Science of Leadership – Using 2,000 Ping Pong Balls to Blast Kids to Middle School

My oldest son wanted to know if I would come to school on the last day and do a really cool science experiment. Let’s see… hmmm… a legitimate excuse to make a kaboom in front of 130 screaming 5th graders? I’m in. But as I started to think about what I would do, the teacher in me kept whispering, “Do something with the Science of Leadership.” Years ago, with the help of a great friend, Dr. Earl Reum, we created a leadership training curriculum for students called the Science of Leadership. While the curriculum was fun to teach, it was a great excuse to use cool science demos as a metaphor to teach lessons in leadership. Since I seem to have ping pong balls on the brain right now, I thought that I’d try my hand at connecting this blast of energy to these students’ journey to middle school. Here’s what happened…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIzwsfQCWXM[/youtube]

If you want to learn more about the creative and innovative ways student activities advisors are teaching leadership skills, check out the National Association of Workshop Directors and visit their Facebook page. NAWD is a professional organization founded by Dr. Earl Reum in 1973. NAWD brings together advisors of all student activities that support and encourage student involvement in and out of the classroom, as well as leadership education teachers, regional/state activity program planners, and others interested in leadership training and activity planning.