Silly Break

I kept this cartoon posted in my class to remind me that sometimes everyone just need to get silly. When the doldrums set into the classroom, or there's tension building between students, or frustration hits me during a lesson, or standardized tests are dragging on and on and on... interjecting some fun helps everyone rebound.

Silly can be music slipped into the CD player. "I Like To Move It" by wii.i.am from Madagascar’s sound track is one of the favorites, or "Bang The Drum All Day" by Todd Rundgren works well to get the class up shaking and jumping. Silly can be a SpongeBob SquarePants video break. Twenty some minutes at the Krusty Krab Shack with Patrick and Gary lightens everyone’s mood. Silly can be reading time on the floor with pillows - as long as it's fun reading (Captain Underpants RULES). Silly can be chalk drawing on the sidewalk outside the class, or a Simon Says walk around the blacktop, or a hula hoop showdown on the lawn. In 10 to 30 minutes, the students (and their teacher) will be able to return to class work refreshed and relaxed. Thanks, Garfield!