Students vote with their fingers (1, 2, or 3) to label each of five real-life scenarios — a quiet friend, a "ok" text, a hallway bump, being left out of plans, a teacher correction — as an overreaction, underreaction, or just-right response, then discuss what the balanced answers have in common and why it's easy to misread situations.

Students respond to five real-life social scenarios (friend drama, group chat conflict, feeling left out, bad mood day, argument with a friend) by choosing between two reactions and briefly discussing which choice leads to better outcomes, then learn the STOP skill (Stop, Take a Breath, Observe, Pick your response) as a tool to use before reacting in real life.

Students sit in a circle and take turns rapidly naming something from a given category (foods, animals, countries, emotions, etc.) with no repeats and a 3–5 second time limit per person, playing multiple rounds with progressively harder categories.

In small groups, students race to list as many possible uses as they can think of for an everyday object (like a paper clip or feather) in 3–5 minutes, with no idea too silly to write down, then share their lists aloud and compete for the most unique uses across two or three rounds.

Students will use abstract thinking to compare themselves to everyday objects by choosing between two options (e.g., "hammer or nail?") and explaining their reasoning to a partner. Through this pair-share activity, students will practice self-reflection and get to know their classmates better.

Students will discuss the poem Harriet Tubman by Eloise Greenfield, learn about her courageous actions, and identify a current issue of injustice in their community or world that they would like to help change.

In small groups, students choose a real-life challenging scenario (e.g., a friend using drugs, a parent's divorce) and create a five-section poster mapping out the fears, opportunities, possible actions, and consequences — then do a gallery walk to add to each other's posters before presenting to the class.

Working in pairs, students will use verbal communication to recreate a marshmallow-and-toothpick model — one partner is blindfolded and can only touch, while the other can see but cannot use their hands.

In small groups, students use a limited set of materials to design and build a shelter that can protect a small doll from an incoming "meteor storm," then test their shelter's durability by having tennis balls thrown at it.

Teams will race to agree on a word that fits a given category, assign each member a letter tile, and physically line up to spell it out — competing against other teams for speed and word length.

In groups of three, students will use a bag of limited materials to engineer a contraption that protects a raw egg, then test their designs by dropping them from a second-floor window to see whose egg survives intact.

In groups of four, students will use only spaghetti, string, tape, and one marshmallow to build the tallest freestanding structure they can in 15 minutes — with the marshmallow on top — then compare heights and reflect on their teamwork.

Students will work together to figure out a secret hidden code embedded in a turning jump rope, using trial and error and group communication to get everyone across to the other side.

Students will watch a video of a four-year-old solving a problem, then observe a floating-wax demonstration and work together to generate and discuss hypotheses about why the two jars behave differently — connecting their own curiosity and perseverance to the work of scientists.

Students will take turns navigating a tape grid on the floor, using trial and error and memory to find the hidden safe path across while their teammates watch and remember the route to help the group get everyone across.

In small groups, students will collaboratively design a prototype of the "newest iPhone" — including a new look, a unique ringtone, and an original app — then present their creation to the class and reflect on how their team made decisions together.

Students will first independently choose 10 people from a list of 30 to survive on a new planet, then negotiate with a small group to reach a shared final list and defend their choices in a class-wide discussion.

Students complete three rounds of rearranging chairs into a triangle — first with only the two group-chosen leaders allowed to speak, then with leaders blindfolded and everyone's arms linked, then repeating the blindfolded version after five minutes of group strategy planning — and debrief how leadership and collaboration changed across rounds.

Teams race to fill in a free-time activity for every letter of the alphabet, then share their lists with the group, vote on their top 3–5 favorites, and make a plan for when to actually do them.

Students explore the difference between charity and justice by identifying root causes of societal problems and proposing systemic solutions to address them.