Ready, set, go!

Term 4 has kicked off with a burst of energy as the kids throw themselves (sometimes quite literally) into Athletics practice. Across our sessions, tamariki have been learning the key techniques behind quoits, vortex, high jump, and long jump. It's been fantatsic to see the growing confidence and determination as everyone refines their form, focuses on accuracy, and builds strength week by week. For some, these sessions will lead to selection for the upcoming Eastern ZOnes Athletics event, where they'll represent WBS and compete alongside students from across the Eastern suburbs. Our young athletes are learning that success comes from persereverance, effort, and a wilingness to give things a go. Ka pai!

Inventions!

We have been exploring the attributes of inventors and having a go ourselves at creating really useful things. Or, in some cases objects that are not so useful. We have looked at Chindogu, Japanese inventions, many of them absurd and hilarious and we have been inspired by these. Chindogu translates as Un-Useless. It makes you think doesn't it?

Many inventions are created by combining elements of things that have already been created. The electric guitar for example. We used a Thnker's key called the combination to develop our ideas. We then made advertisements for them because everyone needs one, don't they?

First Survivor challenge of Term 4!

This week, we introduced a brainstorming twist called the Worst Idea Race, inspired by the 'Worst Possible Idea' method. This idea is completely counterintuitive: instead of asking students to come up with the best solution right away, we challenge them to think of the worst possibnle solutions first; ridiculous, impractical, bizarre ideas. The prompt was: 'How might we provide housing for every person in Aotearoa New Zealand'. Why do this? Because it lowers the pressure, removes the fear of being wrong, and helps kids relax into creative thinking. When kids suggest 'horrible' ideas like 'build houses out of jelly', they begin to expose assumptions about what a building must be, or how a problem should be solved. From those 'terrible' ideas, we explore the underlying logic (what makes this idea bad?) and then flip them, what if instead of jelly, we choose a flexible material that can self-repair and is sustainable to build? In doing this activity, the kids are practising critical thinking and creativity. We also see a lot of collaboration as Survivor teams build on each other's wild ideas, challenge one another and refine concepts together.