will hear more positive comments?

Balloon Burst Topic: Self-Esteem Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn to give and receive compliments and to recognize positive qualities in oneself. Number of Students: 12-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 40 minutes Materials: 1 large balloon (not inflated) per person, Permanent markers, Paper, Pens/pencils, Scissors

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Give each student a balloon. 2) Tell the students to blow it up, but NOT to tie it. They should hold it closed with their fingers. 3) While holding it in the air, have them write their names on the balloon (they may need a partner’s help for this). 4) Tell the students to let the air out of their balloons. 5) Pass out the paper, scissors, pens/pencils to everyone. 6) Gather the group in a circle. 7) Tell the students to pass their balloon to the person sitting next to them. 8) Once everyone has somebody else’s balloon, each person needs to cut a piece of paper small enough so that it can have a comment on it and fit into the balloon. 9) Have the students write a comment about the person whose balloon it is. 10) Have the students put the comment into the balloon. 11) Have the students pass the balloon to the next person. 12) Continue this until everyone has their own balloon again. 13) Ask the group if they want to know what the compliments are in the balloon. 14) Ask them to figure out the best way to get the compliments out of the balloon so they can read them. 15) Now everyone may blow up their balloon and tie it. 16) Each person must then pop his/her balloon and read the compliments that are found there Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How do you feel after reading the positive comments found in your balloon?  Do you believe these compliments? Why or why not?  Is it easier to give and receive compliments anonymously or directly? Why?

Ten Seconds Topic: Self-Esteem Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To build self-esteem and to create a positive atmosphere by saying and hearing positive comments and help those who need to learn to think positively. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: Depends on group size (ten seconds are needed for each participant) Materials: A watch/stop-clock/timing device (must measure seconds) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Gather the class in a circle. 2) Ask for a volunteer. 3) The volunteer has ten seconds to say something positive, nice or uplifting. 47

4) These comments can be about anything, or you may limit the comments to the group, group members, and or/individual giving the comment. 5) After the positive comment has been given, the next person in the circle gets ten seconds to come up with his/her own positive comment. 6) Allow each person around the circle ten seconds to say something positive, nice or uplifting. 7) If someone doesn’t say something nice they are “out”. 8) You may also be put out if you say a positive comment that has already been said or if you say something negative. 9) You may also add that a person can enter back into the game if people say two nice things about you. 10) You can change difficulty by adding or subtracting time. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Was it hard or easy for you to come up with positive comments?  Do you usually say negative words to others or positive? Why?  What is the effect of positive words on a group?  How can positive words affect your everyday life?  Do you need to hear or say positive words more often?

Three for Me Topic: Self-Esteem Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To demonstrate how to accept and give compliments as well as make positive statements about oneself. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 40 minutes Materials: Frisbee, Hula Hoop (or any type of target), Soccer ball, Two orange cones or boundary markers for a soccer goal, Two large sheets of paper and two fat tipped markers, Stopwatch or timer Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): Engage the group in the following three activities (one after the other) Frisbee throw: 1) Lean a hula-hoop or other target against a wall or other stable surface. 2) Each person takes a turn throwing the Frisbee at the target from a predetermined spot. 3) If the Frisbee goes in the hoop, the individual who threw it must say on nice thing about him/ herself. 4) If the target is missed, then the individual must point to anyone else in the group and that person must say something nice about that individual.

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Soccer shot: 1) Set up a soccer goal that is challenging but not too difficult. 2) Each person takes a turn and attempts to make a goal from a predetermined spot. 3) If the shooter makes a goal, then everyone in the group must say something nice about him/her. 4) If the shooter misses the goal, then he/she must say something nice about the next person in line. Write and run: 1) Divide the group into two teams. 2) Tell each team to form a single file line. 3) Set a large piece of paper and fat tipped marker at the other end of the room or a good distance away. 4) Give the group a three-minute time limit. 5) Tell the team this is a race to see who can come up with the most positive things written on their paper. 6) Tell the teams that the first person in each line must run to his/her team’s paper and write down something that he/she is good at doing or a special quality he/she has. 7) Once they have written something down, they leave the pen by the paper and run back to the line and tag the next person in line. 8) That person runs and does the same thing and so on until the three minutes are up. 9) After the race is over, the teams count their comments and you declare a winner. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Did anyone feel uncomfortable today for any reason? If so, why?  How did it feel to get compliments?  How did you feel when you gave compliments?  Was it easier to give and receive compliments during a game than in real life? Why?

Me on TV Topic: Self-esteem Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To identify and advertise one’s positive traits. Number of Students: 4-30 Age Range of Students: 12-17 Time Required: 40 minutes Materials: Paper, Pens/paper Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide the class into groups of 4 – 5. 2) Give each person in the group paper and a pencil. 3) Instruct the group that each person must create a TV commercial that advertises his/her positive traits. If time is limited, ask the group to create a TV commercial for only one person in the group.

4) Each commercial must contain at least three positive traits and must convince the audience that the person being advertised has special gifts, talents or personality traits that make him/her great! 5) Allow time for each person to create a screenplay for his/her commercial. 6) Each person must be in his or her commercial and may use as many of the other group members as needed to play characters or props. 7) Set a time limit for planning and for how long each commercial is according to the size of the class. 8) Have each student present his/her commercial. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Was this a difficult thing for you to do? Why or why not?  Would it have been easier to make a commercial for your friend than for yourself? Why?  What did you learn about others in the group when doing this activity?  Is it hard to tell others the good things about yourself? Why?

Ten Questions Topic: Self-Esteem Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): For each student to get bombarded with qualities that classmates find positive about him/her. Number of Students: 4-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 40 minutes Materials: Paper, Pen/pencils Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Have the students write down a list of personal characteristics that are positive about them. 2) This list should focus upon personally and character traits, but can also include physical characteristics, skills, hobbies or interests. 3) Tell students to keep their private lists with them as they form groups of three or four. 4) When the groups are together, have members count off as one, two, three and four. 5) The number one person starts by saying “You have ten questions to guess which of my positive qualities I am pointing to on my list”. 6) The group then takes turns trying to guess what the quality might be. 7) Be sure to emphasize that both the characteristics and the guesses must be positive. 8) When a group member offers a guess, the focus person responds by saying “Yes, thank, I am honest, a generous person, etc, but that’s not the one I’m pointing to”. 9) When the correct one is said, the person says “yes, thank you, that’s it. I am a good football player”. 10) When ten questions have been exhausted or when the quality has been guessed, the next person takes a turn.

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Were you surprised by some of the questions you received from your peers? Which ones?  How did this activity make you feel?  Is it easy to receive compliments? Why or why not?

The Car Wash Topic: Self-Esteem Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To boost group members’ selfesteem. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 5-10 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Line up your class in two parallel lines quite close together. 2) One student is sent through the wash (between the lines) and everyone touches him or her and says words of praise and affection and encouragement. 3) The pats on the back, hand-shaking, and verbal support produce a sparkling, shinny and happy car at the end of the wash. 4) It’s best to run one or two people through the car wash each day rather than everybody on one day (that makes sure the compliments are fresh, energetic and authentic). Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How did this activity make you feel?  Why do you think people need to receive compliments?  What happens if people receive a lot of negative remarks?

IALAC Topic: Self-Esteem Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To illustrate how one’s self-concept can be destroyed by others. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 12-17 Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: A sheet of paper with the letters IALAC written on it in large bold print (pronounced I-ah-lack) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Hold the paper with IALAC on it on your chest so everyone can see it. 2) Tell them “everyone carries invisible IALAC signs around with them at all times and wherever they go. IALAC stands for “I am lovable and capable”. This is our self-concept, or how we feel about 49

3) 4)

5) 6)

7)

ourselves. The size of our sign (how good we feel about ourselves) is affected by how others interact with us. If someone is nasty to us, teases us, or puts us down, rejects us, hits us etc, then a piece of our IALAC sign is destroyed (illustrate this by tearing off a piece of the sign). Tell the students a story to show how this happens in every day life. The main character is a boy or girl who is the same age they are (pick a name that no one in the class has). As you tell the story try to be as emotional and dramatic as you can without overdoing it. A sample story is below, but you will have to use your own imagination to fill it in (some teachers have their students help write the story). As you describe each event, tear another piece off the sign until at the end you are left with almost nothing.



Story: A 7th form boy named Lasha is still lying in bed three minutes after his alarm goes off. All of a sudden his mother calls, to him, “Lasha, you lazy-head, get your body out of bed and get down here before I send your father up there!” (rip) Lasha gets out of bed, goes to get dressed and can’t find a clean pair of socks. His mother tells him he’ll have to wear yesterday’s pair. (rip) He goes to brush his teeth and his older sister, who’s already locked herself in the bathroom, tells him to drop dead. (rip) He goes to breakfast and finds cold tea waiting for him. (rip) As he leaves for school, he forgets his lunch money and his mother calls to him, “Lasha, you’ve forgotten your money, you’d forget your head if it weren’t attached!” (rip) As he gets to the corner, he sees he see the marshutka pull away and he has to walk a long way to school. (rip) He’s late to school and gets yelled at by his teacher. (rip) Other examples: being criticized for forgetting homework, getting a bad mark on a test, being called on for the only homework question you can’t answer, being picked last to play soccer, dropping khachapuri in the dirt with everyone laughing, being picked on by bullies on the way home from school, being referred to as “hey you” in gym class.

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How does your IALAC sign get torn up? What things affect you the most?  What do you do that destroys the IALAC signs of others in school, family etc?  How do you feel when your IALAC sign is ripped? When you rip someone else’s?  What can we do to help people enlarge their signs rather than make them smaller?

I Love Myself Topic: Self-Esteem Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Students will be able to describe at least one quality they like about themselves. 50

Number of Students: 10-50 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 20 minutes Materials: Paper, Pens; Optional: Colored pens/pencils Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Teach students how to say “I love myself” and what it means. 2) Have the students write “I love myself” on a piece of paper. 3) Tell them they must add “because” and then finish the statement. 4) Tell the students they must have at least three finishes to their statements. 5) When they are finished, have them draw a picture about how they love themselves. 6) Have them share their statements and picture with the class. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Why is loving yourself important?  Do you think it is easier to love yourself or love others? Why?  What are ways you can show that you love yourself?

Introduction to Self Topic: Self-Awareness, Icebreaker Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To identify and explain at least four things that symbolize who they are, and then identify and explain four things that identify what they want to be in the future. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10 and up Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: Colored/white paper cut in half, One big magic marker, Assorted colored pencils (pens are okay too) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Let the students pick their favorite color paper (or just take a paper if it’s all white). 2) Have them fold the paper lengthwise so that it makes a “tent” that can stand on its own. 3) Have the students write their name in BIG letters on one side. 4) On one side have the students 4 symbols of who they are in the 4 corners (religious symbols, favorite food, favorite animal, flowers, family members etc). 5) On the other side have the students draw 4 symbols of what they want to be in the future (teacher, mother, father, doctor, happy, rich, etc). 6) Have them come to the front of the class and explain their drawings (show encouragement, this might be hard for some). 7) Use the nametags during the rest of the lessons. * Note: An example nametag is shown on the next page

teem, good communication skills and resistance to peer pressure. 10) Let the group brainstorm about the many life skills that might have helped the young person effectively manage the situation in the role play. 11) Use this exercise as means of exploring the way these life skills could change a situation in a young person’s life. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Have students come up and explain the bridge model to the class.  Discuss any personal experiences that relate to this activity.

Do We Have Self-Esteem? Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Why is it necessary to have a good idea of who you are?  Why should you think about what you want to be/ your future goals?  How can you communicate to people who you are?

Identifying the Missing Life Skill Topic: Self-Awareness, Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To identify specific life skills that are missing or need reinforcement in common community situations. To describe the bridge model. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 1.5 – 2 hours Materials: Bridge Model; Optional: Assorted props for role plays, Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Review the Bridge Model (the Bridge Model is found in the original Lifeskills Handbook). 2) Divide the class into small groups. 3) Tell each group to create a role play showing a typical risk situation that a young person might face. 4) Examples might include being pressured to have sex, doing drugs or doing something they don’t feel comfortable with. 5) The role play should show the young person engaging in the risk behavior because one of the life skills we listed on the bridge is missing. 6) For example, the role play might show a young person incapable of being aggressive and then giving in to drinking alcohol. 7) After the group has come back together, invite each group to perform its role play. 8) Members of the larger group should then identify which skill is missing in the role play. 9) The group may notice more than one life skill is missing – perhaps the person is lacking self-es-

Topic: Self-Esteem Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To define self-esteem and find whether or not we have self-esteem. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10 and up Time Required: 30 – 45 minutes Materials: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Markers/chalk, Paper (for each student), Pens/pencils Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Write the term “self-esteem” on the board. 2) Ask for possible definitions of “self-esteem” from the class. 3) Possible definitions could be:  How you see yourself  Believing that you are worth a lot  Person strength (etc) 4) Ask the students where self-esteem comes from. 5) Write down what the students come up with on the board. 6) Possible ideas include:  How your parents raise you or treat you  Image of girls or boys in the community  Treatment by brothers, sisters, other family members  Personal reflections on our lives  Belief in God or higher power (part of His creation etc) 7) Tell the class to think for a few moments about their own image. What are the most important parts of you? How do you see yourself? 8) Tell the class to write 10 sentences about themselves starting with “I am” (examples can be “I am intelligent”, “I am hard working” etc). 9) After they are finished, ask the students to check the things they wrote which they like about themselves. 10) Have them put a question mark next to the parts they would like to change. 11) Ask the class, after looking at their lists; do they think they have good self-esteem? Do they need to maybe work on developing their self image a bit more?

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Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Journal about self-esteem, including ideas on where self-esteem comes from.  Write down five things you could do to increase your self-esteem.  Think about what kind of things bring down self-esteem.

A Pat on the Back Topic: Self-Esteem Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To build self-esteem and encourage others to build up the people around them. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 30 -45 minutes Materials: Paper for each student, Markers or pens for each student, Tape, Pins, clothespins or paperclips Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Give each student a piece of paper, a pen/marker and a pin/paperclip. 2) Explain to the group that we all have positive things we would like to say to one another, but sometimes we forget to tell each other the good things. Tell the class this exercise will give everyone a chance to do that. 3) Tell each student to write their name in the upper right-hand corner. 4) Tell the students to draw a symbol that represents themselves in the center of the paper (this can be their hand, a sun, star or any other symbol). 5) Tell the students to help each other pin the papers onto their backs. 6) Give them a few minutes to think about good things they could say about people in the room. 7) When you say “go”, each person goes around the room and writes positive things on everybody’s back. 8) When most have seemed to finish, you can say “stop”. 9) Have the students remove the papers from their backs and read what others have written about them. 10) You can have each student (if you have time) stand up and read off their list to the class. 11) You can also have them read the list of as self statements. For example “My name is Nino and I am beautiful, kind, funny, smart and a good leader”. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What are things you can do in real life to build other’s self-esteem?  What are some things you can say when someone else has lowered someone’s self-esteem?

Fixed Positions Topic: Self-Awareness, Decision Making Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To show how things can be seen differently from different perspectives. 52

Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask students to stand in a circle. 2) Ask one volunteer to stand in the middle. 3) Ask him or her to stand still, facing the same way through the questions and answers which are to follow. 4) Explain to all participants that you are going to ask some questions. 5) Ask everyone to answers at all times according to what they can actually see from their own position, not what they know is there. 6) Ask someone standing in front or the volunteer “How many eyes does he or she have?” 7) Ask someone standing behind the volunteer the same question. 8) Ask someone standing directly to the side of the volunteer the same question. 9) Then place someone else in the middle. 10) Choose another part of the body, such as the arms. 11) Go through the same questions with three different people. 12) Finally, ask one participant to walk around whole circle, looking at the volunteer and from all angles. 13) Ask the walker to give a running commentary on what he or she is seeing and how his or he vision of the volunteer changes. 14) After everyone sits down, ask participants to consider how our perspective on a situation shapes our understanding of it. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How can we give ourselves a more complete picture of the time?  In what way can we relate this exercise to our everyday experience?

Personal Snowflake Topic: Self-Awareness Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To demonstrate how everyone is unique and special! Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 15 and under Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: White paper (at least two for each student), Scissors (one per 3 students), Markers, Tape; Optional: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Chalk/markers Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) This activity can be extra fun in winter! 2) Give each student a couple of white pieces of paper and have scissors available for every three students or so.

3) Demonstrate to the students how to make a paper snowflake. 4) Have each of your students cut out a big paper snowflake. This is done by folding one corner of the paper across to the opposite corner. You should have a rectangular shape left over. Cut this part off so you have a perfect triangle. Fold the triangle again two times. On the folded edges, cut out shapes in the paper. Be sure not to cut across all the way, or the snowflake will fall apart. After you are finished, unfold the paper and you should have a snowflake! 5) Explain that no two snowflakes are exactly alike, just as no two people are exactly alike. 6) Have the students write words that describe themselves on the points of the snowflake. 7) Have each student (if they are comfortable) share their snowflake and read the words they wrote about themselves. 8) Tape the snowflakes on the wall for a fun decoration and to remind students what they see in themselves. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What is diversity?  Why is diversity important?  What other kinds of diversity do we see in nature?

What’s In a Name Game Topic: Self-Awareness Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To brainstorm qualities and characteristics about ourselves and express them creatively. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 17 and under Time Required: 15 – 25 minutes Materials: Paper (one for each student), Pens/pencils/markers, Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Chalk/markers Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Have students write their names in block letters down the side of a paper. 2) Have them write a word or phrase that begins with each letter in their name. 3) Write examples on the board with your name and other names. 4) Encourage them to write words describing personal strengths, qualities, hobbies, cultural background, etc. 5) An example can be: N – nice I – interesting N – never late O – open to new ideas

Or

G - giving I – imaginative O – only child R – really likes football G – great friend I – ice cream lover

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How did your parents choose your name?  Do you think you would be/act different if you were given a different name? Why or why not?

All About Me! Topic: Self-Awareness Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To demonstrate self-awareness and share with others characteristics and qualities that make up who we are. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 15 and under Time Required: Several class periods Materials: Paper (at least 10 pieces for each students), Colored markers/pens/pencils, Pens/pencils/markers, Cardboard or card stock, Yarn, Scissors, Hole punch (or something to punch a hole in thick paper); Optional: Glue Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) This is a good activity to do throughout the year or over several weeks 2) Have students create a book about themselves including:  A self portrait or photo  Drawings or photos of family members  Lists and drawings of things the child likes about school  Drawings or photos of favorite foods, toys, books, people, games, etc. 3) Once the pages are finished, make a cover out of cardboard or card stock. The students can glue different decorations if they would like (if you have glue). You can also decorate it with stickers. 4) Bind the book by punching two or three holes on one end. Weave a long piece of yarn through the holes and tie them in a bow in the middle. 5) Set aside a special shelf or place in the room for the students’ books. 6) Ask each student to share his or her “All About Me” book with the class. 7) Explain that each book is different because each person is unique. 8) You may want to do this project at the beginning of the school year and again at the end so your students can compare the two books to see the changes in their lives and interests. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What kind of changes did you see in your lives/interests over the last year?  Were there any surprises when you looked at your book again? What were they?

Do Well. Do Better Topic: Self-Awareness, Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To think about things you do well 53

and do not do well and to brainstorm on how to do better. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 15 and under Time Required: 30 – 45 minutes Materials: Paper (at least one for each student), Colored markers/pens/pencils; Optional: Blackboard/ whiteboard/flipchart, Chalk/markers Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Hand out a piece of paper to each student. 2) Ask each student to draw a line down the center of the paper. 3) On one side have them write “well” and on the other side “not so well”. 4) Have your students draw pictures of something they do well on the side that says “well”. 5) Have them draw something they do not do well on the side that says “not so well”. 6) When the students are finished, ask for volunteers to talk about their pictures. 7) The class can then offer suggestions on how to improve each other’s abilities. 8) For example:  I don’t run very fast. Solutions – try running every day and time yourself. With practice you may run faster!  I don’t do math very well. Solutions – make sure you do all your homework. Ask the teacher for help. Ask a lot of questions in class. Do extra practice problems. Study before tests Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Were the solutions you found to the things you did not do well easy or hard? Why?  What kinds of characteristics are important when trying to improve?

Today’s My Day! Topic: Self-Esteem Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To make students feel special on their birthday. Number of Students: any Age Range of Students: 17 and under Time Required: 10 minutes on any student’s birthday Materials: Poster board or large paper, Markers, Colored markers/pens/pencils, List of birthdays from the class, Game ideas; Optional: Small pictures of students, Prizes, Birthday badge/crown Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before the school year or before your club starts up, make a poster displaying every student’s birthday. 2) You could make it a calendar or you could draw small birthday balloons or presents and write the name and the date in the picture. 54

3) You could also get small pictures for the students and put those on the poster. 4) On every student’s birthday, take ten minutes to sing happy birthday and let them choose a game or a prize (if you have any). 5) You can also create a crown or badge for the birthday girl or boy to wear during that class. 6) Make sure you make the student feel extra special on his or her special day! 7) Set a day for weekend and summer birthdays. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Why is it important to celebrate birthdays?  How do you feel on your birthday?

Guess Who? Topic: Self-Awareness Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To encourage students to think about positive characteristics and qualities in others. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: Preparation 5 – 10 minutes, 5 minutes every class Materials: Descriptions of each student; Optional: Prizes Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before the classes, create a list of characteristics/qualities for each student (you may want to wait until you know the students well). 2) At the beginning or the end of every class, read a list of characteristics/qualities of a “mystery student” in the class. 3) Tell the class they must guess who that “mystery student” is. 4) The first person who guesses the person described wins. 5) You can hand out prizes of you have them. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Why is it important to hear positive things about yourself?  Why is it important to say positive things about other people?

Citizen of the Week Topic: Self-Esteem Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To make a student feel special and reward good behavior. Number of Students: any Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: Depends Materials: Paying attention to good behaviors; Optional: Prizes, Certificates, Badges

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

I Am Special!

1) Start a program to recognize students for nonacademic, positive behavior. (e.g. good citizenship, politeness, cheerfulness, achieving a goal, helpfulness, attention to rules, etc.). 2) Students and/or teachers could take part in the selection process. 3) The “Citizen of the Week” should receive some extra attention, for example:  a badge proclaiming him or her as “Citizen of the Week”  become special monitor or helper for the week  be allowed to help choose a craft project or game for the class to do  have his or her picture put up on a class bulletin board  receive a “proclamation” describing his or her positive behavior  be honored with a “good citizen ceremony” at a parent or school function 4) This can be something within your class or something to implement in your whole school. Talk to you director about this idea.

Here are some special things about me:

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What is a citizen?  What are the characteristics of a good citizen?

Mirror, Mirror Topic: Self-Awareness, Self-Esteem Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To boost self-esteem/self-awareness and have some fun! Number of Students: 7-30 Age Range of Students: 12 and under Time Required: 10 – 15 minutes Materials: Hand mirror; Optional: Radios/CD/Cassette player, Recorded music

1. My name is ............................................. . 2. My address is .......................................... . 3. I live with .............. (how many) other people. 4. My phone number is .................................. . 5. I go to ......................................... School. 6. I am in .......................................... grade. 7. My birthday is ......................................... . 8. My favorite game is .................................. . 9. My favorite color is ................................... . 10. One thing I do really well is: ........................ ............................................................ 11. One thing I would like to learn to do better is:... ............................................................ 12. One thing I like to do with my family is: .......... ............................................................ 13. One thing I like to do in school is:.................. ............................................................ 14. One thing I like to do with my friends is:.......... ............................................................ DRAW OR PASTE YOUR PICTURE HERE

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Have your students sit in a circle. 2) Turn on music (or make your own music!). 3) As the music plays, the children pass the hand mirror around the circle. Tell students they must look into the mirror quickly, think of something that makes them special and quickly pass it to the next person. 4) When the music stops, the child with the mirror looks into it and says, “I am special because ..... .................................,” filling in the blank. 5) The game proceeds giving everyone a turn. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Was it easy or difficult to think of something special about yourself? Why  Why is it sometimes difficult to say good things about yourself?

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The Person I Admire Topic: Self-Awareness, Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To think about and share stories about people we admire and to find the qualities they hold in common Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 45 minutes – 1 hour Materials: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Markers/chalk, Large paper(one for each group), Pens/ pencils Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) To begin the lesson, write down the term “role model” on the board. 2) Discuss the meaning of “role model” with the class. 3) An example definition could be “Someone whose example you follow in life” or “Someone you admire and wish to be like”. 4) Ask the participants to think about who is the person they most admire in the world. It could be anyone, not just someone famous. It could be a neighbor, a friend, a family member or a celebrity. Give them a few minutes to think about it. 5) Tell the class to get into pairs. 6) Give ten 5 – 10 minutes each for each person to tell their pair a story about their favorite person. 7) After this is done, tell the pairs to find another pair (now there should be groups of four)

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8) In the groups, chose one of the stories you told in a pair to share with the other pair (there should be two stories). 9) Have the groups of four find another group. 10) Have each group pick a story and share it with the other group. 11) Do this until you have two or three large groups. 12) Have each group pick a story to share and ask for three stories be shared to the class. 13) Split the groups back up into groups of four. 14) Give each group a large piece of paper and a marker. 15) Tell the groups to think about what the role models in each of the stories told had in common. 16) Tell the groups to write down the qualities in common on their large piece of paper and title the piece of paper “Qualities We Admire”. Give the groups about 5 or 10 minutes for this. 17) After they are done, have them present their list to the group. 18) As a class, discuss what they think are the top ten qualities they admire in a person and write them on the board. 19) Discuss the importance of roles models and the qualities they chose Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What things could you do to make yourself more like the person you admire?

Teamwork and Leadership 57

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Team Counting Topic: Teamwork, Icebreaker Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To help students learn to work as a team. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 10-30 minutes Materials: A room with a lot of empty floor space (enough for kids to lay down spaced out) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Have each student spread out in a room and find a place. 2) Have the students lay down on the floor, hands at their side, eyes facing the ceiling 3) Explain to students that they are not allowed to move, make noises or say anything besides the numbers. 4) Explain to students that they must count to twenty (or however many students are in the class) without saying the number at the same time, without any student saying a number twice and without communicating who goes next. 5) If the students can’t get it down, try to give them hints (for example, try to go slow or if you say a number, continue to say that number every time). Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  You may try to discuss what happened and what were the challenges and the successes of the activity. Also ask what made it better/easier and what they learned in terms of teamwork.

Blind Man’s Walk Topic: Leadership, Teamwork, Communication Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To increase student’s ability to rely on other members of the group and to teach student’s how to lead others. Number of Students: 2-30 Age Range of Students: 10 – 17 Time Required: 10 – 15 minutes Materials:A large open, safe space (preferably outside), Blindfolds (one for each pair of students) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide the class into pairs. 2) Give each pair a blindfold. 3) Tell the pairs to choose one person who will be the “blind man/woman” and one person who will be the leader. 4) Explain to the group that the “blind man/woman” will be blindfolded and the leader must lead the “blind man/woman” by VOICE ONLY. This means that they cannot touch their partner at any time!

5) The only time you can touch the “blind man/ woman” is if the he/she is in danger 6) Before the blindfolds are put on the “blind man/ woman”, be sure to explain to the leaders that they are responsible for their partner’s safety. If they purposely put their partner in danger, they will have to sit out for the rest of the game. 7) Allow the pairs to walk around for at least ten minutes. 8) Encourage the leaders to try more difficult places, like stairs or doors. 9) After ten minutes, ask the blind men/women to take off their blindfolds and call everyone in together. 10) Discuss the activity. *Note: You can create a fun variation of this activity if your group finds this too easy. Designate a path with obstacles and have a blind man/woman’s race! Make sure that you don’t include dangers such as stairs or holes which could seriously injure a student. A park with tress and bushes is the best location for this. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How did it feel to be blind? Were your frightened? Did you trust your leader?  Was it difficult to be the leader? What was the more difficult part? Why?  What are other examples of times when you have to trust someone else to lead you?  What are other examples of times when someone must lead others?  Why is trusting others important? In the game? In life?  Why is good leadership important? In the game? In life?

Rope Square Topic: Teamwork, Icebreaker Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To increase students’ ability to work as a group, increase group communication, and strengthen individual communication. Number of Students: 4-30 Age Range of Students: 13-17 Time Required: 30 min -1 hr. Materials: A large play area (half a gym, open field), Rope (about 40 feet long), Blindfolds for each team member; Optional: Time clock Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide the class into teams of four. 2) Explain activity thoroughly. 3) Blindfold each member of the team (have one team go at a time so the other’s can observe the teamwork). 4) Coil the rope up in the large play area. 5) Tell the group that they must make a square with the rope and that each member had to be holding one corner of the square. 59

6) Have the team first talk about what they will do (with blindfolds). 7) Encourage constant talking and communication with the team members. 8) Tell the observing students to observe only and do not try to help the team (unless they are giving general encouragement). 9) You may time the activity to make it more challenging, or maybe make it a contest between teams. 10) Discuss what happened with each team after everyone is done (ask what went wrong, what they could do better, what strategies worked the best). Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Try asking the group to talk about how the methods used in solving this problem could be used in solving other problems as a group.

Human Knot Topic: Teamwork, Leadership Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To develop teamwork and leadership ability within the group. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 10-15 minutes Materials: People! Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) If the class is large, you should divide it. There should be no more than 10 or 15 students in a group. 2) Have all the students get in a tight circle and grab two different hands. 3) This should create a knot. 4) Tell students that they must NOT let go at any time. 5) Tell the students that they must untangle themselves and make a circle holding hands. 6) Remind them NOT to let go. 7) You may have to help them sometimes, but try to let them be the leaders. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Would you have been successful if you only listened to your own ideas?  What was the most frustrating part?  What were the challenges?  How did you overcome those challenges?  What was your plan of action? Did you have one?

Cross-Hand Pass Topic: Teamwork, Icebreaker Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To encourage cooperation and team work and to just have fun! 60

Number of Students: 20-30 Age Range of Students: 8-10 Time Required: 10 – 20 minutes (depending on group size) Materials: A ball, block or beanbag Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide the class into two teams. 2) Within the teams have the students chose a partner. 3) Line up across from their partner facing each other. 4) Have the partner link hands across. 5) Each team starts the ball/block/beanbags at the end of the line and tries to pass it, everyone keeping their hands together, down the line. 6) If it is dropped, the partners must pick it up with their hands still held together. 7) The first team to get the ball/block/beanbag all the way down the line wins. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What were the difficulties of working together in this activity?  How would these difficulties be experienced in real world situations?  Despite these difficulties, what are the advantages of cooperative teamwork?

The Boat is Sinking Topic: Leadership, Teamwork Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To help students develop listening skills and how to lead/follow a leader. Number of Students: 12-30 Age Range of Students: 8-17 Time Required: 10-25 minutes Materials: Optional: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Have the class get into a large circle. 2) One person from the group is selected as the leader and must stand in the center of the circle. 3) All students should be facing one direction (one student should be looking at the back of the one in front of them). 4) The leader moves clockwise around the circle rapidly and quickly chants “The boat is sinking, the boat is sinking”. 5) At the same time, the circle begins to move counter clockwise. 6) Every time the leader says “the boat is sinking”, the class replies “sinking”. 7) The leader can repeat this as many times as he/ she wants. 8) When the leader says “a boat of __ (any number)”, the group must break apart quickly and form groups of the selected boat number by holding hands.

9) Those not in a group with the right numbers are “all wet” and are out of the game. 10) Continue until you have a few winners. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How hard was it to pay attention to the leader when he/she gave instructions?  Why is it important to follow the leader of this activity?  How does this apply to real life situations?

Toxic River Topic: Teamwork Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn creative problem solving skills, to work together as a team, to develop communication and demonstrate leadership abilities. Number of Students: 20-30 Age Range of Students: 8-17 Time Required: 30 minutes – 1 hour Materials: Blocks of plywood or pieces of firewood about 1-1.5 feet long (5 per every five people or so) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Mark off an area about 15 feet wide (your “river”). 2) Divide the group into teams of about 10-15 people. 3) Explain to the students that they must cross the river. 4) The river is toxic, and if anyone on the team puts even one foot in the river, the whole team will have to start over. 5) Hand each team equal numbers of blocks of wood, and explain that these are “magic lily pads”. and that as long as someone is in physical contact with a lily pad, they will float on the river and you can stand on them. However, if no one is touching a lily pad, then it will sink (you or another teacher will take it away). 6) Explain that the first team to get all of their player to the other side of the river will win. 7) Every time a team has to start over, give them back all of the blocks of wood that have been taken from them. 8) If the game lasts to long and the students are having too much difficulty, give them more blocks. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Did you help one another?  Did one person on each team become a leader?  How did different teams communicate within their teams?

The Longest Line Topic: Teamwork Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To build teamwork and practice using available resources.

Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 15 – 20 minutes Materials: Outdoors, Whatever the class brought with them (no telling ahead of time) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Take participants outside where they can have a large area to work. 2) Split them into two teams (or more if the group is large). 3) Explain that they are to create a long line on the ground or floor, using whatever they currently have on their bodies. 4) They are not permitted to get additional things, but only whatever they have (tissue, watches, clothing, shoes etc). 5) Their goal is to have a longer line than the other teams. 6) If people get really creative they will lay down on the ground and use themselves to make the line longer! 7) The team with the longer line is the winner. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How does this exercise relate to teambuilding in real life?

Concentration Topic: Teamwork, Leadership Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To allow a group to work together to accomplish a difficult task. To give the opportunity for leaders to emerge and lead the activity. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 12 and up Time Required: 30 minutes – 1 hour Materials: 2 long ropes, Large space, Two poles or trees to tie a rope across Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before the class starts, tie two long ropes between two trees or poles, waist high (make sure no one is able to jump over the rope). 2) Divide the group into two teams (if there isn’t enough students for two teams, it is okay to use just one team). 3) Tell the teams they must get their whole team over the rope without touching it, but there are rules to follow:  Every member of the team must get over the rope.  No one can touch the rope.  Every team member must be touching at least one other person on the team (the team must be connected at all times).  If any of the rules are broken, the team must start over again. *Note: This activity can be very challenging and frustrating for students. Be encouraging and pos61

itive! You may need to provide assistance from time to time. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What did you find difficult about this activity?  What made working together easier? More difficult?  Did you have a leader? How did the leader lead? Was it helpful to have a leader? Why or why not?

One-Legged Man/ Women/Peer Educator Topic: Teamwork Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To build teamwork and have fun! Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 15 – 20 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) 2) 3) 4) 5)

6)

Set a boundary for this game. Explain the boundary to the group. Ask for one volunteer from the group. That volunteer is the “One-Legged Man/Women/ Peer Educator”. He or she cannot do all the work alone to educate people on behavior change or Lifeskills, so he/she must build a team of educators to help. The volunteer hops on one foot and tires to catch the others. The group is running away from him or her within the boundary you have set. When the “One-Legged Person” touches someone, that person must join arms and also hop on one foot to try to catch the others. Continue until they are all caught by the team.

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How did you feel doing this?  Did you think we were going to be able to do this?  How does this relate to real life experiences?

String Spider Web Topic: Teamwork, Community Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To build teamwork within the group. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: Ball of string or yarn Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

Topic: Teamwork, Trust Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To build teamwork and trust within the group. Also to have fun! Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10-15 minutes Materials: None

1) Ask everyone to sit or stand in a circle. 2) Show the big ball of string. 3) Hold on to the end of the string, then roll or toss it across to someone sitting or standing opposite to you, saying something positive to him or her as you sent it. 4) Keep holding onto your end tightly. 5) Ask the recipient to hold onto the strong so that it makes a taunt line between them and you, 6) Then ask him or her to send to ball back across the circle to someone else, saying something positive about him or her as he or she rolls or tosses it. 7) Everyone continues doing this until the circle is full of taut lines criss-crossing the circle. 8) Each person should be holding tightly to a bit of string. 9) Next, ask everyone to look at how the string connects everyone, like spider’s web. 10) You are all dependent on each other to keep this web firm and supportive. If anyone were to take his or her hand away from the web, part of it would collapse.

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:

1) Ask everyone to stand closely in a circle, you included. 2) Everyone should turn to his or her right, so that each person in the circle is facing the back of someone else.

 How does this exercise relate to real life?  What happens if part of your community (your village, city etc) were to disappear? How would that affect the rest of the community?

7) 8)

9)

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Why is teamwork important in everyday life?  What are some examples of teams you see everyday?

Sitting on Knees

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3) Ask all to put both hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them. 4) Explain that you are going to call out “1, 2, 3 SIT!” and that everyone should call it out slowly with you. 5) On the word sit, everyone should carefully sit down on the lap of the person behind him or her, still holding onto the shoulders of the person in front of them. 6) Everyone should be supporting each other. 7) If your group is really brave, they can try moving around in a circle. 8) Ask discussion questions afterwards.

Trust Circles Topic: Teamwork, Trust Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To build trust within the group. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10-15 minutes Materials: Optional: Blindfold Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask all the participants to stand together in a small, tight circle in the middle of the room. 2) If you have a lot of people make small circles of about six people each. 3) Each participant in turn should stand in the middle of the circle and then close his or her eyes or put on a blindfold. 4) He or she then falls backwards, sideways or forward – keeping eyes closed – and will be caught in the safety of the arms of the other participants. 5) Each participant needs to have a few turns at this before someone else goes in the middle of the circle. 6) This can be quite scary for some people, but should be perfectly safe if the group works together. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What does this activity teach us about each other?  Was it easy to trust your partner the first time? Why or why not?  What made it easier to trust your partner? Did your partner say/do anything that made you trust them more?  Why is it important to build trust between friends? Businesses? Family? Other community members?

Cross the Circle

6) People get very confused, but sort themselves out eventually. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How did this feel with your eyes shut?  How does this relate to real life?

Human Wall Topic: Teamwork Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To build teamwork within the group. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10-15 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) This can be a little rough so maybe you can set some ground rules for roughness to make it safer. 2) Form two teams. 3) One team should make a “human wall” – a wall of people that cannot be broken. 4) When you say “go” the other team will rush the wall and try to break through. 5) Then switch sides and let the other team form a “human wall”. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How does this activity relate to real life?  What were the challenges of this activity?  What made it easier to break through the wall?

Tugs of War and Peace

Topic: Trust, Teamwork Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To build trust within the group as well as teamwork. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10 – 15 minutes Materials: None

Topic: Teamwork Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To build teamwork within the group. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10 – 15 minutes Materials: Length of strong rope; Optional: Tape or chalk (to make a line)

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

1) Ask participants to form a big circle, facing inward. 2) Each participant identifies someone standing opposite him or her. 3) When you say “Go!” each participant must close his or her eyes, walk across the circle and stand in the place of the person opposite him or her. 4) Everyone must do this at the same time. 5) NO PEEKING!

1) Divide the group into two teams. 2) Ask these two teams to stand up and hold opposite ends of a long, strong rope. 3) Mark a line across the middle of your training area, over which each team must try to pull the other. 4) When you say “1,2,3 GO!” the teams should start pulling against each other. 5) Let hem go until one team has ended up failing over the line. 63

6) Next, have everyone sit in a circle and hand the rope to the participants so they are sitting around the edge of it. 7) Ask all the participants to pull together on the rope so they can all stand up. 8) Ask the participants to explain what this exercise means to them. 9) The idea is to show how, instead of people pulling on opposite ends as in a tug of war, where only one team wins, we can approach situations in a win-win way so that everyone benefits and feels good bout the result. 10) True, the tug of war might be fun for the victors, but what about the losers? Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What are other ways to make a win-win situation?  How do you think it feels to be on the loosing side?

The Straight Line Topic: Teamwork, Trust Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To build teamwork and trust within the group and to demonstrate how support can help a person walk “a straight line” in life. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 15 – 20 minutes Materials: Blindfold or scarf Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Invite a volunteer to come forward and walk slowly in a straight line across the training area. 2) Put the blindfold on him or her and turn him or her around several times before he or she sets off in a straight line across the training area – to reach an agreed point on the opposite side. 3) Instruct the rest of the group to keep completely silent, giving no encouragement or guidance at all. 4) They should also not touch the volunteer. 5) When the volunteer reaches the other side, ask him or her to take off the blindfold. 6) Compare how close he or she is to where he or she intended to reach. 7) Ask him or her how he or she felt about having no comments from the others. 8) Ask him or her to replace the blindfold and repeat the exercise. 9) This time the others are allowed to verbally encourage him or her and give him or her advice 10) They should still not touch him or her. 11) Then, finally, you can ask the volunteer to repeat the exercise with the others using their hands to guide the volunteer. 12) Process the difference in how if felt during each stage. 13) Emphasize how safe someone can feel with the support and guidance of others.

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How does this relate to real life?  Have you ever shown support for another person so they could walk “the straight line”? When? How did you show support?  Is it easy to make decisions on your own at all times? Have you ever needed support from a friend or family member about a decision?

The Yurt Circle Topic: Teamwork, Trust Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To build trust and teamwork within the group. Number of Students: 6-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10 – 15 minutes Materials: An even number of students Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Assign a name to each, alternating names, such as “Milk, Water, Milk, Water”. 2) Everyone should link arms all the way up to the elbow. 3) When you say “Milk”, all of the “Milks” should lean into the circle, while all the “Waters” should lean out. 4) Notice how this tension keeps the group supported. 5) Switch now, saying “Water”. 6) All the “Waters” lean into the circle and the “Milks” lean out. 7) You can continue doing this smoothly, to show how change and tension can still be very positive for the team. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What were some of the challenges of this activity? What were some of the positive outcomes?  What made it easier to work as a team? What made it more difficult?  Did anyone in the group take a leadership position? How?

Minefield Topic: Leadership, Communication Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To demonstrate the importance of communication when leading others. Number of Students: 4-30 Age Range of Students: 10 and up Time Required: 10 – 20 minutes Materials: An open room/space, Two or more blindfolds, Objects to use for mines (blocks of wood, bottles, rocks etc) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before class set up your objects around the room/ space as in a minefield.

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2) Divide the class into pairs. 3) Ask the pairs to get into two lines (the pairs stay together in one line). 4) Ask for the first two pairs to come to the front. 5) Blindfold one person in the pair. 6) Tell the person who does not have the blindfold they must direct their partner through the minefield without touching them. It is a race between the two pairs. 7) If a person touches a minefield, they are finished and must go to the back of a line. The other pair will automatically win the race. 8) Whichever pair reaches the other side of the minefield first wins. 9) Continue to run races until every pair in the class has been through the minefield at least once. 10) You can also run additional races and have the winners race each other until there is one champion in the class. 11) Try to switch the pairs so each person gets a chance to lead and to follow. 12) Discuss the activity after you are finished. *Note: Make sure the rest of the class is quiet while the pairs are racing. Remind them that it is easier to hear the other person when others aren’t yelling. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What was the most difficult part of the minefield? Why?  Was it easier to follow or to lead the race?  Why is communication important in this activity?  What are the challenges of being a leader? How does this activity relate to leading in real life?

Who’s the Leader? Topic: Leadership, Icebreaker Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To build leadership in the group and to have fun! Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10-15 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask the group to stand in a circle. 2) Ask for one volunteer and send that person out of the room. 3) The people in the circle should secretly choose a person to be the leader. 4) The leader should start an action such as clapping hands, dancing or stomping feet. 5) The action should change every 15 seconds or so. 6) The other members of the circle should follow the leader’s movements, without looking directly at the leader and giving him or her away. 7) The volunteer is brought back into the room while these actions are taking place.

8) The volunteer has three chances to guess who the leader is. 9) If that person guesses right, the leader becomes the volunteer and they choose a new leader for another round. 10) If the volunteer cannot guess right, they have to leave the room again and try again. *Note: This is a fun activity to fill empty time with, students enjoy this in any situation Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What are some qualities of a good leader?  How would these qualities help the leader in this activity?  Why do we need leaders in groups?

Follow the Leader Topic: Leadership Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To build leadership skills and allow students to become comfortable with being in a leadership position. Number of Students: 6-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10-15 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask the participants to stand in a circle. 2) You or the group chooses a leader 3) The leader stands inside the circle, starts to run on the inside of the circle and calls out “Follow! Follow! Follow!” 4) The group replies “Follow! Follow! Follow!” as the run on the outside of the circle. 5) The leader repeats “Follow! Follow! Follow!” and the group repeats. 6) The leader starts to do some other action such as dancing, jumping, sitting or singing and says “I dance, I dance, I dance!” (or whatever action they are doing). 7) The group responds by mimicking everything the leader does. 8) The leader then goes back to “Follow, follow, follow” and repeats the process. 9) Do this until everyone is tired! Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What qualities are important in a leader? How would they help the leader in this activity?  Is it always good to follow a leader? Why or why not?

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Emotional Health 67

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Emotion Charades Topic: Emotional Health, Expressions, Emotions Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To teach students how to express emotions and how to read other people’s emotions. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10-30 Time Required: 15-20 minutes Materials: Emotion papers Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before class prepare a stack of papers/cards with different emotions written on them. Examples of emotions are angry, sad, tired, happy, shy, scared, annoyed, worried, nervous, excited, etc. 2) Students take turns. 3) Each student picks an emotion paper. They do not show it to the class. 4) Without speaking they must act out the emotion. 5) The class must guess what the emotion is, 6) Whoever guesses correctly goes next. 7) You can also do this in teams to motivate everyone to participate! Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How do people show their emotions in real life?  How much communication do people do without talking?  What were the challenges/successes of this activity?

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How did you feel when the game was in your favor?  How did you feel when the game was not in your favor?  Do you ever feel like your life is like this game? Are you usually winning or losing?  Do you ever get angry when things seem to be unfair?  How do you release the anger that you feel when things are unfair? What are good ways to handle an unfair situation?

Body of Anger Topic: Anger Management Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To discuss and learn how our bodies react when we become angry so that individuals can detect the signs of anger. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 45 minutes Materials: An old white T-shirt, An old pair of pants (that can be written on), Face paint, Markers that can be used on fabric Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

Topic: Anger Management Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): For individuals to practice anger control in a situation that is clearly unfair and upsetting. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 15 minutes Materials: A basketball, volleyball, beach ball or balloon

1) Before class, find an old pair of pants and an old shirt that you do not want anymore and wash them well. 2) Ask one volunteer in the class to put on the old pants and shirt. 3) Have the volunteer stand in front of the class. 4) Ask the class all the distinct ways their bodies react when they feel angry. 5) As people name different things, have someone write them down on the part of the body with the face paint or markers (if more appropriate, make a tracing of a person on a large piece of paper and mark that).  For example: rapid breathing could be written on the chest where the lungs are, or red face can be written on the cheek 6) Leave time for discussion.

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:

1) Ask the class to line up from shortest to tallest. 2) Divide the line in half so all the short people are on one team and all the tall people are on the other. 3) Set up a game for the group to play in which height is the advantage (basketball, volleyball or keep away). 4) After playing for a little while, the tall team will most likely be winning and the short team will be feeling upset. 5) At this point change he rules and tell the tall team that they must all put one hand in their pocket or behind their backs for the rest of the game. 6) Leave time for discussion.

   

Big vs. Small

Which body reaction do you most identify with? How do you control your anger? How do you release feelings of tension? Why do you think our bodies react the way they do to anger?  How can you use your body signals to help you control anger?

Good, Bad, and Ugly Topic: Anger Management Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To determine positive was of handling anger. To promote discussion of different 69

ways to handle anger and discuss the effect these actions have on people’s lives. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 12-17 Time Required: 45 minutes Materials: 3x5 cards or small pieces of paper, Pens/ pencils, 3 small boxes, Prepared scenarios; Optional: Already prepared scenarios Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before class, write down several scenarios where a person may have a negative reaction. 2) Give each person in the class a pile of 3x5 cards (or pieces of paper) and a pen/pencil. 3) Ask them to create three piles in front of them and write “Good” on the tope of card in one pile, “Bad” on another and “Ugly” on the third. 4) Create a few scenarios that would likely make the participants angry and read them to them at this time (you can have these prepared already). You can also ask the class for scenarios that would make them angry 5) After a scenario is read, each person must write down a good response to the situation on the “good” card, a bad response on the “bad” card and an ugly response on the “ugly” card. 6) Place three boxes labeled “good”, “bad” and “ugly” at the front of the room. 7) Ask the students to put their cards in the respective boxes when finished. 8) Do this for several different scenarios. 9) After all the situations have been read and all the cards have been turned in, take the ugly box and read the cards to the class. 10) After each card ask people to raise their hands if they have ever expressed their anger in this manner, to describe the situation and discuss the consequences or benefits of reacting in this way. 11) Do the same thing for the bad and good boxes. 12) Conclude with the good box. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What did you learn as a result of this activity?  Do you tend to express your anger in a good, bad, or ugly manner most often? Why?  Which way works best for you? Is this a good way?  What would be the best way for you to handle your anger?  What is the easiest way to express anger? Is that good/bad/ugly?  How do you feel when others express their anger this way?

The Unfair Game Topic: Anger Management Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): For individuals to practice using anger control in a situation that is clearly unfair and frustrating. Number of Students: 3-15 70

Age Range of Students: 8 – 17 Time Required: 45 minutes Materials: deck of cards, pair of dice, bag of candy (about 5 pieces per person), copies of the rules; Optional: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Be sure to read the directions BEFORE you start the game! Before you start, take all but a couple of spades out of a deck of cards and mix the few spades left towards the top of the deck. If possible, replace the spades with cards from a different suit using an identical deck. 2) Start by gathering the group into a circle and give everyone five pieces of candy and tell them NOT to eat them (they will be able to keep whatever candy they have at the end of the game and they can eat it then) then develop a creative name for the game. 3) Place a few copies of the rules on the table for students to refer to during the game (or just have them on the board for all to see) – it is important that you lead this game. 4) Set a time limit or end the game when too many people are eliminated to continue, or when the pot is full with candy. 5) At the end of the game select the person who played with the best sportsmanship – of course this is YOU, the leader, because this is the unfair game - collect all the candy in the middle. 6) The game should be truly unfair (like life). It is best that you don’t hand out the candy to the group after the game is done to be fair to have a greater affect – but you can do what you want. To heighten the effect you may also reveal the trick about the deck of cards. You can also wait until now to reveal that this is called the “Unfair Game”. Game Rules 1) When it is your turn you may roll the dice or select a card. 2) If you role the dice and get: Odd – you must put a piece of candy in the pot (a place in the middle of the table) Even – you make take a piece of candy from anyone else’s pile, Double – you must give a piece of candy to someone else in the group (this does not count as an even number). 3) If you draw a card: Heart – you must give a piece of candy to the person on your right, Club – you must give a piece of candy to the person on your left, Diamond – you must put a piece of candy in the pot, Spade – you get two piece of candy from the pot (or from someone else’s pile). 4) If anyone loses all their candy, they are eliminated from the game. 5) If you are eliminated from the game you may continue to sit in the circle but can return to the game only if someone gives you a piece of candy during the course of the game (no one can give them candy out of the goodness of their heart, it must be by dice or cards). 6) At the end, the person who has the most candy wins, and everyone may keep any candy they have.

7) The leader decides who displayed the best sportsmanship during the game, and this person gets to keep all the candy left in the pot at the end of the game. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Was this game unfair? Why or why not?  How do you feel right now?  Do you ever feel like your life is unfair? If so how do you respond to unfair situations?  Do you think it would help you in life to change how you act when situations seem unfair? If so how?

Agree or Disagree: Understanding Violence Topic: Anger Management Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Students will analyze their feelings regarding to violence, learn to debate their feelings, and how to resolve disputes without violence. umber of Students: 5-15 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 45 minutes Materials: two signs – one “agree” and one “disagree”, flip chart paper for groups to write on Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Put up the two signs on opposite sides of the room. 2) Explain that everyone must participate. 3) Read the statements and have students walk to one side of the room, to the “disagree” side if they disagree and to the “agree” side if they agree. 4) Have the students pick two statements upon which they disagree. 5) Have the students break into group depending on their opinion and write on the flip chart paper reasons to support their opinion. 6) Each group should choose one representative to present their side of the argument. 7) The only rules of the debate are that there can be no violence and students must listen to the other side. 8) Students must state their point of view with reason.

Statements:  When you get into a conflict with someone, it’s okay to hit and call names.  It is sometimes necessary to fight to solve a problem.  When somebody says something mean to you, it is okay to yell at him or her.  If is difficult to apologize when you are wrong.  If you see someone fighting you should get involved.  Violence is just something you have to get used to because it happens all the time.  You can do nothing to prevent becoming personally involved in a violent confrontation.  There’s something wrong with someone who will just walk away from a fight.

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Why do you think some people express their anger with violence?  Have you ever wanted to become violent in an argument? What stopped you?  Why do you think some violence is considered “cool”?  Why do you think people are entertained by violence?

Good Feelings Topic: Emotional Health, Self-Esteem Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Students will be able to identify five things people can say and do to help them feel pleased with themselves and be able to compliment at least one person in the class. Number of Students: 10-50 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10-15 minutes Materials: Paper (for each student), Pens/pencils Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Hand out paper to each student. 2) Have each student write five statements that make him/her feel good about him/herself. 3) The statements can be verbal compliments or actions that make the student feel good. 4) Provide examples such as “You are such a good helper!” or “Receiving flower or a piece of fruit at school” or “someone saying happy birthday on your birthday”. 5) Break students into small groups to share their statements, or have them share with the whole class. 6) Give time for students to make a compliment to people in their groups. 7) Have them share the compliments. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Is it easy to receive good feelings from other people?  How many good feelings did you get yesterday?  Is it easy for you to give good feelings?  Have the students say something nice to someone the next day

Abstract vs. Concrete Topic: Emotional Health, Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Students will be able to create a piece of abstract art and organize a color scheme so that the same color isn’t touching in the pattern. Number of Students: 1-50 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 30 minutes

Materials: Half sheets of white paper, Assorted markers and colored pencils; Optional: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart 71

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Draw a “scribble” on the board (or piece of paper), without lifting the chalk/pen to make a series of shapes. 2) Let the students pick a marker and make their own “scribble” (don’t be surprised if this task is very difficult for some students). 3) Distribute the colored pencils and tell them to color the different shapes. 4) There is one rule: No two shapes can have the same color if they are touching. 5) Have a few students come up to the front of the class to show their drawing and explain why they colored it the way they did. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What is abstract and concrete thinking?  How does this relate to abstract/concrete thinking?  Is this art?  What did you draw/what shapes does your scribble make?  Is it pretty? Why/why not?

What’s in the Picture? Topic: Emotional Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To describe the complexities of a picture. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 5-17 Time Required: 20-30 minutes Materials: Various pictures from magazines; Optional: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, tape Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before class, cut out various pictures from magazines. 2) In class, put all pictures face down on the table. 3) Have the students sit around the table. 4) Pick a student to go first. 5) The first student picks a picture and identifies one thing in the picture. 6) The student passes the picture around the table with each student identifying something different in each picture. Try to go around the table twice without anyone repeating any answers. 7) The student to the right of the first student gets to choose the next picture and the same process starts over. 8) Once the students are comfortable with identifying the content of pictures, they can start making judgments. Does the picture represent something healthy or unhealthy? They can make two piles or tape them on two sections of the wall. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Why do you think different people saw different things in the pictures? 72

 Did someone find something in the picture that wouldn’t have noticed otherwise?  Why do you think it’s important to hear several different perspectives during a discussion?

Relationships Topic: Emotional Health, Peer Relations Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn about different types of relationships, if they are healthy or unhealthy, and how unhealthy relationships help us see the good in ourselves. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 1 hour Materials: poster board, magazines, tape, slips of paper, paper, pens; Optional: Colored pens/pencils Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before the class make a poster with cut outs from magazines (or your own drawing) illustrating different types of relationships. Do not write on the poster. 2) Ask the students:  What is a relationship?  What types of relationships are there? 3) Here are some examples of relationships to use:  with self  with family  with friends  with boyfriend/girlfriend  parent/child  with religion 4) As the children answer the questions about “types of relationships”, put their answers on slips of paper and tape them to the poster. 5) Ask the class the following sets of questions. Encourage discussion.  Is there such a thing as an unhealthy relationship?  Can you describe the difference between a healthy and an unhealthy relationship?  What do you do if a relationship is unhealthy? (you can use another piece of flipchart paper to list the qualities of a healthy relationships and the characteristics of an unhealthy relationship)  Are you what other people say you are? (Discuss positive and negative influences of relationships)  Do you have someone you can trust?  Are you someone other people can trust? 6) Put blank piece of paper on every student’s back. 7) The other students must write one nice thing about that student on their back. NO repeated comments. After every student has written one thing, have the children read their sheet of paper out loud: “I am nice, happy, etc” Using “I am” statements is important. 8) End with discussing how our relationships can help us be healthy by helping us see the good in us and support us in our goal of overall health.

Rest and Taking Care of You Topic: Emotional Health, General Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To talk about the need for rest, what could happen if you don’t, rest and ways to rest. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Paper, Pens/pencils; Optional: Colored pens/markers/pencils Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): Everyone needs rest! Without it you may experience exhaustion, malnutrition and illness. You may have symptoms such as headaches, neck, back and shoulder pain, and or/stomach problems. Rest is connected to all things:  physical, social and spiritual health  food  exercise  disease prevention 1) Have students draw something or make a list of things to do for rest. 2) Have them write something on the board. 3) Tell them that their homework is to do something restful. Examples of restful things are:  sleep 7-9 hours  avoid caffeine  have a bedtime routine  exercise  drink milk  listen to music  go for a walk  spend some time alone 6) Discuss the fact that what you think of yourself affects your health. “The most beautiful people I know are those who love themselves.” We are all special and unique. 7) Ask the class what they think about themselves. Rate yourself on a scale from 1-10. 8) List one thing you would change about yourself. 9) List one goal. Talk about making one small change, towards this goal, as homework. 10) Do a name acrostic: * Nino: Natelia, Imedi, Naturauli, Ori tavi 11) Review homework assignment the next class. Treat yourself to something resting and relaxing. If your students are having a difficult time thinking of what would relax them, discuss hobbies. If the problem is with finding time, discuss the possibility of delegation/shared work.

Controlling Stress Topic: Emotional Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To identify at least two ways they can help reduce harmful stress in their lives. Number of Students: 5-50 Age Range of Students: 10 and up Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Wired Willy Story, Paper, Pens

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask students if they have ever been in a running race. Ask them to recall the excitement before the race began. Conclude this introduction by asking if the student(s) would enjoy running a race that lasted every hour they were awake. It can be harmful to the entire body if excitement is ongoing in a person’s life. Some stress may be helpful, such as the excitement one would feel just before a race. 2) Entertain a discussion on stress with the class employing your teacher-led questions. Suggested questions include:  “What is stress?” (a feeling of tension or strain on your mind and/or body)  “Have you ever felt stress?” (answers will vary)  “How can stress affect your body? (the heart may beat faster; the palms of the hand may get sweaty, breathing may quicken to gain more oxygen for the body; and stored sugar may be released to allow for more energy.)  “Can stress be helpful?” (yes)  “How?” (It can help one do his/her best when he/she feels occasional pressure, such as competing in a ballgame or race or doing well on a test. It can give one an energy life.)  “How can stress be harmful?” (Stress can be harmful when events occur in one’s life that cause prolonged tension or worry. This may lead to restlessness, a lack of sleep, nervousness, headaches, the heart working faster, and an inability of the body to fight off disease. Over a long period of time, it could damage the heart.)  “How can one control stress?” (talking and sharing feelings with your parents or friends, getting enough exercise and rest, eating a balanced diet). 3) Have students read the story (or read it aloud) and answer the questions on the worksheet. This may be done individually, in small groups, or with the entire class. Answers to Worksheet: 1. at the start of the game 2. when he blamed himself for the loss 3. not sharing his feelings of guilt with his parents or friends 4. assignments weren’t completed; he appeared tired during class 5. probably not; answers will vary 6. talking with his parents helped Willy understand the problem 7. talking with parents or friends about important issues in your life; getting enough sleep and exercise; eating a balanced diet

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”Wired Willy” Story

Willy felt like he had butterflies in his stomach as the soccer game was about to begin. He wanted to do his best against the champion team. When the game started, Willy forgot all about being anxious and played very well. He led his team in scoring during this championship game. With one second left in the game, Willy was fouled while shooting the ball. His team was behind by one point. With a penalty kick, Willy had a chance to tie the game. Willy missed the goal and his team lost the game. Willy felt horrible. He believed that he was responsibly for the loss. Not wanting to talk to anyone after the game, Willy hurried home. He went to his room and refused to talk to his parents about the game. In his sadness, he even forgot about his school project that was due the next day. All he thought about was missing the last goal. His stomach hurt and he had a difficult time getting to sleep that night. The next day, Willy ignored his friends who wanted to talk about the game. He yawned frequently and almost fell asleep in class. Because his project wasn’t completed, his teacher wasn’t pleased. In fact, for several days, Willy had a hard time getting any of his schoolwork done and he seemed very tired. Willy’s parents encouraged him to talk about what was bothering him. Willy finally shared how he thought he had lost the game for his team. His parents helped him realize that without Willy’s strong effort, his team would not have been so close to winning in the first place. They also reminded him that the reason for playing is not just winning. Someone had to lose. Willy slept much better that night when he realized he had done his best, and that was all anyone could do.

Worksheet Questions 1. When did Willy feel helpful stress in this story? 2. What caused Willy to start feeling harmful stress? 3. What created more harmful stress for Willy? 4. How did Willy’s schoolwork suffer because of increased stress? 5. Do you think that Willy was pleasant to be around during this time? Explain. 6. How did Willy relieve his stress? 7. How can you avoid harmful stress in your life?

Accepting Anger Topic: Anger Management Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn acceptable ways to handle anger. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 30 minutes 74

Materials: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask the class: If you and your best friend had a fight and you became very angry, what would you do? 2) Discuss the question utilizing a flip chart if possible and listing the student’s responses: Acceptable Ways to Handle Anger     

Run as hard as you can, until you cool off Go off by yourself and scream. Cool off and talk it over. Ask you friend why he did what he did. Go off by yourself and cry.

Unacceptable  Hit him.  Never speak to him again.  Talk badly about his family.  Scream at him.  Pretend it never happened.  Take his favorite toy.  Start rumors about him. 3) After the responses are listed, ask the class to decide which ones are acceptable and which are not. Cross out the unacceptable behaviors. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Which of these behaviors might allow the friendship to be saved?  Should the friendship be saved?  Which behavior do you think is the easiest to do? The most difficult?  Can you think of a situation when you saw any of these behaviors? What happened?

Oh! Henry! Topic: Emotional Health, Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To explore different ways to express emotions with body and tone of voice. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 20 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Have all the participants stand in a circle. 2) Remind the groups that there are many ways we can communicate – even with our bodies and tone of voice. 3) Explain that this activity will show how tone of voice and body language can express different emotions. 4) Tell the group that they must go around and say the phrase “Oh! Henry!” in different manners. 5) Give examples, such as with anger, with joy, with passion etc. 6) Encourage creativity and fun! 7) Here are some examples:

         

sadness anxiety pain jealousy guilt anger joy confusion annoyance disappointment

         

fear love depression misery happiness grief passion rage regret laughter

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Can you tell which emotion is being expressed?  What is the clearest signal? (i.e. body, voice, facial expression)

Managing Emotions Gallery Walk Topic: Emotional Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To share and discuss different ways of managing potentially harmful feelings. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10 and up Time Required: 45 minutes - 1 hour Materials: Five or six large pieces of paper, Markers (one for each paper), Tape; Optional: Blackboard/ whiteboard/flipchart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Brainstorm with the class a list of different emotions (you can put these on the board if you have one). 2) Have the students tell you which emotions they think could be potentially harmful or lead to risky behavior. 3) Have the students narrow it down to five or six harmful emotions that may need to be managed. 4) Write each of these emotions at the top of each piece of large paper. 5) Tape the papers up on the wall around the room. 6) Tell the students to brainstorm different ideas of how to manage these behaviors. 7) Now tell the students to get up and walk around the room to each paper. 8) At each paper they must put down an idea of how to manage that behavior. 9) Try to encourage them to come up with different answers than their peers (creativity is good!). 10) After everyone has looked at all the papers and put down their comments, have a different volunteer read off the comments on each paper. 11) Discuss with the class what they think about the suggestions given. Are they good suggestions? Are there any you disagree with? Are there any suggestions you think you could use in your life? Can you think of sample situations? Example: Anger  Count to ten  Walk away and come back to the situation later

 Stop and analyze why I am really angry  Think about the situation from the perspective of the other person  Pray or meditate  Think of a funny story  Try to communicate and resolve the situation peacefully Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Why can certain emotions be harmful if they are not dealt with properly?  What are some suggestions of methods that you should NOT use to deal with emotions?

What is Love? Topic: Emotional Health, Peer Relations, Responsible Behavior Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To explore and think about different kinds of love and the qualities students look for in friends, family and partners. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 13-20 Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Markers/chalk Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask everyone to divide into pairs. 2) Ask each pair to describe to each other three qualities that they show to a close brother, or sister, or friend whom the particularly love. 3) Then have them share three qualities that they expect from the same brother, sister or friend. 4) After about 10 minutes or so, call them back to the larger group. 5) Ask the class to share their thoughts and ideas. 6) If there is a general agreement, move on, but if not, discuss the differences. 7) Tell the class to get back into their pairs. 8) Tell the pairs to take turns telling each other three qualities which they would show to a partner whom they love. 9) Then have them tell three qualities which they expect from a partner who loves them. 10) Again, call everyone back into the larger group. 11) Ask them to share their ideas. 12) If there are some clear differences in the qualities of love described between partners and those described for sisters, brothers or friends, point these out. 13) Ask them to define these differences more clearly. Encourage them to try to explain why these differences exist. 14) Ask them to get back into pairs again. 15) This time, have the pairs tell each other five qualities they would want in a partner in a relationship. What would their ideal partner be like? 16) After they are finished, have them get into a larger group and give out qualities they thought of. 17) You can write these down on the board. 75

18) Then have the class think quietly about the person they are involved with, like or have a crush on. Ask them to think if this person fits the qualities they put down. 19) Explain to the students that it’s important to think about these qualities, especially since sometimes young people get “swept of their feet”. It is important to think these things through before making any important decisions.

9) Give more time for younger students who may be a bit shy. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  After listening to how different people would feel in situations, what could you do to help make people feel good?  Are there any feelings that people said that you would also feel? Any different feelings?

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Why do you think it is important to think about different kinds of love?  Why do you think it is important to know what to look for in a partner/friend?  Has the idea of love changed throughout history? How?

I’d Feel… Topic: Emotional Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To help students practice expressing their feelings in different situations. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 15 and under Time Required: 20 – 30 minutes Materials: Cards or small pieces of paper, Pen, Bag or box Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Write out different “I would feel..” statements on cards or small pieces of paper. 2) Ideas are:  If my friend hit me, I’d feel...  If my friend asked to share my book, I’d feel...  If my friend asked me over for dinner, I’d feel...  If my friend offered me medicine, I’d feel...  If my friend took me to the movies, I’d feel...  If my friend called me bad names, I’d feel...  If my friend stole something from me, I’d feel...  If my friend said nice things to me, I’d feel...  If my friend taught me a game, I’d feel...  If my friend asked me to do something bad I’d feel... 4) Put the cards or small pieces of paper in a bag or box. 5) Tell the class that when called on, they must come up to the bag or box, chose a card/piece of paper and read the statement to the class. 6) After they read the statement, they must finish it with a feeling they would feel. 7) Call on students to come up and choose cards. 8) Be sure to encourage openness and discourage any laughing or making fun of people. Students should feel comfortable saying what they would feel. 76

Feelings are Fragile Topic: Emotional Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To think of different ways students can express negative emotions without hurting others. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 45 minutes – 1 hour Materials: Poster board or large paper, Markers, Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Chalk/markers Optional: Colored pens/pencils/markers, Magazines, Glue, Scissors Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask the class to brainstorm different ways of expressing negative feelings without hurting someone else 2) Examples could be: leave the situation changing the subject or conversation talking to an adult about the problem talking to another good friend about the problem (without putting the other person down) 4) Write these ideas on the board. 5) Now ask the class to get into groups of four or five. 6) Give each group a poster board or large piece of paper and some markers. 7) Tell the students that they are now to choose their top four ideas that are written on the board as a group. Give them about five minutes for this. 8) After they have chosen, tell them to list the positives and negatives of each choice. Give them about ten minutes for this. 9) When they are finished, tell them to illustrate their choices and then list the negatives and positives next to the drawing. Give them about 15 to 20 minutes for this. 10) After everyone is done, have each group present their posters to the group. 11) If you have room, hang the posters up as reminders to the students.    

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Can you think of any real life situations that you have used these methods?  Can you think of any real life situations where you should have used these methods?

Decision Making

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78

Steps in Making a Good Decision               

Stop Take some “time out” Define the problem Think about the situation Seek advice from others Listen to the advice given Pray/meditate/think deeply Consider family values and personal values Consider cultural practices and religious beliefs Consider all of the options or alternatives available Imagine the consequences and possible outcomes of each option Consider the best alternatives Make the decision Act on the decision Accept responsibility for your actions

Four Corners Topic: Opinions Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To help students form opinions about health Topics, help them express and explain their opinion to the group, and to help them answer questions about their opinion. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 15 – 20 minutes Materials: A room with four corners, Four sheets of paper with four letters (A,B,C,D) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Put each letter in a different corner. 2) Have all the students stand in the middle of the classroom at the start. 3) Give the group question/scenario and give four options. Make sure you tailor the questions to the age group you are dealing with. 4) Assign each corner one of the options (for example: what is your favorite color? Go to corner A if it is blue, corner B if it is green, corner C if it is yellow, corner D if it is red). 5) After each option is given, have students go to the corner of their choice. 6) At each corner ask the students to explain why they picked that corner. 7) Give other students a chance to ask questions about why someone picked that corner. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  You could later discuss how to respect other’s opinions and the difference between a discussion and an argument. This can also be done before the activity. Laying down rules before the activity begins is a good idea if you suspect an argument might arise.

Agree or Disagree? Topic: Opinions, Decision Making Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To encourage classroom participation and discussion. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 14-17 Time Required: 15 – 20 minutes Materials: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Chairs, Desks Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Arrange five chairs or desks in a row, leaving several feet in between them to form four separate areas along a line (see diagram on next page). 2) These chairs represent positions ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. 3) Explain to the class that you will read several value-related statements for which they are to respond by walking to the area that represents their position on the statements. 4) After each statement, allow the students to explain their reasons for choosing their opinion and debate the options (make sure this is student lead, but you may have to begin by encouraging discussion). 5) This can be used for any Topic: or to review a past lesson. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What are the main differences between facts/information and opinions?  From your responses, which were supported by personal opinions and which were supported by information and facts?  When confronting problems in the community, why is it important to gain as much knowledge relating to the problem?

Diagram of Chair Set-up Making Decisions Topic: Decision Making Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To discuss how decisions are made, to discuss good/bad decision making and to practice making good decisions. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: Prepared decision making scenarios for small group work Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Define “decision”: a choice between two or more things or actions. 2) We begin each day with decisions. There are some steps to follow in order to make a decision

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3) Talk about the importance in learning how to make a wise decision and how to carry out those decisions. Talk about the importance of this skill for becoming a mature adult. 4) Have group members discuss the different steps in making a decision.  What is the problem?  What are some possible solutions?  Where can we obtain information?  What are our choices?  What will each choice cost us (in time, money, energy)?  What are our limitations (time, effort, personal resources)?  What will the consequences of each choice be?  What will you do?  How will you do it?  Was it a good decision? Why? Why not? 6) Divide class into groups. 7) Give groups different scenarios and have them write down the process to making a decision regarding that scenario. 8) Have groups present their decisions to the class. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Why is it important to make good decisions?  How can bad decisions affect people around you?  What can you do if you make a bad decision and you realize it?

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What was the hardest part of planning the party?  What were the most difficult decisions you and your group had to make?  What other factors did you think of while planning?

Decision Making Scenarios Topic: Decision Making Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To practice good decision making in real life situations. Number of Students: 6-30 Age Range of Students: 14 – 17 Time Required: 15 – 20 minutes Materials: Flipchart paper/large blank paper for each group, Markers, Decision making scenario cards, Steps in making a good decision handout; Optional: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

Topic: Decision Making Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn how to make group decisions. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: Pen/pencils, Paper; Optional: Blackboard/ whiteboard/flipchart, Poster board, Colored markers/pens/pencils

1) Divide the participants into small groups of 4 or 5. 2) Give each group a card with one decision making scenario on it. 3) Give each group flipchart paper or a large piece of blank paper and markers. 4) The groups should do the following:  Discuss the situation  List the steps that the people should take in trying to reach their decision  Finally, as a group, discuss and make a decision for the scenario on their card  On the top of the flipchart paper/large blank paper, write the steps to making a good decision, what decision the group would make for the scenario, and the reasons for their final decision 5) Have each group present to the class.

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:

1) 2) 3) 4)

 What happens if you skip some of the steps to making a good decision?  What are some examples of bad decisions?

Planning a Party

Divide the class into groups of four or five. Give each group paper or poster board. Tell the groups to plan a party for the class. Decisions to be made are:  When (date and time)?  Where?  Who will be invited?  What will you do?  Will there be snacks? If so, what snacks?  Who will be responsible for each job?  How much will it cost?  Did you follow any steps in making these decisions? What steps? 5) They can make a creative poster advertising their party if you have time/resources. 6) Have each group present their party idea to the class. 80

7) Vote and decide whose party the class would like to have. 8) Have the party if you would like!

Decision Making Scenario Cards (cut into cards) You are a 14 year old male student. You are walking home one day from school with a friend. On the way your friend sees another friend of his smoking and tells you to come with him and hang out. You friend takes a cigarette and tells you that they make him relax. He offers you one and tells you they are really “cool”. What will you do? You are a 17 year old girl that has just finished school. It is now summer and you are taking a holiday by the sea with three of your friends. Your friend Nino tells

you that there is a good disco that is for university students, but she knows a boy who could get you all in. You have heard that this club is known to be frequently visited by the police and sometimes there are a lot of drugs. What will you do? You are a 24 year old boy who is attending a wedding supra with your friends. One of your friends has a car and drove you to the wedding. He is supposed to give you a ride back. You decide you do not want to drink, but your friend who has the car is “bolumde-ing” every glass of wine. When it is time to go home, it is obvious he is drunk, but he says he is okay to drive. What do you do?

