Ice Breakers

[MothertheMother]

I thought it'd be nice to start sharing some teaching tips. Since classes typically start with an ice breaker I hope everyone will share their favorite ice breaker. Either one that you have used and loved or what that you have learned about and plan to use. Give detailed descriptions so others can use them if they like!

[syncreo]

Hi,
Mine is a typical ice breaker that is used in lots of different settings - I didn't make it up, just borrowed it :-) I pair up my moms and dads into groups of two (ie. 2 moms together, 2 dads together) and then have each of them spend 2 minutes introducing themselves and then they switch and the other person spends 2 mintues introducing themselves. We then come back to the large group and they introduce their partner to the group.

What I really like about this exercise is it allows people in the class to have an immediate closer connection to one person in the class and starts building out the group cohesion that is ideal to have in a small group setting where we will be learning and sharing together. Once they feel they have a 'new friend' participants seem to lighten up and feel more comfortable. It works well in small and medium size groups but the intros back to the group would take too long for a large group setting.

Good post Christy - can't wait to hear other ideas.
Cheers, Shawna

[Gentlebirthmama]

Well, I don't know if this is considered an ice breaker or not, but it's how I've started classes for 14 years and generally gets people talking , laughing, and just relaxing.

First off we go around and introduce ourselves...I usually start and then have each couple tell us a little about themselves: what # baby, due date, boy or girl, birth place, midwife or doctor, and why they are taking my class...usually dads say because their wives made them come!

Then after explaining what to expect in the classes, I talk about how one of the reasons women take classes is to learn how to handle any pain experienced during childbirth... :blah, blah, blah
Then I tell them that we are going to start off by talking about ways of handling pain. I ask everyone, not just moms, to tell me ways of how they have handled any kind of pain in their lives...anywhere from a broken bone, stubbed toe, sore muscles, headaches, toothache, etc. I start off by listing the most common thing that most people have used at some point in their life....Tylenol or some form of this. (I list all the ideas on a white board). Then I put it out to the class to give me ideas of things they have done...it usually gets to be a lot of fun once people start sharing. Usually I end up with something like alcohol or cussing and it's usually from a dad!

This exercise gets everyone talking and interacting...I make comments as we go and keep prodding everyone to give me more ideas.
After I've filled the board, I briefly discuss how each idea could or could not work for labor.
It's a great jump off point to getting classes going and I tell them that we will be discussing in more detail pain relief ideas throughout the classes.

I'm not big on games, but have found this a great way, plus informative way to start off.

[ctowndoula]

I start out my cbe classes with the Bill Cosby video "Bill Cosby, Himself". He has a very funny section on "natural childbirth" that is not negative or offensive. So I play that as soon as the first couple comes in so they aren't all sitting there waiting for everyone to come in.
Then I use the M & M one or have them interview each other, depends on class size.

For the baby basics class I have them take a bear and blanket. They then draw a name out of basket that has the baby's sex, name and birth weight. That gets some laughs. Some are twins and some are 11 Lb. babies (gives me a chance to talk about how nice it can be having a "big baby").

[MothertheMother]

I saw this when I attended cbe for cert.

She passed around a roll of toilet paper telling everyone to pull off as many sheets as they thought they would need. Of course everyone was asking what they would need it for and she wouldn't tell them. Each person had to take at least one sheet (and as many as they wanted) before she told them what they would be doing with it. Once everyone had their paper they went around the room and had to share one thing for each square of paper they took. First they would give a general intro of name, edd, sex if known and doctors name and then move on to less general information. It was pretty funny since one guy folded paper around his hand about 10 times! Of course she didn't make him go through the entire thing lol

(I'm not teaching yet...)

[Stacie]

The Bill Cosby one was used when I went to a hospital CBE class with a client -- it was pretty funny.

In that same line of thinking, I want to get the Monty Python clip of "The Machine that goes PING!", but I don't know if it would be a good opener or not.

[MothertheMother]

we watched that at our Lamaze training...it is very funny.

[doulaamber]

I like 2 truths and a lie. Everyone has to say 2 things about themselves that are true and 1 that is a lie and everyone else has to guess what the lie it.

I get pretty interesting.

[Matrescence]

I'm going to try an idea I learned form the CAPPA distance training videos and one I learned from a cb class I observed: Name tags: they write their name, due date, care provider and "fear factor" (on a scale from 1-10). Then ask for a volunteer to start telling about what they wrote, when everyone's done talk about the fear factor and how the class will address some of the issues brought up, the cb that I observed also mentioned that it's the same scale used to rate pain int he hospital, using that to segway into how we use words 'pain' instead of comfort or discomfort (at the beginning). I'm also going to try the post it notes, leaving them on each seat with "childbirth is..." written on the top, when they're introducing themselves I'll have them tell me what their post it says writing it on the board and coming back to that after all of the introductions to talk about our beliefs of childbirth...

Christy, we used the toilet paper icebreaker at my babyshower 8 years ago (1st pregnancy) too funny It's a fun one !

[capandcradle]

-Getting to know you bingo
-two truths and one false game
-Monty Python "the meaning of life" segment

I have more in my basement.