Physical Challenges
Squats (Leg and Core Strength)
10 or More
Description: A foundational lower-body exercise that strengthens the legs, glutes, and core. Variations can add more difficulty, but even basic squats are a good challenge.
Why: Squats symbolize Cole’s grounding efforts, learning to stay rooted and face his challenges head-on.
Empathy Role-Play
Challenge: You will be assigned a classmate and pretend you are Cole. Role play a scene from the book, trying to understand how the other person feels.
Why: This exercise fosters empathy, helping kids put themselves in others' shoes, similar to Cole learning to empathize with Peter.
The "Balance the Book" Challenge
Description: Place a book on your head and walk in a straight line across the room. If you drop the book, you have to start over.
Why: This is challenging because it’s easy to feel self-conscious about balancing a book in front of classmates. It’s about maintaining balance and humility, similar to Cole’s need to keep steady through his journey of self-reflection.
The "Forgiveness Poem" Challenge
Description: Write a poem about forgiveness, inspired by the themes in Touching Spirit Bear. Your poem should explore the concept of forgiveness from the perspective of both giving and receiving it.
Why: This is a more creative challenge that requires introspection and the ability to express complex emotions through poetry, just as Cole’s path to forgiveness is not only difficult but also requires emotional depth.
The "Silent Roar" Challenge
Description: Stand in front of the class and pretend to roar like a lion, but without making any sound. You can only use facial expressions, body movement, and arm gestures. The challenge is to be fierce and confident without actually making a sound!
Why: This is the most challenging because it requires you to express power and confidence silently, just as Cole struggles with internal battles and trying to show strength without outward aggression or violence.
Bear Crawl (Full Body Strength)
1 minute
Description: A bear crawl is a full-body exercise that mimics the movement of a bear. It requires core strength, arm, and leg coordination, and endurance. It's demanding because it engages nearly every muscle group while maintaining a low, controlled position.
I am affirmations...
Challenge: Write down 5 positive affirmations about yourself, such as “I am brave” or “I am kind,” and say them out loud each day and to us now.
Why: This promotes self-love and self-compassion, helping kids challenge negative self-talk and build confidence.
The "Backwards Walk" Challenge
Description: Walk backward from one side of the room to the other while keeping your balance. You have to keep your eyes forward and not look at the floor.
Why: Walking backward can feel awkward, and it’s easy to trip, symbolizing how Cole must face challenges that make him feel uncomfortable or off-balance. But with patience, it gets easier.
The "Character Growth Timeline" Challenge
Description: Create a timeline of Cole’s emotional and personal growth throughout Touching Spirit Bear. Include key moments that represent his transformation and how he learns to cope with his emotions.
Why: This is a more straightforward task but still requires thoughtful analysis of Cole’s character and how he evolves. It helps students recognize the progression of personal change and growth.
The "Wear Someone Else’s Shoes" Challenge
Description: Mrs. Pomerleau will be providing the shoes. You have to walk around the room and do a simple task (like picking up an object) while wearing someone else’s shoes.
Why: This is a fun challenge that makes you step into someone else’s shoes, just like Cole learns to see life from other people’s perspectives, especially Peter’s, after causing harm to him.
Lunges (Leg Strength and Stability)
10 or more
Description: A lower-body exercise that involves stepping forward into a lunge position, engaging the legs and core for balance and strength.
Why: Lunges represent the steps Cole takes in his journey, learning to move forward and take responsibility for his actions.
Silent Reflection Time
Challenge: Spend 5-10 minutes in complete silence, thinking about a difficult experience you’ve had, and allow yourself to feel your emotions without distractions.
Why: It encourages self-awareness and helps students practice sitting with their emotions, similar to Cole’s time on the island where he faces his inner turmoil.
The "Animal Noise" Challenge
Description: Make an animal noise that matches how you feel today. You must do this in front of the class and then explain why they chose that animal.