3) Give the groups 30 minutes to discuss the scenario, the decision making steps and design a role play. 4) Have each group perform in for the class. 5) Ask the following questions:  Do we all agree with the decision that was made? Why or why not?  Does anyone think the situation should have ended differently? How?  What values were at work to arrive at their decision? 6) Point out that decision making is not always easy. 7) Personal values play a large part in the decisions we make, and if we go against those values, it can lead to feelings of guilt and confusion.

You are a 18 year old boy who is having a birthday. Before the party, your friend says he has a surprise for you. He blindfolds you and drives you somewhere. When he takes off the blindfold, you realize he has taken you to a whore house. He then tells you he will pay for two hours. You are not comfortable with this and have heard about many diseases that are spread through these houses. What will you do?

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:

You are a 20 year old girl who has had a boyfriend for a long time. He wants to get married very quickly, but you would like to go to university and get your degree before marriage. He is putting a lot of pressure on you every day and your application is due soon. What do you do?

A month before exams, Jaba tells Mamuka he has some important information for him if he promises to keep it a secret. Mamuka is curious and agrees. Jaba says he knows how to get a copy of the history exam in advance. His brother has a friend who has a friend who works in the Ministry of Education. This person is selling examination papers secretly. Jaba says two classmates have already bought papers. He wants Mamuka to buy one too. Mamuka feels frightened and angry. He does not believe in cheating. He thinks Jaba and the others should be reported to the teacher, but he promised to keep it a secret. Now he doesn’t know what to do.

You are a 14 year old girl and you are walking in Tbilisi with a friend. While you are walking, you see a man with dark skin pass by. Your friend starts to laugh point and say mean things about the man. You think that this is not a good thing to do and you can see that the man’s feelings are hurt. He has a large backpack on and looks like he is a visitor. What do you do? You are a 21 year old boy who is at a friend’s supra. Your friend has just gotten into a really good school in London. Everybody is drinking a lot, but you don’t want to become drunk. You have to get up early for your job and you know that a lot of alcohol can be very dangerous. Your friend’s dad is pressuring you by saying that if you loved your friend, you would drink more. What will you do?

Just Between Us Topic: Decision Making Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To practice making good decisions. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 12-17 Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Role Play Cards Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide the class into four groups. 2) Give two groups one scenario card the other two the other one.

 What can make decisions hard to make? What can make decisions easier to make?  What are personal values? How do they play a role in our every day lives? Role Play Cards

 Decide what Mamuka is going to do. Then create a role play acting out the situation and showing the reactions of all of Mamuka’s friends to his decision. A doctor has a patient whom she knows well. The patient was ill and the doctor thought he might have HIV. She sent him for blood test, which came back positive. The doctor knows the patient has several girlfriends and advised him to tell them so they could protect themselves. The patient became angry and told her to mind her own business. His girlfriends must not find out.  The doctor worries a lot about this. She knows doctors should not discuss their patients illnesses, but she knows her information could save people’s lives. She decides to break the rule of confidentiality and inform the girlfriends. The patient is very angry and takes the doctor to court because she has broken her oath of confidentiality.  Act out the court case. Present the patient’s case and then allow the girlfriends to take the stand. Appoint someone as judge. Do you find he doctor guilty of breaking her professional code of confidentiality? Take a group vote on the verdict. 81

Visualizing the Future Topic: Decision Making, Self-Awareness Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To help students think about decisions and how these decisions change the future. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 12–17 Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: “Nino Shapes Her Future” story (for the teacher), Paper (for each group), Pens/pencils Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Explain to the group the importance of visualizing their future goals and using these hopes and dreams to avoid unhealthy behavior. 2) Have the students sit and listen as you read the story about Nino. 3) Tell the students they must now complete Nino’s life story. 4) Divide the class into groups of 4 or 5. 5) Give each group a piece of paper and a pen/pencil and tell them to brainstorm an ending as a group and write it on the paper. 6) Encourage creativity! 7) Give the groups at least 10 minutes for this. 8) After everyone has finished, ask each group to share their ending. 9) After each story, ask the class the following questions about the ending:  Did her life fulfill her expectations?  Did her life fulfill her family and friend’s expectations?  Was this just a dream story?  Did she keep control of her life?  How did Nino’s life story change because of the changes she made? 10) Discuss as a group what they learned about how decisions can affect the future. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What goals do you have for you future?  What types of choices will affect your future goals? Nino Shapes Her Future When Nino was born, the stars seemed to shine more brightly than ever before. She had such intelligence, sensitivity, and beauty that surely her life would be charmed. At thirteen years old, Nino went to a good secondary school. Her parents felt she should be given the best possible education to prepare her for the rest of her life. Nino shone at everything. She was so kind and so loved by all of her friends that no one could feel jealous of her success. At nineteen years old, when Nino had just completed her second year at university studying to become an engineer, she met a sweetheart.

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He was a loveable person with a very happy nature. Time spent with him was always wonderful although he never seemed very serious about his work… * Note: You can change this to focus on males if you would like.

Our Own Life Story Topic: Decision Making Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To discuss future goals and decisions/steps to be taken to achieve these goals. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10–20 Time Required: 30 – 45 minutes Materials: Paper (for each person), Pens/pencils, Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Markers/chalk Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Tell your students to close their eyes and imagine what they think their future will be like. What are their goals? Their plans? Who would they like to be? 2) Now ask them to write down what they think their future would be like next year:  Who will you be living with?  Who will your friends be?  Will you have a sweetheart?  Will you still be in school? If so, where? Studying what?  What will you do in your spare time?  Will you drink? Smoke? Do drugs? 3) Give the students at least 5 -10 minutes to write. 4) Then tell the students to write about what they think their life will be like in 5 years (ask the same questions as above?). 5) Now have the students think about what their life will be like in 10 years (or in their late 20’s):  Will you be married?  Will you have children?  Where will you live? With whom?  Where will you be working? What kind of job will you have? Will you have a job?  Will you have a car?  Will you smoke? Drink? Do drugs?  Will you have been in a car accident? Will any of your friends? 6) Finally, have your students imagine when they have children that are their age:  What will they be like?  What kind of expectations will you have for them?  What kind of fears will you have for them? 7) Have some students share their futures. 8) Tell them to take their papers home and reflect on what they wrote. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What are the steps/decisions/goals undertaken to achieve these gals and plans?

 What are the steps/decisions already undertaken? Are these decisions moving you towards your goals, or away from them?

Your Goals Topic: Decision Making, Self-Awareness Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To understand the difference between short and long term goals and to help plan goals for the future. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 45 minutes – 1 hour Materials: Goals worksheet (for each student), Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart (markers/chalk), Pens/ pencils

I will also ask for my friends’ encouragement”  What is my plan of action? “First, I will create a study schedule for myself. Then I will be sure to pay attention in all my lessons. Finally, I must buy a exam book and a pen to take the exam”  Completion Date: When will I be finished with this goal? “The exams are being held in two weeks, so I will be finished on ____ ____” (write a date) 5) Have students share their goals and discuss WHAT ARE MY GOALS? Short-Term Goal

Long-Term Goal

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) On the board write the terms “short-term goal” and “long-term goal” 2) Brainstorm with the class on possible definitions for these terms 3) Have the classes think of examples for both short and long term goals:

Benefits in Reaching My Goal

What might stand in my way?

What might stand in my way?

What do I need to learn or do?

What do I need to learn or do?

Who will encourage me?

Who will encourage me?

Plans of action – Steps I will take

Plans of action – Steps I will take

Completion Date

Completion Date

Short-term: A project that can be completed within six months  I am going to clean my house  I am going to pass my exams in two months  I am going to knit a scarf for my friend



Benefits in Reaching My Goal

Long-term: A project that can be completed in a year or more

 I am going to go to University to become a doctor  I am going to have three children who will attend good schools  I am going to remodel my entire house 4) Give each student a copy of the goals worksheet and explain each part they must complete using a sample goal  Identify your goals: Write one short-term and one long-term goal. Suggest “Pass my exams” as an example of a short term goal. What about a long term goal?  What are some of the benefits of reaching my goal? In our example, “I will make my parents happy and have good scores so I can go on to university”  What stands between me and my goal? “If I do not like to study or do not study enough, this could be an obstacle to passing my exams” or “If I have to help my mother/father with their work, it could be hard for me to study for my exams”  What do I need to learn or do? “I need to learn my math and English to do well on the exam. I also need to bring my exam book to class”  Who will encourage me? “I know that my mother and my teacher want me to do well, so I will ask them to help me study and check me to see if I am studying well.

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Testing the Waters Topic: Decision Making, Responsible Behavior Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To discuss different types of reactions to different situations and discussing if they are risky or not. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 15–17 Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: Four signs: Plunger, Wader, Tester and Delayer, Tape, Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Markers/chalk Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Appoint each corner of the room a number. 2) Tell the students to imagine that they went to the lake and it was a hot day, but the water was very cold. What would you do? 3) Tell them to go to corners:  If you would run and jump right in  If you would go into the water slowly and get your body used to the water  If you would dip a toe into the water to see how cold it was before you got in  If you would stand on the beach and look around to consider what you will do next 5) After they have gone to their corners, give each corner their appropriate sign:  Plunger  Wader  Tester  Delayer 6) Have the groups consider how this relates to real life situations. 7) Give each group paper and pens and tell them to write down the positives and negatives of being in that corner. 8) While they are writing make a chart on the board with four columns, one for each corner. 9) After each group is has finished, have them share their list. 10) In each column, write the positives and negatives for each corner. 11) After every group has read their list, have the class look at the board for a minute. 12) Ask them to think about where they are and where they would like to be. 13) Tell the class if they would like to change their corner they can do so. 14) Ask each group why they are at that corner and how they think it affects their decisions in life. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What are the similarities of your approach to cold water and decision-making in general? Are they similar or are they different?

Advisors Topic: Decision Making Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To talk about people who help us make decisions. 84

Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10 and under Time Required: 30 – 45 minutes Materials: Paper (for each student), Colored pens/ pencils/markers, Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Chalk/markers; Optional: Tape Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask the students how they learned what is right and wrong 2) Most likely they will say their parents and not much more, so make suggestions on other people who help them decide what is right and wrong. Examples could be:  Teachers  Another relative  A friend’s parents  A friend  An older sibling  Priest/pastor or religious leader  Another community leader/member 3) Make a list on the board. 4) Explain that we don’t always have to make decisions on our own and that these people often help us with hard decisions and can act as “advisors”. 5) Let them take a few minutes to look at the list and think about the “advisors” in their life. 6) Give each student a piece of paper and some markers/pens. 7) Tell the students to draw a picture of their greatest advisor. 8) Under the picture they must write a short paragraph explaining why they are a good advisor and how their advisor helps them. 9) This can be difficult for some children. Make sure you give them at least 15 minutes for this part of the activity. 10) Have a few students (or all if you have time) share their picture and read their paragraph about their advisor. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What are qualities that make a person a good advisor?  Do you think your advisors will change when you get older?  Do you think your advisors have advisors? Who are they??

Just in Time! Topic: Decision Making Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To practice situations where changing a decision is a positive thing. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 12–17 Time Required: 45 minutes – 1 hour Materials: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Markers/chalk; Optional: Scratch paper, Pens/pencils

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask your students to close their eyes. 2) Tell them to think of a time when they changed their mind and it had good consequences. 3) Give them a few minutes to think silently. 4) If you have scratch paper and pens/pencils, ask the students to write down their ideas then write down a few examples on the board. If you don’t have such materials, ask for examples and write them on the board. 5) A few ideas they might have:  Wanting a toy or object, deciding not to buy one and finding out later that it wasn’t fun anyways  Wanting to yell at a friend for a mistake they made, deciding not to and finding out later that they didn’t actually make a mistake  Deciding that taking the marshutka at night was dangerous, deciding to stay another night and take the morning marshutka and finding out later that there was a drunk driving accident that night near your house 6) After you have a few examples on the board, split the class into groups for four or five. 7) Ask the class to come up with a short skit demonstrating a time when changing your mind is a good idea. 8) Give the groups at least 10 - 15 minutes to prepare a skit. 9) After everyone is finished, ask each group to perform their skit. 10) After each skit, ask the students a few questions:  What was the original decision made?  How was the decision changed?  Why was it changed?  What happened after the decision was changed?  What could have/would have happened if the person did not change his/her decision? 11) Summarize the activity. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What are steps you can take to make good decisions?  Who are people you can go to for advice about making a decision?

Good Decision for Bad Habits Topic: Decision Making Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To demonstrate bad habits and discuss ways to change bad habits. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 15 and under Time Required: 45 minutes – 1 hour Materials: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Markers/chalk; Optional: Scratch paper, Pens/pencils Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask you students to define a “bad habit”.

2) Brainstorm possible definitions and write them on the board. 3) Ask for examples of bad habits and write them on the board. Some examples can be:  Watching too much TV  Not doing your homework  Eating too many sweets  Talking in class  Biting your fingernails  Chewing on pencils and/or pens  Not covering your mouth when you sneeze 4) Explain that people usually don’t change their behavior until they realize that bad things happen because of bad habits. 5) Ask the class to split into groups of four or five. 6) Tell the groups that they must chose a bad habit from the board and come up with a short skit about that bad habit. 7) In the skit they must answer the following questions:  What is the bad habit? (act it out)  Why it is bad?  What does the bad habit do?  How do you stop this bad habit? 8) Give at least 10 – 15 minutes to prepare the skits. 9) After everyone has finished, have the groups present their skits. 10) After each skit, discuss the questions presented above. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What bad habits do you have? (have them write in a journal or on a piece of paper)  Why is it bad?  What can you do to stop these bad habits?  Why do you think bad habits start?  Are their good habits? What are some examples? Who’s in Charge? Everyday, your parents and teachers help you make decisions. You make many important decisions for yourself, too! As you get older and smarter, you will make more decisions for yourself. On the list below, circle who makes the decision with you. Who decides: My favorite color?

me

teacher

parent

When I go to bed?

me

teacher

parent

What I study in school?

me

teacher

parent

What I have for dinner?

me

teacher

parent

What grade I get in English?

me

teacher

parent

Who I sit with at school?

me

teacher

parent

Who my friends are?

me

teacher

parent

What my favorite game is?

me

teacher

parent

If I should help a friend?

me

teacher

parent

If I go to school?

me

teacher

parent

What medicines I take?

me

teacher

parent

If I’m nice to someone?

me

teacher

parent

Where I sit in class?

me

teacher

parent

Name ..................

Date .................. 85

What is a decision?

4. A book I like is .................................... .

A decision is when there are different things you can do and you pick one of them. You make decisions every day.



Some decisions are easy, like choosing which book to read. Some decisions are hard, like deciding the best birthday present to get for a friend! Here are some things you probably decide for yourself. Write in your decisions and why you made each decision.



I decided to read that book because .......... .

5. My favorite game to play is ..................... . I decided to play that game because ......... .

6. I share ........................... with my friends.

I decided to share that with my friends because ............................................... .

1. When I got dressed for school, I put on . ..... .

I decided to wear this because ................ .

7. What is a decision you made today? ...........

Why did you decide to do that? .................

2. For breakfast, I had .............................. .

I decided to eat that because .................. . Name ..................

3. On my way to school I talked to ............... .

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I decided to talk to them because . ........... .

Date ..................

Peer Pressure 87

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Wellness Cookies Topic: Peer Pressure Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To show students the effects of peer pressure and different ways people react to it. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 12-17 Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: Cookies (enough for all the class plus maybe some extras), Prepared instruction cards; Optional: Blackboard/whiteboard/flip chart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Prepare instruction cards before class. 2) Divide the class into groups of five. 3) Give each student one of the prepared instruction cards. Tell them they must not show it to anyone else in the group. The five cards must read: #1, 2, and 3 - Take one cookie, eat it slowly, and then try to persuade everyone else in the group; #4 – Wait two minutes, then take a cookie; #5 – Don’t take a cookie no matter what. 4) Let them work it out for five minutes, then stop. 5) Ask the class about what happened in their groups:  Ask person #5: How did you feel being pressured to do something you were told not to do?  Ask person #4: How did you feel about giving in?  Ask person #5: How did you feel when the person gave in?  Ask persons #1,#2,#3: How did you feel persuading others?  Ask all: Who makes your decisions? 6) Let each group discuss answers with the class. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  You can add all sorts of subjects to this Topic:. For example, attach it to doing drugs, smoking, or just general decision making. Peer pressure can be used in many different ways

Self-Determination Role Play and Journal Write Topic: Self-determination, Peer Pressure Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn about self-determination and peer pressure. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 14-17 Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Pens, Journals; Optional: Role play cards Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): Define self-determination: Self-determination= (n.) Determination by oneself or itself, without outside influence. (found at www. dictionary.com)

 Self-determination is a value that many people find important.  A value is a principle or an idea that people think is important.  Self-determination is a feeling that leads to freedom of a person’s ideas.  Self-determination means that you don’t have to follow the crowd and that you can go your own way.  Self-determination gives you more selfconfidence.  Self-determination allows for more selfrespect 1) Choose Silly Sally, and Self-Determined Sam. 2) Choose five students to pretend that they are smoking. 3) Have Silly Sally approach the group of smokers. 4) Have the smokers tell her how great cigarette smoking is and try to get her to smoke a cigarette. 5) Have them tell her some reasons to start smoking: cool, tastes good, gives a good feeling... 6) Have her mull it over out loud: the pros and the cons. 7) Have her fall into the trap of peer pressure and start smoking. 8) Have Self-determined Sam do the same thing as Sally, but he will say no to smoking. 9) Repeat this several times so that everybody gets a chance to try at least one part. 10) You can switch the roles from Silly Sally to Silly Sam to be more gender nuetral. 11) Afterwards, have students get into small groups of four. 12) Have them brainstorm about what they saw. 13) Have them write in their journals about what they saw and what would be the best response. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Peer pressure and ways to counteract it. Situations that students find themselves in that involve peer pressure.

Peer Pressure Skits Topic: Peer Pressure Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To show visually different peer pressure situations and different solutions Number of Students: 15-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: Optional: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Role cards Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Explain to the group what peer pressure is and how it can be both bad and good. 2) Have the class come up with different scenarios where peer pressure is used or situations they have seen where peer pressure has played a part. 89

3) Divide the class into groups of four or five. 4) Give each group a Topic: (you can have role cards prepared if you like). 5) Tell the groups they must create a skit on that Topic: and present it to the class. 6) Example Topics are: smoking a cigarette, doing drugs, stealing, cheating on a test, not studying, wearing stylish clothing, not eating/eating too much food, doing something dangerous, disobeying your parents, etc. 7) You can also use examples of “good” peer pressure. Examples are: stopping a bad habit, listening to a teacher, participating in a sport or other healthy activity, etc. 8) Have the groups present their skits. 9) Leave room for discussion afterwards. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:     

What were the situations in each skit? Have you seen these in real life? Any real life examples? What can you do to counteract peer pressure? What are the differences between peer pressure and peer support? How can you tell the difference?

Peer Pressure Simulation Topic: Peer pressure Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To demonstrate the group dynamics involved in peer pressure. Number of Students: 4-30 Age Range of Students: 13-17 Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: One role card per student, One bag of M&M’s (or other similar candy) per group of four students and extras for “non-eaters” Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide the class into groups of four. 2) Each group is given four role play cards. The role cards should read: Role 1: Someone playing this game has candy and will try to get you to eat some. You immediately agree to eat the candy and try to get others to eat it Objective – try to persuade others to eat the candy Role 2: Someone has candy, and will try to get you to eat some. Don’t eat any candy at first. Give a reason why you don’t want any. Finally, give in and start eating. Then get others to eat them. Objective – Persuade others to eat the candy. Role 3: Someone in your group has candy and will try to get you to eat some. Don’t eat the candy, no matter what anyone says to you. If you do not eat any, you will get your own after the game. 90

Objective – Don’t eat any candy. Role 4: You have a bag of candy. Get everybody in your group to eat the candy. Slowly eat the candy while you persuade the others to eat some too. Objective – Get everyone to eat the candy. 3) Before beginning, make sure that the students understand their tasks and that they must do exactly what the role card says. Also make sure they know they are not allowed to let the others in the group know what is on their card. 4) Give the student with card number four the bag of candy and have each group begin. 5) Move between groups and facilitate when necessary. 6) After ten minutes stop the group and discuss (suggested questions below). Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What happened in your group? Who had the most difficult job? Why?  How did it feel to be pressured by the group to eat candy? Was it difficult to think of reason why you didn’t want the candy? Was it more difficult to refuse when you were the only one who wouldn’t eat the candy? How did it feel to pressure others? How did you feel after you gave in and began eating the candy? What real life situation did this activity illustrate? Can you think of a time when your friends put the same kind of pressure on you?

Peer Pressure and the Media Topic: Peer pressure, Consumer Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To increase students awareness of peer pressure in the media. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 12-17 Time Required: 45 minutes Materials: A variety of magazines, Pen and paper for each group. Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Describe and discuss what peer pressure is. 2) Divide the class into groups of four or five. 3) Ask the students to look through the magazines and find examples of magazines that use the concept of peer pressure to sell products. 4) Ask the group to answer the following questions:  What are they trying to sell?  Who is being targeted by this ad? (Who are they selling it to?)  Does this ad tell the truth? Why or why not?  Is this ad convincing? Why or why not?  How does the ad use peer pressure to sell the product or service?

5) Give the groups about 15 minutes to complete the questions. 6) After they are done have each group present their findings to the class. 7) Leave time for discussion. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics: Ask students:  On whom do advertisers use peer pressure techniques?  How can consumers protect themselves against such advertisements?

Holding Your Ground Topic: Peer pressure, Decision Making Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To demonstrate how difficult it can be to take a stand on an issue and stick with it. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 12-17 Time Required: 30-45 minutes Materials: Large cards number 1-10 Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Lay the numbered cards on the floor (or tape them on the walls) in order from 1 to 10 with space in between each one. 2) The words “Strongly Agree” should be written next to number one, and the words “Strongly Disagree” should be written next to number ten. 3) Ask one student to come to the front of the room. 4) Give him/her a controversial statement from the list below (or your own). Suggested ideas:  Our school should/should not have uniforms.  A woman can do any job in the workplace that a man can.  It should be illegal for anyone younger than 21 to drink alcohol.  It should be illegal for anyone younger than 18 to smoke.  It is a waste of time to vote.  Music by artists such as Metalica or Lekseni is not art, it is crude and obscene. 5) Ask him or her to stand by the number that represents how he/she feels about the statement (1 meaning strongly agrees and 10 meaning strongly disagrees). 6) Now it is the task of the other students to try to convince the student to change his or her position on the Topic: (to change number). 7) They can use any means necessary to try to persuade the student. 8) All students should try to change the person’s mind even if they agree with the student. 9) If the student agrees with a statement made by the students on the opposing side of the issue, he/she will move to another number. 10) Limit the time up front to 7 minutes. 11) Repeat this several times (don’t try to get everyone in the class, it will talk too long).

12) Discuss the activity after it is finished. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Ask the students: How did it feel to be alone at the front of the room? If you moved, why did you move? How did you feel after you moved? Was it difficult to argue your position when you were alone? If you didn’t move, why didn’t you move? How did it feel to be in the group trying to change the volunteer’s mind? How did you feel when you were successful in changing his/her mind?

Ranking Peer Pressure Topic: Peer pressure Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To help students analyze their choices Number of Students: 15-30 Age Range of Students: 12-17 Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) List behaviors that are likely to involve peer pressure on the blackboard (for example: smoking, doing drugs, drugs, sex, cheating in school, bullying others, wearing cosmetics, wearing certain cloths, not doing well at school, etc). 2) You can also have your students list the behaviors. 3) Make sure there are ten behaviors ranging in negativity. 4) Ask students to rank the behaviors from 1 – 10, with one being the easiest to resist and 10 being the most difficult. 5) As a group, discuss the factors that influenced their rankings (for example, legal versus illegal, the frequency with which they observe the behavior, the behavior of their friends, previous experience, the influence of a particular person, a past experience that has influenced them, etc.). 6) Have the class form groups based on their rankings of the behaviors (for example, one group will be students who ranked smoking as the most difficult behavior to resist). 7) Ask the groups to discuss why it is difficult for them and make a list of reasons not to engage in the behavior and techniques to successfully resist peer pressure. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What are some ways you could avoid peer pressure?  Can you think of examples of bad peer pressure you have seen? Good peer pressure?  Why do you think peers pressure other peers into doing “bad” things?

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Peer Pressure Role Plays Topic: Peer pressure Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To practice responding to difficult situations Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 12-17 Time Required: 45 minutes Materials: Cards with situations on them Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide the class into small groups (4-5). 2) Give each group one of the situations below. 3) Have students prepare skits to illustrate the situation and their response (this should take about 15-20 minutes).  You have been invited to a party, but you know that your parents will not let you go. Your friends are encouraging you to lie to your parents and tell them that you are going to the library. What do you do?  Some of your friends stole a copy of next week’s big English test. They plan to use it to cheat, and they have offered a copy to you. What do you do?  There is a group of cool kids at your school. They like you, but they say that your best friend is a loser. They say that you should stop talking to your best friend and hang out with them instead. What do you do?  You are at a party and it is time to leave. The person who drove you there has been drinking wine all night and is drunk. Your friends say it is no big deal and they get in the car, but you are afraid it is not safe to ride with a drunk driver. What do you do?  You are leaving school and you see the director’s car. Your friend asks you to watch for passers-by while she writes on the side of the car. What do you do?  You and your best friend meet some cool kids in the park. Suddenly, someone pulls out a pack of cigarettes. Everyone else, including your best friend, takes a cigarette. They want you to take one too, but you don’t want to. What do you do?  You go to a party with friends, and as soon as you get there, you see that everyone is smoking marijuana. What do you do?  Several kids you know are planning to play a cruel practical joke on someone and they want you to help. What do you do?  You friend really wants to experiment with marijuana, but she doesn’t want to smoke it alone – she wants you to try it with her. She assures you that it will be safe. What do you do?

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The Best Response Game Topic: Peer Pressure Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To identify the typical ways people use to pressure others, finding responses to those pressures. Number of Students:15-30 Age Range of Students: 10 and up Time Required: 45 min – 1 hour Materials: Slips of paper, Pen/pencil, Watch or clock with a second hand, Paper; Optional: Blackboard/ whiteboard/flipchart, Markers/chalk, Prize for the winning team Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Choose three or five judges and break the rest of the class into groups of 4 or 5. 2) Tell the class that you’ll read common lines given to pressure others into something. 3) Teams have 2 minutes to come up with the best response to the line and write it on a slip of paper. 4) After two minutes, someone will collect all the papers. 5) Read them all aloud to the class and give them to the judges. 6) The judges have 1 minute to judge whose the best was and announce the winner. 7) Give two points to the winning team and zero to the rest of the teams. 8) Continue this for the rest of the lines (you can vary the number by the number of people you have or how much time you would like to take). 9) After you have read all the lines, count the points. The team with the most points wins. Example Lines:                

Everybody is doing it If you truly love me, you will do it I know you want to, you’re just afraid Don’t you trust me? Cigarettes aren’t addictive the first time you try them I’ve only have a few drinks, I’m okay to drive If you were my real friend you’d do it. You’ve done this before, so what’s the problem? If you don’t drink with me I won’t be your friend If you don’t, someone else will! Practice makes perfect. Nothing bad happens if you just try a little bit. You don’t think I’m stupid do you? But I love you. Don’t you love me? Nothing will go wrong, don’t worry. Aren’t you curious?

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:

 Discuss each scenario with the class and ask them what they thought of it and if they would do anything different.

 Is it easy to use these responses in real life? Why or why not?  What sort of situations would these lines be used?

Peer Pressure Role Plays #2 Topic: Peer Pressure Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To examine common peer pressure situations, come up with strategies in dealing with peer pressure, and find strategies students are comfortable using. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 10 and up Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Role play cards Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Create cards with role plays on them pertaining to various peer pressure situations (see attached role play sheet). 2) Divide the class into small groups. 3) Give each group a role play card. 4) The groups should meet and talk about the peer pressure situation and come up with a realistic reaction or response for the problem. 5) The group should then create a role play showing the situation and how the young person resists peer pressure. 6) After each role play, process the situation and responses with the entire class. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Was it realistic?  Would the resistance demonstrated actually work in the situation?  Is this a common situation in our community? Peer Pressure Role Play Cards 1) A boy goes to a supra with a group of his friends. The supra was very far into the mountains, so his friend drove them in his car. At the supra, his friend with the car drank a lot of wine. When they walk to the car after the supra, his friend is stumbling and is obviously drunk. His friend gets into the car and all of the other friends also get in. The boy knows that it is very unsafe to drive drunk and does

not want to get into the car. He tells his friend that someone who is not drunk should not drive, but the friend insists that he can drive very well. Perform a role play on what this boy should do. 2) A group of secondary school students are at a dance. They are dancing and having a really good time together. One of the students takes out some alcohol from under his or her jacket. He or she starts drinking and tries to get the others to drink, too. He or she says that there is more to drink outside and tries to pressure others to join him or her in drinking. Some of the students agree. Show how the other(s) could handle this pressure situation. 3) Some friends are chatting outside. One of their friends comes up to them and joins them. After a few minutes, this person takes out some marijuana and lights it up. He or she asks the others to join him or her. They all resist for a while, but then some of the group also smoke. One refuses to smoke. Now, the group pressures this person to join them. Show what the person should do to resist this peer pressure. 4) A group friends are hanging out near the market. They are talking about how board they are. They really wish they had something to do. One of them suggests that they go to the grocery store and steal some chocolate. Some of the friends agree – excited to do something on this boring day! As the groups walk to the store, one of them is really afraid and does not want to participate in stealing from the store. Create a role play showing what this person might do to resist the peer pressure. 5) A group of young men are talking about women. They are talking also about how they like going to the prostitutes’ house and brag to each other about having sex. They are teasing one young man about the fact that he has not been to the prostitute and has not had sex. They tell him that he must go with them next time to become “a real man”. The boy does not feel comfortable with going. Create a role play showing how this boy could handle this situation assertively.

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Saying No 95

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How to Say No Topic: Peer Pressure, Saying No Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To have students practice strategies for saying no. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 12-17 Time Required: 45 minutes Materials: Slips of paper, 2 Containers, Blackboard Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask students to write a scenario in which they would feel pressured to behave in a certain way on a slip of paper. 2) Put all the slips of paper in a container at the front of the room. 3) Tell the students to brainstorm a list on the blackboard of different ways to say no (for example, being direct, giving a reason, being funny, changing the subject, making an excuse, physically leaving the room/place, putting it off until later, finding a friend to support you, etc.). 4) Write each of these strategies on slips of paper and put them in another container. 5) Have a volunteer come to the front of the room and choose a situation and a strategy. This student can choose 2 to 4 other students to help act out the situation. 6) The volunteer will use the strategy on the slip of paper to escape from the difficult situation. 7) Leave time for discussion at the end. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What strategies were most effective? Ineffective?  Are certain strategies more effective for certain scenarios?  What strategies would you be most comfortable using?

Refusing Food Politely Topic: Saying No Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To develop students’ refusal skills. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10-15 minutes Materials: Optional: Pictures of food or actual food Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Prepare short dialogues about being offered and refusing food. 2) Have students practice them in pairs. 3) The dialogues should simulate being pressured to eat a lot of food, unhealthy food or food that is not wanted.

Examples:  Would you like more soup?  Would you like some candy?  Would you like another slice of cake? No thanks grandma 4) Teach the kids to gracefully decline food and not make negative verbal or non-verbal comments (such as sticking their finger in their mouth with a gagging motion). 5) Also teach them how to politely respond to questions such as “You don’t like my cooking?” 6) You can expand and give them different cultural situations (you are guest, it’s a birthday supra, you have a guest over, etc.). Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Is it difficult for you to refuse food? Why or why not?  In what situations is it the more difficult to refuse food? Why?  Do people pressure you to eat food a lot?  Do you ever eat more than you wanted to because someone asked you to?  How do you feel when are pressured to eat something you don’t want?  How does this relate to other pressures (cigarettes, drinking, etc.)?

Saying “No” Nicely Topic: Saying No Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Develop students’ refusal skills. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: Any age Time Required: 20-25 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Tell the students that sometimes you need to say no when someone makes a suggestion, offers something or asks you to do something for them. Of course, saying just “no” can be rude. Here are some of the most common ways to say “no” nicely (without being rude).  Would you like to see a film tonight?  I’m afraid I can’t go out tonight. I’ve got a test tomorrow.  Why don’t we have some Chinese food?  Sorry, but I don’t particularly like Chinese food.  How about taking a nice walk?  I’d really rather not take a walk this afternoon.  Would you like to come to the museum with us?  Thank you, but it’s not my idea of fun.

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 Let’s go for a drive.  Sorry, I’m really not fond of driving for the fun of it.  Why don’t you stay the night?  That’s very kind of you, but I have to get home. 2) When someone makes an offer, it is polite to first thank that person and then say no. 3) You can often offer an excuse for not wanting to do something 4) You don’t have to justify your response of the request is unreasonable. You can just say “no thank you”. 5) Have your students work in pairs to practice offering and refusing each other politely. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Have you ever had to say no to a friend? Did you use these methods?  How can you use these same methods for refusing something dangerous?

Ways to Refuse Topic: Saying No Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Children learn that sometimes we have to say “no” to our friends and that they can say no and still be cool. They also learn that it is alright to refuse to smoke. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 8-17 Time Required: Varies Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Tell your students about 6 ways to say “no” and mean it (by Lynn Battle):

It is not until we can say “no” that our “yes” means “yes” and our “no” means “no”. Saying “yes” when you would rather say “no” gives you stress, which can cause physical symptoms, such as headaches, shoulder tension and disturbed sleep. Some people who find saying “no” difficult are confusing rejection of a request with personal rejection of the person making the request. Saying “no” doesn’t mean that you don’t like a person, just that you are refusing their current request, and vice versa. When saying “no”, be honest, calm and polite. It will help you maintain control, and avoid escalating the situation or alienating the other person. People are happier to accept an honest “no” than be faced with indecision and a delayed refusal. How do you say “no” and mean it?

The direct “no”

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When someone asks you to do something you don’t want to do, just say “no”. No apolo-

gizing, be direct and succinct. For example: if you are asked to join someone for lunch, and you don’t want to, simply say “No, thank you”. The reflecting “no”

Here you acknowledge the content and feeling of the request, then add the assertive refusal at the end. For example, “I know you want to talk to me about talking the annual department lunch, but I can’t do lunch today”.

The reasoned “no”

Give a brief and genuine reason for the refusal without opening up further negotiation. For example “I can’t have lunch with you because I have a report that needs to be finished tomorrow”.

The rain check “no”

A way of saying “no” to a specific request without giving a definite “no”. It’s a prelude to negotiation, not a rejection of the request. Only use it if you genuinely want to meet the request. For example “I can’t have lunch with you today, but I could make it sometime next week”.

The enquiring “no”

A way to find out more about a request, to see if it’s something you want to do. For example “I can’t have lunch today, but is there anything else you would like to talk to me about, other than the new proposal?”

The broken record

This can be used when someone continues to make a request after you have politely declined. Repeat the simple statement of refusal again and again with no explanation. For example “No I can’t have lunch with you” (Oh please, it won’t take long) “No, I can’t have lunch with you” (OH come on, I’ll pay) “No, I can’t have lunch with you”.

2) Ask students to prepare dialogues of their own and present them to the class. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What were the easiest ways to say no? The most difficult?  When would you most likely use each refusal?  Have you ever been in a situation where someone made a request you didn’t want to do?  How did you react when the person make the request?  Can you use these ways of saying no in more serious situations? How?

Ways to Refuse Substance Abuse Topic: Saying no Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To look critically at the kinds of negative peer pressures they are under at this age,

to recognize some of the ways which they internalize peer pressure, to learn bout the harmful consequences of alcohol and other drug use, to see how innocent actions can often lead to serious consequences, and to learn some ways to resist negative peer pressure. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 8-17 Time Required: Varies Materials: optional: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Lead a discussion on ways to overcome peer pressure Discussion Prompts

Saying “no” to your friends can be very hard sometimes. You may be afraid of what they’ll think if you don’t go along with them. Here are some good ways to say “no” and still be cool:  Say what the problem is (that’s mean, that’s illegal, etc)  Say that its’ not cool to do that  Say what the consequences are  Suggest something else to do instead  If your friends insist on doing it anyways, leave. But leave the door open for them to change their minds and join you.



Sometimes you can make it easier on yourself by preparing. Here are things you can do ahead of time:  Think ahead and try to anticipate possible problems  Think about your friends’ characteristics and what they do that you don’t like  Decide in advance what you intend to you  Think of some good methods to handle certain problems, or how to avoid problems all together



Discussion Questions

1) Agree or disagree: it’s better to go along with the crowd than to make your own choices. What do you agree or disagree? 2) What is peer pressure? What does it have to do with making choices? 3) In what ways has peer pressure changed as you’ve gotten older? 4) Does peer pressure sometimes affect the way you or your friends make choices? How? 5) One made the point that peer pressure is nothing unless you fall into it, and you can choose not to do that. Do you agree with him? Why or why not? 6) How do you decide whether or not it’s okay to follow the majority? When is it okay? When is it not okay? 7) How does it make you feel when you do something that you know you shouldn’t have done? 8) What makes it hard to say “no” to a friend?

