Share|

Call Toll Free: 1-800-244-2665



Bringing It Together

Activities designed for families and the different generations to do together.
School Days, School Days...

Sometimes a simple drawing can spark a great conversation. 

In this activity, participants of different generations will share a few ideas and memories of their experiences going to school.

 

Each participant receives a sheet of paper and a handful of crayons, markers, etc, whatever is a comfortable drawing tool. 

 

Fold the paper in half lengthwise and then fold down sideways so when you unfold it, the creases make 4 sections.  Now each person will draw whatever comes to their mind for each item in this list:  SCHOOL, TEACHER, LEARNING, FRIENDS

 

Don't worry whether the drawings look good -- it's the ideas behind the drawing that are important.  After everyone has completed their drawings, it's time to talk.  Each person can describe what or who they drew and answer some of the following questions:

 

SCHOOL:  What do you/did you like most about school?  What is/was your favorite part of your classroom?  How do you/did you get to school every morning? 

 

TEACHER:  Talk about a teacher who has been special to you and why.  What makes for a good teacher?  What might you like to teach?

 

LEARNING:  What is/was your favorite subject in school and why?  Why is learning important?  What do you want to learn about now?

 

FRIENDS:  Who are/were your friends in school?  What games do/did you like to play with your friends?  What makes for a good friend? 

Here’s a colorful science exercise that will challenge your brain and your eyes…

 

Question:  How does your brain handle mixed messages?

 

In this experiment, you will be see two groups of words, which are the names of different colors.  Your task is to read each word aloud, saying the color of the word.  Each person should get a try.  You can even time yourselves to see who can complete the task in the fastest time.

 


Group 1:

RED BLACK BLUE PURPLE RED
BROWN GREEN RED BLACK BLUE
GREEN BLACK ORANGE RED PURPLE
BLUE RED GREEN BROWN BLACK
PURPLE ORANGE RED BLACK GREEN
BROWN GREEN BLUE ORANGE PURPLE

 

             

 

     

           

 

 

 

 


Now try reading the same group of words aloud, saying the color of the word, not what the word says.  For example, for the word, BLUE you should say "GREEN."

 

 

Group 2:

RED BLACK BLUE PURPLE RED
BROWN GREEN RED BLACK BLUE
GREEN BLACK ORANGE RED PURPLE
BLUE RED GREEN BROWN BLACK
PURPLE ORANGE RED BLACK GREEN
BROWN GREEN BLUE ORANGE PURPLE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What happened?  Did it take you longer to complete reading the second group of words?  Why did this happen?  How does the brain handle "mixed messages"?

 

This interesting activity was first used in the 1800’s, although it is attributed to John Ridley Stroop, who published his research on this effect in 1935.  The “Stroop Effect” proves that the brain takes a longer time to name colors than read words.  Naming colors is essentially a multi-step process as the brain first must identify the color and then label it.   

 

The Stroop Test is used to evaluate and measure selective attention, cognitive flexibility and processing speed.  Additionally, results of the test may help in evaluating brain damage, dementia, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases.