Group Juggling

First ask your group who can demonstrate juggling (There is usually at least one person who knows how to juggle). Ask, "Who can juggle the most balls?" Two or three balls are usually the limit. Now have everyone (usually best with 8-12 people) stand in a circle about arms length apart. As the leader you say, "I am going to pass this ball around, and you remember the order" (who you got it from and passed it to). No one can have it twice, and you can not pass it to the person on either side of you. After the ball has made it around the group once, send in more balls until there are two less than the number of people in the group, or until they start dropping a lot. Try it two or three times. Ask them to be more efficient each time.
 

Recommendations
Ask them to challenge themselves on how many they can do or how quickly they can do it.

Life Lessons
Talk about how much one person can do alone (juggle 2 or 3 balls) and compare it to how many the group can juggle (6-8 balls and possible more). 
If balls were dropped during the game, talk about how a group comes back when one person messes up. 
You can talk about what it takes for a group to be successful. 
You can have the students say something the ball represents for them. Then talk about the repercussions of dropping it and why they dropped it.

Materials

• 6-8 small balls (usually 2 less than the number of participants ex. 8 participants=6 balls)

Please comment below on how you would use it with your population, thoughts on how it has worked for you, advice for others on how to implement it, what you would process and so on! We'd love to hear about it! 
  
Here are a few links to ideas on how to lead activities better:

• Why Leadership and Activities are Important 

• Correctly Using Leadership

• Leading the Activity (Problem Solving, Group Control, etc.)

• Handling Different Age Groups

• Managing Large Groups and Choosing Teams (relays, team spirit, including everyone, etc.)

Credits: picture from http://www.developing-potential.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Group-Juggle.jpg

Recreation Song: Moose Hunt

Music can set such a great tone for any event that is going on! These two songs are termed as "Recreation Songs" because they have fun movements to go along with them! The movements are easy and repetitive so kids can catch on, and everyone can enjoy!

Here are two tips that are extremely important when singing songs:
1) Use repetition
2) Do not give hand-outs of the songs (eye contact is worth so much more!)

Here is a link to a few other tips on leading songs (scroll down a little and look for the title: 'Leading Songs').

Moose Hunt!

This is the moose hung song. It's a repeat after me. After each line, you pause for them to repeat it. The related actions are given in parentheses.

Jumba jumba! (two big stomps)
Ajikky jikky jumba! (palms out and shake),
A moose a mooose a moose a! (hands to top of head like antlers and wave)
Awaaay at the waaaay at the waaaaay at the waaay ah! (making sweeping motions with arms)

Repeat three times: once normal, once very quiet (to draw moose in), and once very loud!

Please Comment Below: What do you think of the motions? Did you do different motions? What did your participants think?
  
Here are a few links to ideas on how to lead activities better:

• Why Leadership and Activities are Important 

• Correctly Using Leadership

• Leading the Activity (Problem Solving, Group Control, etc.)

• Handling Different Age Groups

• Managing Large Groups and Choosing Teams (relays, team spirit, including everyone, etc.)

Credits
Picture: http://www.examiner.com/article/north-augusta-girls-perform-a-jazzercise-routine-for-a-small-audience 

Triangle Tag

To start, make groups of 4 (you can do a group of 5 if necessary). Have three of the people in the group hold hands in a triangle facing each other. The other member of the group is outside of the triangle. One person in the triangle is 'it,' and the person outside the triangle is trying to tag the person who is 'it.' The other two members of the triangle are trying to keep the 'it' person from being tagged. If the game is too hard for the chaser, you can have the people in the triangle put their hands on each others' shoulders rather than holding hands.

Life Lessons
Talk about support systems
Talk about the things that would bring us down such as habits, peers, etc.

Other Variations of Tag
Freeze Tag Toss 
Animal Tag 
Spot Tag   
Coping Skills Freeze Tag 

Please comment below on how you would use it with your population, thoughts on how it has worked for you, advice for others on how to implement it, what you would process and so on! We'd love to hear about it!

Here are a few links to ideas on how to lead activities better:

• Why Leadership and Activities are Important 

• Correctly Using Leadership

• Leading the Activity (Problem Solving, Group Control, etc.)

• Handling Different Age Groups

• Managing Large Groups and Choosing Teams (relays, team spirit, including everyone, etc.)

Credits: picture from http://www.siblingsupport.org/sibshops/triangle-tag.jpg/image_preview

Resources

Howdy! 

I hope y'all are having a wonderful day! It's been a few months since I have posted - school got the best of me. I just completed my internship and am graduating in EIGHT days!!! I'm super excited! I will start updating the blog again with activities at least once a week. 

Sincerely,
Kathryn

Today, I want to share a few resources I have found to be helpful:

Websites

recreationtherapytasks.blogspot.com (New Haven’s blog)
rectherapy.blogspot.com
rectherapyideas.blogspot.com
jamiespeaksrt.wordpress.com/2014/03 (evidence-based practice)
telynpeterson.wix.com/trhandydandynotebook (general information on therapeutic recreation - my friend, Telyn, created this awesome website!)
training-wheels.com
FUNdoing.com
high5adventure.org/community-blog/activities/

Books
Activities That Teach
More Activities That Teach
A Teachable Moment
Ricochet (This one is all games with this one cool odd shaped ball you buy - they are great!)
52 Games with Cards
Silver Bullets The Processing Pinnacles: An Educator's Guide to Better Processing
Tips and Tools: The Act of Experiential Group Facilitation
Adventure Programming
Therapeutic Recreation: Processes and Techniques
Leisure Education Program Planning: A Systematic Approach
Teamwork and Team Play
 
Here are some pictures from my internship. It was such a wonderful experience! Take time to enjoy yours and learn all that you can. Most importantly, ask questions.