9) What are the benefits of knowing how to say “no”? 10) Someone said that when you’re under the influence of alcohol, the alcohol starts doing your thinking for you. What did he mean by that? Do you agree? Why or why not? 11) Someone said that alcohol makes you say and do things you wouldn’t if you were sober. Do you think that’s true? If it is true, what’s wrong with it? Have you ever seen that happen to anyone before? 12) Someone said that when you’re under the influence of alcohol, you’re a hazard to yourself and others. What did he mean by that? Do you agree? Have you ever known anyone to get hurt, or to hurt someone else when intoxicated? 13) Do you think movies and television make alcohol use look attractive or unattractive? Does that influence you in any way? Do you agree with the way the portray drinking? What changes would you make? 14) Do you know anybody who has ever benefited from smoking, drinking alcohol, or using other drugs?

Saying No to Alcohol & Other Drugs Topic: Saying No Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To provide students with a system for saying no to friends who want to do something unhealthy Number of Students: 5-25 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 1–1.5 hours Materials: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Write a list of common excuses on the board. 2) Have students determine their weakness. 3) Ask them to think of other excuses that aren’t in the list and analyze those as well. Excuses  Just one (or, a little won’t hurt)  I can control myself, so this once won’t matter  Everybody’s doing it  I don’t want to be left out  I deserve this, just this once  I feel stressed out. This will help me relax  If I don’t do this, they’ll think I am a…  If I don’t do this, they might not like me  If I don’t do this, they might get mad at me  I’m too young for this to hurt me 4) Help the class make a list of positive thoughts they can review to increase their sense of selfworth and help them to say “no” when needed 99

5) Make a list and hang it on the wall as a constant reminder 6) Make up several hypothetical situations and have the kids do role plays in which they practice saying “NO” Examples:  Your friends want you to lie to your parents about where you are going because if they knew they wouldn’t let you go.  Several of your friends are planning to cheat on a big test and they want you to be part of it.

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Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What situations where the most difficult? Why?  What methods of saying no did you use?  What methods of saying no worked the best? Didn’t work at all?  Have you been in any similar situations? What did you do?

Peer Mediation and Conflict Management 101

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Mediation – What is it? Topic: Character Building, Mediation Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn how to resolve conflicts by use of a third party and generate understanding of teamwork and problem solving Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 12-17 Time Required: 90 minutes Materials: Cards with different scenarios that might happen at school (see below) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Brainstorm about what mediation is and when it can be used (for example: two students have been hassling each other for a month, calling each other names and spreading rumors. The situation has escalated to the point where it is disruptive for teachers and other students. A teacher refers them to the mediation coordinator who asks them both in and asks if they want to try mediation. They both agree and a meeting is scheduled.).

Mediation: attempt to make two opponents agree



Mediator or Mediation Coordinator: a person who tries to help two opponents agree

2) Define mediation. Mediation is: a voluntary process where a neutral third party helps the disputants (those in conflict) discuss their problems rationally, share their beliefs, feelings and concerns, come to a better understanding of each other, and develop their own solution to their problem. It brings two people (or groups) together in a safe and structured environment, and helps them stay focused to find the solution that meets their needs. 3) Divide the class into groups of 4 or 5. 4) Have each group choose a card with a scenario at random. 5) Have the groups act out that scenario in a short skit about how to solve that scenario with mediation. 6) Leave time for discussion after each skit and talk about the scenario with the class and how each group solved the problem with mediation, and other possible ways to solve it with mediation. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Can you think of situations in your life where a mediator would have helped you?  Can you think of a time where you have used someone as a mediator?  What are the characteristics of a good mediator? Example Scenario Cards

ball is run over by a car and ruined. This is Giorgi’s only ball and gets very angry. He will not talk to Vasha. 2) Lali invited Nino to her birthday supra. Nino’s other friend Dali also invited her to a supra on the same night. Nino is trying to decide and both Lali and Dali are angry that she is thinking about going to the other’s supra. 3) Tamari is always last to be picked for any games that her friends play. One of her friends, Nana, seems to talk the rest of her friends into picking Tamari last. Tamari is very sad and doesn’t know why Nana would be unkind to her. 4) Jaba loves khachapuri and just bought a new piece from the café. Another boy, Giga, bumps into Jaba and Jaba drops his khachapuri on the ground. Jaba gets very angry and hits Giga. 5) Taco has liked a boy, Anri, for a long time. She has been to shy to tell him, or anybody else. One day, Taco hears that her friend Julieta likes Anri and Anri likes her back. Taco is very hurt and won’t talk to Julieta. Julieta doesn’t know why. 6) Bacho has been very unkind to Luka for several years. Bacho’s father has been fighting with Luka’s father for a long time, tells his son that Luka is a bad boy. One day Bacho and Luka get into a fight and Luka breaks Bacho’s nose.

Conflict Management Match Topic: Conflict Management Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Identify personal management styles and develop awareness of strategies used with each conflict management style. Number of Students: 4-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 30 – 45 minutes Materials: Handouts of names and descriptions (one for each group); Optional: Blackboard/whiteboard/ flipchart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide the class into groups of 4 or 5. 2) Give each group a handout (or write it all on the board). 3) Have the group match the personal management styles with the description. 4) When each group is done go over the answers as a class.

Shark – Competing – assertive and uncooperative



Teddy Bear – Accommodating – unassertive and cooperative

1) Giorgi kicks his friend Vasha’s soccer ball into the street during a game of soccer and the 103



Turtle – Avoiding – unassertive and uncooperative



Owl – Collaborating – both assertive and cooperative



Fox – Compromising – intermediate in both assertiveness and cooperativeness

Descriptions: - An individual pursues his or her own concerns at others’ expense. This is a power oriented mode in which one uses whatever power seems appropriate to win ones own position - This is the opposite of competing – an individual neglects his/her own concerns to satisfy the concerns of the other person. There is an element of self-sacrifice in this mode - When a person does not pursue only his/her own concerns or those of the other person and instead both persons work together to find a solution that will fully satisfy their concerns. It includes identifying the underlying concerns of the two individuals and finding an alternative which meets both sets of concerns. - The objective of compromise is to find some expedient, mutually acceptable solution which partially satisfies both parties. It fall sin the middle group between competing and accommodating. Compromise gives up more than competing, but is less that accommodating. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  This should be used in conjunction with other conflict management activities

Conflict Management Brainstorming Topic: Character building, Conflict Management Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To identify personal management style(s) and develop awareness of strategies used with each conflict management style Number of Students: 4-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 30 – 45 minutes Materials: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Pens/ pencils, Paper Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide the class into groups of four or five and give each group paper and pens/pencils. 2) Using the personal management styles in the last activity (shark, teddy bear etc.), have the groups brainstorm when each style would be beneficial to use. Examples are: Fox – When to use compromise:  When the goals are moderately important and not worth the use of more assertive modes. 104

 When people of equal stature are equally committed.  To reach temporary settlement on complex issues.  To reach expedient solutions on important issues.  As a back-up mode when competition and collaboration doesn’t work. Owl – When to use collaboration:  When other’s lives are involved.  When you don’t want to have full responsibility.  When there is a high level of trust.  When you want to gain commitment from others.  When you need to work through hard feelings, animosity, etc.  The best decisions are made by collaboration! Turtle – When to use avoiding behavior:  When the stakes aren’t that high and you don’t have anything to lose – “when the issue is trivial”.  When you don’t have time to deal with it.  When the context isn’t suitable to address the issue – “it isn’t the right time or place”.  When more important issues are pressing.  When you see no chance of getting your concerns met.  When you would have to deal with an angry, hot-headed person.  When you are unprepared, taken by surprise and you need time to think an collect information.  When you are too emotionally involved and need to step back so others around you can solve the conflict more successfully. Teddy Bear – When to use accommodating behavior:  When the issue as important to you as it is to the other person.  When you discover that you are wrong.  When continued competition would be detrimental – “you know you can’t win.”  When preserving harmony without disruption is most important. Shark – When to use competitive behavior:  When you know you are right.  When you need a quick decision.  When you meet an aggressive person and you and you need to stand up for your own rights.

Peer Mediation Topic: Character Building, Mediation Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To have students identify sources of conflict in their school and techniques for mediating such situations Number of Students:4-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17

Questions

Time Required: 45 min – 1 hour Materials: Prepared dispute examples Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Brainstorm as a class about the sources of conflict in your schools. 2) Ask these questions:  Who is a peer?  What is mediation?  What are the most common conflicts at your school? Are they physical or verbal, what are they about, between whom, etc.?  What are some good rules for a peer mediation session? (i.e. they’re not allowed to get out of their seats, no cursing, raising their voices, or physical contact with each other, each person must have uninterrupted time to tell their side of the story, anything said in the mediation session is completely confidential) 3) Divide the class into groups of four: two to role-play a dispute, one to mediate and one to observe. 4) Assign a dispute to each group for them to act out (examples: One student has heard that another student has been spreading rumors about them through the school gossip. A student confronts a friend after discovering that this friend ahs been secretly dating his/her ex-girlfriend/boyfriend). 5) The two in conflict act out their problem and then the mediator uses mediation techniques/rules to bring them to a peaceful resolution. 6) The observer leads a discussion about what happened, how well the problem was solved, and how things might have been done differently. 7) Have them discuss their feelings about each stage, then switch roles. 8) After groups have completed the assigned role play, direct students to suggest other confrontations to role play and choose one to complete an additional role play. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Talk to the class about the role plays and ask for any questions, comments, or suggestions for change (adding on to what the group said).

Conflict Resolution Topic: Conflict Management Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): For students to identify the ways they deal with conflict and to release their anger Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 45 minutes – 1 hour Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Brainstorm as a class. Provide questions about how to deal with conflicts with friends and family and how they would feel in certain situations.

2) 3) 4)

5)

 What are some common ways people deal with conflict in their lives? (avoid the problem, holding in your feelings until you explode, ignoring people, confronting others aggressively, complaining about people behind their backs, venting to someone else, expressing frustration physicallysuch as punching a wall, etc.)  How do you find a release for your anger? (playing sports, listening to music, writing out their feelings, playing and writing music, talking to an objective person, etc.) After you finish brainstorming do the activity Put the words “I feel,” “when,” and “because” on the blackboard as a visual cue to students. Starting with yourself, go around the class and ask each student to express an “I” message of their own about a problem in their lives. If a student has trouble thinking of one, present a situation to them, such as a friend who has just cancelled plans with them to spend time with her boyfriend.

Example : I feel sad when my friend does not call me when she says she will because it makes me think she does not like me.

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Have you ever had strong feelings in a conflict, but did not express them to the other person? Why/why not?  What happens when you try to hide feelings from others? From yourself?  Why is expressing feelings helpful during a conflict?

Peer Relations Topic: Peer relations, Community Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): For the students to discuss and understand how “cliques” at their school can cause problems Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 45 minutes – 1 hour Materials: One index card (or piece of paper) for each student Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Lead the students in a discussion on the types, causes and affects of “cliques” at their school through a series of questions: Questions

Talk about the existence of “cliques” and social hierarchies in their school. How can “cliques” cause problems for teens?  Unified school events like dances don’t work because of vastly different music styles and tastes.  Students feel they have to avoid other students. 105

 Students feel they don’t have the same rights as others – for example, being denied a space at the bathroom mirror or water fountain.  Students who don’t fit into a particular group can end up feeling very lonely and alienated.

Are there clearly drawn lines between “cliques” at your school? What can you say about them? (try to get students to talk as honestly as they can – they might be afraid to talk about other people).



What are the advantages to being in a “clique”, or mostly unchangeable group of friends? What are the disadvantages?



How are different students stereotyped in school?



Ask students to give examples of how the media, especially TV, creates stereotypes about teens, such as “fat people are the class clowns”, “athletes are the stupid bullies.”

2) Pass out index cards (or paper) to the class. 3) Ask the students to anonymously write down the one thing they would like other students to know about them. 4) Collect the cards and read them to the class, then discuss the findings: for instance if several students mentioned the same thing. 5) Point out that even if students are very different they can still have something in common. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Do you feel as if you have been stereotyped?  Do you ever feel like part of a clique?  Do you ever feel left out of certain cliques?

Dealing With Problems in Groups Topic: Conflict management, Teamwork Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Students will list potential problems that might occur in a group and identify strategies to cope with problems that arise in groups. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 10 and up Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Markers or chalk, Problem scenario cards (next page) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before the class prepare the scenarios on separate cards. 2) Introduce the Topic: to your class. Explain that they are going to do a short exercise to look at the kinds of problems that might come up in small group discussions and ways to deal with those problems 3) Split the class into groups or pairs. 4) Give each group/pair a problem card.

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5) They should read the situation, discuss it, and report back to the group:  What might be the effect of this behavior on the whole group?  What are strategies for dealing with this behavior 6) Have all the groups report back. 7) Discuss each situation and possible ways to approach the problem. 8) Come to an agreement with the group about how to handle the issue. 9) After all the groups have presented, ask everyone to help summarize the strategies. 10) Write them on the board so that you can refer to them later. Some ideas might be:  Create “ground rules” for the group during the first session and refer to them when there is a problem.  If here are disruptions, politely remind the group that there is a task or problem to solve and a time limit.  Talk privately to the person causing the problem. Try to find out what is at the root of the problem. Review the basic group rules and how the person’s behavior is negatively affecting the group. Request his or her support and cooperation for the next time the group meets.  Respond to those who interrupt by saying, “Excuse me. Just a reminder that everyone in the group has a right to speak without being interrupted.” Or “Excuse me, please let ….. finish before speaking.”  If the behavior is so disturbing that it cannot be ignored, address it in the group. Criticize what is being said or done (not the person responsible for the disruption). Point out how the behavior blocks the groups from functioning well.  At the end of a group session, lead a discussion about how the group is doing. Try to do this in such a way that feelings are not hurt. 11) Brainstorm a list of suggested rules. Some suggestions are:  Everyone will be given an opportunity to talk.  Everyone will participate fully and freely.  Everyone has a right to “pass” (to decide not to discuss something personal).  Only one person talks at a time, no interrupting others.  No insults or negative comments.  Keep on the Topic:, no side discussions or other Topics.  Be on time, maintain punctuality.  “What you hear stays here”. Information revealed in the session should be confidential. Problem Scenario Cards  The small group has been together for a few days now and it is quite clear that Giorgi dominates the others. He talks most of the time and when others say something, he does not pay attention.

 Natia has been very quiet during the first group meeting. However, suddenly she becomes very critical of the other group members. She makes rude remarks to one person in particular but also objects to opinions expressed by the rest of the group  Giga is a little older than the others in the group. He tells people in his group what to do and how to do it. No one has objected to what he is doing, but you can tell they are not happy about the situation.  Tea often interrupts others in the group. She also puts others down by calling their ideas stupid or dumb. The rest of the group is getting angry with her because of her behavior.  Lasha is not really interested in the group meetings. When he attends, he acts bored and does not contribute. At other times, he tires to talk to someone in the group about something completely off the Topic:. If others do not join him, he becomes loud and disruptive.  The boys in the group always talk first, answer questions first, and dominate the discussions. The girls always seem to wait for the boys to speak first – even if they obviously know the answers.

Hand Push Topic: Conflict Resolution Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To demonstrate different methods of conflict resolution and how people react to each other. Number of Students: 6-30

Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10-15 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask participants to form two lines, facing each other. 2) Each participant touches palms with the participant facing him or her in the other line. 3) Call one line “Line One” and the other “Line Two”. 4) Ask all the participants in Line One to start pushing against the person in Line Two, using only their palms. 5) People in Line Two can respond in any way they like. 6) After 30 seconds or so, ask everyone to stop and to change roles. 7) This time Line Two members should push against Line One members and Line One members will respond any way they like. 8) After another 30 seconds, ask everyone to sit down in a big circle. 9) Ask people how they felt doing this exercise. 10) Did they respond by pushing back or by giving in or what? 11) How does this exercise relate to real life experiences or conflicts? Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  (Suggested above)

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General Health, First Aid and Safety 109

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Healthy Living Mobile Topic: General Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To help students be aware of healthy lifestyles and what goes into living a healthy life. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 8-15 Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Sticks/coat hangers (two sticks or one coat hanger), Yarn or string, Thick paper, Markers, Scissors (one for each group), Pens, Something to make a hole in the paper; Optional: Wire coat hangers (work better, but expensive), Hole punch, Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Other decorations to make it pretty

 Hand the mobiles in the classroom, or tell them to hang it in their room to remind them of what a healthy lifestyle is Suggested Mobile Shapes

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask the class what they think is a healthy lifestyle. 2) Ask the class what things they think go into living a healthy life (you may use a blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart to write the class’ ideas on). 3) Divide the class into groups of 4-5. 4) Tell each group to brainstorm a list of things that go into living a healthy life (encourage them to be specific). This should take approximately ten minutes. 5) Give each group two sheets of thick paper and a pair of scissors. 6) Tell the groups to cut out a heart and write everyone’s names in the group on the heart. 7) Then tell the groups to choose six of the parts of a healthy life from their list (give them 10 minutes). 8) Tell the groups they must cut out different shapes (they can be all one shape or all different shapes, its up to them) and write the six parts they chose on the shapes (give them 6-10 minutes). If you have enough time you can have them decorate the shapes. 9) Give each group two sticks or coat hanger, seven pieces of string/yarn, and instruct them to put a hole at the top of each shape, tie a string onto it and tie it to the stick/coat hanger (give them 10 minutes for this). 10) After each group has completed their mobile, have them present what they have to the class. 11) Ask each group what they put on their mobile, why they put it on (did they chose the most important according to the lesson, what they see as important in their life, etc), and why each one is a part of a healthy life. 12) Allow for questions from the class and discussion time at the end 13) Review what a healthy lifestyle is and why it is important Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  List activities that the class does that attributes to a healthy lifestyle  Ask the class to list at least five things they could add to their lives to be more healthy  Keep a healthy lifestyle journal

Defining Health Topic: General health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Students will be able to understand that health is made up of four main categories and give examples from each category Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10 – 17 Time Required: 30 – 45 minutes Materials: Poster or blackboard divided into 4 parts, Pictures of various activities, foods, people, symbols, etc. Colored pencils, Half sheets of white paper Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide the poster/blackboard into four sections and label the four sections of the poster/board: physical, psychological, social, spiritual. 2) Warm up: pass out pieces of paper to students and have them draw a “healthy person” (the can work in pairs). Encourage them to think about where a healthy person would be and what they would be doing. 3) Share pictures and have them explain why the person is healthy. 111

4) Reveal poster/board and introduce the four categories of health, citing examples from the pictures drawn by the students. 5) Distribute pictures (or have them draw their own) and have the class try to determine which category each picture goes in. Some pictures go in more than one category. This shows health is interrelated 6) Examples of what would be included in each group: Physical    

exercise diet rest nutrition

Psychological    

emotion identity feelings confidence

Social    

friendships family relationships school

Spiritual    

faith purpose prayer, meditation morality ethics

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Have each student share an example of one thing they do that is healthy and one thing they do that is unhealthy.

Action Health Posters Topic: General Health, Community Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Students will be able to list health problems and describe actions they can take to solve and/or prevent them. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10 – 17 Time Required: 50 – 60 minutes Materials: Pens, Paint or markers, Poster board or paper Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide the class into groups of 4 or 5 2) Each group will be responsible for a health problem (for example, colds, diarrhea, HIV/AIDS etc) 3) Brainstorm heath problems the students know about. Ask them about what they think their families have had in the past year. 4) Assign each group a health problem and tell them they are to make a poster about the problem 5) They should include a picture of what a person with the problem looks like, what a child can do to help prevent the disease or how to take care of someone with the problem, and what a group 112

of children can do to prevent disease or take care of someone with the problem.

Example: Cavities: one student can brush his/her teeth after eating, rinse out his/her mouth or massage his gums, eat an apple, eat plenty of dairy

6) Have each group present them to the class. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Have the students take some of the actions they have listed/drawn.  Hang the posters in the school/community.

Sickness and Accidents Topic: General Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Students will be able to understand common health problems and common accidents. Number of Students: 10-50 Age Range of Students: 6-15 Time Required: 1 hour Materials: First aid kit (band-aids, sling, etc), Flipchart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide the class into groups of three or four. 2) Assign each group a sickness or an accident (cold, fever, diarrhea, headache, tooth ache, stomachache, cuts, burns, broken bones etc). 3) Give five minutes to think of a quick role play. 4) Have each group perform in front of the class. 5) Have the whole class ask, “What’s the matter?” 6) The role play says “I have a stomachache” or whatever illness they are demonstrating. 7) Have students decide if they should go to the health center, doctor or hospital. 8) Have the students use the first aid kit or come up with their own pretend medicine to help the people in the role play. 9) The class can be divided into two parts, one playing the doctor, and one being the patient. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:     

What were the problems you came up with? What were the solutions? Who do you call if it is a serious problem? How would you get to a hospital? What would be your actions during an emergency?

Age, Weight and Measurement Topic: General Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Students will be able to state their ages, measure, and state their weights as well as measure and state their heights Number of Students: 10-50 Age Range of Students: 6-17 Time Required: 1 hour

Materials: Centimeter stick or tape, Scale, Paper, Pens/pencils

butcher paper. The group would then draw the various organs where they belong.

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:

1) Have each student tell his/her age and write it down on their piece of paper. 2) Weigh each student and have the student write it down. 3) Measure each student and have the student write it down in centimeters. 4) Ask the students their ages. 5) Have two or three students come up to the front of the room. 6) Ask their ages. Who is older? 7) Ask the students their weights. Who weighs more? (be sensitive on this one) 8) Ask the students their heights. Who is taller, tallest? 9) Make age, height and weight graphs for the classroom.

 Ask students what they think each organ does.  Ask students why they think each organ is important.  Explain the function and importance of each organ to the class.  For older students you can talk about what things hurt each organ (smoking hurts lungs etc). Body Organ Sheet

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Discuss how students can keep track of their height on a large board at home.  Keep a growth chart in the classroom and check height every couple of months.  Discuss how weight doesn’t necessarily mean your fat (muscle weighs more than fat!).  Discuss how being skinny doesn’t necessarily mean you are healthy.

Human Body Topic: General Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Students will identify the location of the body’s major organs. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 5-15 Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Body organ sheet, Flipchart paper, Glue, scissors and crayons/markers Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before the lesson, draw an outline of a large body on flipchart paper. 2) Make copies of the body organ sheets for each student so that each student will have a small outline of a body and each organ. 3) You can cut out the organs before class if there are no scissors available to the class. 4) Divide the students into cooperative groups of four. 5) Use the flipchart to discuss the proper location of each organ. 6) Students can then cut out and paste each organ in the appropriate location on their personal body outline. Group members should help each other with the placement. 7) Students may color the puzzle for display. 8) A possible variation for this lesson would be to have student groups draw full-size body outlines of each other (or of one member of the group) on

Healthy Bones Topic: General Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Students will identify two ways to build and maintain strong, healthy bones. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 10 – 17 Time Required: 45 minutes Materials: Flipchart paper, A rusty nut and bolt, A non-rusty nut and bolt; Optional: A visual of the skeletal system (or hand outs) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before the class, draw a refrigerator on the flipchart paper and draw various foods inside the refrigerator. 2) Compare a rusty nut and bolt to what might happen to a person’s bones when they age. 3) While discussing the skeletal system, use the two sets of nuts and bolts to illustrate the importance of exercise to your bones, especially joints. 4) Have a volunteer try to undo the rusty nut from its bolt.

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5) Explain that this rust has built up over time from little use. The joints between our bones can also become weak from inactivity. A rusty bolt like this will probably break off rather than turn out of the nut as it should. So too, the bones in our body have a greater chance of becoming brittle and breaking without sufficient exercise over the years. 6) Use the clean nut and bolt with a second volunteer. 7) Allow the class to see how easily the nut comes unscrewed. Explain that, like this well-oiled nut and bolt assembly, properly maintained bones will serve a body well throughout a lifetime. 8) Ask students to name different types of exercise that they may do on a regular basis. 9) Explain that another important element in building and maintaining strong, healthy bones is diet. Calcium is an important mineral that our bodies need for proper growth and health. Our bones are made of calcium just as our teeth are. 10) Ask if anyone knows which food group is filled with foods rich in calcium (dairy). 11) Ask what some dairy foods are (milk, yogurt, cheese, curds, ice cream). 12) Have students (one at a time) come to the flipchart paper and circle the foods in the refrigerator that are rich in calcium. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Do you know any other foods that aren’t dairy products that have calcium?  Remind students that if you exercise the muscles around the bone and joints, the muscles and joints won’t have to take so much wear and tear Bone Chart and Information

What is Your Desirable Weight Range? Topic: Adult health, general health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Students will be able to state their current weight, height, and desirable weight range for optimal health Number of Students: 1-25 Age Range of Students: Adults Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Yard/meter stick, Scale, Weight range chart, Paper strip marked off in centimeters for measuring wrist; Optional: Calculator, Paper to record personal information Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Try to make sure the group is comfortable with each other before this activity (try a fun ice breaker). Explain what the lesson will be about. 2) Weigh each person, without shoes and/or heavy sweaters. 3) Have students write down the information on their paper (optional). 4) Measure height in feet and inches without shoes (have students record – optional). 5) Determine what size body a person has. This is done by dividing their height in centimeter by their wrist circumference in centimeters. Wrist measure should be taken just past the wrist bone, hand side. 6) Have students record this information (optional). 7) Compare the ratio to the following chart to determine body frame size. Sex

Small

Medium

Large

Men

>10.4

9.6-10.4

>9.6

Women

>10.9

9.9-10.9

>9.9

8) Use the three measurements to find the desirable weight range on the chart. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Discuss healthy weight and risk factors to being over/under weight.  You could discuss diabetes after this lesson.  Talk about ways to bring down/up your weight in a healthy way. Men

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Height

Small

Medium

Large

1.55 m

55.79-58.51

57.15-61.69

60.33-65.77

1.57 m

56.70-59.42

58.06-62.60

61.23-67.13

1.60 m

57.61-60.33

58.97-63.50

62.14-68.49

1.63 m

58.51-61.23

59.87-64.86

63.05-70.31

1.65 m

59.42-62.14

60.78-66.22

63.69-72.12

1.68 m

60.33-63.50

62.14-67.59

65.32-73.94

1.70 m

61.23-64.86

63.50-68.95

66.68-75.75

1.73 m

62.14-66.22

64.86-70.31

68.04-79.38

1.75 m

63.05-67.59

66.22-71.67

69.40-79.38

1.79 m

63.96-68.95

67.59-73.03

70.76-81.19

1.80 m

65.32-70.31

68.95-74.84

72.12-83.01

1.83 m

66.68-72.12

70.31-76.66

73.94-84.82

1.85 m

68.04-73.94

72.12-78.47

75.75-87.09

1.88 m

69.40-75.75

73.48-80.29

77.56-89.36

1.90 m

71.21-77.56

75.30-82.55

79.83-91.63

Women Height

Small

Medium

Large

1.45 m

44.91-48.99

48.08-53.52

52.16-58.06

1.47 m

45.36-49.90

48.99-54.43

53.07-59.42

1.50 m

45.81-58.99

49.90-55.79

53.98-60.78

1.52 m

46.72-52.16

50.80-57.15

54.88-62.14

1.55 m

47.63-53.52

52.16-58.51

56.70-63.50

1.58 m

48.99-54.88

53.52-59.87

58.06-65.32

1.60 m

50.35-56.25

54.88-61.23

59.42-67.13

1.63 m

51.71-57.61

56.25-62.60

60.78-68.95

1.68 m

54.43-60.33

58.97-65.32

63.50-72.57

1.70 m

55.79-61.69

60.33-66.68

64.86-74.39

1.73 m

57.15-63.05

61.69-68.04

66.22-75.75

1.75 m

58.51-64.41

63.05-69.40

67.59-77.11

1.78 m

59.87-65.77

64.41-70.76

68.95-78.47

1.80 m

61.23-67.13

65.77-71.12

70.31-79.83

Losing Our Rights (Human Rights) Topic: General Health, Emotional Health, Character Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To discover what human rights are and their importance, as well as the personal meanings they have for each student. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 15 and up Time Required: 30 - 40 minutes Materials: Slips of paper, Blackboard/whiteboard/ flipchart; Optional: Handout of international rights Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask the class what the term “human rights” means to them. 2) Ask students what human rights do they have? 3) Brainstorm with the class what they consider to be basic human rights for all people regardless of race, sex, religion, sexual orientation or health status? (Some of these Topics might be excluded if the class is not ready to discuss such touchy Topics). 4) Give each participant five small pieces of paper. 5) Have students write down five rights that are important to them, one on each piece of paper. 6) Have students hold up the papers like a hand of cards. 7) Walk around the room and randomly take away slips of paper.

8) Try to make it uneven, taking one or none from one and all five from another. 9) Have the members process what they lost and ask them some questions:  How did they feel about the injustice of the selection process?  How did you feel when your rights were taken away? Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What are human rights?  What are human rights of your country?  Do human rights change because of culture? If so, how?  What would you do if your human rights were taken away from you?  Do you think it is acceptable to have rights restricted? Why or why not?  What rights should never be taken away, no matter what the circumstances?

First Aid Rescue Relay Topic: First Aid, Safety Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Students will be able to demonstrate first aid techniques and explain when to use them. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 1–1.5 hours Materials: Local first aid equipment: Pillows, Rags, Blankets, Strips of cloth, Signs, labeling each station, Directions for each station, Someone with prior knowledge of first aid! Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) 2) 3) 4)

5) 6) 7) 8)

Demonstrate and explain all techniques. Divide students into teams of 4 to 5. Have the teams practice on each other. Have students find their own materials once they have divided into groups or provide materials ahead of time. One person on each team is the patient. The others on the team carry out the relay, going from station to station. Designate station locations ahead of time – they should be at least 15 feet apart. The station sequence is as follows:  Station One – Team member 1 carries the patient to Station 2 using the fireman carry  Station Two – Team member 2 applies a triangle splint, then team members 1 & 2 carry the patient to Station 3 using the two person carry  Station Three – Team member 3 creates an arm sling, then team members 1, 2 & 3 carry the patient to Station 3 using the three person carry  Station Four – Team member 4 applies a pressure dressing to the patient’s arm. 115

Team members 1,2,3 and 4 roll the patient onto a blanket to the finish line 9) The first team to complete all the tasks correctly and cross the finish line wins.

12) Allow class to make any constructive comments about their plan.

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:

 What is a possible fire escape plan for your school/work?  Encourage your students to discuss their fire escape plan with their family members.

 Talk about which situations to use these techniques (have them give examples).

Home Fire Escape Plan

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:

Example Fire Escape Plan

Topic: Safety, Fire Safety Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To have students design their own fire escape plan for their home Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Large piece of paper or poster board, Markers/pens, Rulers, Example fire escape plan of your own house; Optional: Prepared list of things to consider for the plan Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask students if they have ever seen or heard of a house fire. 2) Ask students if they can think of any ways these fires start. 3) Explain to students that fires are deadly and unless you know a good plan ahead of time, you may panic and get stuck. 4) Introduce the idea of a fire escape plan. 5) Show the class an example of your house’s fire escape plan. 6) Hand each student a large piece of paper. 7) Explain to students that they must make a fire escape plan for their own house. 8) Tell them a few things to consider:  Where are all the exits of the house?  Where are all the bedrooms? Which floor are they on?  Where are the possible sources of a house fire? (Remember that electrical outlets can be a source too!)  Where is the bathroom? Sources of water? Is there a bathtub? (explain that getting in a bath full of water may be a last resort)  If the fire is between you and the door, is there another way to get out?  Can the windows open from your room? Can you reach the ground without getting hurt?  Do you need any additional items for your plan (for example, a fire ladder in your room)  Where will your family meet after they get out? (explain that accounting for everyone is very important) 10) Have students take their poster home and make a fire plan for their house. 11) Have them bring them to the next class and show them. 116

First things first Decide right now what situations you are willing to help in and which you are not. Communicable diseases:  Air-Borne disease, such as the flue and common cold  Blood-Borne disease, such as HIV and Hepatitis B; These are transmitted through body fluids, most commonly blood. Latex gloves can help to protect your hands, but you can still become infected through mucus membranes such as eyes and mouth. EMERGENCY ACTION STEPS 1) Check the Scene  Is the scene safe for you?  What happened?  How many victims are there?  Can bystanders help?  Do not move victims unless necessary. 2) Check the Victim. Is the victim conscious or unconscious? Tap the victim on the shoulder and shout “Are you OK?” 3) If the victim is UNCONSCIOUS shout for help and have someone call an ambulance. Make sure to point to someone in particular or no one will take the responsibility.  The exact location or address of the emergency?  Phone number calling from?  What happened?

How many need help? Condition of the victim? What is being done? Caller should hang up last Check for sever bleeding (check person from head to toe)  Four things to check (Known in English as the ABCs) A - Airway     

 Caused by the immune system ‘jumping at shadows” (mistaking a harmless thing for danger)  Can be caused by a number of things

Bleeding  Causes may be a simple scratch to a deep internal problem.  Remember that the amount of bleeding does not always mean a bad injury.

1) Check to see if airway is clear B - Breathing 1) Look, listen, and feel for breathing for about 5 seconds. 2) If victim is not breathing or you can’t tell, position on back while supporting the head and neck. 3) Tilt head back and lift chin to open airway. For child or infant, do not tilt the head back as far. 4) Look, listen, and feel for breathing for about 5 seconds.



Breaks & sprains  Causes include broken bones, tendons (connect bone to muscle) or ligaments (connect bone to bone) torn or stretched or a combination of the two.  Bones can heal completely and become stronger than ever after a break. Tendons and ligaments never fully heal.

 Caused by a combination of excessive heat for an excessive time.  The sun takes an hour or more, a frying pan only a second.

Cold (frostbite)  Causes differ depending on the symptoms.  Frostbite is caused by the body shutting down blood flow to an extremity and letting it freeze.

Solutions: - If it happened fast, heat quickly, if freezing was slow, heat slow. - Never rub frostbite - Warm frostbitten parts in warm (50 C) water - Apply soft bandages to frostbitten areas when dry

Hypothermia  Hypothermia is the entire body failing to deal with cold temperatures.  It can be very dangerous

Common Problems and Solutions Allergies

Solutions: - Stop the burning. Cool the burn immediately for up to 10 minutes under cold running water. Never use ice. - Apply a clean, absorbent, loose dressing. - Don’t touch it. - Never pop a burn blister

C. CALL the hospital if the victim needs medical care. D. If there are no signs of injury, have the victim rest until ready to stand.

Solutions: Splinting (only when it is necessary to move the victim.)

Burns

B. CHECK victim from head to toe.  Victim should not move any part that hurts.  Look for a medical alert tag on the victims wrist or neck.  Look for changes in the victim’s breathing.  Notice how the skin looks and feels.  Look over the body: - Examine the scalp, face, ears, nose, and mouth. - Check the shoulders, chest, and abdomen. - Check fingers, hands, and arms - Check hips and legs.

Solutions: - Elevate the injury above the heart (if no suspected bone break) - Use pressure. - Use many dressings. Layer, Layer, Layer. If one layer gets soaked, apply another. - Wash hands immediately afterward.

5) Give 2 slow breaths if not breathing. C - Circulation 1) Check for pulse for about 5 to 10 seconds: 2) Adult or Child - At the side of the neck (Cardiac) 3) Infant- Inside upper arm between shoulder and elbow 4) Continue with rescue breathing or CPR or control bleeding as necessary. 5) If victim is CONSCIOUS, CHECK for conditions that need care or become life threatening. 6) Talk to victim and bystanders 1. Introduce yourself. 2. Get permission to give care. 3. Ask the following, questions:  What happened?  Do you have allergies?  Are you taking any medications?  Do you have any pain?

Solutions: Give antihistamine right away to help slow/stop the process. Loosen clothes.



Solutions: - Remove wet cloths - Move the victim to a warm place 117

- If victim is conscious, give 4 oz. of cool water to drink every 15 minutes. - Call hospital if patient looses consciousness. - Keep victim lying down and continue to cool - Place ice or cold packs on victim~ s wrists, ankles, ground, in each armpit and on neck. - Check Breathing and pulse.

- Put on warm cloths! Blankets - Be gentle; never apply direct heat (heating pad, etc.) to the skin. Heat  Caused by the body being unable to deal with the hot environment. There are two kinds of heat problems.  Heat exhaustion - Signals: Headache, nausea, dizziness heavy sweating, dilated pupils  Heat stroke - Signals: Read, hot, or dry skin, changes in consciousness, rapid, weak pulse, rapid, shallow breathing

 Caused by the body trying to bring blood pressure up while loosing the blood volume to do so.  Caused by serious trauma  Can be very dangerous

Solutions: - Get victim out of the heat. - Place victim on back with feet elevated. - Loosen tight clothing. - Remove sweat-soaked clothing - Apply cool, wet cloths to skin. - Fan the victim

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Shock



Solutions: - Lay the victim down. - Keep the victim as calm and comfortable as possible. - Baby the victim. - Elevate lower extremities above the heart. - Continually check pulse and breathing.

