Duration: 1 session (45–60 min)
SPIRIT Skills:
- Connectedness
- Problem-solving
- Critical thinking
- Valuing people
- Sense of wonder
Brief Description:
Students play short team challenges to practice cooperation and strategy, then connect these habits to their new mission: becoming “community scientists” who will bring bubble joy to the school
How does this develop particular SPIRIT skills
- Builds connectedness by creating shared success through teamwork, listening, and trust
- Develops problem-solving as students coordinate actions, plan moves, and adjust strategies together
- Strengthens critical thinking through noticing patterns, predicting outcomes, and reflecting on what caused success
- Reinforces valuing people through respectful turn-taking, encouraging teammates, and fair participation
- Sparks sense of wonder by showing what groups can achieve when everyone contributes.
What do we want to achieve regarding SPIRIT skill development (student understanding and/or behaviour)?
As a result of this activity, students (will be able to/understand/do …):
- Connectedness: describe how teamwork helped the group succeed and name one supportive behaviour they used (listening, taking turns, encouraging).
- Problem-solving: use a simple strategy (plan → try → adjust) during a team challenge and explain what they changed and why.
- Critical thinking: notice a pattern or “rule” in a game and use it to make a better decision in the next round.
- Valuing people: demonstrate fair participation by sharing roles and speaking respectfully during team decisions.
- Sense of wonder: express curiosity about how these teamwork habits will help them succeed in the bubble mission for the community.
Academic/Curriculum Objective connection
Foundations for scientific method habits: observation, planning, teamwork, recording patterns.
Materials and tools needed for implementation
Elastic-band cup pyramid set, cups, nim counters, simple observation sheets.
Preparation notes
Prepare team sets; model rules quickly; keep rounds short; assign rotating roles.
Guided Questions
- “What did your team try first—and what did you change?”
- “What helped everyone stay included?”
- “What patterns did you notice that helped you win?”
Stage Debriefing Questions (Optional)
- “What made teamwork easier?” “What made it harder?”
Tips and Tricks for dealing with stage challenges
- Challenge: One student dominates.
Tip: role cards + timer turns. - Challenge: Some students stay quiet.
Tip: sentence starters (“I noticed…”, “I suggest…”) + assign a “voice-caller” role.