Why: This is an embarrassing but fun way to get kids to connect their emotions with something physical, much like Cole’s emotional journey as he learns to express himself more honestly.
The "Survival Plan" Challenge
Description: Create a survival plan for someone in Cole’s position (isolated on the island). This plan must cover physical, emotional, and mental survival strategies. What resources would they need, and how would they manage their feelings in isolation?
Why: This challenge requires a deep understanding of both survival skills and emotional intelligence. It reflects Cole’s journey of learning how to survive physically and emotionally in a difficult environment.
The "One-Minute Stare" Challenge
Description: Stare at a partner or a blank wall for a full minute without blinking or looking away. You can’t laugh or break eye contact during the challenge.
Why: This challenge is about focusing and confronting your emotions or the world around you without distraction, symbolizing Cole’s journey of self-reflection and learning to stay calm and centered in his solitude.
Push-ups with Feet Elevated (Upper Body Strength)
15 or More
Description: A variation of the push-up where your feet are raised on a bench or platform. This shifts more of your body weight to your arms, making it more difficult.
Why: Reflects Cole’s need to push himself beyond his limits, striving for personal growth and change.
Apology Circle
Challenge: Apologize to 4 people in the classroom that you have wronged in some way. Apologies should be heartfelt but brief.
Why: Practicing apologies in a safe space helps students take responsibility for their actions, as Cole eventually does in the book.
The "Invisible Rope" Challenge
Description: Choose a partner and you will facing each other and pretend to hold an invisible rope. They must work together to jump over the rope (imaginary, of course) as it gets higher and higher, with everyone in the class watching.
Why: This challenge requires teamwork and the willingness to be a little silly in front of others, just like Cole had to let go of his pride and allow himself to be vulnerable and ask for help.
The "Solution-Focused" Debate Challenge
Description: Debate the following question: “Can anger ever be justified, or is it always harmful?” Use evidence from the book and other resources to argue your point. You’ll need to present both sides of the argument before taking a clear stance.
Why: This task challenges critical thinking and requires the ability to form reasoned arguments, much like Cole must learn to manage his emotions and approach difficult situations with a balanced mindset.
The "Mystery Food" Challenge
Description: Blindfold yourself and taste an unusual or unfamiliar food (like a weird fruit or a strange combination). You must guess what it is and describe how it tastes.
Why: This challenge encourages courage in the face of uncertainty and unfamiliarity, much like Cole’s fear and resistance to the unknown when he is first sent to the island.
Mountain Climbers (Core and Cardio)
Description: A high-intensity exercise that targets the core, arms, and legs while also providing a cardiovascular workout. It involves alternating legs in a fast-paced, running motion while in a plank position.
Why: Symbolizes Cole’s inner struggle to keep moving forward, even when it feels exhausting and overwhelming.
Compliment Chain
Challenge: Have the class stand in a circle and start by giving a compliment to the person going around the circle.
Why: This promotes positive feelings and encourages kindness, helping students practice self-compassion and building a supportive classroom environment.
The "Spin Around" Challenge
Description: Spin around in place 10 times and then try to walk across the room without falling or getting dizzy.
Why: It’s a silly challenge that involves a little physical coordination and control, much like how Cole struggles with finding balance and control in his life.
The "Empathy Mini Essay" Challenge
Description: Write an essay from the perspective of a character in the book (like Peter, Cole’s father, or the Spirit Bear), explaining their emotions and motivations. Try to truly understand and express how they might feel during key moments in the story.
Why: This challenge is mentally demanding because it forces you to step into someone else’s shoes and think critically about their emotions and experiences, much like Cole learns to do as he grows in empathy throughout the story.
The "Backward Speaking" Challenge
Description: Choose a sentence or phrase and try to say it backward. It has to be understandable to others, and you can’t write it out. You only have one minute to practice before saying it out loud.
Why: This challenge represents Cole’s struggle to change his way of thinking and looking at the world, as it requires reversing your normal habits and thought patterns, much like how Cole must break free from his destructive behaviors.