General Hygiene 119

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Communicable Diseases Topic: General Hygiene Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Students will identify five behaviors that help spread communicable diseases. Number of Students: Age Range of Students: Time Required: 20-30 minutes Materials: Copies of the story, Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart; Optional: Copies of questions Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

Story: Natia was slow getting up this morning. The night before, she stayed up past her bedtime, and now she was still very tired. She was so sleepy that she didn’t even notice that she had drunk kampoti (juice) out of her brother’s glass; neither did he. However, when Natia sneezed without covering her mouth, everyone at the breakfast table had harsh words for her. She felt bad, but she had been day-dreaming about being back in her bed. While on her way to school, Natia’s nose began to run as it had for the last two days. She wiped her hand across her nose and sniffed in deeply. She remembered that today the speaker from the zoo was coming to her class with some special animals. Natia was excited about this. The speaker from the zoo brought a small monkey for the students to inspect. Natia was so interested in the monkey and the speaker’s talk, she didn’t realize she had her little pinky finger in her mouth the entire time. When lunch time came, Natia was so hungry. She didn’t wash her hands because she wanted to be the first in line. She traded her khachapuri for her friend’s sausage and bread. (Each friend had already taken one bite.) Again at lunch, Natia wiped her runny nose with the back of her hand. She began to cough. She wasn’t feeling very well.

Questions 1) Name five things that Natia did that might have passed her germs to someone else. 2) Who else might have gotten sick because of the germs Natia was spreading? 3) What was one thing Natia probably didn’t get enough of to help her stay well? The habits that should be reinforced are: not sharing another’s eating or drinking utensils; not sneezing/ coughing upon others without covering your mouth; using tissue to blow one’s nose; regular hand washing; and keeping one’s hands out of one’s mouth. Read the dilemma aloud to the class and have each student follow along silently. After reading the story, try to answer the questions either individually or as a class. Discuss each answer.

Answers to Questions 1. She drank from her brother’s glass, sneezed on her family, wiped her runny nose with her hand, stuck her finger in her mouth, did not wash her hands before lunch and shared her lunch. 2. her brother, her entire family, her classmates at school and especially those who ate with her 3. Natia did not get enough sleep. Modified from “Primary Health & Safety Curriculum” by Max Fischer

Hygiene Musical Chairs Topic: General Hygiene Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Students will have fun while learning ways to keep from passing germs. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 17 and under (if in a silly mood) Time Required: 10-15 minutes Materials: Chairs (one for each student minus one) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Make a large circle with chairs, one less chair than the number of students. 2) This is very similar to regular “musical chairs”, except with no music. 3) Have students walk in a circle around the chairs. 4) The teacher calls out the following actions:  Wash your hands  Wash your face  Wash your hair  Take a shower  Brush your teeth  Wash your clothes  Anything else that is considered good hygiene 5) When the action is called, the students do the action while walking around the chairs. 6) When the teacher calls out “dirty”, the students must run and find a chair to sit on the student left standing becomes the leader calling out the actions. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Discuss why these actions are important and when you should do each of them. Do some of them together right there at school.

Stay Away Flies! Topic: General Hygiene Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Students will be able to explain how flies spread germs and disease. Number of Students: 5-15 Age Range of Students 7-17 Time Required: 45 min. Materials: Clay/potato/cork, Toothpicks, Paper 121

Bright paint, Container for bright paint (cut off bottle), Picture of plate of real food Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Model a fake fly out of clay/potato/cork, toothpicks, and paper wings (see next page for diagram). – You may want to let your students all create their own flies. 2) Fill a container with bright paint. 3) Explain to the students that the paint is feces, dirt or germs and the plate of food is their dinner. 4) Have each student dip the fly in the paint and walk it on the food. 5) After each student has done this the paint should be visible. 6) Ask the students if they would like to eat feces or garbage. 7) If the paint represents feces or garbage, would they eat the food with the paint all over it?. 8) Relate this to how flies carry diarrhea and how covering food is more of a prevention. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Discuss how students can keep their food clean at home and other places.

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) This is very health specific. You may want to discuss/teach the basics of diarrhea and dehydration before this activity. 2) Draw a face on the container. 3) Make a hole in the container’s bottom (there should already by one in the top). 4) Plug the hole, and fill the container with water. This represents a healthy body 5) Pull out the plug to show what happens during diarrhea. 6) Discuss what happens when there isn’t enough water in the body. 7) Explain that diarrhea is water leaking out of your body, just like water leaking out of the hole in the bottle. 8) Follow with a discussion of diarrhea and why living things need water to live and be healthy. 9) Emphasize that every child needs a glass of water for every loose stool passed by drawing a line on the container. 10) Fill the container with water to the line then let one cup of water out. 11) Explain this is what happens when a loose stool is passed (does the body have enough water? What must you do to make the body healthy again?). 12) Plug the container again and refill the one cup to explain this is what is needed to make the body healthy again. * You can also show this by squeezing an orange out and explaining that a normal orange is a healthy body and a squeezed orange is a body after diarrhea * You also can demonstrate the importance of water to the body by watering one plant while not watering the other Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Discuss ways in which you can get diarrhea.  Think about what will happen if your body gets no water.

Water Belly Topic: General Hygiene Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Students will be able to explain the importance of water for the body, the dangers of diarrhea and demonstrate how to avoid diarrhea and dehydration. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 20 minutes Materials: Container (plastic bag, hollowed out gourd, cup, water bottle or anything that holds water and can represent a person), Instrument to make a hole in the container, Water, Water scoop or cup for pouring, Plug for hole in the container, Marker

Keeping Water Safe Topic: General Hygiene, General Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Students will be able to explain how water can be contaminated by bacteria and be able to show three or more ways to keep water clean and safe at home or at school. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 20 minutes Materials: White powder (or something that won’t dissolve in water), Large water storage container, Water scoop, Drinking cup Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Explain that the powder represents feces and germs.

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2) Sprinkle the powder in two or three areas on the ground near the large water. 3) Place the drinking cup and water scoop on the ground. Be sure there is some powder next to the cup and the scoop. 4) Walk through the powder and approach the large container to fetch some drinking water. 5) Get plenty of powder on your feet and into the scoop and drinking cup. 6) Dip the scoop into the barrel and pour the water into the cup. 7) Ask who would like to drink the water and why or why not. 8) Discuss where the germs came from, what is wrong with drinking the powdered water and ways to prevent this problem (keep water covered, keep the dipper off the ground, use a dipper with a handle, never let the dipper float in the tub, keep the area surrounding the water clean, wash hands before using the water, wash the drinking cup before using the water, wash the drinking cup before using it, clean out the tub weekly, etc.). 9) Ask for their input before lecturing them on these sanitation tips. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Have the group examine the water supply at school or in the village/city and have them come up with ideas for solving any problems found.

Touch Contamination Topic: General Hygiene, General Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Students will discover important reason for washing their hands on a regular basis. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 1 hour (plus days for the mold to grow) Materials: Loaf of bread (don’t touch it with your bare hands), Two zip-loc sandwich bags, Water, Measuring tablespoon, Anti-bacterial hand soap, Marker Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): Mold is grown from spores. Spores are tiny bodies that settle on damp food, swell, and reproduce. Different molds have different spores which produce varying colors. The very air we breathe is rich in numerous dust and mold spores. Our body’s natural defenses, such as nose hairs and earwax, work to trap such airborne invaders. However, students need to realize that they can decrease the amount ingested by washing their hands regularly. 1) Two to four days in advance of the lesson, remove a slice of bread from a fresh loaf. With this first slice your hands should NOT be clean (they should represent hands that are rarely washed, ask some students to do the same on the same piece).

2) Place the contaminated slice into one of the ziploc bags. 3) Before sealing it, add two tablespoon of water to the bag. 4) Mark the bag unwashed (damp food encourages the growth of mold). 5) At this point, thoroughly wash your hands (preferably using anti-bacterial soap). Whether this is a teacher led demonstration or a group activity, it would be timely to do this around lunch time. 6) Remove the slice of bread, taking care to avoid contact with the contaminated surfaces. 7) Place directly into the second sandwich bag. 8) Once again add two tablespoons of water. Mark as “washed”. 9) Ask the class “What is the only difference between these two bags?” 10) Place both bags in a relatively warm, dark area for the next three to four days. 11) To demonstrate the importance of washing hands, remove the two bags for inspection by the students. 12) The washed bag should have little to no mold on it, while the unwashed bag should hold an array of molds. Different colors of mold may even have taken root. 13) Discuss what helped the mold grow on the once slice of bread (the existence of mold spores, darkness, moisture). 14) Ask, “Where did the spores come from?” (off of the dirty hands and surfaces). 15) Explain that the water represents our body’s perspiration (liquid waste that comes through our skin). Germs and dirt can collect more easily on the surface of our skin if the perspiration is not removed through regular and careful washing. 16) Explain to the class, “Did you know that you had picked up that many germs on your hands during just a normal day of touching things?” 17) Have students take out a piece of paper and list all the things they have touched since the last time they washed their hands (the list probably won’t be complete, but it will get them thinking about the frequency with which they handle objects without washing hands). 18) Close with a final question: “How can we ensure that germs and dirt do not invade our bodies?” (Wash our bodies and hands regularly and throughout the day).

Women’s Beauty Day Lesson Topic: General Hygiene Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To promote general hygiene to women (teeth, hair, skin). Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Big poster paper or blackboard, Slips of paper (colored is best), Pen

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Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Make slips of paper that have health “clues” (colored are better). The slips should have the following clues: For beautiful teeth       

rinse mouth with water brush three times a day calcium is good (dairy) sugar is damaging crunchy fruits and veggies help floss coffee and tea stain them (cigarettes too)

For beautiful skin wash with mild soap or just water moisturize with crème drink water to flush toxins exercise (pumps blood, thus brings nutrients to the skin)  sun in moderation (Vitamin D)    

For beautiful hair  massage scalp (massage is also good for skin, so this can be discussed)  thinning can be caused by stress  protein is good for it (meat or mention pro-v shampoo)  mayonnaise, eggs and beer are helpful 2) Divide the group into teams (also works individually). 3) Spread the slips of paper face down on the table. 4) Have a team pick a paper and read it aloud. 5) Let them decide which category the “clue” applies (hair, skin, or teeth). 6) The other team or participants can debate. 7) The teacher asks for a final answer and also for a defense of that answer. 8) The teacher tells the correct answer and the slip of paper is taped to a big poster divided into three categories (or board). 9) Explain the most “magic” ingredient for all three categories: WATER!. 10) Put water picture up and explain that water replaces lost fluid, flushes toxins and is an essential part of all body tissue (we are over 80% water!) Have them guess what percent.

2) Put Vaseline or vegetable oil on the hands of all the students. 3) Put coffee crystals or dirt on the hands of a few students. 4) Explain that the coffee represents germs that can make you sick. 5) Have the dirty students shake hands with the others, and those students shake hands with yet other students. 6) Discuss how germs pass from contact. 7) Next have some of the students wash their hands with water only, and some students wash with soap and water. 8) Discuss why using soap is better than using water only. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Is there soap available at your school/work?  How many times do you touch objects throughout the day?  How many times do you think you should wash your hands?  When are the most important times to wash hands?

Dehydration Drink Topic: General Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To show students how to make a drink to hydrate themselves. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10-15 minutes Materials: Liter of water, Salt, Sugar; Optional: Small cups for students Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

Topic: General Hygiene Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To stress the importance of washing hands and to have fun! Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10-15 minutes Materials: Vaseline or vegetable oil, Coffee crystals or dirt, A place to wash hands

1) Explain to the students the importance of keeping hydrated (what happens if we don’t have enough water, how many days can we live without water?). 2) Explain symptoms of dehydration (headache, dizziness, dry mouth, etc). 3) Show students how to make a dehydration drink in case of emergencies (when they are experiencing extreme dehydration). 4) Have a liter of water in a bottle or other safe container. 5) Add 2 pinches of salt. 6) Add 2 small handfuls of sugar. 7) Mix well. 8) Have students all try some of the water (you can use small cups). 9) Have students write down the recipe and bring home.

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:

1) Explain to students that everyone’s skin has natural oils.

 When would be a time when you would need to use this drink?

Shake My Hand

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The Spread of Lice Topic: General Hygiene Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To demonstrate how lice can spread from one child to another. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 15-20 minutes Materials: Clay, cork, potato, Toothpicks, White powder; Optional: Combs, Hats Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Make a model louse by using clay, cork or potato and toothpicks. 2) Explain to students what lice are and how easily they can spread. 3) Dip the model lice into white powder. 4) Dance the model around the students’ head to demonstrate how it spreads eggs. 5) Discuss how lice jump from one head to another. 6) Have the model dance around combs and hats (make sure you get a lot of powder on them). 7) Use the combs and hats on the students to demonstrate how it can spread by using other people’s combs and hats. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Can lice spread easily?  Where are you most likely to get lice?  What are some things you can do to prevent lice?  What do lice do to you?  What can you do to get ride of lice?

Fly Tag Topic: General Hygiene Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To demonstrate to students how flies can carry disease. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 6-17 Time Required: 10-15 minutes Materials: Large space to run around in Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Choose one student to be “it”. 2) Explain to the students that the “it” student represents a fly carrying germs. 3) Tell the students that the fly will chase everyone and to try to get away from the fly. 4) If the fly tags a person, that person must sit down and count to 100 because he/she can become “sick”. 5) Vary this activity by having all tagged students be “it” at the same time as the original fly. 6) This shows how quickly germs can spread.

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What are ways to prevent flies from bringing disease?  What can we do to stop the spread of germs from flies?

Sickness Attack Topic: General Health, General Hygiene Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Students will be able to explain how colds and fevers can be transmitted quickly Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 8-15 Time Required: 20-30 minutes Materials: Bag, Piece of paper for every student Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Mark only one piece of paper in the bag “sick”. Leave the others blank. 2) Each student draws one slip of paper. They can’t tell others what is written on the paper. 3) Explain that the person with the sick paper with spread the disease by winking at others during the game. This person must be in the inner circle during the game. 4) Players form and inner and outer circle, the circles walk in opposite directions. 5) The “sick” person begins winking trying not to be noticed. 6) When someone is winked at he/she falls down onto the floor and moves out of the way, trying to touch others when falling. 7) Whoever is touched must fall and get “sick” too. 8) This illustrates contagious spread of disease. * Note: This can be used to express specific diseases. If you use it for HIV/AIDS be sure to emphasize that this is an analogy… don’t let your students think that touching a person with HIV/AIDS will give him/her the disease Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Discuss types of diseases that are contagious. Explain and have the students think of examples of the ways contagious diseases can be spread, by physical contact, contact with body fluids directly or on objects, by sneezing and coughing.  Discuss how long it took for everyone to get sick in the game, and that real diseases can spread that quickly and easily too. Have students suggest ways to prevent catching contagious diseases.

Don’t Sneeze at Me! Topic: General Hygiene Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Students will be able to explain how coughing and sneezing spread germs and how two ways to prevent this. Number of Students: 5-30 125

Age Range of Students: 5-15 Time Required: 20 minutes Materials: Spray bottle, Water Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) 2) 3) 4)

Fill the spray bottle with water. Hold it up to your face, facing away from you. Pretend to sneeze or cough. While you’re doing this, spray the bottle either on the board or on the kids (might be fun on a hot day). 5) Discuss how sneezing and coughing can spread germs. 6) Explain that the water represents germs, which make you sick.

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7) Ask the students how they can prevent spreading the germs this way (wash their hands before eating, after going to the bathroom etc, and covering their mouth/nose when they sneeze or cough and washing their hands afterwards). * Note: This can be a fun activity when the weather is hot. Students will enjoy a nice cool spray! Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What kind of diseases can be transmitted this way?  Suggest coughing or sneezing into your sleeve if you can’t wash your hands right away

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Dirty Teeth Experiment Topic: Dental Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To demonstrate the importance of brushing teeth and avoiding eating bad foods (also to discuss what are good and bad foods for teeth). Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Handout with mixed bad and good foods, Hard boiled eggs (one for each group), Spoons (one for each group), Plastic cups (one for each group), Dark colored soda (like coke), Toothbrushes (you can have students bring their own), Toothpaste Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask students if they have ever been to a dentist. Ask them “What do dentists do?” and “Why do we go to a dentist?” 2) Hold up the hard boiled egg. Tell them that the egg represents their teeth now, nice and white. 3) Hold up the dark colored soda. Tell them the soda represents bad food for your teeth. 4) Ask students what they think are bad and good foods for their teeth. 5) Divide the class into groups of three or four. 6) Give each student a plastic cup with dark colored soda, a spoon and a hardboiled egg (be careful with the eggs!). 7) Tell each student to put the egg into the cup of soda and put it aside (maybe have them put it in a part of the room away from the desks so they don’t fool with it). 8) Hand out worksheet with bad and good foods on it. Have students circle the good foods. Check and discuss answers. 9) Have students bring back their cups and check on their egg to see what color it is (it should be brown). 10) Ask students what happened to their egg. 11) Tell students this is like what happens to your teeth when you eat bad food. 12) Give each group a toothbrush or toothpaste (or have them bring their own) and tell them to brush their egg. 13) Explain them the right way to brush their teeth (in small circles, many times, etc.). 14) Explain how many times a day you should brush your teeth. 15) Ask the students these questions: What did the egg look like before it was in the soda? What did it look like after it was in soda? What did the egg look like after you brushed it? How many times a day do you think you should brush your teeth? Why is brushing teeth important? Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Ask students how many times they brush their teeth, maybe talk about cavities, talk about long term effects of not brushing teeth well.  Good or Bad Foods?

        

Bread Candy Chicken Carrots Soup Chocolate Coke Celery Beets

       

Beef Juice Cake Tangerines Lettuce Cheese Apples Yogurt

Tooth Decay Experiment Topic: Dental Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Students will learn about what causes tooth decay. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 1 hour at beginning and 10 min every day for several days (or another hour after several days) Materials: Paper plates (or regular plates), Crackers Clear containers/jars for each group, Vinegar, Egg for each group, Paper with drawing of egg, Pencils, Jar labels, Tape; Optional: Worksheet with parts of the tooth, Mirrors Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Give each student a plate and a cracker. 2) Have them chew the cracker, spit it out and observe what they see, talk about it as a class. 3) Give each student another cracker and put vinegar on the cracker. 4) Ask students what they see. 5) Explain that saliva has acids much like the vinegar that dissolves the food. 6) Divide the class into groups of three or four. 7) Give each group a paper with an egg drawing, a clear jar/container and an egg. 8) Explain that the egg shell is made up of calcium similar to the enamel on teeth. 9) Have the students carefully put the egg in the jar/container. 10) Pour a little bit of vinegar into the jar, enough to cover half the egg. 11) Have group label their containers and put them aside. 12) The next week (or several consecutive days), have the groups check on their egg and note changes in their egg drawing (if there are holes, have them draw the holes). 13) Have groups also take notes on the changes of their egg. 14) Discuss how this is what happens to our teeth if we don’t take care of them and brush them twice a day. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Before or after the activity you could go over with your class the parts of the teeth and have the students label them on a worksheet. You could also have each student look at their own teeth with 129

a mirror and make observations and take notes. Explain that back molars are more at risk because of grinding food and gum chewing. Our Egg

Good and Bad Foods Topic: Dental Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Students will be able to identify foods that destroy their teeth and gums. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 5-15 Time Required: 20 minutes Materials: Pictures of food (healthy and unhealthy) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

Toothpaste Recipe Topic: Dental Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To show students how to make their own toothpaste. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 10-15 minutes Materials: Camphor (or mint) for taste, Bicarbonate soda, Salt, Toothbrushes for students (have them bring their own) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Explain to students the importance of using toothpaste (like soap for teeth). 2) Explain that sometimes toothpaste isn’t available or expensive, but you can still make your own toothpaste. 3) Mix together:  1 part camphor (or mint) to taste  1 part bicarbonate soda  2 parts salt 4) Wet the toothbrush (first demonstrate), dip and brush away. 5) Have students make their own and use. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:    

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What are the benefits of brushing your teeth? How many times should you brush a day? What happens if you don’t brush your teeth? What are the best ways to brush your teeth (circular motion)?

1) Explain to students that some foods are bad for their teeth and some are good. 2) Tell students what bad foods do and what good foods do. 3) Hold up various pictures of foods. 4) Have the students say if they are “good” or “bad” foods for teeth. 5) Discuss any answers they aren’t sure about. 6) Ask the students what kinds of food are good for their teeth (vegetables, fruits, water). 7) If they have trouble generalizing, show them a pile of good food pictures. 8) Maybe even put all fruits together. 9) Follow up by brushing your teeth with the students after lunch. 10) Have students select only good foods to eat that day. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  The lesson can also lead into a lesson about food groups.  What foods do you eat regularly that are good for your teeth?  What foods do you eat regularly that are bad for your teeth?

Brush Your Teeth Song Topic: Dental Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn a song in English about brushing your teeth. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 5-15 Time Required: 5-15 minutes Materials: Optional: Printed lyrics Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Sing this fun song to the tune of “Row, row, row your boat” Brush, Brush, Brush Your Teeth Brush, brush, brush your teeth Brush them twice a day Brush them up and brush them down They’ll stay clean that way!

2) You can make this harder by doing it in rounds! 3) You can also do the actions with the singing. 4) Have older students teach it to younger ones or perform for younger ones. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Talk about why you need to brush twice a day.  Talk about what happens when you don’t brushing well.  Show students how to properly brush their teeth.

Teeth and Gums Game Topic: Dental Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To explain that healthy gums hold teeth in place, brushing teeth protects the teeth and gums, and that sweets and junk food destroy teeth. Number of Students: 16-30 Age Range of Students: 5-12 Time Required: 20-30 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Have students line up in teams of eight to ten. 2) Tell them they represent teeth. 3) Tell the students to join hands. When they hold hands their arms and hands are just like gums protecting the teeth and holding them in place. 4) Choose one student to represent a toothbrush. He/she must protect the teeth and gums. 5) Choose one student to be the candy. He/she wants to break through the gums and destroy the teeth. 6) Play the game with the candy student trying to break through the arms of the healthy (in a nice way) gums. 7) The toothbrush student tries to stop the candy from doing this. 8) If the candy succeeds in breaking the gum line, then he/she can grab on of the teeth at the break and be another candy. 9) Both candies now try to break through the gums. 10) Stop the game as the toothbrush brushes away that candy or as the gums break. Ask the students what they represent and what their actions represent. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Review the functions of teeth and gums.  Demonstrate how candy destroys teeth with another activity or review this concept.  Follow up the game with brushing teeth after lunch that day.  Have students take some responsibility for daily tooth brushing. They might select people to check their teeth after brushing, someone to lead the daily brushing, etc.

Teeth Brushing Experiment Topic: Dental Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To list different methods for cleaning teeth, explain the importance of brushing teeth three times a day, and when to brush their teeth (after meals). Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 8-17 Time Required: 50-60 minutes Materials: Chocolate or other sticky and dark colored sweets (9 or 10 candies), Flashlight, 2-3 bottles of drinking water, Fibrous food (apple, etc), At least one toothbrush, Toothpaste, 4 drinking cups (one for each volunteer student), soap for hand washing before the experiment, paper, colored markers or crayons Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Select four student volunteers who have clean teeth and as few cavities as possible. 2) Break the remaining students into four groups, one group for each volunteer. 3) Students in the group must shine the flashlight into their volunteer’s mouth and draw a picture of what they see. 4) Label the picture in Georgian “before eating sweets.” 5) After the drawing, have all four volunteers stand up front and let all the students file by and look into their mouths. Tell them to remember what they see. 6) Each of the volunteers now must eat two sticky, dark colored sweets. The sweets need to be visible on teeth after eating. 7) Students in each group shine the flashlight into the volunteer’s mouth and again draw what they see. Label in Georgian “after eating sweets.” 8) Again, line up the students to look into all the volunteers’ mouths and remember what they see 9) Assign each of the four volunteers to clean his/ her mouth differently: Student 1) does nothing, student 2) rinses his/her mouth with water, student 3) brushes his/her teeth and gums, student 4) eats apple (or other fibrous food). 10) The teacher guides students through guessing whose mouth will be the cleanest and why (do not give answers!). 11) Students in each group examine their volunteer’s mouth and draw it. Label the picture in Georgian with the action the volunteer took after eating the candy. Line up to look in all the volunteers mouths again. 12) Have each group present their pictures and discuss whose mouth was cleanest, second cleanest and so on. 13) Explain why even eating fibrous foods and rinsing with water are better than nothing. 14) Put the pictures up in the classroom and encourage students to brush their teeth.

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Teeth Brushing Relay Topic: Dental Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn to brush teeth correctly. Number of Students: 6-30 Age Range of Students: 6-15 Time Required: 20 minutes Materials: Blackboard, Toothbrush for all students (have them bring their own), Demonstration set of teeth (cow jaw bone works well) and toothbrush; Optional: Prize for winning team Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide into teams of no more than six. 2) The first person from each team goes to the front facing his team. 3) He/she shows the first step of teeth brushing (top teeth, outside). 4) The teacher watches and assigns points to each team: 1 point for brushing in the correct location, 1 point for brushing correctly (rotating the brush at the gum line, holding brush at a 45 degree angle). 5) Write the points on the board. 6) Repeat for each person on the team (top teeth, inside; bottom teeth, outside; bottom teeth, inside; molars; tongue). 7) Keep points along the way and be sure to point out what is correct and incorrect about each student’s technique, or ask the students to tell you. 8) The team with the most points wins. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Discuss why it is important to brush teeth, when to brush them and what would happen if students never brushed and all their teeth feel out.  How would they talk? Eat? Look? Fell? (if they’re hungry and malnourished from not eating?)  Have each student write down something that will help him/her remember to brush his/her teeth after every meal and before bed.

Dental Pictionary Topic: Dental Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To have students familiar with dental vocabulary. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 20 minutes Materials: Slips of paper, Blackboard; Optional: Prizes for winning team Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Write on slips of a paper different dental vocabulary words. 2) Have students come to the board and choose a slip of paper at random. 132

3) Have the student look at the word and draw it on the board. 4) The other students must guess the word he/she is drawing. 5) Divide the class into two teams. 6) Have two students come up to the board. 7) Which team guesses first gets a point. 8) Play several rounds until everyone gets a chance. 9) Whoever has the most points, wins! Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Use this activity at the end of a dental lecture.

What Acid Does to Teeth Topic: Dental health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To show students what acid, acidic foods and/or saliva (mild acid) will do to teeth. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 7-17 Time Required: 30 minutes in class, three days of waiting Materials: Teeth from an animal (cow, sheep, etc), Chicken bones (if there is no teeth), Soda (like coke), ugar water, Milk, Water, Salt water, 5 clear cups or jars, Paper, Pens, Tape Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Pour the soda, sugar water, milk, water and salt water into the five separate clear cups or jars. 2) Label each one with a piece of paper taped on the cup/jar. 3) Divide the class into groups of five. 4) Give each group a tooth (or chicken bone) and have them draw and take notes of their tooth. 5) Put each groups tooth into one of the cups. Have the groups label their cup 6) Put the cups aside for three days. 7) After three days have the students get into five groups. 8) Have each group take a cup and draw and make notes about what they see. 9) Have each group present their observations to the class. 10) Discuss what happened with the class. Which tooth looked the worse? Which tooth looked the best? What liquid was the worst for teeth? Which was the best? What does this tell you about acid and what it does to teeth? Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Explain that brushing can fight what acid does to teeth.  Show how to brush the right way.  Explain that not brushing can make your teeth look like the teeth in the worst cups.

Growing Oral Bacteria Topic: Dental Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To show how germs can grow in your mouth and the importance of brushing. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 7-17 Time Required: 30 minutes in class, a couple days of waiting Materials: Gelatin, Toothpicks, White tape (to write on), Plastic to cover gelatin with, Tape, Plates or plastic cups for each student

5) Label the toothpicks with white tape and a pen. 6) Put the toothpicks in the gelatin. 7) Cover and seal the cups/plates with plastic and tape. 8) Set aside for three days. 9) After three days have students (or groups) draw and take notes. 10) Have them share with the class what they found. 11) Discuss how this relates to the bacteria in your mouth. 12) Use a control gelatin as something to compare to. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Experiment at home to work out any problems before you do this in class. 2) Give each student a toothpick and tell them to clean their teeth with it. 3) Give each student a cup with gelatin in it (you can also do this in groups if you don’t have a lot of materials). 4) Have them wipe their toothpicks in the gelatin.

 What did you see in your cup/plate?  If that’s the same bacteria in your mouth, what do you think happens when you don’t brush your teeth?  Would you like to see what you saw in the gelatin in your mouth? Why or why not?  Discuss disease that can happen when there is too much bacteria in your mouth

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Nutrition and Consumer Health 135

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The Food Pyramid

Materials: Food labels (brought by you or by students, should be enough for several for each student), Pens, Paper Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

Serving Sizes Meat:  1 egg  1 cup of cooked meat Milk/Dairy:  1 cup milk  Matchbox size piece of cheese  1 cup yogurt Fruit:    

½ cup jam 1 apple 1 cup juice ½ cup berries

Vegetables:    

½ cup carrots 1 cup cabbage 1 big scoop beans ½ cup cucumber

Bread:       

½ potato ½ cup macaroni ½ cup rice ½ piece of cake ½ potato pie (paroshkey) 1 slice bread 1 biscuit

Food Labels Topic: Nutrition, Consumer Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To help students read and recognize food labels so they can make healthy decisions when buying food. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 1 hour

1) Go over the six basic dietary requirements for maintaining a healthy diet: Carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, mineral, water. 2) Explain how much of each category is too little or too much to eat. 3) Give each student several food labels. 4) Explain to the students what each part of the label means. Explain to the students about portions and recommended daily amounts. 5) Have students record all the ingredients on the label. 6) Have students then record the other information (what of the six requirements does it have? What extras does it carry? How much?). 7) Have students compare/contrast what is in the label compared to what the recommended amounts for each category are. 8) Discuss with the class which foods were the healthiest and which were the least healthy. Why? Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Discuss what kind of labeling was used to attract the customer. What were they trying to emphasize? Was there any nutrition value that the box was trying to sell (example: low in fat, low in sodium, high in vitamins, etc.) Were there any foods that surprised the students and were more or less healthy than they thought?

Grocery Store Field Trip Topic: Nutrition, Consumer Health/Awareness Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn how to shop responsibly at a grocery store (get the food they need without spending a lot). Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 2 hours and 30 min follow up the next day (plus time allowed for transportation to the store) Materials: One teacher for every group of five students, Transportation to store, Shopping List, Pen/ pencil; Optional: Camera (pictures are fun), Calculators, Flip chart paper, Markers Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) The week before doing this activity, be sure to inform your students what you will be doing. Locate an appropriate store and also make sure to talk to the store owner to inform them about this activity. 2) Divide the class into groups of three to five.

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3) Give each student a list of groceries they must find out about (try to make each list different), a pencil, paper, and calculator (optional). 4) Tell students that in their groups they much find this information about each item: different brands/options, prices of each, ingredients (if available), quantity of each item and how much they would need to feed a family of four (they get to decide on this, see what they come up with). 5) Have students turn in their lists and information at the end of the time and go back to school. 6) For the next class prepare questions for the students about the information the students found 7) At the next class hand back the information gathered by each group and let them have ten minutes to discuss and recap what they found (perhaps the questions you provided). 8) Have each group present their trip to the class. 9) You can also have them write down their list and make a poster to present to the class about what items they were able to buy. 10) Another option is to tell the students to make a shopping list that meets the food group requirements for a family of four with only a certain amount of money. Challenge the students to make decision about which foods are the healthiest to buy on a low budget

3) Explain to everyone why vegetables are important: high in vitamins, fiber, what happens to the body when you don’t eat enough). 4) Introduce the food pyramid (you should have a poster with the food pyramid prepared, but don’t write down specific foods, just the categories). 5) Explain each group and what the nutrients are in each group. 6) Give a definition of what a balanced diet is: a diet that has enough but not too much from each group of the food pyramid. 7) Divide the class into groups of four. 8) Explain that each group must make a food pyramid and draw and label different foods within each category of the food pyramid (for example, fish, beans, chicken and beef all go into the mean/protein area). Students can put any foods they can think of into the appropriate categories 9) Give the students a poster board and markers and give them at least 10-20 minutes to complete the task. 10) After everyone is done, have each group present their chart to the class. 11) Leave time for discussion after each group’s presentation. Were there any foods put into the wrong categories? Did some foods cover more than one category?

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:

 Discuss what problems the students came up with while trying to write down the information. Talk about what kinds of foods are more expensive and what are cheaper (candies and sweets are more expensive than flour and eggs, for example). Which brands cost the most? How did the size compared to the price? Is it more difficult to eat healthy food when on a low budget? What kinds of foods seemed like a good deal but weren’t very healthy?

 Expand on why vegetables are important according to the age of the class. You could also expand on a healthy diet and explain further what happens when you do not have a healthy diet. You can explain the connection between healthy eating and athletic performance. You can give examples of diseases or other negative effects that occur when you do not eat healthy foods. Be creative; apply it to the student’s real lives! Discuss which categories most of your diet should consist of. Are there some foods that the students eat more of than they should? Encourage the students to discuss their own dietary habits

Food Pyramid Posters Topic: Nutrition Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To introduce the food pyramid and the concept of a balanced diet. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Poster board (or flipchart paper) for each group of four, Colored makers or pencils, A prepared example of a food pyramid (with categories, not the foods themselves); Optional: Blackboard/flipchart/ whiteboard, Magazine pictures of food (enough for several foods in each category for each group), Glue, Rulers

Balanced Meal Topic: Nutrition Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To teach students the concept of a “balanced meal. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Drawings of food (or magazine cut outs), Plastic bags, Paper to take notes, Pencils, The food pyramid (found at beginning of the chapter); Optional: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

1) Ask the class what their favorite food is (you can write these down on the board if you have one). 2) Take a small poll as to who likes vegetables in the class (you can also write this on the board).

1) Prepare your drawings (or magazine cut outs) of food. Sort the pictures into “meals”. Each meal can consist of an assortment of food. Some meals should be balanced and others not. Then sort each meal into plastic bags. Each bag contain-

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ing either the pictures of a balanced meal or an unbalanced one. 2) Start off by asking the students what their favorite meal is. 3) Explain the six food groups and show students the food pyramid. 4) Introduced the idea of a balanced meal: a meal that has enough and not too much of each food group. 5) Divide the class into groups of 4-5. 6) Give each group a bag with a one meal inside it. 7) Tell students to decide if it is or is not a balanced meal. 8) Ask them to keep track on paper how much food from each category is in the meal. 9) When everyone is done, ask them to present what they have and why they think it is or is not a balanced meal. 10) Discuss each groups answer as a class. 11) Ask the class how what they could add or take away from the unbalanced meal to make it more balanced. 12) Discuss the meals as a class. Are some meals “more balanced” than others? Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Discuss easy ways to make a balanced meal.  Ask students to bring each part of a balanced meal and have a meal as a class.  Discuss more about benefits of a balanced meal.  Discuss what could happen if you don’t have balanced meal.  Ask students to keep a journal of the meals they eat at home: Which ones are balanced? What could they do to make the ones that are unbalanced more balanced? Encourage your students to share this information with their families.

Food Pyramid Foods Topic: Nutrition Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn to group foods by nutritional value. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 8 – 15 Time Required: 30 min – 1 hour Materials: A large food pyramid poster (or drawn on a blackboard), Paper, Pens, Tape, Pictures of food (you can draw them yourself or cut them out of magazines); Optional: Sticky notes Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Prepare pieces of paper with different pictures of food (at least 5 for each group). 2) Introduce food groups and the food pyramid to the class. 3) Describe each food group and its nutritional value. 4) Explain the nutrients that each food has. 5) Split the class into groups of 4-5.

6) Give each group at least 5 different “pieces of food.” 7) Tell the groups to decide as a group which foods fall under which category from the pyramid (this may take longer with younger children). 8) After all the groups are done, have the groups tape their foods into their respective categories on the large food pyramid. 9) Afterwards, have a discussion about the choices the groups made in categorizing their foods. 10) Ask the class if they disagree with any of the placements. 11) Discuss as a class. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Discuss with your class the specific nutrients of each food and what it does to your body.  Discuss problems that may arise if the food pyramid is ignored.  Ask them to create a meal or supra that includes the recommended daily allowance of food from each category.

Food Journal Topic: Nutrition Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To teach students to monitor their food intake and about the importance of a balanced diet. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 1 week outside class, 30 min in-class Materials: Food chart in test booklet or notebook, Pencils; Optional: Blackboard, Pre-made food pyramid Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask the students what they usually have for each meal. 2) Introduce the concept of a balanced meal using the recommended daily servings from the food pyramid. 3) Instruct the students to keep track of what they eat for each meal in a food journal for one week. 4) At the next lesson review what a balanced meal is. 5) Ask the students to look at their list. 6) Divide the class into groups of 4-5. 7) As a group have the groups answer these questions about their lists:  What meals were balanced?  What meals were not balanced?  What do you think was your more balanced meal? Your most unbalanced meal?  What could you add to make your meals more balanced?  What could you eat less of to make your meals more balanced? 8) Discuss the answers as a class.

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Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Have them design a meal plan using their journals and the concept of a balanced meal.  Talk about how balanced meals change with age/ weight etc.  The class could also do this activity again for a longer period of time and this time try to eat more balanced meals. Afterwards you can review if any changes were seen during the periods of eating balanced meals. Did they feel healthier? More alert? Less hungry?

Food Pyramid Dictionary Look-up Topic: Nutrition Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To familiarize students with the six food groups and to introduce the food pyramid. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 7 – 13 Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Dictionaries (one for each group), Poster of Food Pyramid, Blackboard/flipchart/whiteboard, Pen, Notebooks, Several food products (maybe 4 or 5); Optional: More food products, Pictures of food Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Hold up a candy bar and an apple and ask students which do they think is better and healthier for their bodies. 2) Ask the students if they ever think about what they are putting in their bodies before they eat something. 3) Explain that in order to be healthy children they should be eating more of certain foods and less of others. 4) List the six categories shown on the food pyramid (5 food groups: grains, protein, dairy, fruits, vegetables; and sweets/fats -- use sparingly) on the board. 5) Divide the class into groups of five. 6) Give each group a dictionary. 7) Assign each group one of the categories from the food pyramid. 8) Ask groups to get a dictionary and look up each food group. The definitions of the food groups will then be put on the board. 9) Provide many examples of foods in each food group and explain why they are in that food group. 10) Display the food pyramid poster in the front of the room. 11) Explain to the class the purpose of the food pyramid and tell how many servings of each food should be eaten. 12) Hold up more examples and ask what food groups they should be in, either asking if they are in a certain group or asking what group they should be in and why. (For example: hold up bread and ask if it is in the protein group and why or why not.) 13) Restate the definitions of the food groups and ask the children what they think should be added to the definition and why. 140

14) The students will then write each definition with 2 examples in their notebooks. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Have the class get into groups and give them pictures of food. According to the definitions, have them place the foods into the correct categories.

Newspaper/Magazine Menu Topic: Nutrition, Decision Making Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To have students create their own healthy menu. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Newspapers or magazines with food advertisements, Poster board/flipchart or large paper, Markers, Glue, Scissors; Optional: Colored markers, Other decorative things Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Discuss the concept of food affecting the body (“you are what you eat”). Ask students if they think this is true and what this means. 2) Ask the students what they think junk food is and why some foods are considered junk food. 3) Ask the students what they think are healthy foods to eat. 4) Divide class into groups of four or five students. 5) Give each group newspapers and magazines that have food advertisements in them, scissors, glue, markers and a poster board. 6) Tell the groups that they must search through the paper and cut out pictures of healthy food. Then they must create a menu for a healthy food restaurant with the pictures they found (give the students at least 20 minutes for this). 7) Tell each group they must come up with a commercial for their restaurant (give them 10-15 minutes for this). 8) After the groups are done have them present their commercial to the class. 9) After each group has presented, ask them questions like: Why did you chose those foods? What makes those foods healthy? Do you eat these foods at home? Do you see these foods at a restaurant? Encourage each group to ask questions. 10) Ask the class: Would you go to this restaurant? Would people buy healthy food? What would you order? 11) Review healthy foods quickly as a recap. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Go to a real restaurant and ask for their menu. Ask students to list the healthy foods and the not healthy foods available. Have them report back to you in class. Encourage your students to keep a food journal and track their food choices for a week.

Hunger Quilt

Food Pyramid Booklet

Topic: Nutrition, Community, Hunger Awareness, Art Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To bring awareness to the problem of hunger. Number of Students: 15-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Paper squares (3x3), Colored pens/pencils, Snacks, chocolate etc, An example quilt square on paper, Glue, Large piece of paper (maybe several); Optional: Hunger statistics in Georgia; Other mediums (glitter, stickers, etc)

Topic: Nutrition Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn about the food pyramid. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 8 – 15 Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Small note paper, Construction paper or other colored paper, Something to make holes with, Yarn, Scissors, Glue, Food Pyramid poster or sheets, Magazines/newspapers with food in it, Pens; Optional: Ribbon, Card stock paper, Colored makers, Food pyramids to cut and paste

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

1) Hand to each student selection of snacks or chocolate and tell them they MUST not eat it. 2) Open up your own snack or candy bar and start to eat it in front of them. 3) Remind students not to eat anything. 4) After a couple minutes tell the students they are allowed to eat their snacks. 5) Ask the students what it felt like to want food and see someone else having it. 6) Explain how much worse it is for people who go hungry everyday. 7) If possible, give information about local and national hunger issues. 8) Discuss with class what they think of hunger, how they think they can help and why they think it is a problem. 9) Give each student a square of paper and colored pens/pencils. 10) Tell the students that they must create a square for a “hunger quilt”. Tell them they can draw anything or use words to express anything describing the problem of hunger. 11) Give them example Topics such as: hungry children, what hunger does, why people go hungry, why hunger is bad, what we can do to help, what hungry people need, etc. 12) Give them at least 20 minutes to complete this task. 13) After they are done, show kids how to make their paper like cloth: crumple up the paper over and over again, rub it against the desk and rub it together until it’s soft (be careful not to rip it!). 14) When each student is done have them hand in their squares. 15) Glue/tape squares together or glue squares to a very large piece of paper to make a quilt! Hang it on your classroom wall to remind students of the issue.

1) Introduce the food pyramid and the six food groups in it. 2) Explain how many servings and what kind of food goes into each food group. 3) Give each student a piece of colored paper or construction paper, six pieces of notebook paper, and a long piece of yarn. 4) Hand out the scissors, glue and magazines/newspapers. 5) Tell the students to fold the colored paper in half. 6) Tell the students to put the six pages into the folded paper to make a small booklet. 7) Tell the students to poke two holes on the folded age, through all the paper. 8) Have them pull the yarn through and tie it so they are all connected. 9) Tell the students to head each page of the notebook paper with a food group. 10) Have the students draw (or glue on cut out versions of) the food pyramid on the front page. 11) Tell students to cut out pictures of food from the magazines/newspapers and paste them in the appropriate category (remind them to ask you if they aren’t sure). 12) This should take about 20 – 30 minutes for them to complete. 13) Tell them they should bring them home and share them with their family. 14) They can color and decorate them more if they have time. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Have students compare their booklets with each other and discuss the foods they most often each. Have your students use this booklet to record in each category which foods they eat during a few days. Then they can go back and see if certain categories aren’t being met the way they should be.

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Have parents come in to look at the work, display it at school or community center. Have a hunger drive and collect food to give to people in need. Encourage your students to come up with ways they can combat hunger in their town.

Name That Food! Topic: Nutrition, English Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): A fun way to practice the food groups and which foods belong in them Number of Students: 5-30 141

Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 10-15 minutes Materials: Pens, Paper Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Explain the 6 food groups and give some examples of what foods are in each group. 2) Pick one category from the six food groups. 3) Pick any letter from the alphabet (probably best to choose a commonly used one). 4) Tell students they have one minute to write down as many foods in that group that starts with that letter. For example: “grains and B” students may write – bread, bagels, brownies, buttermilk pancakes, baguette, and so on. 5) After one minute is up have the students count the items on their lists. 6) Who ever has the most items on their list wins that round. 7) You can also play this in groups, which might be more fun. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Talk more about the food pyramid. Play Pictionary, but only with foods from one food group. Or play where a food is drawn and the team must shout out what group it belongs to.

Healthy Food Menu Topic: Nutrition, Art, Team Building Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn about healthy food choices and making balanced meal choices from local menus Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Menus, Paper, Pens, Markers; Optional: Colored pens/pencils, Food Pyramid visual Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Read several menus from local restaurants (you will have to either get the menus or write them down if they don’t have one you can take) or make up your own menus. 2) Ask the students whether those meals sounded healthy, why and why not? 3) Divide the class into groups of three students. 4) Discuss with the students the food pyramid and each of its categories. 5) Discuss with class a few ideas of healthy foods they might want to see on a menu when they go out to eat. 6) Tell each group of students to come up with a creative name for their restaurant (Give them a few minutes for this. 7) Tell the students that they must design the cover of a menu for their own restaurant. 8) Tell the students that they must come up with at least two meals and/or desserts that include items 142

from each of the groups on the Food Pyramid (they should have at least 20 minutes for this). 9) When all the groups are finish, have each group present their restaurant. 10) Discuss the restaurants afterwards. If possible hang the menus around the room. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Discuss the properties of each healthy food and what it does to your body. Go out to a real restaurant and see if they can identify the foods that are healthiest. Plan a “healthy food” party and buy only healthy snacks. Have students practice cooking a healthy meal.

Healthy Food Cookbook Topic: Nutrition Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn about healthy foods. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 30 minutes (students also do work at home) Materials: Pens, Paper, Copying ability, Construction paper/colored paper, Stapler/staples; Optional: Computer to type out recipes Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) At the end of a class discuss what makes foods healthy. 2) Ask students what their favorite healthy foods are. 3) Tell students that they must find a recipe for a healthy food and write it at home. 4) Tell the students to inform you of what meals they will be writing the recipes for so you don’t have any duplicates. (You may want to give them a couple days to figure it out and then tell you). 5) Have the students bring in their recipes nicely written. 6) They must include why the food is healthy at the bottom! For older students you can have them write down the nutrients. 7) You can also ask them to illustrate around the recipe. 8) Collect the recipes from the students. 9) Make copies of all the recipes for each student. 10) Use the construction paper to make a colorful cover. 11) Staple together (very easy) to make a book. 12) Give each student a book. 13) Students can also make them for friends and family. 14) You can type out the recipes before you copy them if possible. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Have students cook their food at home and bring to class for a healthy food supra!

Food Pyramid Matching Game Topic: Nutrition Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To get students familiar with the food pyramids and which foods go in which category. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 8-17 Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: Envelops, 2 sets of Index cards/slips of paper (marked so as to distinguish them from each other i.e. different colors), Pens, Makers, Blackboard/ whiteboard/flipchart, 2 paper or plastic bags, Tape Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Draw the food pyramid on the chalkboard, labeling each space with the proper food group name and the number of servings needed each day from each group. 2) Tape an empty envelope onto each area of the pyramid. 3) Take your two groups of index cards. From the first group, on each index card, write a food item. Repeat these on the second set of cards (each set of cards should contain the same list of foods). 4) Put each set of index cards into 2 separate paper bags and place the paper bags in front of the room. 5) Divide the class into 2 teams. 6) Line up each team in single file. 7) When you say go the first person in each line goes to the paper bag and draws an index card with a name of a food. He/she then should go up to the chalkboard and sticks the card into the corresponding envelope in one of the food groups. Once the first person is done, the second person in line does the same thing. This should continue until one team uses all their index cards. This team then earns 15 points. The other team earns 10 points. 8) Check the envelopes to be sure that the foods were placed in the correct food group. Each team should get 2 points for each properly placed food item (this is why the two sets of cards must be different). But an incorrectly placed card will result in the team losing 2 points. 9) While doing this you should be reviewing the information about each food group with the students. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Discuss the importance of the food groups and what they do to your body. Keep this chart and use it again later, but this time have the students write on cards what they ate for lunch or dinner and then put the foods into the different groups. See which groups have the most cards. Does it match the recommended daily servings for each group?

Veggie Party Topic: Nutrition, Cooking Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn about vegetables and healthy snacks.

Number of Students: 15-30 Age Range of Students: 14-17 Time Required: 1 hour (plus 10-15 minutes in previous class) Materials: Plastic bags, Markers, Knives, Pens, Paper; Optional: Plates, Posters, Salad dressing/dips, Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide the class into groups of four or five. 2) Several days prior to the party the students must choose one group member to bring each type of vegetable or different plant part. Plant parts are: flowers (such as broccoli, cauliflower), fruit (tomato, cucumber, peppers, peas, etc.), leaf (lettuce, cabbage, spinach, greens), stem (celery, chives, or sprouts), or root/bulb (carrot, onion, garlic, radish, etc.). Remind the “fruit” bringers that their food should be vegetables that are the fruit of the plant (bananas, peaches, etc. are not appropriate). 3) Everyone brings their vegetables. Each student’s contribution is put in a bag with their name on it. 4) Classify each item first, by having everyone who brought a bulb/root bring it to the table and discuss characteristics of a root/bulb, determine if all items fit this category. Do the same with each plant section (stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits). 5) Ask the students to develop a different way to classify the vegetables. They should consult as a group and decide what new characteristic will be used as a basis for grouping the “veggies”. Groups then share their system of classification with the class and demonstrate by regrouping the vegetables (size, color, shape, weight, taste, texture, peeled or unpeeled, etc.). 6) Each student then takes their veggie and prepares it. 7) Everyone shares with the class and you have your veggie party! Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Talk about what the students grow in their gardens or at school and classify the plants. Do this activity but with all parts of the food pyramid (i.e. have different groups bring in foods from different parts of the food pyramid and then have your party with even more food!)

Snack Selection Topic: Nutrition, Decision Making Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To help students practice making decisions, to learn to make decisions about nutritious snacks. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 15 - 30 minutes Materials: Pictures of various foods

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Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:

1) Arrange a group of food pictures on the table. 2) Have each member select a nutritious snack. 3) Have each person tell why they selected that particular snack. 4) Ask the following questions:  What were some of your choices?  What did your snack choice contribute to your health? (vitamins, calcium, energy etc)  Was it a good decision?  Did you decide on your snack because a friend liked it or because you did? 5) Next have each student select five food that they might keep at home for snacks. 6) Have each student tell why he/she chose these foods.

 How difficult is it for the leader to organize and monitor the groups?  What is the purpose of not allowing any talking in this activity?  How did everyone communicate without using words?

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How do you think your mother/father chooses the food they make for your family each day?  What is a balanced meal?  What is a balanced diet?

The Food Game Topic: Nutrition, Communication Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To practice the six food groups and to promote communication and teamwork. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 8-17 Time Required: 15-20 minutes Materials: Pens, Paper, Prepared cards with food names on them Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Prepare cards or pieces of paper with food names written on them. 2) Write the 6 categories of the food pyramid on 6 pieces of paper (one on each). Hang these papers in different parts of the room. 3) Assign a leader for each round of the game. 4) The leader gives each person a food card randomly. 5) Students are not allowed to show each other their cards or to speak. 6) Students must try to form six food groups according to their food card (there might not be any in one group, but that’s okay). 7) To form these groups, students must mime the food on their card to the other students and they should guess which food group it belongs to. When the students have guessed where they go, the student stands near the sign with the food group category that corresponds to the food on their card. 8) The leader monitors so no one speaks. 9) After they have formed their groups, the leader has each groups say the food names in it aloud to see if they are correct. 10) After each round, change the leader. 144

Vitamin A Game Topic: Nutrition Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): Students will be able to identify vitamin A rich foods and rank local foods based on their Vitamin A content. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 8-17 Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: Blackboard or paper to keep score, Pictures of various foods (drawn or cut out) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Cut out pictures of food from magazines or newspapers. 2) Before class look up the Vitamin A content of each food you have cut in a resource manual, and write the number on the back of a picture of each food. All foods should contain some vitamin A. Include foods that vary in Vitamin A content (both good and poor sources of Vitamin A). Or rank the foods using a 1-10 scale with foods highest in Vitamin A receiving a 10. Write these numbers on the back of the pictures instead. 3) Place all the food card pictures side up. 4) Divide the class into teams of five. 5) Explain that the cards contain foods with Vitamin A, though not all of the foods have the same amount of vitamin A. Tell them that each food card has the amount of vitamin A written on the back. Show them a few examples. 6) The first team starts by selecting the one food card they think represents the best sources of Vitamin A. After the pick up the card, they should turn it over to see the number. Award the team this amount of points. 7) The teams take turns picking cards which they think represent the best source of Vitamin A among the cards left until all the cards are chosen. A different team member should pick the card each time. 8) The team with the highest score wins. 9) After the game is over, have the students rank all the food cards in order of the highest to lowest Vitamin A content. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Discuss which foods are locally available and how they are typically eaten.  Encourage students to eat Vitamin A rich foods with oils and fats for better absorption.  Discuss what Vitamin A does to the body and why it is important.

Nutrition Musical Chairs Topic: Nutrition Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To classify foods into the six food groups. Number of Students: 10-15 Age Range of Students: 6-17 Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: Chairs for each students (minus one); Optional: Pictures of food Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Assign a food to each student (and if possible give them each a picture of the food which has been assigned to them). Each food should distinctly belong to one food group. 2) Have the students make a circle with their chairs with one of the students standing in the middle. 3) Have the student in the middle call out the name of one food group. 4) The students assigned a food in that food group get up and switch seats quickly. 5) The student who sits down last does not get a seat. He/she ends up being the next person in the middle. 6) Repeat this several times. 7) Students can hold up pictures of the food they are assigned to help them better understand. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Emphasize that a good, healthy meal contains all the food groups.  Have the students list the food groups in their meals at home.  Have students build a meal with all five food groups in it.

2) Put all the pictures face down into the numbered sections (one in each box) on the poster. Mix up the pairs. 3) Divide all of the students into two or three teams. 4) Play concentration. The first team selects two pocket numbers. The teacher reveals the pictures in these two boxes for 10 seconds and returns them to the pockets face down. 5) Students should try to remember which pictures are in which boxes. 6) Teams alternately select pairs of pictures. They can repeat boxes if they want. 7) The object is to get a match (i.e. a healthy eye and a dry eye with bitot’s spots). 8) If one team picks a match, the pair remains in the boxes, picture side out. Award the team one point for this (optional: the team must state the micro nutrient deficiency causing the health problem in this pair for an extra point. Another point is awarded for naming a food rich in this micro nutrient). 9) Stop when all the pairs are matched. 10) Make a chart listing the micro nutrients, symptoms of their deficiencies, and two or three foods which can help prevent the micro nutrient deficiency. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Have students check each other for these various health problems, weighting and measuring themselves, looking at eyes and fingernails etc.  Then have each student write down what he or she will eat to solve his/her health problem. List of Micro-Nutrients and Deficiencies

Symptom

Nutritional Concentration Topic: Nutrition Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To identify symptoms of various nutrition-related health problems and list the nutrient that treats each problem. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 7-17 Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: 1 pair of pictures for each health problem, Picture of the health problem, Picture of someone without the health problem, Poster with enough numbered sections/boxes to hold all the picture cards; Optional: Tape Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Create pictures to describe the health problems that are associated with vitamin deficiencies. Choose the ones that are most pertinent to your age group and region. Each pair of pictures should include an image of health and an image representing a symptom of deficiency.

Deficiency / treatment / cause

Bitot’s spots - foamy patches on conjunctiva

vitamin A

Blurred vision

vitamins B2, B6, pantothenic acid

Bulging eyes

vitamin E, nicotinamide, iodine

Color-blindness

vitamin A

Conjunctivitis

vitamins A, B2, C (B6, zinc)

Dark spots in front of the eyes

vitamins B6, C, zinc (liver problems)

Dry, hard eyeballs (xerophthalmia)

vitamin A

Itching, burning, watery, sandy eyes

vitamin B2

Blisters

vitamin E

Brown discoloration around small joints

vitamin B12

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Deficiency / treatment / cause

Symptom Keratosis, horny, goosepimple-like skin

vitamin A internally & externally

Lemon-yellow skin

vitamin B12

Oily skin, white-heads

vitamin B2

Prickly-heat rash

vitamin C

Red-brown or dark-red spots

Manganese

Rosacea (redness of part of face)

vitamin B2

Coarse, brittle hair

Zinc

Dandruff

vitamins B2, B6, zinc, magnesium, biotin

Dry hair

vitamin A, zinc

Hangnails

vitamin C, folic acid, proteins

Nails opaque, white spots/bands

zinc, vitamin B6

Oily hair

vitamin B2

Cracked lips & corners of the mouth (cheilosis)

vitamins B2, B6, folic acid

Distended, purplish-blue veins under the tongue

vitamin B2 (circulation poor, congested)

Halitosis (bad breath)

vitamin B6, zinc, magnesium, propolis, chlorophyll (cleansing, intestinal sanitation)

Mouth ulcers, canker

folic acid, vitamin B6, zinc (alkalize, allergy test)

Purplish or magenta tongue or lips, also veins under the tongue

vitamin B2

Tongue red at tip or edges; severe deficiency: whole tongue scarlet red, sore

niacin (vitamin B6)

Tongue shiny, smooth, beefy; early sign: strawberry-red tip/sides

vitamin B12, folic acid

White patches on tongue

vitamin B2 and other B vitamins (allergy)

1) After a brief discussion of the five food groups, show the students how eating from the five good groups helps fight disease and makes them strong. 2) Pass out cards with the individual food groups – fat/oils, carbohydrates, protein, vegetables/ fruits, and dairy. 3) Draw a line on the ground. The teacher’s side of the rope represents sickness. 4) Tell the students you are Mr. Sickness. If they get pulled across the line, it shows they are sick and weak. 5) Pick a small student (one you can beat in a oneon-one tug of war). 6) Tell the other kids “This student has not eaten yet” Ask the student how he/she feels “Are you hungry? Tired? Sick?” 7) Play tug of war and easily beat the student. 8) Tell the students that eating correctly from the food groups builds a stronger body. The student should call out all five food groups one by one. 9) The students with the five food group cards join the student and play tug of war against the teacher. 10) This time the students should kick your butt and show you that eating right; eating from all the five food groups, makes you strong and helps you prevent sickness. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Classify foods into the five food groups.  Ask students what they ate that day or the previous day. Did they eat food from all five food groups?  Analyze a meal one of the students ate recently.  Plan example meals which supply all five food groups.

Food Pyramid Lesson

Nutrition Tug-o-War Topic: Nutrition Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To explain why you must eat food from all five food groups every day. Number of Students: 10-15 Age Range of Students: 5 – 13 Time Required: 20 minutes Materials: Rope for tug of war, Five word cards (one for each group) 146

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

Topic: Nutrition Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To become familiar with the food pyramid. To identify those food groups which you need to obtain the majority of their daily nutritional needs. To identify the food group from which you need the least amount of daily servings. Number of Students: Age Range of Students: 6-17 Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: A poster of the food pyramid, Pictures of normal meals, Pictures of various foods (representing all the food groups in the pyramid), Four different colors of markers Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Show the food pyramid to the class. Explain that our food needs are similar to a food pyramid (ask the class if a pyramid can balance on its tip). On a daily basis, we need more of cer-

2)

3)

4)

5) 6) 7)

tain types of foods than of others. In fact, with some food types we need very little. If you relied too much on the foods at the top of the pyramid, your health would “tip” or have a good chance of letting you down just as the pyramid falls down stood on its top. Explain the food groups. Give examples and the approximate number of daily servings required (note: the number of servings may vary depending on individual requirements of age, size and amount of activity). Outline each level of the pyramid with a different colored marker. This is vital in helping younger students make a transfer from a concrete idea to the abstract food pyramid. Display the food pictures one at a time to the class. Ask students where on the pyramid each would fit. Some may fit in two categories. Show the class pictures of normal meals (have handouts prepared before). Then have the students tape these pictures to the food pyramid. Discuss whether this normal meal provides a balanced meal. What is lacking?

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Have students analyze their last meal and discuss what they can add/subtract to make it more balanced.  Have students play foods into an empty food pyramid.  Name all the food groups listen on the food pyramid and give the suggested number of servings.  Name your favorite food in each of the food groups.  From which food group should you eat the most?  From which food group should you eat the least? Why?

Serving Sizes Topic: Nutrition Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To be able to tell how much of a serving is too much and what is too little Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 6-17 Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: Pens/pencils, Paper, Slips of paper, Handout showing serving sizes for common foods (found at the beginning of the chapter) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before the class, draw a picture or write down foods on both sides of the pieces of paper (the serving sizes for common foods can be found on the corresponding handout). On one side write the correct daily serving. On the other side write an incorrect amount. 2) Pass out blank paper to the students. 3) Ask them to draw their favorite foods on the paper.

4) Tell the students to show and talk about what they drew to the class. 5) Talk about serving size and describe the appropriate serving sides for different parts of the food pyramid. Ask them how they know that they have eaten the “right” amount of food. Talk about the importance of serving sizes in maintaining a healthy diet. 6) Spread out the slips of paper with the foods that you’ve already prepared. 7) Explain to the class that one side is the correct serving size and the other is not. 8) One at a time or in teams, have the students decide which is the correct serving size and which category it fits into on the food pyramid. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Ask the students what they eat in a typical day.  Have them keep a food diary for one day and bring it to class to discuss.  Explain how the contents of food also affect health.  Reveal the vitamin/mineral chart and explain that these foods are rich in vitamins and minerals are best for overall health.  Have them make a healthy menu.

Food Dominos Topic: Nutrition Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To identify and match foods from the same food groups. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 9-15 Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: The “Food Dominoes” sheets (for each group of students); Optional: Scissors, Laminator (for greater durability) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before class cut out the dominoes. If they are older and have scissors, they can do this on their own. (You can laminate if you have the ability to do so.) 2) Divide the class into group of 3 or 4. This game is played like regular dominos. 3) Each domino has two set parts, each part representing a separate food group. Five dominos are doubles in which foods of the same food group appear on both sides. The double “multi-food” domino is always put aside as the starter for the game. The remaining dominoes are shuffled or missed and turned facedown. 4) Each player picks out five dominoes and turns them face up in front of him/her. 5) After the double multi-food domino has been placed in the center of the player area, the first player may place one of his/her dominoes to one end of the double domino if the picture matches.

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6) The second player may try to match the double domino or the food end on the other end of the second domino played. 7) The play continues with the third and fourth players. 8) Only one domino can be played at each turn. 9) Dominos are played lengthwise instead of at right angles. The only exception to this rule is in the case of doubles (both ends represent the same food group) where right angles are permitted.

10) A double is always played crosswise to the end it matches. This creates two directions in which the dominoes may be played. 11) If a player cannot make a match, he/she must draw from the remaining facedown dominoes until he/she is able to play. If he/she draws the last remaining domino and is still unable to play, he/ she must pass and try again on the next turn. 12) The first player to use all his/her dominos wins. Or, if no further plays can be made. The player with the least number of dominos left wins the game.

Dominos (please write the food group in Georgian on the other side)

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Awareness of Fat Topic: Nutrition Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To identify foods with excessive amounts of fat, learning about combating obesity and its associated ills by recognizing the common foods that contribute to obesity. Number of Students: 5-20 Age Range of Students: 12-17 Time Required: 1 hour Materials: A pat of butter, A roll of wax paper, Copies of the food collage worksheet, An assortment of fatty and non-fatty foods (salami, mayonnaise, khachapuri, apple, orange), Facial tissues; Optional: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Make a copy of the food collage worksheet for each student. 2) Bring in food items or ask class to bring them. 3) Explain to the students that fat is required in our daily lives in very limited amounts. Too much fat can lead to excessive weight gain and, over a prolonged period of time, to a number of diseases due to being overweight (heart disease being on of the most common). Very often we can recognize fatty foods just by their feel and texture. Usually fatty foods will leave clues about what they are made from. Explain to students that these clues can be used to search out fatty foods before we eat too much. 4) Display the various food samples so that all the students can easily observe them. 5) While holding each food individually, ask the class to raise their hands if they feel the food is considered fatty, record the survey results on the board (if available). 6) Tear off a sheet of wax paper. 7) Drag one end of the butter across the wax paper. 8) Have the students observe the butter leaves a greasy trail on the wax paper. You may have one or two students touch the butter trail to verify the fact (students wipe off their greasy fingers with the tissue). Discuss the point that butter is made up totally of fat. 9) Have students work as “grease detectives” in teams of two or four. 10) Equip teams with a sheet wax paper, tissues and small portions of assorted food items. 11) Allow the teams to investigate the potential trail of grease for each food, recording their results. 12) When you are done with research, compare the results with the initial class survey. 13) You may manage this activity as a demonstration depending on the level of students. 14) Distribute copies of the worksheet and have students mark an X on all foods they believe to be fatty. Use the results of this activity and prior knowledge to help them make judgments.

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Discuss a recent meal or everyday foods to decide what is fatty and if they need to cut back on any of those foods. Ask the students what foods they didn’t think were fatty but are.

Nutrition Bingo Topic: Nutrition Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To practice general knowledge of nutrition and have fun! Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 6-17 Time Required: 20 minutes Materials: Bingo cards, Pieces of paper or other bingo markers Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Make bingo sheets for each student by putting nutrition vocabulary words into a grid. 2) Call out the definition of each word. 3) Have students find the word on their sheet and put a marker on it. 4) Make sure you keep track of which definitions you read. 5) When someone gets a line across, down or diagonal, they must call BINGO. 6) Have the student read off all the words in the line. 7) If he/she is right, they are the winner. 8) You can play this game many times and with any kind of words. Suggested vocabulary:         

vitamins minerals protein grow energy habit fat (the substance) carbohydrates salt

Peanut Butter Recipe Topic: Nutrition, Cooking Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn to make peanut butter (a yummy and healthy snack). Number of Students: 1-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 20 minutes Materials: 1 lb. unshelled peanuts, ½ cup margarine or oil , Mortar (or something to grind peanuts in), Salt; Optional: Bread, Plates, Spoons, Butter knives, Jelly, Celery Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Get out all the ingredients for your peanut butter. 2) Explain the nutritional value of peanut butter (protein!).

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Food Collage Worksheet

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3) Explain that it is a fun and popular American food. 4) Put the 1 lb. of unshelled peanuts and ½ cup of margarine or oil into a mortar. 5) Crush the peanuts and margarine/oil until smooth. 6) Add a little salt for taste (you can also add sugar). 7) You can give each student a taste with a spoon (different spoons) and either put it on bread, celery, or make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:    

Do you like peanut butter? What food group does peanut butter belong to? What other American foods would you like to try? Why is protein important?

Food Group Envelopes Topic: Nutrition, Decision Making Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): For students to practice their knowledge about food groups. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 7-17 Time Required: 20 minutes Materials: Five envelopes, Pens, Paper Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask the students what the food groups are. 2) Write the names of each food group on a separate envelope. 3) Hand out paper to each student. 4) Have each student draw a different food (tell them to be creative). Try not to have them repeat foods too much. 5) When they are done tell them to think about what food group they belong to. 6) Have each student come up, on at a time, and put their food into the envelop they think their food belongs to. 7) Open each envelope and show the foods to the class. 8) Ask the students if it is correct or not – if it isn’t, ask where it belongs. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Why are the food groups important to know about?  Ask the students which food groups they eat from the most.  Discuss the reasons for having different daily servings for different groups.

Menu Planning Topic: Nutrition, Decision Making Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To plan a nutrition meal based on good decision making. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 8 – 17 Time Required: 20 minutes 152

Materials: Pens/pencils, Paper; Optional: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Poster board, Colored markers/pens/pencils Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide the class into groups of three or four. 2) Give each group paper and a pen (or poster board). 3) Have each group plan one day’s menu for a family member. 4) Have them consider the steps of making a good decision in their decision making about the menu. 5) Here are example steps:  What is the problem?  What are some solutions?  Where can we get information?  What are our choices?  What will each choice cost us (in time, money, energy)?  What are our limitations (time, effort, personal resources)?  What will the consequences of each choice be?  What will you do?  How will you do it?  Was it a good decision? Why? Why not? 7) Have each group present their menus to the class. 8) Discuss the following:  What foods were chosen?  Are there foods chosen from each food group?  Why did you choose these foods?  Are here a variety of colors, textures?  How much might it cost?  Was it a good decision? Why or why not? 9) You can also have the students illustrate their menus if you have the time and resources. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What other things can you use the same decision making steps on in your daily life?

Health Advertisements Topic: Consumer Awareness/Health Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To analyze health advertisements to determine how they attract buyers and what students should be aware of. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 13-17 Time Required: 1 hr Materials: Several health ads for magazines or newspapers, Questions worksheet, Pencils, Chalkboard/ whiteboard/flip chart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Talk about different methods advertisers use to get people to buy their product (creating a need/ desire, working on different emotions). 2) Divide into groups of three or four.

3) Give each group several advertisements and each student a question worksheet. 4) Explain that they must look at each add and fill out the work sheet (answer the questions) 5) After everyone is done have them present their advertisements and results to the class. 6) Have the class discuss what they found if they have any opinions that differ and/or are the same.

7) Ask students how this changes their ideas of advertisements they see and what they gained from the lesson. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Ask students how they would advertise such products, if they would change anything etc.

Student Worksheet Questions to Evaluate Consumer Health Advertisements 1. What product is being sold? ............................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................. 2. What is the purpose of the ad? ........................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................. 3. Who should buy this product? ............................................................................................ ................................................................................................................................. 4. What psychological approach is used to increase sales of this product, i.e., heighten emotions like fear or love, satisfy present needs, promise quick cure or results, create a need or desire? ........................... ................................................................................................................................. 5. How reliable is the source of the ad for health information? ....................................................... ................................................................................................................................. 6. Which statements about the product are true? . ...................................................................... ................................................................................................................................. 7. What important information is missing? ................................................................................ ................................................................................................................................. 8. What are the product ingredients? ...................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................. 9. What are the health benefits of the product, if any? ................................................................. ................................................................................................................................. 10. Are there any negative or side effects for consumers to consider? ................................................ ................................................................................................................................. 11. What is the credibility of the product manufacturer? ................................................................ ................................................................................................................................. 12. How were the product’s features enhanced to improve its appeal to you (e.g., use of an attractive spokesperson or athlete, make-up, food styling, special photographic techniques)? ................................... ................................................................................................................................. 13. How would you change the advertisement to benefit consumers? ................................................. .................................................................................................................................

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Advertisement Methods

TV Talk

Topic: Consumer Health/Awareness Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To make students aware of methods used by advertisements. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 13-17 Time Required: 1hr Materials: Magazine ads (at least two for each group), Worksheet, Pens/pencils, Blackboard/whiteboard/ flipchart, Example ad; Optional: Flipchart paper, Markers

Topic: Consumer Awareness Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To make a commercial for a healthy product and demonstrate reasons why the product is healthy. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 15 and under Time Required: 45 minutes – 1 hour Materials: Large cardboard box, Wire coat hanger and/or tinfoil, Scissors, Markers; Optional: Paint, Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Chalk/markers

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions):

1) Students are given a vocabulary of relevant terms - basic message, visual image, medium, catchy words, testimonial, bandwagon, positive appeal, negative appeal, product character, product slogan, product comparison, and repetition. 2) Make sure they understand the terms (use an example ad and as a class point out the techniques use). 3) Divide class into groups of three or four. 4) Give each group several magazine advertisements. 5) Have the group talk about the advertisements and fill out the work sheet about the advertisement. 6) Have each group present their findings to the class. 7) Discuss each group’s findings as a class.

1) Before class or with your class on another day, make a fake TV set with a cardboard box and coat hangers and/or tinfoil. You can paint it if you want. 2) Make sure that the front and the back is cut out. 3) During class, ask students to come up with a list of healthy products. 4) Write them on the board if you have one available. 5) Tell the students to divide into pairs. 6) Ask the pairs to choose on of the healthy products thought of by the class. 7) They must create a small commercial advertising that healthy product. 8) In the commercial they must cover the following:  What is the product?  What kind of product is it?  What do you use it for?  Why is it a healthy product?  Why would someone want to buy this product? 9) Give the pairs at least 10 – 15 minutes to create their commercial. 10) After everyone is finished, have each pair come to the “TV” and perform their commercial to the class. 11) After each commercial, ask the class the same questions the commercial was supposed to answer.

Magazine Ads Name: ................................................... Date: .................................................... Teacher: . ............................................... Brand Name and Product:............................. Medium: ................................................. Basic Message: ......................................... Visual Image: ...........................................

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:

Catchy Words: ..........................................

 How often do you see commercials for healthy products? Why do you think that is?

Technique Used and Why: ............................ Technique Used and Why: ............................ Technique Used and Why: ............................ Persuasion Rating (1 - 5):............................. (1 = Yawn. 5 = I’m sold on this product!) Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Talk about the negative and positive effects of these types of approaches to advertising. Discuss television commercials and apply the same terms.

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Warning! Dangerous Products! Topic: Decision Making, Substance Abuse Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To look at warning labels on dangerous products. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 15 and under Time Required: 30 – 35 minutes in class, several days out of class Materials: Poster board/large paper for each group + one, Markers, Notebook, Pen/pencil, Blackboard/ whiteboard/flipchart, Chalk/markers; Optional: Magazines, Scissors, Glue, Paper

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Previous to this activity, ask students to find three “warning labels” on household products. Have them write down what the labels say and bring them to class. 2) Warning labels can be found on cigarettes, alcohol, cleaning supplies, medicine etc. 3) Before class make a poster with the word “WARNING” in large letters. 4) Ask the students to read their warning labels. 5) Write examples of warning labels on the board. 6) Ask the class why these products have warning labels. 7) Ask the class if warning labels are a good idea. Why or why not? Write down their reason on the board. 8) Ask the class if there are any other products that don’t have warning labels that should have them (be creative!). 9) Split the class into groups of 4 or 5. 10) Give each group poster board/large paper and markers. 11) Tell the students they must now think of a product that needs a warning label and make a warning label for that product (cannot be a product that already has a warning label). 12) Give them 10 – 15 minutes. 13) Have the groups present their warning labels to the class. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Do you think warning labels say enough? Why or why not?  What products do you think need the most warning labels? Why?

Advertiser for the Day Topic: Consumer Health, Decision Making Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To discuss making decisions to use good products by creating advertisements for healthy products. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 15 and under Time Required: 45 minutes - 1 hour Materials: Poster board/large paper (for each group), Markers, Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Chalk/ markers; Optional: Tape Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask your students to think of healthy products and write their suggestions on the board. Examples might be:  Health foods or snacks  Exercising equipment  Educational toys  Books  Clothing  Vacations 2) Divide the class into groups of 4 or 5.

