Project Adventure activities are particularly suitable for the ninth grade
students to help introduce them to new classmates and a new school. A
description of Project Adventure follows:
The icon showing cartoon people carrying a key is used to represent Project
Adventure because the Project Adventure program emphasizes activities which
are chosen to help students learn to work together as a team. The key in the
cartoon symbolizes that the "key" to being successful in solving the Project
Adventure Initiatives and in completing the challenge activities is team
work.
Project Adventure is a 5 to 10 week program at Arlington High School which
has 3 major components or parts. In the first part of the program, students
play both old and new games that have been changed or adapted with special
rules to facilitate the development of team work, co-operation, trust, and
communication.
In the second part of the program, students attempt to solve problems and
initiatives that are presented to the group. One initiative might be to move
ping pong balls down a track held by team members. Another could be to get
everyone through a huge spider web, or, perhaps, to move people from
one "island" to another. However, no matter what the problem is, the
solution must be accomplished as a group with communication skills and
critical thinking skills being emphasized while solving the problem.
In the third and final part of the program, activities are provided to
challenge students in accomplishing tasks that force them out of their
"comfort zone." These activities may involve crossing swinging tires or
climbing the centipede or climbing the wall and perhaps even jumping to a
trapeze. However, although the students are doing a more "risky and
challenging" activity, they are well-supervised by physical education staff
members and do these activities with the active help of their "team members"
who have been taught to belay, spot, support, and encourage each other.
