Constructive Criticism for Me

This past week we were put into new groups to solve a crisis. While working in this group a third party observed our interactions in the new group.

According to the person that evaluated me, I did a good job of keeping my group on topic. I was able to contribute and voice my opinion politely. In doing so, my group listened to me and took into consideration what I had to say.

There are several things I do need to work on though. I need to speak up more, be louder. Sitting up is very important and I need to work on doing so. This will allow my opinion to be more respected. A very big mistake I made was voicing that I did not want to be there. Hopefully with this criticism I will become a better group member.

By: Ben Schnepp

Creative Thinking

Ive been doing some research on creative thinking ideas for our group presentation. I found that one man, named Edward de Bono, is very famous for his work in creative thinking. He is said to be the worlds most famous creative thinking consultant. He has written over 62 books and has worked with governments and major organizations worldwide as a creativity teacher.
He is most famous for his idea of Lateral Thinking. He developed this idea in 1967 to describe the process of breaking out of the habitual patterns of linear thought. It encourages people to change their direction of thinking and to look at things in a totally new way. It also encourages people to reinterpret what you are looking at in fresh, original or humorous ways.
He is also known for his idea of the "Six Thinking Hats. designed as a practical user-friendly way of thinking creatively and effectively. This is a results-orientated method is in use in businesses and schools around the world. It is constantly being taught to people and organizations eager to make the most of their creative potential.
There is a lot more I could write about Edward de Bono, and there are many web pages and youtube videos about him. I would encourage everyone to look to some of his work for ideas on what could be used for a creativity seminary.

By George Vauter

Creative Time of Yer

Today is October 30, the eve of Halloween and creative minds are working overtime. Above are a few examples of what thinking outside the box means. For some it is nearly impossible to come up with a custom that has that much character but for others it just seems to flow. I tend to find myself on the more creative side and have found it to serve me well. While at times it takes me longer to get things accomplished because I want them to be done well and creatively the end results are great.

If you are among those "creatively challenged" our textbook offers a few suggestions to enhance creativity:

-Write the specific problem down (ex. what to be for Halloween)

-Acquire a "try anthing attitude"

-The wilder the ideas, the better

-Approach each idea positively and give it a fair trial

-Try to make your ideas workable

So if you are still having trouble coming up with a creative custom don't be afraid to just let your imagination run wild. Have an open mind and you may be surprised what you come up with.

Christy

Service Project

On Friday afternoon our group went to the Boys and Girls Club to do our project. It ended up going very well. We all had fun playing with the kids, and I think all the kids had fun too. No major problems came up, but it wasn't the best weather outside, so we played inside. It was a good thing we had taken the time to plan out what to do if we couldn't be outside. Playing dodgeball, basketball, and throwing a football around with the kids was a blast. It was great to see them all having fun being active.

-David Hoff

Pictures from Our Game Day

Sadly George was the first one out on this round of Simon Says.

Who needs Payton Manning when you have a quarterback like Zach and Ben covering as a center!

Touch your toes! Ben may just be doing some light stretching but Christy was ready to win this round of Simon Says.

We were able to buy the kids a new air hockey table.

Poster boys for the United Way!

What We've Been Waitng For

Friday, October 23 the day when we would see all our hard work pay off as we got to interact with the kids at the Boys and Girls Club. We all went in with our plan and what we expected to happen. Everyone knows we are the sports group who decided to share that passion with the children of Lafayette. However, on the blog today I'm going to share about what I hadn't expected that really made the afternoon great.

When we arrived we went to the gym to start setting up our first game and I volunteered to play a game with the kids that didn't want to play in the gym. Little did I know what I would be getting myself into. These kids were running around like crazy, talking over each other, and not being very agreeable. I got the kids together and really pumped up the idea of hide and seek. We played for a while and the kids still weren't real sure this was a cool enough game. So we switched to hiding a ping pong ball and playing the "hot and cold" game. The longer we played the more I realized it wasn't the game that mattered it was the fact that someone was showing an interest in them. We played "Simon Says" and "Red Light, Green Light" and the kids seemed to change right before my eyes. These crazy children were only acting that way because they wanted attention and to know someone cared about them

There are many examples I could share that assure me we accomplished our group mission of helping those in our community. One example is a little boy named Rylan. He was a first grader that thought he was a fifth grade champ. Rylan joined my group that was not playing games in the gym. I hadn't really noticed Rylan until all of a sudden he was standing in front of me on a couch and launched himself into my arms. I hugged him until it was time to go find the hidden ping-pong ball and from then on he was the sweetest little boy. He minded what I said and played every game with us. The second example child was a very shy little boy who joined my group later in the day. He never said much but his face would light up when we included him. Finally, as we were leaving to go home he tapped my arm and told me him got 3 A's and 2 B's on his report card. I was so proud of him even though I had only known him for an hour or two, but what a special little boy who just wanted someone to share his good news with.

Our group wondered why we didn't just collect cans or pick up garbage and I believe we now know why. I feel we did make a difference and I would love to go back and play with the kids again. It was only a few hours but I feel we did make an impact in the lives of lots of children.

Christy

Successful Day

Friday was our group's field day at the boys and girls club. It was very successful. The event was moved indoors because of the cold, wet weather.

First the kids wanted to play dodge ball, so we split them into two groups. There were a few who did not want to play, so we took them into the game room where they played games such as air hockey and ping pong. After awhile, we split the kids up to play knock out in the gym. This was a good change of pace for them.

Next, we set up a game of basketball. The kids loved this, and George did to. Once the basketball game was done, some of the kids started to go home, so we just let them have a free for all and play several games. Some of the kids played in the game room, and some played catch with a football. Christy got a hand full together and played Simon Says.

The Boys and Girls Club was very happy with the results and glad to get an air hockey table too.
By:Ben Schnepp