TOPIC AREA: Peer Pressure
CONCEPT: Peer pressure is a real issue with some of our kids. We need to help them understand that
the longer they are in a situation the more likely they are to give in to pressure. When an individual walks into a party and sees that it is an environment that is unhealthy and then walks out immediately, it is unlikely they will participate in any unhealthy behaviors. The chances that they will participate greatly increase the longer they stay in the unhealthy situation.
METHOD: Classroom demonstration
TIME NEEDED: 5 minutes and discussion time MATERIALS NEEDED:
1 two foot length of PVC plastic pipe. You can get this at any plumbing store. Half inch to one inch works well. If they have the thin wall kind, get it.
3 to 4 feet of thin nylon string
ACTIVITY: Have a student come up to the front of the room and give them the string and the plastic
pipe. Ask them to cut the pipe in half using just the string to do so. If they want to give it a try, go ahead and let them. Most students will just stand there or claim that they can’t. At that point, have them hold the ends of the pipe firmly with two hands out in front of them. You take the nylon string and loop it around the side of the pipe that is facing away from you. In this position, only about half of the pipe is in contact with the string. Hold onto the string with both hands and start to saw back and forth in the same spot on the pipe. As you cut through the pipe, be sure that the holder doesn’t pinch the string with the pipe. If they begin to pinch the pipe you will feel the string becoming harder to pull through the plastic. What you are really doing is heating up the pipe with the string. That is why you must use nylon string. It heats up the best. As you saw back and forth, the string will slowly begin cutting through the plastic pipe.
DISCUSSION IDEAS:
What did you think when I asked him/her to cut through the pipe using only the string? Did you think that this was possible?
What did you think when I began cutting the pipe? Were you surprised that this worked?
How can we compare this activity to peer pressure?
Does peer pressure always work fast? Explain. Is it easy to withstand peer pressure? Explain. Who applies the most peer pressure to you, a stranger or your best friend? Explain.
What does this tell you about the friends that you hang around with? What is the best way to avoid peer pressure?
PANDORA’S BOX
TOPIC AREA: Drugs
CONCEPT: When we talk about the effects that a certain drug will have on the body, we many times
zero in on one or two effects that will be the most pronounced. For example, with tobacco it might be lung cancer or with LSD it might be hallucinations. Our kids are beginning to point to certain effects from certain drugs without realizing that there are many effects from each drug. Some effects may be more noticeable than others, but when you start putting them together they have a tremendous overall effect on the body. Also since each person reacts differently to certain drugs, we don’t know for sure which effect will be most prominent in an individual.
METHOD: Classroom activity
TIME NEEDED: 20 minutes and discussion time MATERIALS NEEDED:
1 quarter for each team of five 1 spoon for each team
2 tennis balls for each team 1 book for each team
Masking tape
ACTIVITY: Put masking tape on the floor to designate the starting line and the turn around line. The
distance between the two lines should be about fifteen feet. Divide your group into teams of five. Have them line up in single file lines behind the starting line. This activity will be run as a relay race. The round is not over until every team has completely finished. There are five rounds to the race. Have the teams stop after each round and you will give them further instructions. If someone drops an object during the race, they must return to the masking tape line they just left and start again.
Round one: Have them race with a book balanced on top of their head. Round two: Have them race with a tennis ball between their knees.
Round three: Have them race while holding a tennis ball balanced on a spoon. Round four: Have them race while squeezing a quarter in one of their eyes.
Round five: Have them race while doing all four actions at the same time. In this round each person will have a book on their head, a tennis ball between their knees, be holding a tennis ball in a spoon and have a quarter in one eye.
How hard was it to race with the book on your head?
How hard was it to race with the tennis ball between your knees? How hard was it to race with the tennis ball on the spoon?
How hard was it to race with the quarter in your eye? How hard was it to race with all four things at once? Which one was the hardest one for you to do?
Was this the same for each person?
Do drugs have just one effect on our body? Explain. Are all effects equal on our bodies? Explain.
Does everyone have the same effect from a drug? Why or why not?
Can we predict what effect a drug will have on each person? Why or why not? What can this activity tell us about drugs and out bodies?
What message can this activity give us about why we should avoid drug use?
PARTNERS
TOPIC AREA: Working Together
CONCEPT: Some things are just easier to do by yourself. However, sometimes you must work with
others even though you think you could do the task quicker and easier by yourself. Many times this ends up to be the case when you work on a committee or in cooperative learning groups. Frustration sets in and you start to become angry with those with whom you are working. Finally you just tell them you will do it yourself and let them know when you are finished. This is especially true when more talented people are teamed up with less talented people.
METHOD: Classroom activity
TIME NEEDED: 15 minutes and discussion time
MATERIALS NEEDED: This will depend on which of the activities you wish to have them do. 1
piece of notebook paper per team of two 1 newspaper sheet and rubber band per team 1 balloon per team
ACTIVITY: Have everyone in the group get a partner. You will choose from the following activities
and have them do as many of them as you would like. The key is that they must accomplish the task while holding one of their partner’s hands. Task one: Make a paper airplane. Task two: Untie and tie one person’s shoe. Task three: Roll up a newspaper and put a rubber band around it. Task four: Inflate a balloon and tie the end. Task five: Both of you do a somersault at the same time, remembering that you can’t let go of your partner’s hand.
DISCUSSION IDEAS:
How easy was it to do the tasks that you were given?
What problems did you experience when completing the task?
Would the tasks have been easier to complete if you were doing it without your partner’s help? Why or why not?
What can this activity teach us about working together?
How hard is it to do some things as a group rather than by yourself?
Do some people work better by themselves rather than in a group? Explain.
Have you ever been in a situation where a group slowed you down rather than helped you? How frustrating is it to be slowed down?
What are some ways when working with a group that you can keep from having problems? If you become frustrated when working with a group what can you do to lessen the frustration?