3) Give each group poster board/large paper and markers. 4) Assign each group a product or product category. 5) Tell the groups to make an advertisement for their product, advertising all the reasons one may need that product. 6) Give the groups about 15 minutes for this. 7) After everyone has finished, have groups present their product and try to “sell” it to the class. 8) After each presentation, ask the class questions about the advertisement:  Was it “eye catching”?  Were people in the advertisement enjoying the product?  What were the reasons for using this product?  Are they any other reasons you can think of?  Was everything in the advertisement true? 9) If you have room, tape the posters on the walls Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What are some differences between advertisements for healthy and unhealthy products?  Do advertisements for unhealthy products tell the truth? Why or why not?

Smart Shopper Sweep Topic: Consumer Health, Decision Making Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To discuss the difference between healthy and unhealthy products and decide which products belong in which group. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 8- 13 Time Required: 30 – 45 minutes Materials: Two signs – Healthy and Unhealthy, Empty product packages (as many as you can collect); Optional: 2 baskets/boxes, Blackboard/whiteboard/ flipchart, Chalk/markers Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) A week before the class, ask students to collect as many empty packages of different products as they can and bring them to the next class. Different products may include:  Food cans  Detergent  Cigarette packages  Shampoo  Candy wrappers  Milk containers  Juice boxes  Cereal boxes  Tomato paste jars  Cookie boxes  Soda bottles  Water bottles 2) Ask the students to bring their packages up to the front of the room and put them on a table. 3) Ask students what the difference between a healthy and an unhealthy product. 4) If you have a board, write these ideas down. 155

5) Bring out two signs, “healthy” and “unhealthy” and put them on another table at different ends (if you have baskets or boxes, put those on each side of the table). 6) Ask students to come up one at a time and place a product in the place they think it belongs. 7) There may be some tricky ones (like detergent or other cleaning materials), so let there be room for debate. 8) When all the products are placed, ask the class if they agree with where they are. 9) Discuss any disagreements. 10) Review the difference between healthy and unhealthy products. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Why would you want to choose healthy products and not unhealthy products?  What kind of harm could unhealthy products do?  What are the positives of healthy products?  Could some products be both healthy and unhealthy?

Ad Court Topic: Consumer Awareness, Decision Making Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To raise awareness about different types of healthy and unhealthy products advertised in magazines. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10 and under Time Required: 30 – 45 minutes Materials: Magazines, Scissors, Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Chalk/markers Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Explain to your students that advertisements on TV and signs in magazines are there because the

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advertiser wants their money. Most of the time, advertisers offer good products. Sometimes, the products are unhealthy or bad. 2) Ask the students to get into pairs. 3) Lay out piles of old magazines around the room. 4) Have students cut out magazine advertisements. (e.g. food, medicine, toys, clothing, cigarettes, alcohol, etc.) 5) After everyone has finished, tell them to bring their advertisements to the front of the classroom. 6) Tell the class they are going to judge the advertisements. 7) Hold the advertisements up for everyone to see and have the class vote on whether an item is healthy or unhealthy. 8) Have two students at the chalkboard keep a count of advertisements in each group. 9) You can also come up with your own categories to inspire discussion. (e.g. Necessities vs. Luxuries, etc.) 10) You could also discuss particular advertisements in more detail. For example:  Does the ad tell the whole truth about the product?  Could the product hurt your health in any way?  Does the ad tell any bad things about the product? Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Do you think there should be laws about what advertisements can and cannot say?  What type of people do you think these ads try to reach?  Why do you think they try to reach this type of audience?  Are there also positive ways you can use advertisements? What are some examples?

Fitness 157

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Cardiovascular Fitness Plan Topic: Fitness Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To demonstrate the importance of cardiovascular activity to children and to help them design their own fitness plan. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 1– 2 hours Materials: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Markers, Flip-chart paper, Scratch paper for each group, Dayby-day weekly schedule guides, An example schedule Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Talk to students about their favorite sportsmen and how exercise plays an important role (5-10 minutes). 2) Introduce the concept of “cardiovascular activity” and explain the benefits. For example:  It increases muscular strength.  It increases endurance.  It clarifies your mental processes.  It improves your quality of life.  It can even extend your life. 3) As a group, define and discuss cardiovascular activity. “It is exercise that strengthens the heart by regularly

inducing the heart to beat harder and faster; doctors recommend people exercise at least 3 times a week for 20 minutes at minimum each time.” 4) Divide the class into groups of three or four and have them brainstorm different ideas for cardiovascular exercise regimens (check on them to make sure they are correct). 5) Have each group record their ideas on a piece of flip chart paper. 6) When they are done, have each group present their ideas to the class. 7) Hand out week-by-week schedule sheets. 8) Have the students choose one of the activities for their daily schedule. 9) Encourage the students to organize themselves to participate in group activities, like soccer. 10) Encourage the students to take home the schedules and follow them. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Have the students return with their schedules after a few weeks with checkmarks for every time they were able to do the daily activity. Discuss in class the ease/difficulty of making the activity a part of their daily schedule. Adjust if necessary.

Weekly Schedule

Day

Monday

Tuesday

Wednessay

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6 159

Strengthening Your Heart Topic: Fitness Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn to take your own pulse, explain how exercise strengthens the heart, and understand that smoking and laziness weaken the heart. Number of Students: 10-50 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: Prior knowledge of how to take a pulse Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Teach the students how to take their pulse, feeling for the carotid artery or radial pulse. This will take some time. Demonstrate how to find it. 2) Once the students can feel their pulse, ask them if their heart beat is fast or slow. You can also ask them to count the beats per second. Explain to them that their heartbeat is at a normal resting rate, so it should be steady. 3) Explain that the heart is a muscle so when students exercise their heart, it becomes stronger. 4) Explain that their hearts are as big as their fists and pump blood through their bodies. Discuss the importance of a strong heart. 5) Have the students open and close their fists to represent their hearts, clenching slowly at first, then increasingly faster to simulate the heart when exercising. 6) Have the students exercise (doing jumping jacks, run in place, etc) then take their pulses again. 7) Have them model their hearts with their fists again. They should be clenching their fists fairly quickly now. 8) Now have the students model what happens after smoking and laziness by making a weak fist and opening and closing it very, very quickly. Comment that the stronger the heart is, the less and slower it has to work. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Have students come up with exercise and activity that helps make the heart strong.  Talk about heart disease with older students.

Exercise Circuit Training Topic: Fitness Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To be able to complete all exercise circuit activities, take your own pulse, and explain that exercise strengthens the heart and the leg, arm and stomach muscles. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Prior knowledge of how to take a pulse Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Teach the students how to take their pulses. 160

2) Divide the students into groups of 4-5. 3) Put each group at a station:  Jumping jacks – Station 1  Running in place – Station2  Hopping on one leg – Station 3  Push ups – Station 4  Sit-ups – Station 5 4) Go through each station and demonstrate the activity. 5) Instruct the students to do an activity at for one minute and then switch stations. 6) Continue rotating until everyone has gone through all of the stations. 7) After each exercise, the students should monitor and record their pulse rate. 8) Explain that the heart pumps blood throughout the body. When a person takes their pulse, it is the pumping of the blood that they are feeling. A person can exercise their heart by engaging in cardiovascular activity. A quickening pulse is evidence of the heart working hard. 9) You should stretch before and after this activity. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What kind of activities can you do at home to make your heart stronger? At school? After school?

Types of Exercise Topic: Fitness Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To describe different types of exercise and how they help the body. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 45 minutes – 1 hour Materials: Poster, Markers, Slips of paper; Optional: Blackboard/flipchart/whiteboard, Tape Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide the poster (before class) into different sections, each section representing the three types of exercise: cardio, strength building, and flexibility. 2) Ask the students to give examples of each type of exercise from daily life (sweeping, carrying water, pulling weeds, laundry, etc) Act out the dialing activities to enforce your point. Cardio – relates to the heart and the pulse, exercise regimen meant to strengthen the heart and endurance Strength building – Muscles put on the bones. If this action is repeated, the body adds minerals where the bone is pulled and that part of the body is strengthened Flexibility – the ability to move, to stretch and to relax 3) Have the students find their pulse. Demonstrate the effects of cardio exercise by doing twenty jumping jacks and then feeling the pulse again.

4) Explain the reasons behind soreness. This “pain” is often associated with coming down with a cold. 5) Cut small strips of paper that describe the benefits of exercise and lay them face down on the table. 6) Divide the papers between the students at random. 7) Have the students apply them to the appropriate section of the poster. Examples:  strengthens the heart and lungs (cardio)  increases energy (cardio)  helps you sleep better (cardio)  burns fat (cardio)  prevents illness and disease (cardio)  makes you stronger (strength-building)  helps you feel happier/decreases stress (cardio)

 should be done at least 3-4 times/week (cardio)  brings oxygen and blood to all parts of the body (cardio)  lack of this kind of exercise weakens the heart (cardio)  takes waste away more quickly (cardio)  strengthens bones (strength-building)  examples are lifting and carrying (strengthbuilding)  can aid in digestion (cardio)  prevents pain (flexibility)  reduces stiffness and pain (flexibility)  increases range of motion (flexibility)  helps with balance and coordination (flexibility)  part of cooling down and warming up (flexibility)

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Gender Issues 163

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Gender Picture Codes and Role Plays

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Topic: Gender Roles Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn and discuss what gender roles are and what are the gender roles in Georgia. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 12 and up Time Required: 30 – 45 minutes Materials: Two cards “Female” and “Male”, Tape, Gender Cards (see next page), Optional: Box/jar, Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Markers/chalk Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Make two large cards, “Female” and “Male” before class. Tape them on opposite walls of the classroom. 2) Make at least one “gender card” for each student. You can have more than that if you would like. 3) If you have a board, put the phrase “Gender Roles” down and ask the class to define this term. 4) If you do not have a board, discuss the meaning of “gender roles”. 5) Give each student at least one gender card. 6) Tell them that when you say go, they must put their card on the wall they think it belongs on, AS FAST AS THEY CAN!!! 7) You can either have them tape the cards up, or just put them in a box or pile. 8) After everyone has their card in place, ask them to sit back down. 9) Read the cards on each side. 10) Ask the group if they agree on all the cards and their placing. 11) Allow this to spark debate among the class. 12) You can change the cards if everyone agrees. 13) The discussion may take a long time. You may allow any amount of time you would like. If they are having a hard time talking about it, try to ask additional questions like “Do you know any friends or family members who don’t fit the roles given to each sex?” Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:     

What is a gender stereotype? Can you think of any gender stereotypes in Georgia? Are these stereotypes negative or positive? Why do you think gender roles are made? Can you think of how gender roles differ in different cultures?

Gender Card Suggestions         

Leadership Education Building a house Intelligence Family decisions Weak Stealing Decision making Authority

Power Cooking Love Sports Active in church Religion Strength Pregnancy Money Work Breast feeding Violence Beauty Doctor Nurse Control Serving others Working the garden Chopping firewood Raising the children Powerless or helpless Driving a vehicle Digging graves Caring for the sick Earning money Wearing long hair Smoking Drinking alcohol Owning a home Living alone Taking care of animals Politics

Gender vs. Sex Topic: Gender Issues Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn the difference between “gender” and “sex”. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 12 and up Time Required: 30-45 minutes Materials: Two signs “Female” and “Male”, Gender cards (at least one for each student), Blackboard/ whiteboard/flipchart, Markers/chalk; Optional: Premade definition of sex and gender (saves time) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before class, tape the three signs, “Female”, “Male” and “Both” on opposite walls in the classroom, with “Both” on the middle wall. 2) Talk briefly about the term “gender roles” with the class. 3) Give each student at least one “gender card”. 4) Tell the students that they must read their card and decide whether it belongs under “Male”, “Female” or in the middle if it’s both, depending on if they are physically or biologically able to do the task. 5) Make sure they are clear on what physical and biological capabilities are before you start. 6) When you say “go” they should put their card where they think it belongs. 7) It may look like this:

Female: pregnancy, breast feeding 165



Male: strength, facial hair



Both: marriage, education, leadership

8) After everyone is done, have the students sit back down. 9) Based on the exercise, ask the group to process what “sex” and “gender” means. 10) What are the differences between the two terms? 11) Write the definitions of “sex” and “gender” on the board (or produce pre-made definitions). 12) Emphasize that gender is something influenced by culture and other outside influences, and sex is something that is biological. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:      

Do girls communicate differently than boys? Are girls able to make decisions as much as boys? How does this relate to gender roles? How are relationships different for boys and girls? Are consequences different for boys and girls? How do Georgian gender roles differ from those in other countries?

Gender Picture Role Plays Topic: Gender Issues Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To describe some gender issues in the community, their consequences, and identify possible alternatives to traditional gender roles. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 12 and up Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Gender pictures (one for each group), Paper/pens/pencils; Optional: Props for role plays, Magazines, Scissors Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before the class, prepare pictures of a scene with various gender stereotypes. You can either draw this or cut pictures out of a magazine. 2) For added time or creativity, you can have students look through magazines themselves to look for a scene. 3) Divide the class into groups of four or five (mix the genders if you can). 4) Give each group a gender picture. 5) Tell the groups that they must identify the gender issues at work in the picture as a group. 6) Tell the groups to discuss the situation together: what are the differences in the roles of men and women in the scene? What might be some of the consequences of these roles? What is positive about them? For whom? Negative? For whom? 7) Tell the groups they must now develop a role play based on the situation depicted in the picture. They must act out exactly what is happening in the picture, or basically bring the image to life. 8) Give the groups at least 10 or 15 minutes to develop their role play. 9) After they are done, have them perform for the whole class. 166

10) After each role play, lead a discussion on the gender issues portrayed in the role play. 11) Hold up the picture for the whole group to see. 12) Deal with any issues not covered by the group. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What did you think of the ideas discussed today?  Do you think there is anything in the culture that needs to be changed to produce healthier lives?  What would you change?  Can it be changed? How?

Gender and Culture: Ideal Images and Personal Destroyers Topic: Gender Roles, Community Awareness, SelfAwareness Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To list the “ideal images” of gender for their society and identify ways in which those stereotypes can be limiting or used to pressure a person into behaving a certain way. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 12 and up Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Makers/chalk; Optional: Paper, Pens/paper Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask the class to break up into small groups of 4 or 5. 2) Tell them they are to discuss what they think is the “ideal image” of each sex in their community. 3) They can write down their ideas on a piece of paper. 4) After about five or ten minutes, bring the groups back together and have them tell the rest of the class what they came up with. 5) Write down the ideas on the board. 6) Allow discussion. 7) Ask the class to go back to their groups. 8) This time have them discuss how easy it is to live up to the expectations of their community. 9) After about five or ten minutes, have them return to the class. 10) Discuss as a class and write down their ideas on the board. 11) Point on the gaps between expectations and reality. 12) Explain that these ideals can sometimes become personal destroyers. For example, the idea that women must stay at home may discourage them from going to university and starting a career. 13) Have the group now think about how some of the ideals can be personal destroyers. 14) Have them get into their groups again and write down their ideas. 15) Discuss as a class. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Ask the class to state one ideal image they want to strive for, and another they consider a personal destroyer.

Gender Stereotype Pictures Topic: Gender Issues Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To examine Georgian gender stereotypes, discuss exceptions to those stereotypes and to identify negative stereotypes that may need to be changed. Number of Students: 6-30 Age Range of Students: 12 and up Time Required: 30 – 45 minutes Materials: Large paper or flipchart paper for each group, Makers/pens/colored pencils, Tape, Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Makers/chalk Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Write down the term “gender stereotype” on the board. 2) Discuss with the class possible definitions. 3) Divide the class into groups of 3 or for (make sure there is an even amount of groups). 4) Give each group a large piece of paper and makers/pens/colored pencils. 5) Tell half the groups they must draw the stereotypical Georgian male, and another group to draw a stereotypical female (if you have a good number of boys and girls, divide them according to sex and have the boys draw a women and the girls draw a man. Also, be sure to have them draw someone their age. If they older, have them draw an older person, if they are teens, a teenager. 6) Tell the groups that they must also include as many stereotypes they can think of in the picture.

7) After they are done, have the groups switch with each other, so that now those who drew a woman have a man picture and those who drew a man have a woman picture. 8) Tell the groups they must now label all of the stereotypes they find in the picture. 9) This can take a long time, so be sure to monitor and encourage them not to go into too much detail. 10) After everyone is done, have each group present their picture. 11) Write down their ideas on the board as they present. 12) After everyone is done presenting, ask the class to read the list on the board. 13) Ask them to think about what are negative and positive stereotypes. 14) After a few minutes of thinking, ask them to share their ideas. 15) Circle those they see as negative and put a star next to those they think are positive 16) Leave room for discussion. 17) After you are done, ask the class to tell you why they think the negative ones are negative. 18) Have them get into groups and write down ideas on how to change three of the negative stereotypes. 19) Have everyone share and discuss their ideas with the group. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Are there common gender stereotypes within different cultures? Give some examples.

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Smoking and Substance Abuse 169

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Smoking Advertisement Methods Topic: Smoking, Consumer Awareness Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To help students recognize methods used by cigarette companies to bring in buyers, to help students analyze advertisements and find faults in the advertisements (cigarettes don’t make you beautiful). Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 9-17 Time Required: 30 min Materials: Several cigarette advertisements , Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Markers/chalk Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide groups into four or five with large groups. 2) Give each group copy of cigarette advertisement and sheet with questions: Is the ad colorful? What is pictured in the ad? What age would like this ad? What do you think the ad is saying? What do you think the ad is trying to say about cigarettes? 3) Give students 10 – 15 minutes to discuss the questions and write down answers. 4) Have each group present their advertisement and the answers to the questions – write them down on the board. 5) After each presentation have group add any thoughts they have, any disagreements or agreements. 6) After all the presentations, talk about what cigarettes are known to do (bad breath, lung cancer, death, bad teeth, etc) and write them on the board. 7) Discuss if the advertisements match the facts about cigarettes. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Regulations on advertisements  Who advertisements are targeting and who they should target  Where advertisements are, how many they are compared to other advertisements  Why would advertisements want to target the young?

Smoking Graphs Topic: Smoking Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn and analyze smoking statistics, turn numbers into a visual product, bring awareness to smoking problems. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Statistics on smokers and age in Georgia or other statistics (in number form), Large pieces of paper for each group, Rulers for each group, Pencils, Pens, Markers for each group (one black, one red), Tape, Example chart; Optional: Glitter, Glue, Stickers, Colored markers/pencils or crayons, Yarn, Other decorative materials to make the graphs pretty (use your creative side!!!)

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide into groups of four or five. 2) Give each group a large piece of paper, marker, pencil, ruler and list of statistics. 3) Show example graph and explain how to chart the information. 4) Have each group make a graph of the statistics they have (you can also give each group different statistics, or make pie charts or other charts instead). 5) Give each group 20-30 minutes to complete the task. 6) After they are finished, have the groups tape their graphs to the wall. 7) Have each group explain their graph and tell what their graph shows. 8) Have a brief discussion about what the charts address and what it means to them. 9) You can also have the charts posted in the school halls or club room so others can see. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  You can have different graphs and compare information, trying to relate the two parts of information (more smoking leads to more lung cancer, or more deaths)  You can work with your group to make one big chart to display in school or club

Anti-Smoking Posters Topic: Smoking Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To help students express what they think about smoking and its affects. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 6 – 17 Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Poster board (or large paper), Markers/crayons/colored pencils, Pencils, Pens, Rulers, Example poster; Optional: Glitter, Glue, Stickers, Yarn, Other decorative materials (use your creative side!!!) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Divide into groups of 3 or 4. 2) Have a five minute discussion and ask for adjectives or images they think of when they think of smoking and its effects. 3) Give each group a poster board, markers, crayons or colored pencils, pencils, ruler. 4) Show an example poster (maybe one done in the states, one that you have come across that you like, or even your own). 5) Allow the rest of the time period (except for 10 minutes at the end) to create a poster expressing their thoughts on smoking and the effects it has (on people and in their lives). Emphasize that the posters should express to children why not to smoke.

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6) After the groups are done, have each group make a small presentation of the poster. 7) You can hang posters in the school or have them take them home if you would like. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Compare/contrast posters to cigarette advertisements.  Discuss how images affect views (for older group).  Maybe have a poster contest in your community (you can also expand this to other substances and Topics, such as drugs, alcohol or HIV/AIDS).

Puppet Role Play Topic: Smoking, How to Say “No” Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To have students practice situations where they will encounter smoking offers and how to say no. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 10 – 17 Time Required: 1 – 1.5 hours Materials: Paper with people cut outs (one for each child), Markers/colored pencils/crayons, Sticks (one for each child), Tape, Scissors, Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, List of “ways to say no” (one for each child), List of situations and way to say no(one for each group); Optional: Yarn (for hair), Glitter, Other decorative materials Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) 2) 3) 4)

Hand out “ways to say no” paper. Explain each way to the class. Divide into groups of 4-5. Give each group a list of situations and a way to say no, people cut outs (one for each member), sticks (one for each member), makers/colored pencils/crayons, scissors and tape. 5) Explain to groups how to make their puppet. 6) Explain to groups to read their situation and to practice acting out the situation and the way to say no with their puppets. 7) Allow 30 minutes to decorate and practice with their puppet (make sure they stay on task and don’t spend all time on the puppets). 8) Have each group present and act out the situation/way to say no to the class. 9) Have the class try to guess which way to say no the group used. 10) Have a brief discussion on the ways to say no afterwards. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Have students pick their favorite way to say no.  Discuss the advantages/disadvantages of each way to say no.  Ask if anyone has used any of the ways to say no.  Have students come up with their own situations. 172

Ways to Say “No” The Polite Way  Do you want a cigarette?  No thank you. I don’t smoke Be Funny  Do you want a cigarette?  Yeah right, I’d rather shove a basketball up my nose Show Your Knowledge  Just try a drag and see what you think  No thanks. I don’t want to. Just thinking about breathing in 40 chemicals makes me sick. It isn’t my idea of a good time. Echo Technique      

Do you want a smoke? No thanks. Come on! No thanks. You aren’t afraid are you? No thanks

Leave  Check it out. I’ve got some smokes. Want one?  No thanks, I have to go now. Too Busy  Check out. I’ve got some smokes. Want one?  (continue what you were doing, or quietly leave) You can also say, “I’m busy” Strength in Numbers  Make friends who have the same opinion as you. It’s a lot easier to say “no” when you have friends who agree with you.

Smoking Lungs Topic: Smoking Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To show kids the effects of smoking on the lungs. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10 – 17 Time Required: 30 min Materials: Empty plastic litter bottle, Cigarette, Clay/a lot of gum, Nail/knife, Picture of lungs Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Briefly discuss how the lungs work. 2) Have everyone stand back a bit (maybe put on a scientist act, like Bill Nye the Science Guy or a mad scientist). 3) Fill bottle partway with water (two inches). 4) Cut a hole at the top of the bottle. 5) Put a cigarette in the mouth of the bottle, and stick it there with gum or clay.

6) Light the cigarette and pump the bottle like lungs. 7) Wait until big amount smoke builds up. 8) Ask the class what is happening. 9) Explain that’s how smoke gets into lungs. 10) Watch water to see if the color turns. 11) Have students smell the bottle (ew!). 12) Ask what students think about it and what they think it says about what smoking does to your lungs.

Smoking Surveys Topic: Smoking, Community Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To bring awareness to smoking problems in the community. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 14 -25 Time Required: 30 minutes in class Materials: Smoking statistics, Paper, Pen, Questions; Optional: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What other organs does smoking affect?  Predict what lungs will look like after years of smoking  Show pictures of lungs after many years of smoking and compare them with pictures of healthy lungs  Explain cancer Example Smoking Lungs Step One:

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before class, look up smoking statistics for the world or in other countries. 2) Talk about some smoking statistics in the world or other countries. 3) Ask students how many people they think smoke in their village/city. 4) Tell students to conduct a smoking survey in their community. 5) Make sure to tell them to reassure the survey is anonymous, and to be sensitive. 6) The next class, have the students calculate all the results. 7) Ask them what they think this information means. 8) Ask them if they can think of any community project or action that would affect the greatest number of people. List of Suggested Questions Sex (male or female) Age Do you smoke? When did you start smoking? Why did you start smoking? Do you want to quit? Why/why not? Do you think smoking is healthy? Did you know that smoking can cause cancer and other diseases?  Do your friends smoke?  Do other people in your family smoke?        

Step Two:

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Have students come up with a community action plan to decrease the number of people smoking

Ways to Refuse a Cigarette Topic: Saying No, Smoking Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To develop students’ refusal skills. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 10-17 Time Required: 15-30 minutes Materials: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart; Optional: Markers, Flipchart paper, Handout with ways to say no

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Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Explain to the students that peer pressure and pressure to do unhealthy things are heard to cope with. 2) Show them all ways to say no (you can write this on the board or hand out a paper). Ways to Say “No” The Polite Way  Do you want a cigarette?  No thank you. I don’t smoke Be Funny  Do you want a cigarette?  Yeah right, I’d rather shove a basketball up my nose Show Your Knowledge  Just try a drag and see what you think  No thanks. I don’t want to. Just thinking about breathing in 40 chemicals makes me sick. It isn’t my idea of a good time. Echo Technique      

Do you want a smoke? No thanks. Come on! No thanks. You aren’t afraid are you? No thanks

Leave  Check it out. I’ve got some smokes. Want one?  No thanks, I have to go now. Too Busy  Check out. I’ve got some smokes. Want one?  (continue what you were doing, or quietly leave) You can also say, “I’m busy” Strength in Numbers  Make friends who have the same opinion as you. It’s a lot easier to say “no” when you have friends who agree with you. 3) Take to students and start by having one try to persuade the other to smoke. 4) Replace smoking with other relevant issues (drinking, stealing, cheating, fighting) 5) Have kids who are watching critique the role plays and identify what worked well and what didn’t. Make sure every student gets a chance to say “no”. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Have students come up with there own ways to say no if they can.

Why Smoking is Risky Topic: Smoking Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To understand what kinds of 174

stresses and pressures make people smoke and how to counter those pressures. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 8-17 Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Pen/ marker/chalk Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Brainstorm with kids and make a list of reasons why people smoke. There are many reasons why people smoke such as stress, peer pressure, and the desire to lose weight. 2) Once you have done this, counter each reason. That is, explain why the reason is not such a good reason. Various reasons and counter-reasons are as follows:  People smoke because it makes them look fashionable. (“If you smoke your teeth will eventually turn yellow and no one will want to kiss you. That’s not fashionable!”)  People smoke because it relaxes them. (“Smoking makes it harder to breathe. This can only add to stress. Also, smoking causes cancer. That will certainly add to stress!”)  People smoke because of peer-pressure from friends and TV. (“Arm yourself with facts so that you can explain to your friends why smoking is bad for your health. Also, anyone who is really your friend won’t want you to do something that isn’t good for you.”) 3) Explain to kids that smoking is expensive. If a person smokes a 300amd pack a day of cigarettes, they will spend about $200 in a year. You can go to and from Russia for that kind of money. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What are some ways you could help your friends stop smoking?  Should there be new laws to help kids not to smoke? If so, what laws would you want to see?

Cigarette Tar Topic: Smoking Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To recognize tar as the sticky, brown, poisonous substance found in cigarettes. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 8-17 Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: An empty squeeze bottle, Two cotton balls, Cigarette (filter less, if possible), Book of matches or lighter, A lid from a jar Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before class - Cut the opening in the nozzle of the squeeze bottle large enough to snugly insert the end of the cigarette.

2) Unscrew the top and stretch the cotton ball across the top and around the threads like a filter. Secure the cotton ball by screwing the cap back on the bottle. 3) Insert the (filter) end of the cigarette into the opening of the bottle’s nozzle. 4) After discussing the hazards of smoking with the class, show the class a clean cotton ball. Explain that the cotton ball will represent the healthy tissue of a non-smoker’s lungs. Allow the students to handle, observe, and pass around the cotton ball. 5) While the cotton ball is being passed around, bring out the “smoker’s lung” device. Explain that this will represent a smoker. The cotton ball inside is the lungs. The smoker will smoke one cigarette, and then the class will have the opportunity to observe the damage to the lungs. 6) Light the cigarette. (Do this demonstration near an open window.) Squeeze and release the bottle in a methodical fashion to draw air into the cigarette and thus “smoke” it. Use the jar lid as a makeshift ashtray. 7) After the cigarette has been “smoked” to within about an inch of the bottle nozzle’s opening, put the cigarette out. Allow the remnants of smoke to escape out the window. 8) Allow students to gather around for purposes of observation. Unscrew the bottles’ nozzle and remove the cotton ball (alias “lung tissue”). 9) Ask the students, “How is this cotton ball different from the other cotton ball that we passed around earlier?” (It has a brown color.) “What do you think this brown substance is?” (tar) “What damage might tar cause in your lungs?” (lung cancer, coughing, makes breathing difficult) 10) Allow students to personally inspect the stained cotton ball. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  A person who smokes about a pack of cigarettes a day ingests nearly a quart of tar into his/her lungs during the course of a year. (If possible, bring a quart sized container into the classroom to demonstrate.) Diagram of Cigarette Tar Project

Tarred Lungs Topic: Smoking Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To show students what tar does to lungs. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: Cotton balls, Plastic bag, Rubber band, Straw Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Put wet cotton balls into a plastic bag and tie it off with a rubber band. 2) Put a straw through the rubber banded opening in the top of the bag. The bag represents the lungs; the cotton balls represent the inside of the lungs; and the straw represents the throat. 3) Blow smoke into the bag (or have a teacher do it) in from of the students what color is the cotton now? Since the cotton balls represent the inside of the lungs, how does smoking affect the inside of the lungs? 4) Discuss the negatives of smoking. 5) Note: the bag cannot have any holes in it except where the straw enters. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Discuss the cost of cigarettes and alcohol, and brainstorm what else could be bought.

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Drug Facts WHAT IS A DRUG? Here are some common characteristics of a drug. 1. potential for dependence 2. withdrawal symptoms if ceased 3. most develop tolerance 4. altered biological, mental, and behavioral effects 5. adverse health effects 6. sometimes illegal 7. unregulated, and may have dangerous chemicals in them 8. often common and easy to obtain WHY PEOPLE USE DRUGS:        

peer pressure, desire to be like others, initiation into groups escape for troubles cannot stop, develop addiction or dependence trying to stay awake social customs, spiritual tradition genetic disposition self medication- of mental illness, other problems people always use drugs because they believe they get something out of it

COMMON DRUGS CAFFEINE: Caffeine is commonly found in coffee, tea, and chocolate. Caffeine is a type of stimulant, in other words, in increases the heart rate, respiration, the autonomic system, and makes one feel like they have more energy and are more awake. In small amounts and over short periods of time caffeine does not have harmful effects, but over many years of drinking coffee it can have considerable health effects. A normal cup of filtered coffee has from 60 to 90 milligrams of caffeine. Despite its everyday use by so many people, it is a true drug, therefore it can lead withdrawal symptoms if one suddenly stops drinking coffee. This is usually noticed with as few as 1 to 3 or more cups per day. Commonly people experience headaches, sleepiness, and irritability. With higher intake of caffeine, severe headaches can occur and may persist for up to a week, along with the other symptoms. Other potential health effects of caffeine and coffee are: liver damage stomach damage because coffee has a lot of acid discoloration of teeth dehydration, because coffee speeds up the digestive system and is a diuretic (increased urine output), thus drinking a lot of coffee and working outside on a hot day is not a good idea.  Poor sleep/insomnia  heart disease due to prolonged increased and unnatural activity  for men only, the potential of impotence and decreased sperm count    

Why do people WANT to drink coffee?”     

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keeps them awake some people say, “I don’t wake up till I have my first cup of coffee.” tastes good tradition everyone else does it, why not?

How much is too much coffee? As little as 1 to 3 cups of coffee can lead to withdraw symptoms like headaches and poor sleep. Herbal tea, fresh fruit juice, healthy diet and exercise are great substitutes (naturally leads to increase of energy). NICOTINE: Nicotine comes from tobacco. Tobacco originated in America and was only discovered about 400 years ago. It was used by the Native America People only for spiritual purposes and was considered a very special and powerful plant. When the Europeans began using the plant, they did not practice the same caution as the Native Americans and quickly became addicted to it, and realizing they had a potentially very profitable product, they began to export it to Europe. Now, hundreds of millions of people are smoking and a global health is being seriously affected. Cigarettes are about the only form people are exposed to the drug nicotine. Nicotine is, like caffeine, a stimulant. The heart rate in increased, loss of appetite, and a sense of relaxation or release of tension may briefly be felt, until the desire for another cigarette is felt. The harmful effects of cigarettes have been well documented by scientists for years. Many people think smoking is just a habit and that they can stop any time they want. In truth, most people can not stop even if they want to. About 70% to 80 % of people who smoke and have tried to stop, return to smoking in one year. So, if you are thinking about smoking, you better real it is something you will probably be doing for the rest of your life, whether you like it or not. Why do people smoke?      

peer pressure, desire to look cool, or be liberal, free family does it cannot stop they think it helps with stress think it helps with weight reduction other reasons

Harmful effects caused by chronic cigarette smoking:  bronchitis, pneumonia and worsened asthma chronic coughing and wheezing  decreased lung capacity (more effort to breath same amount of air as normal, harder to do strenuous work)  lung cancer, and increase incidence of other cancers  heart disease and strokes  birth defects in children (if smoking while pregnant of possible exposure by mother to second hand smoke)  physical and psychological dependence  decreased physical fitness  decreased life span  discoloration of hands and teeth  for men, linked to impotence Effects on non-smokers from second hand smoke can include: increased respiratory illnesses to babies up to 18 months of age increased chance for middle ear problems in children increase coughing and wheezing, worsened asthma in children low birth weights and lower survival rates in newborn babies due to smoking during pregnancy  increased rates for cancer if chronically exposed to second hard smoke    

Even Cigarettes without nicotine are a health concern because tobacco producers often use hundreds of chemicals which interact with one another and actually form radiation. If you go to a home where people smoke, you can take a GIGERCOU7NTER, and it will indicate above average RADIATION in a person’s home. Imagine what this can do to your self and your children over many years

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Alternatives to cigarettes?  Here are some things to say to “friends” who want you to smoke:  remind them that being athletic and smoking do not go together  tell friends that its “cooler” to live longer and not have to hack up brown stuff every morning or get emphysema  tell friends that dying early or getting lung cancer is not the best way to demonstrate how to be a “man”  tell girlfriends that truly free women do not get addicted to cigarettes ALCOHOL Description: Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. It has been used by people for many thousands of years. The first known beverage intentionally made for alcohol was Mead, or Honey Wine. For thousands of years alcohol was more difficult to produce and was usually used for official functions and especially religious rituals. As alcohol become easier to produce, more and more people began to drink it and more problems began to arise. Only in the last century have doctors and scientists understood the serious health problems associated with alcohol. Some ethnic groups have had exposure to alcohol for thousands of years and their bodies can handle it better, but for other groups it is fairly new and can affect them very severely. Why do people drink? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Tradition, family does it Peer pressure, expected to Trying to feel good “Denial of problems” Depression, other mental health problems Genetic disposition towards it Others

Alcohol effects on the body include:                   

slowing down the activity of the central nervous system slower reaction, loss of control over action, erratic behavior impaired thinking and judgment staggering, disorientation, moodiness, slurred speech, double vision vomiting and incontinence Unconsciousness, death due to respiratory paralysis Cancer of the mouth, esophagus or stomach, due to irritating effect of liquor Heart disease- enlarged heart, congestive heart failure Liver damage- cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis, cancer of the liver Ulcers and gastritis Damage to adrenal and pituitary glands Tolerance, physical and psychological dependence Birth defects due to alcohol consumption during pregnancy Other Problems Can stimulate depression, and mask mental health problems Can cause violence, increasing aggression Can cause depression, uncontrollable crying Maybe seen as shameful activity Could become a Problem Drinker or Alcohol Abuser, or Alcohol Dependent (see below)

Alcoholism: Alcoholism is a disease characterized by the uncontrolled use of alcohol. The causes of alcoholism may be a combination of genetic, environment, cultural, and psychological factors. ANYONE can become an alcoholic, and alcoholics can recover from the disease but are never cured (in other words, relapse will always be a risk). It is a serious disease which kills millions of people every year.

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Possible symptoms of alcoholism:       

greater tolerance personality changes obvious uncontrolled drinking blackouts (cannot remember what happened to them) preoccupation with alcohol, drinking alone, shakes, malnutrition, high blood pressure depression broken blood vessels on nose, appears larger, broken engorged blood vessels in throat, some alcoholics die when the blood vessels break and they drown in their own blood.

