Submitted by Gretchen and Theresa Goble, Missouri and LaPorte, Indiana

Idea posted May 11, 2004

Idea #1

I use craft sticks to help choose teams. I have about eight different ways of choosing teams this way, so the kids never know what sticks to try to exchange with each other.

I have numbers (i.e., where you can choose evens/odds, the first five, etc.), the alphabet, shapes (i.e., circles, squares, triangles, etc.), and colors. (i.e., blue, red, green, black, etc.) These four categories are on the ends of each stick.

In the middle of the sticks I have (on one side in black) a measure of rhythm, and (on the other side in blue) a more difficult measure of rhythm. The students determine their teams by clapping the rhythm on their stick and finding others in their group. Submitted by Gretchen from Missouri.

Idea #2

Another way to choose teams is to keep a deck of cards handy. Shuffle them and hand them out to the students. Then you can say, "All the Jacks over here. All the eights over here." and so on. You will always have mixed up groups. Submitted by Theresa Goble from LaPorte, Indiana.