Middle School Team Building Day

This week the whole Middle School took a trip to a place called the Norval Outdoor School. This school is located in the village of Norval, near Georgetown. We were there on Monday October the 20th for the whole day. This trip was arranged so that the Middle School classes could work on team building activities.

When we first got there Monday morning, we separated into groups by grade, and played a few fun games to get moving after our long bus ride. In the first game we played, we all got three clothes pins to pin on the back of our shirt. The point of the game was to finish with the most clothes pins. Everyone was trying to take each other's clothes pins, and keep their own. The next game we played was where everyone had a partner, and one person would spin around three times, while the other person speed-walked away. Then the chase began, and the person who was spinning started to try and find/catch the other person--all while speed-walking. It was such a funny game to watch!

Then we headed off into groups, and did some activities in the forest area. This included low ropes and this other one where there was a really tall pole, with a tire around it that was resting on the ground. The point of the game was to get the tire up and over the top of the pole. This activity took a lot of teamwork and problem solving. In the end though, it all turned out well. The third activity that we did was called Wizard's Walk. There was a bunch of wires about half a metre off the ground. They all started at certain points in a circular shape. All of the wires were connected in the centre of the circle. The point of this activity was to choose a wire to start at, and then travel to a certain other wire. We all had to work together to get to our destination.

I think it is very effective to use outdoor games to work on team building. One activity that I'd say my group did really well was the Wizard's Walk. In this activity, my group really worked together well and talked to each other to figure out what to do. No one was trying to talk over top of anybody else, and we got this problem solved quickly and easily. We even did it twice because we did it so fast that we had extra time.

One activity that I would say that our group struggled on was the low ropes. Because we did this activity first, everyone was really excited, and wanted to go first. People were arguing, and no one would compromise. This activity was really one of the more challenging ones, and to complete it, we needed everyone's help and cooperation. After a long time, something started to happen. I think that people were realizing this fact, because when someone suggested an idea, people started to listen, and expand that idea. Before we knew it, the problem was solved, and people were walking across the ropes. Sometimes, I think that you learn more from an activity that is going badly than you do from one that went well.

Our time at Norval was very worthwhile. I think we returned to SJK better prepared to work together in the classroom than when we left. By spending some time out of the classroom, I think we will do a better job working together in the classroom!