Pushing Limits
(Year 3, Week 25)
Monday Meeting
Monday morning launch started out with energy and competition. The heroes and guide got together last week and decided that the best way to get their days going would be to add in a little movement and fun. The heroes finished up with their trivia challenge, Team Animals pulling ahead as the winner and started on their next morning challenge; riddles! Back and forth the heroes went. Using slack as a way to discuss each riddle thrown their way. The heroes did phenomenal. Out of all of the level 3 riddles, there were only 2 out of 12 missed.
After the riddle showdown was over, the heroes and guide worked together to set challenging but achievable Smart Goals for the week. To keep themselves accountable, they decided it would be rewarding to earn a hero buck for their work and put that hero buck towards the Creator’s Space in the new studio. Equipped with excitement and sprinkled with a little determination, the heroes set off on their Monday goals.
Little Something Extra
Over the weekend the guides were contemplating how to add a little more fun and creative thinking into the virtual studio. They decided to add in a few extra and optional activities for the heroes to do during the week. The extra activities include: yoga, stillness, mindfulness drawing and one sentence challenges. The guides were pleasantly surprised when most of the heroes took on the optional challenges.
During the day Slack filled up with pictures the heroes drew. They posted reflections on their stillness practices and they even swapped tips for yoga poses.
During closing, the heroes voted that they loved one challenge the most: the one sentence challenge. Every day at 11, the guides posted a one sentence challenge. 5–10 words without any explanation or examples. The heroes loved the challenge. During the week they were asked to take on different tasks like, building a fort, creating a magic trick and even baking something brand new. They loved the excitement centered around not knowing what the challenge would be and figuring out how to accomplish each one with little to no supplies. Their creativeness and ingenuity they showed was inspiring. Here are some of the tasty recipes made by the heroes:
Physical Exhaustion
Last week the heroes all voted that they wanted to try a physical Olympic challenge for the week. The guides thought, “Why not!” They moved around the order of quest and got to work on setting up a physical challenge that the heroes could do to move their bodies and reach some goals.
The quest during the week was UNO Challenge. The heroes virtually drew cards and were assigned certain workouts for each card. They were challenged to do the number on the card as well. For example the yellow card represented squats. Drawing a 9 yellow meant nine squats! Needless to say the computer speakers filled with laughter when they got +4, +2 or even 0. One hero ended up doing almost 22 cards.
The next morning they rolled into launch utterly exhausted. One hero brought a cane saying,
“I don’t know what you are trying to do to use but I cannot walk!”
Followed by,
“But I sure did sleep good!”
The heroes loved learning about the different athletic competitions and what it takes for Olympic athletes to reach for the gold. They channeled all of that motivation into knocking their UNO Challenge out of the park.
Anxieties
The Writer’s Workshop this week was focused on writing about the biggest challenge and biggest success the heroes have had since being home. Let’s face it, whether we wanted to admit it or not, being home another week more than likely brought on anxieties. The guide shared with the heroes excerpts from Anne Frank about her anxiety, her struggles and her positive growth mindset. Because, as the heroes reiterated;
you can’t have one without the other.
They were honest in the launches about their fears, the stress they feel and the uncertainty that lingers inside them day after day. The guide challenged them to write down those stresses, acknowledge that they are there and then showed them a practice to let them just be. During the exercise the heroes discovered the 5 breath count. A way of breathing deep, being mindful and releasing tension.
After doing this many of the heroes scheduled video chats with the guide. Sharing with the guide the ways that they relieve stress and tension and what works with their families. So many of the heroes showed different ways that they cope from singing, to writing, to praying. A note many adults could jot down. During this self discovery time a hero shared with the guide this beautiful quote, that resonates deeply with the hero’s journey:
“The ultimate challenge is to accept ourselves exactly as we are, but never stop trying to learn and grow.” — Tony Schwartz
Character Call Outs
The best part of the week may have just been the character call outs. Every Friday at closing, the heroes get to call each other out for their leadership, creativity, helpfulness and so on. During a time of uncertainty the heroes perk up and are excited to give one another an uplifting sentiment. The character call outs that were given on Friday brought smiles all around.
The heroes went back and forth calling out their mom and dads for all of their patience, hard work and kindness while they have been home. The heroes went on telling stories of how parents were helping, guiding and pushing their heroes to reach new heights. Seeing the heroes call out their families, unbeknownst to them was a magical moment in the virtual studio.
Wrap-up
Yet again, the heroes successfully navigated the virtual studio with ease. They listened attentively to one another. Raised their hands to respond and acknowledge each other after each speaking turn. They showed world class meeting skills and upheld their rules of engagement to the highest standards. The heroes also loved sharing with one another, on Slack, Zoom and Flip Grid. They loved being able to create their tiny communities virtually. Their support for one another, that is seen every day in the studio, has spilled over tremendously online. The heroes were a shining example this week of what it means to support and care for a community that they are proud of. Built and led by heroes, they continually showed their strength.