What are Alternatives to Alcohol?  Spend more time with friends who do not drink.  Coffee, teas, if you have to.  If you must drink, drink beverages with less alcohol in them, like beer and wine, but remember they have the same potential for health problems and addiction.  Drinking and being athletic do not go together Drug Dependence (usually for more serious drugs): Possible signs Biological1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Poor health, injuries Malnutrition and dehydration Restlessness, reflex action, insomnia, or increased sleep and torpor Pin point or dilated pupils Needle marks on arms Development of common drug related disease, such as Hepatitis and AIDS

Behavioral1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Drunkenness, drowsiness, irrational behavior, over talkative, or overly silent Overly isolative or socially withdrawn Sharp reduction in school performance Difficulty maintaining job, or other activities Engaging in anti-social behavior such as; theft, violence, drug dealing, and maybe Resulting in prison term Changes in peer groups, friends Daily life revolves around obtaining more drugs, other needs, even food may become secondary Possession of drug paraphernalia, such as needles, pipes, etc.

Mental1. obsession on getting more of the drug, getting “high” again 2. personality changes, moodiness, overly aggressive or passive 3. poor judgment, irrational ideas and schemes, ignoring reality Withdrawal symptoms if drug activity stops       

excessive sleep increased heart rate, poor sleep, sweating, panting hallucinations, feeling like skin crawling increased blood pressure, stress on body headaches craving for more depression, anxiety, desperation, suicidal feelings or actions violent behavior

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Alcohol Intoxication Simulations Topic: Alcohol Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To understand the loss of coordination and bodily control associated with drinking. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: None Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Have students divide into small groups. 2) One student volunteers first. 3) Student must extent arms out, away from body, parallel to shoulders. With one hand at a time, they must touch their nose. Have them notice how easy it was. 4) Now, blind fold student. 5) Student must spin around many times. Have some other students present in a circle around spinning person to protect them from falling. 6) After a minute or two, stop. 7) With blind fold on, student must repeat nose touching exercise. 8) Have them note how much more difficult it is. Another Option 1) Have student walk in straight line. 2) Student spins rapidly for at least 30 seconds, with students protecting them 3) Then, student must try to walk in a straight line, with feet placed in a line, end to end. 4) Have students note, before and after. Yet Another Option 1) Have students write with non-dominant hand. 2) Have them note how difficult it is. Other ideas: Simulate how seriously drinking can affect behaviors by having students:  Talk with their mouths full of marsh mallows (or other food).  Run through a maze with one eye covered  Write with their non-dominate hand Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How does alcohol seriously affect a person’s behavior? Why would someone not be as coordinated if they are under the influence of alcohol? Why would this be a problem? Can a person safely drive a car if they have been drinking? Can they do other activities safely?

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What is a drug? Topic: Drugs Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To educate primarily about potential harmful effects of common drugs in their environment. The main emphasis is primarily on caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol, and secondarily about cannabis, cocaine, hallucinogens, narcotics and inhalants. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 13-18 Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Poster board, larger paper, Several sets of colored markers and/or crayons, Paper, Pens/pencils Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Start with a warm-up activity. A good idea might be to go around the room and have each student talk about a time they saw either on TV or in their own personal life, someone using drugs. How did it make them feel? Were they worried for the person? Did drugs look interesting? How did the person act once they got high? 2) Presentation: What is a drug? 3) Ask class first, and begin to make a list of what characteristics a drug has. How might someone on drugs feel? What kind of drugs have you heard about? 4) Use given information to supplement the discussion. 5) Ask class what they think about drug use. Are they perceived as a group of people/individuals who need special medical treatment? Are they sick? Why do they think that person uses drugs? Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Small group drawing about why people use drugs: Form class into small groups of 4-5 students. Ask students to draw and write about why they believe people use drugs. Have discussion.

Tell a Friend About It Topic: Drugs, Alcohol, Community Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To write a factual message about staying drug and alcohol free. Number of Students: 10-50 Age Range of Students: 10 and up Time Required: 30 minutes – 1 hour Materials: Paper or cardboard, Crayons, Pencils, Pens, Markers Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Talk to the students about the effects of drugs and alcohol. 2) Ask the students to write a letter to someone about this. This person can be someone they want to stop using drugs and alcohol or a younger sibling they want to warn about the effects of drugs and alcohol. 3) Have students draw a picture about drugs and alcohol and write a message about drugs and alcohol.

4) When they are finished with the picture, have them turn the paper over and address it to the person of their choice. 5) Deliver it or mail it. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Alter this activity by making a bulletin board or having a drawing contest for awareness. It may help to take a health worker along to explain the effects of drugs and alcohol

Caffeine Topic: Drugs Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To identify the effects of caffeine on the human body. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 45 minutes Materials: Several rubber balls or squeeze toys, Paste pictures of food on a flipchart (a mixture of both caffeine filled foods/drinks and non-caffeinated foods/drinks)

Alcohol and Drug Use Role Play Topic: Substance Abuse Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To think about and act out why people chose to drink and/or do drugs. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 13 and up Time Required: 45 minutes – 1 hour Materials: Role play story (one for each group) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Have a discussion with the class why they think people start doing drugs or drinking alcohol. 2) Split the class into groups of 4 to 5. 3) Give each group a role play card. 4) Tell the groups they must act out this role play the way they think it would happen. 5) Here is the story: Lasha’s Story

Lasha, a fifteen year old boy, has been arrested for breaking into a house and stealing a television. He was drinking and smoking with a gang of friends and they decided they needed more money for their alcohol and drugs. They made a plan to rob a house and sell the television to get more money for their alcohol and drugs. The police came after the boys, but only Lasha got caught.



Act out the scene and then have one person play a famous reporter on the TV. This character will interview Lasha, the fifteen year old boy arrested for housebreaking. Lasha will answer the questions. Use your knowledge about why people do drugs and alcohol in your role play.

Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Distribute the squeeze toys (or balls) to a select group of students. (The teacher should have one also.) 2) The teacher should explain that the student’s hands and the squeeze toys will represent their hearts and the beating action. “Let’s see if we can get our hearts started. IN, OUT. (Squeeze toy and release.) IN, OUT.” 3) Continue by showing how the heart reacts while the body is in various situations. “While we’re resting, our hearts will bean in an even, relaxed way – IN, OUT; IN, OUT; IN, OUT. (Have students emulate this with their squeeze toys.) The heart is not working too hard. However, when we’re playing hard, our hearts will be pumping much faster in order to supply our bodies with oxygen—IN-OUT, IN-OUT, IN-OUT!” (Squeeze and release the toy more rapidly.) Explain to the class, “It’s natural for your heart rate to increase when you exercise hard. It’s also natural for it to increase if you become nervous, worried or embarrassed. (More blood is being pumped through they body to relieve the stress upon it.) Light colored skin makes this internal process more visible. If you are resting and not nervous or embarrassed, do you think your heart rate should be slow or fast?” (slow) 4) “The caffeine in certain foods makes our hearts pump faster even when we’re at rest—IN-OUT, IN-OUT, IN-OUT! Do you think that’s a healthy condition for our hearts?” (no) 5) Have the students mark an X on the flipchart foods they believe to contain caffeine (chocolate, tea, cola, coffee).

Some sample questions:  “Lasha, you are such a young man and now you will probably go to jail. Why did you break into the house in the first place?  “Why did you start drinking and smoking?”  “How did the alcohol and drugs make you feel?”  “Where did you buy the alcohol and drugs?”  “Where did you get the money for it?” 6) Let the groups have at least 10 minutes to play their role play. 7) Have each group perform the role play. 8) After everyone is done, ask the class what were some of the answers given by Lasha and why they think he was doing drugs and drinking. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What kind of products do you drink/eat contain caffeine?  What are substitutes for product you drink/eat containing caffeine?  Is caffeine addictive? Why or why not?

 What kind of person do you think Lasha was?  Why do you think Lasha was using drugs and getting into trouble?

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Sexual Education 183

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How to Decide about Sex (and make your decision stick) Topic: Sexual Education, Decision Making Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To help make decisions about initiating in sexual activity. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 15-17 Time Required: 1.5 hours (or two class periods) Materials: Information brochures on sex, HIV/AIDS, STI’s, contraceptives, UNAIDS, UNDP statistics; Optional: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Tell your students that if you aren’t already, you probably will be making decisions about whether or not you will engage in sexual activity sometime soon. 2) Tell them it will be one of the most important decisions in their lives. 3) Here are some things you can do to help you make your decision:  Seek information from reliable sources.  Talk to people about your feelings, especially your family.  Understand all the consequences (physical as well as emotional).  Think about what you will do if you become pregnant.  Learn about STIs and HIV/AIDS and how to protect yourself.  Think about what you want in life.  Think about the person’s pluses and minuses and if you really want to have sex with them.  Think about your values.  Don’t rush to have sex if you aren’t ready – if someone rushes you, then that person is not the person to have sex with! 4) Ask students, what else can you think of that you need to know before acting on the decision to have sex? 5) Ask students, once you’ve made the choice, how do you stick to your limits? Here are some suggestions:  Know before hand what you do and don’t want to do.  Stop things when you start to feel uncomfortable. Never push someone else to do anything they don’t feel comfortable with.  Clearly state your feelings.  Point out the consequences.  Suggest something else to do. 6) List as many good reasons as possible for not having sex at this age. 7) Imagine that you are on a date and your boy/ girlfriend is trying to pressure you into having sex. What are some of things he or she might say (make a list)? What are good ways to respond to these things? 8) Imagine that someone you really like wants to have sex with you, but you don’t feel ready for it. Brainstorm ways to say no. Role-play situations.

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Agree or disagree: If you are not having sex there is something wrong with you?  Boys: How do you feel you have to act when with a girl so she thinks you’re a man? Girls: How do you feel you have to act when with a boy so he thinks you are a woman?  When it comes to sex, whose responsibility is it to set the limits? Why?  Some people think that you haven’t become a man/woman until you’ve had sex. Do you agree? Why or why not?  What are some of the emotional risks of having sex? Physical?  How can you tell when you’re being pressured?  Is it ever acceptable to pressure another person into having sex with you? Why or why not? Explain.

STI Group Research Topic: Sexual Education Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To have students learn more about STIs and actively look into the consequences and how they are contracted. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 15-25 Time Required: 45 minutes - 1 hour Materials: STI resources (text book/internet/brochures), Pen, Paper; Optional: Blackboard, Poster board, Markers Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Introduce STIs (sexually transmitted infection) to the class. 2) Have them guess what that means then give the definition. 3) Have the class list as many sexually transmitted infections as they can think of. 4) Add onto the list any major ones they forgot. 5) Then break the class into groups of and have them research each disease. 6) Their research should include:  How do you get it?  What are the symptoms?  What are the effects? (long and short term)  What is the treatment(s)?  Can it be cured? 7) Have students present their findings to the class (you can have them create informational posters to present to the class as well). Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Does your knowledge of STI’s change your opinion of when to have sex? How?  How at risk do you feel for getting STIs? Do the statistics change your mind?  Would you feel comfortable asking your partner to get tested? Why or why not?  What are good ways to ask your partner to get tested without hurting his/her feelings?

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Condom Time Bomb Topic: Sexual Education Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To get students comfortable with handling condoms and show how strong they can be. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 15 and up Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: 5-10 condoms, Slips of paper with one questions about condoms written on each slip, Music (small radio, tape player etc) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before the session, write one question on a slip of paper; fold the paper very small and put it inside one of the condoms; blow up the condom and tie it like a balloon. 2) Do this for however many condoms you would like in the game. 3) Have your participants stand in a circle. Hand one of the ‘balloons’ to a participant. 4) Explain that you will play some music. Participants should pass the ‘balloon’ around the circle any way they like-handing it to the person next to them, batting it into the air to the next person, dancing with it, and so on. 5) When the music stops (when you turn it off), whoever is holding the condom balloon must break it, take out the question, and answer it. 6) After discussing the correct answer, start the music and the entire process again. 7) When the participants find it difficult to break the condom, make sure you point out how strong it is. Suggested Questions:     

Are condoms 100 percent effective? How many times should you use one condom? How should a condom look before it is put on? Where can you find free condoms? Why is it so important to use condoms?

Condom Races Topic: Sexual Education Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To practice what students have learned about using condoms. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 15 and up Time Required: 15 – 30 minutes Materials: Banana (or model), Bunch of condoms for each team Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) This may be difficult to do seriously with your students. Make sure they are mature enough to handle such an activity. 2) Form teams. Each team gets one demonstration model/banana and a bunch of condoms. 3) The teams stand in line, and when you say, ‘Go!’, each team must go one-by-one up to the model, 186

correctly put the condom on it, come back to their team mates and tag the next person who also goes up and repeats the process. 4) When all members of one team have correctly put condoms on the models, that team wins. Another variation: 1) Write all of the steps for putting on a condom on individual cards. 2) Mix up each set of cards so that they are no longer in order, and give one set of cards to each team. 3) When you say ‘Go!’ the teams have to race each other to see which team will put the steps in order the fastest. 4) The team that gets all the steps in the correct order first wins the races. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Do you think everyone who uses condoms knows how to use them?  What happens if you use a condom incorrectly?  Why are condoms important?  Who do you think should learn to use condoms? Boys? Girls? Both?

STI Match Topic: Sexual Education Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn about different STIs. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 17 and up Time Required: 45 minutes Materials: Cards, Signs with different STI names, Tape; Optional: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Remember this Topic: is SENSITIVE! Do NOT do this unless you are sure your class will be okay and comfortable with discussing this Topic:. 2) Before class make signs with names of STIs. 3) Tape up the signs around the classroom on the walls. 4) Write the proper names next to the scientific names. 5) Write the symptoms on cards before class. 6) Divide the class into groups of how ever many STIs are on the wall. 7) Assign each group to an STI. 8) Throw the cards on the floor. 9) Explain that each group must find their symptoms and tape them under the sign. 10) When everyone is finished, go over the answers with the class and correct any mistakes. 11) Discuss.

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Where do people in Georgia go to get treated for STIs? Which of these places is the best to get treated? Why?  Are people afraid to seek treatment for STIs? Why?  Why is it important to get treated early for STIs? Why is it important that your partners get treated?  How can we tell that they have been expose to an STD without blaming them or getting hurt ourselves?

4 Common STIs and Symptoms Gonorrhea  Yellow-green or white discharge from the penis or vagina  Burning sensation or urination  Symptoms usually 2 to 14 days after exposure  Possibly no symptoms  Possible swelling in the area of the testicles  Possible sterility if untreated  Possible blindness in newborns if not treated with drops in eyes

Syphilis  Painless sore on the penis or vagina  Sore appears 10 to 90 days after exposure  Non-itching rash on body (palms and soles)  Hair loss, fever, and chills  Possible death if untreated  Possible death or bone deformation in newborn if mother is not treated early in pregnancy Herpes Simplex  No cure, treatment is medicine called Acyclovir  Small painful blisters on genitals or mouth  Symptoms may recur when under stress  Viral infection  Severe neurological damage or death to newborns if exposed in birth canal Cancroids    

Painful sore on penis or vagina Sore appears 3 to 5 days after exposure Inflammation of lymph gland on the side Greatest risk factor for HIV transmission

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HIV/AIDS 189

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The Loss Exercise Topic: HIV/AIDS Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To gain an understanding of the feelings of loss involved when someone contracts HIV/AIDS. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 14 and up Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: Pens/paper (everyone) Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask participants to completely clear their desks of everything except a sheet of paper and a pen or pencil. Tell them to number I to 5 on their papers. Explain that you are going to read five statements, and they will respond to those statements on their papers. 2) It is very important to emphasize that no one else in the room will see their papers: they will not be collected. They will not be used at any later time: the papers are their own personal property. Do this exercise slowly and seriously. Participants should feel the full impact of this discussion. 3) One by one, read off the statements and tell the participants to write their responses on their papers. Reinforce that it will not be shared with others. 4) Write down the name of the personal possession that you love the most. Maybe it is your house, or a special item your grandmother gave you, or a book, or anything else. What one thing that you own means the most to you? Write that thing on #1. 5) Write down the part of your body that you are most proud of. Perhaps you really love your eyes, or you are very proud of your hair, or you enjoy your ears the most because they help you listen to music, or you love your voice because it helps you to sing. Write down the one part of your body that you are most proud of on #2. 6) Write down the name of the activity you most enjoy doing. Maybe it is going to a religious event, or playing football, or dancing, or any other activity. What do you most enjoy doing in the whole world? Write that activity on #3. 7) Write down one secret or very confidential thing about yourself that no one else in the world or only one other person knows about. Every one of us has some secret or very private thing that he or she does not want others to know about. Write that personal, private piece of information down on #4. (Remind the group that no one will see this sheet but themselves.) 8) Lastly, write down the name of the person whose love and support means the most to you in the world. After everyone has finished, explain that you will now go through the list again. As you go through each statement, they should imagine that they are living through what you are saying. Read the Statements 9) Allow a few silent moments for the participants to truly feel what you have just said. People are usually a bit upset and uncomfortable at this point. Give them some time to think about this.

10) Now, ask participants to describe in one word or phrase the emotions they are feeling. Write the words on a blank board or flip chart. Keep brainstorming until all of the possible ideas are exhausted. Your list may include: sadness, grief, feeling like killing myself, hopeless, alone, miserable, depressed, angry, blaming others, no reason to continue. 11) Ask participants to take a look at the list that you have created. Ask them to imagine how these feelings might relate to testing positive for HIV/ AIDS. Discuss the links between this exercise and testing positive. Remind the group that they have placed themselves in the position of a person living with HI V/AIDS and allowed themselves to experience the very powerful emotions that such a person might be living with every day. Statements 1. Imagine that something terrible happens that causes you to lose the material possession that you love most. Either a theft occurs or a loss of some kind that takes this thing away from you completely. You will never again see the thing listed on #1. Take your pen or pencil and cross out #1 now. 2. Imagine that an accident or other unfortunate occurrence causes you to lose the part of your body that you are proudest of. This part of your body is gone, and you will never have it again as long as you live. Cross out #2 now with your pen or pencil. 3. Imagine that this same accident or unfortunate occurrence makes it impossible for you to do your favorite activity ever again. You will never again, in your entire life, be able to do the activity you wrote on #3. Cross out #3 with your pen or pencil now. 4. Imagine that because of all of the above situations, your secret has been exposed. Everyone now knows what you wrote on #4. It has become public knowledge: everyone in the school, town, church, and community knows about what you wrote on #4. Circle #4 with your pen or pencil now. 5. Lastly, because of all of these changes (losing your possession, losing your body part, not being able to do your favorite activity, and everyone knowing your secret), the person that you love most in the world leaves you forever. You will never again see this person that you love and who is your most important source of support. Cross out #5 with your pen or pencil now.

The True/False Game Topic: HIV/AIDS Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): For a workshop or discussion leader to be able to identify to the level of awareness of their participants while at the same time disseminating accurate HIV/AIDS information. Number of Students: 5-30 191

Age Range of Students: 14-18 Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: Markers, Cardboard/paper Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Print the words ‘True’ and ‘False’ in large letters on two sheets of paper. Hang the papers opposite walls. 2) Clear an open area between the two signs. 3) Ask participants to gather in the center of an open area. The facilitator reads a statement, and the participants run to whichever sign they think is correct. If they think the statement is true, they run to ‘True,’ if they think it is false, they run to ‘False’. If they are undecided, or think it can be both true and false, they should remain in the middle. 4) Ask the participants, in turn, to explain or defend why they are at the side they chose. It is good to ask for explanations from one side, then the other, as groups will tend to begin a debate about the correct answer. Only after everyone who wants to has spoken should the facilitator give the correct answer more info 5) Emphasize good communication skills and conflict resolution by suggesting that each side ‘reflect back’ the points of the opposing side before stating their own opinions. 6) Everyone comes back to the center and the game begins again with another question.  Someone with a sexually transmitted disease has a higher risk of becoming HIV infected.  The condom has small holes in it which HIV can pass through.  HIV can be spread by mosquitoes.  A baby born to an HIV positive mother will also get HIV.  You can tell that someone has HIV by looking at them.  It is safer to wear two condoms instead of just one.  By having more sex, you can ejaculate more sperms and HIV will get out of the body.  Married women are less likely to catch HI V/AIDS than unmarried women.  If a man uses condoms for more than two years, he can become infertile.  A person with TB who also has weight loss is infected with HIV.  If a person looks healthy, then he or she does not have AIDS.  You may get HIV by drinking from the same glass that a person with AIDS has used.  Petroleum jelly is a good lubricant to use with a condom.  It is safe to have sex just once without a condom.  You may get HIV by eating food prepared by someone who has HIV or AIDS.  A person can have a negative test for HIV and still have HIV.  You can get HIV from a dog bite.  Only men can receive free condoms.  HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.  There is a new drug in America that can cure AIDS. 192

The Epidemic Game Topic: HIV/AIDS Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To understand of how HIV/AIDS is passed from one person to another. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 14-18 Time Required: 30 minutes Materials: Small cards Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Suppose there are 12 people playing the game. Make 12 small cards: Three will have a red ‘X’ on the card; four will have a ‘C’ on the card; the other five will have black spots. 2) Every participant should receive one card. They are not to look at their cards. They should keep their cards folded in their hands. Tell the participants that they should move around the room and greet three people. They should simply greet them and remember whom they greeted. They should not look at anyone’s card. 3) After the greetings, ask everyone to sit down. Now, have everyone look at their card. On a flip chart, put a red X. Ask everyone who has a red X to stand. Inform the group that these people have HIV. Ask the group to take a good look at the people standing. Anyone who greeted the people should also stand up. These people are also infected. Now, tell everyone to take a good look at everyone standing. 4) Anyone who has greeted those standing must stand up. All those standing are infected with HIV. Continue with this until just about everyone is standing. 5) Put a ‘C’ on the flip chart. Ask if anyone has this symbol on his or her card. Tell these people that they can sit down. Tell the group that these people have used a condom. They are not infected. Everyone can now sit down. 6) Ask the group what we learn from this game. Put their answers on the flip chart. Possible answers will be:  HIV can be transmitted very quickly and easily.  You cannot tell if someone has HIV.  Using a condom can reduce your risk of HIV.  Having contact with one person is the same as having contact with all the partners of that person. Ask the people with the red ‘X’ how they felt to discover they were HIV positive. Ask the people with the ‘C’ how it felt not be infected at all and to sit down. It is important to emphasize that this is a symbolic exercise. People cannot transmit HIV by simply greeting each other. They would have to have sex (or other contact with bodily fluid). Also, be careful that this exercise does not set a tone of ‘blaming the victim.’ Lastly, ask the group how they could have avoided infection in this game. For example: They could have refused to play (Abstinence).They could have insisted on seeing their partners’ cards (Testing). They could have only greeted one partner (Risk Reduction: Being Faithful). Remind the group that they must check the card before being faithful with that partner (Testing).

Facts and Myths About HIV/AIDS Topic: HIV/AIDS Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To be able to recognize the seriousness of HIV/AIDS in your community. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 15 and up Time Required: 2 hours Materials: Tape, Signs blacked on the wall with the words “true” and “false”, Bowl with pieces of paper in it Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before the class, write on the slips of paper true and false statements about HIV/AIDS. 2) Examples: True  While Africa has been more affected by HIV/ AIDS than any other part of the world, HIV/ AIDS rates are rising in many other regions, including Eastern Europe/Central Asia.  Although many people do not have access to expensive drugs to treat HIV/AIDS, there are medicines that can slow down the disease (not cure).  In Georgia, over 800 cases of HIV/AIDS have been confirmed, while hundreds more may go undiagnosed  There is still no cure for HIV/AIDS.  Although HIV/AIDS transmission is a risk for everyone, women and girls are more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS infections than men and boys.  The amount of food we have to eat can be related to the number of people who have AIDS in our community. False

3) 4) 5) 6)

7)

 AIDS is a disease that is only found in Africa.  Since everyone who has AIDS dies, it is better not to know you have it.  HIV/AIDS was a disease invented in Russia to use for bio warfare.  People in the U.S. have access to medicine that can cure them of HIV/AIDS.  No one has HIV/AIDS in Georgia.  Priests in Georgia have cured HIV/AIDS.  HIV/AIDS is a disease that only affects prostitutes, drug users and/or homosexuals.  It has recently been proven that HIV does not cause AIDS. Divide a flipchart/board into two sections and label them “true” and “false”. Have each student come up and pick a statement out of the bowl. Have them read the statement and then tape it under either “true” or “false”. After each student has put up a statement and you have used all the statements, read each one aloud to the class and have the class decide if it is correct. After the exercise is over, go over the correct answers (some might be surprising!).

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Do you believe HIV/AIDS has affected our community? Why or why not? What evidence do you see of the effects of AIDS in our community? What other things have you heard about HIV/AIDS in our community that you think might be untrue? Do you think that everyone who has had HIV/AIDS knows that he/she has it? Why or why not? Have you ever heard someone say that they have heard of a cure for AIDS? Why do you think someone might say that if there is no cure? Why do you think young girls are infected more often than boys? Which or our life-skills can help protect you from HIV/AIDS? What can we do to help our community fight HIV/AIDS?

The Immune System Match Topic: General health, HIV/AIDS Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To describe the functions of at least five components of the immune system. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: All ages Time Required: 30 – 45 minutes Materials: Handout: Your Immune System, Paper, Pens/pencils; Optional: Question handout Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before the class make a copy of the handout for each group. Write a description of each cell’s function on separate pieces of paper. You should have a set of drawings and descriptions for each group.  The macrophage: Macro = big, Phage = eater. The Big Eater. This cell east the invaders or germs (called antigens) and sends a signal to the captain of your immune system that an invader is present and that the immune system army needs to respond.  The T4 Helper Cell (CD4): Captain of your immune system. If receives the message form the macrophage when an invader (antigen) is present and orders two more cells (the B cell and the T8 killer cell) to search for, and destroy, the invader. The T4 Helper Cell is also the cell that HIV attacks and destroys. T cells are called “T” because they mature in the thymus gland.  The B Cell: Like a factory. It identifies the shape of the invader (antigen) and makes “antibodies” (like keys) which fit the antigen. These antibodies can recognize immediately future antigens of this kind and stop them from making you sick in the future.  The T8 (CD8)or Cytotoxic or Killer Cell: Also called by the T4 Helper Cell to attack the invader and kill it directly. 8) Give out the handout “Your Immune System” to the class. 9) Go over the handout. 10) Go over the four different cells. 193

11) Divide the class into groups of 4 or 5. 12) Give each group a set of drawings and descriptions (mixed up). 13) Tell the groups that they must match the description with the drawings. 14) After each group has finished, ask each group to share what the got for a different answers. 15) When the group gives an answer, have the class tell you if they got anything different. If they did, discuss why. 16) Give the real answers and discuss. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Why is your immune system important?  What happens if your immune system is not working properly?  What kind of things helps keep your immune system healthy? Your Immune System 1) What is our immune system?  The immune system is the body’s way of fighting disease. It is very complex and has more parts that we can discuss today. Understanding some basic facts about the immune system, however, can help us learn both how to prevent disease and how to help slow down disease progression if we are already infected. 2) Our blood cells are labeled by what two colors?  White and red 3) What is the major function of red cells?  Red cells, called erythrocytes, carry oxygen through our system and carry away carbon dioxide. 4) What is the major function of white blood cells?  White blood cells, called leukocytes, are our immune cells. Your immune system is made up of white cells that protect you from diseases. 5) What is an antigen?  An antigen is a foreign invader or germ that enters our system. It can be a virus, bacteria, fungus, protozoa, and so forth. 6) What is an antibody?  An antibody is a response to an invading antigen. Antibodies are produced by B cells. They work like “keys”, fighting the shape of the antigen “locks”. When an antigen enters the system again, it is recognized and attacked by antibodies.

How HIV/AIDS Affect the Immune System - Poster Topic: HIV/AIDS Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn about how HIV/AIDS affects the immune system. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 15 and up Time Required: 30-45 minutes 194

Materials: Handout “Immune System Drawings”, Poster board/flipchart paper for each group, Markers, Tape/Glue Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Make sure the class already knows about, or go over briefly the job of each kind of white cell. 2) Explain to the group what HIV/AIDS does to the immune system.  When HIV enters the system, it is eaten by the macrophage, but when it gets to the T4 Cell it invades that cell, the Captain, and takes it over, later killing it. A T4 Helper cell damaged by HIV Does not effectively call out the other forces to attack the invader, giving HIV a greater chance to take over more T4 Cells and multiply the amount of HIV in the body. The amount of HIV in the body is called the “viral load”.  When enough T4 Helper Cells are destroyed, all kinds of other invaders (antigens), like tuberculosis (TB) germs, can enter without being stopped by the Captain. When the viral load has risen and the antibody level has dropped, a person gets sick with AIDS. 3) Divide the class into groups of 4 or 5. 4) Give each group a handout of the drawings, marker and flipchart paper. 5) Tell them they must make a poster to demonstrate to the class the steps that HIV takes to hurt the immune system using the drawings and markers. 6) Have each group present it to the class once they are done. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  What would happen if a castle lost all of its walls? Would it be easier/more difficult for someone uninvited to come in?  How can we keep our immune system healthy?

HIV/AIDS and the Immune System – Role Play Topic: HIV/AIDS Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To demonstrate how HIV invades the body and affects the immune system. Number of Students: 6-30 Age Range of Students: 15 and up Time Required: 10-15 minutes Materials: Handout “Immune System Drawings”; Optional: Scissors Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Make sure you have a copy of the handout for each class member. 2) Give the handout to the class and make sure they all know what the role is for each white blood cell

3) Explain to the class what happens when HIV enters the body:  When HIV enters the system, it is eaten by the macrophage, but when it gets to the T4 Cell it invades that cell, the Captain, and takes it over, later killing it. A T4 Helper cell damaged by HIV Does not effectively call out the other forces to attack the invader, giving HIV a greater chance to take over more T4 Cells and multiply the amount of HIV in the body. The amount of HIV in the body is called the “viral load”.  When enough T4 Helper Cells are destroyed, all kinds of other invaders (antigens), like tuberculosis (TB) germs, can enter without being stopped by the Captain. When the viral load has risen and the antibody level has dropped, a person gets sick with AIDS.

6) Divide class into groups of six. 7) Have each group member chose one of the cells to be. 8) Have the groups go over a role play as to how HIV affects each of the cells. 9) In front of the class, have each member introduce themselves, holding up their pictures and explaining what they do. 10) Then have the groups demonstrate to the class what happens when HIV enters the body. 11) After all the groups are done, review and discuss. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Why is our immune system important?  What are ways we can keep our immune system healthy?

Your Immune System

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The Elephants and Lions Game Topic: HIV/AIDS Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn and demonstrate how HIV affects the immune system. Number of Students: 15-30 Age Range of Students: 15 and up Time Required: 15-30 minutes Materials: Optional: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Ask for one volunteer in the class. 2) Have the volunteer stand in front of the class. This person is the baby elephant. 3) Ask for six more volunteers. These volunteers are the adult elephants. Their job is to protect the baby elephant. 4) Have the adult elephants join hands and form a circle around the baby elephant. 5) To show the importance of their job, you should try to pretend to hit the baby elephant. The adult elephants should quickly close ranks to avoid the attack. 6) The adults should stand very close to the baby elephant. 7) Ask for four or five more volunteers. These people are the lions. Their job will be to attack the baby elephant – they should try to jab, hit, kick, and punch (nicely) – whatever they can do to hurt the baby elephant. 8) When you say “go”, the lions should try to attack the baby elephant. Let this go on for a few seconds, until the baby elephant is at least closely touched by the lions. 9) Now, ask the following questions:  What is the baby elephant? What does the baby elephant represent? – the human body/health  What are the adult elephants? – the immune system, they protect the body from disease  What are the lions? – the lions are diseases, illness and infections attacking the body 12) Give each of the lions a disease name (tuberculosis, malaria, diarrhea, cholera, bird flu etc). 13) Ask them if they were able to kill the body (baby elephant)? Answer should be no. 14) Tell the class that you are HIV and say “Suppose I attack the immune system?” 15) Touch all but two of the adult elephants and have them sit down. 16) Ask the class, “Do you think the baby elephant will be protected from the lions?” 17) Tell the lions to attack on the word “go”. 18) The lions can easily get to the baby elephant this time. 19) Summarize the idea HIV has killed the immune system. The lack of the immune system has made it possible for other diseases to actually kill the person rather than just make them sick. 20) Ask the class, “Does HIV kill the person?” The answer is NO! The diseases kill the person. 21) Ask for the difference between HIV and AIDS.

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Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How does this change your perspective of HIV/AIDS?  How will you tell others this information?

How HIV/AIDS is Transmitted Topic: HIV/AIDS Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn different ways HIV/AIDS is transmitted. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 17 and up Time Required: 30 min – 1 hour Materials: Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart, Cards for each member (see next page), Tape and marker; Optional: Pens, Paper Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Before the class make cards for each student with activities that can and cannot transmit HIV. 2) Explain to the class that HIV can only be transmitted in very specific ways. First you need to be in direct contact with an infected person’s body fluids. Then you must have a portal of entry for HIV to enter your body. These can be a cut, sore or opening on the skin, or soft tissue called “mucous membrane” located in the vagina, tip of the penis, anus, mouth, eyes or nose. (Be sure that your audience is ready to talk about these areas of the body. If not, maybe just say a definition of “mucous membrane” and only allude to the parts that are touchy to discuss). 3) On the board divide the board into two sections, one side for the fluids that can transmit HIV and one side for the fluids that can. 4) Ask the class which fluids they think can/cannot transmit HIV 5) Write their answers on the board 6) Go over each one and tell them if they are correct or not Fluids that DO transmit HIV  blood  breast milk  semen and/or vaginal fluid Fluids that DO NOT transmit HIV  Saliva  Tears  Sweat 7) Go over some common ways HIV is transmitted: needles, intercourse 8) Go around and tape an activity card to the back of each person in the class 9) Have members go around and ask “yes” or “no” questions to try to guess what their activity is 10) Once they have guessed their activity, have them tape it on their front and continue to assist others by answering “yes” or “no” questions. 11) When everyone has guessed, divide the board into two sections, “Can Transmit HIV” and “Cannot Transmit HIV” 12) Have the members tape their activity in the correct column and discuss.

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Does this change your perspective of people with HIV/AIDS? How? Activities that CAN Transmit HIV          

Vaginal sex Direct blood transfusion of untested blood Sharing needles Contact with blood of an infected person Breastfeeding Mother to infant during delivery Mother to infant during pregnancy Exchange of blood Contact with semen Contact with vaginal fluids

Activities That CANNOT Transmit HIV      

Being near a person with HIV Sharing a drinking cup with a person with HIV Hugging a person with HIV Kissing a person with HIV Shaking hands with a person with HIV Proper use of condom during sex

The Glove Game Topic: HIV/AIDS Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To demonstrate ways to protect yourself from HIV/AIDS. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 17 and up Time Required: 10 – 15 minutes Materials: Gloves or plastic bags for each member Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Give each participant a glove or plastic bag to place in one hand. 2) Call out different situations that would either require a use of a barrier or not. 3) Have the participants shake the hand of a neighbor with their gloved hand if it warrants a glove and with the bare hand if it does not. 4) Sample situations might include:  When dressing the bleeding wound of a young student (glove)  When shaking hands with a person you know to be sick with AIDS (no glove)  When cleaning bloody mucus from the mouth of a patient (glove) Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Does this change your perspective on people with HIV/AIDS?  Would you give someone with HIV/AIDS a hug? Why or why not?  Why do you think people are afraid of touching people with HIV/AIDS?

Disease Progression – Diagram/Time Topic: HIV/AIDS Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To demonstrate how HIV/AIDS progresses. Number of Students: 5-30 Age Range of Students: 17 and up Time Required: 1 hour Materials: Hand out “Disease Progression” for each group or person, Markers, Flipchart paper/poster board, Cards with symptoms (one set per group); Optional: Pens/Pencils, Paper Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Give each member or group the “Disease Progression” handout. 2) Go over the handout as a class. 3) Give an example diagram and explain it. 4) Divide the class into groups for 4 to 5. 5) Give them a piece of flipchart paper or poster board and markers. 6) Tell the groups they must make a diagram/timeline of the procession using the handout. 7) Then give the groups a set of symptom cards. 8) Have them place the cards in the correct place on the diagram/timeline. 9) Discuss. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  How could a person find out if he/she really had HIV/AIDS or another disease? What are the symptoms of the opportunistic infections? Ask students to go to local hospitals and find out what treatments/testing they offer. Disease Progression Diagram

Co-Factor Tug-o-War Topic: HIV/AIDS Purpose of Activity (What should the students gain from this activity?): To learn about the co-factors that could make a person already infected with HIV get sicker faster. Number of Students: 10-30 Age Range of Students: 17 and up Time Required: 30 – 45 minutes 197

Materials: Rope, Blackboard/whiteboard/flipchart Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): Brainstorm with the class and come up with a list of co-factors that could make a person already infected with HIV/AIDS get sicker faster:  Not eating healthy foods  Not getting enough rest  Smoking, drinking alcohol or using drugs, which weaken the immune system  Getting re-infected with more HIV by having sex without a condom with an infected partner  Not preventing or treating other diseases as early as possible, such as TB or STIs  Felling stressed or anxious, such as when one feels alone and guilty and has no one to support him/her

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1) Bring out a large tug-o-war rope. 2) Have each member call out a co-factor that they thought of. 3) Help the group think of as many positive things they can do for their physical, emotional and spiritual health. 4) Students take their position on the positive or negative end of the rope and play tug-o-war to see of the positive behaviors can pull down the co-factors. 5) Discuss. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics:  Why do you think it might be important to find out early if they are infected with HIV?  Do they know where they can get tested?