Many of the games from this class have been moved over to the "Flex Your Brain" class, linked below. Please see that class for availability. Thank you!  https://outschool.com/classes/flex-your-brain-live-memory-and-focus-games-cOMyNx8s?sectionUid=1224cf8a-0803-43b2-86f7-bf0fc44a6c4b&usid=9v6y1LpU&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link

"I love this class because it's really interesting to learn how my brain works!" --one of many students with similar comments after our class. 

If your learner enjoys testing and stretching their brain, as well as learning some interesting ways in which their brain works, this class is for them! 

This ongoing, eight-week course is uniquely designed with fun, fresh games that will give your learner the opportunity to challenge their memory, attention, concentration, visual and auditory recognition, reaction time, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. In a group setting, these games can also support skills such as communication, sportsmanship, and social skills. I will also ask students to share their strategies as we go along so that they may learn from each other. 

During each class, learners will be greeted into the classroom and find a brain warm-up to engage in. After completing and discussing this, we will engage in a brief icebreaker activity to help us get to know each other and find potential connections. I find this important for increasing learners’ comfort and security in the classroom. We will then learn a brief brain fact or two, often relating to the games we are playing that day. This will support your learner in understanding how their mind is working and why it does what it will. Afterward, our first game will begin (see schedule below)! We will refocus our brains before the next game by taking a fun, specified movement break, then begin our second and final game. 

There’s a great deal of interaction in this class if your child chooses to engage. If I see that your child is engaged in the games, but simply more reserved and not wishing to share their answers, I may encourage them a bit, but will also respect their needs and comfort level and will not push for participation. 

I may seek answers in one of several ways during our games. I may call on students one at a time, ask them to answer all at once, or may at times ask them to put their answers in a direct message in the chat. If I call on one student and other students are also eager to share their answers, they may direct message me. I also encourage learners to give me a thumb’s up or another signal that they also had the answer when the called-on student is correct so that I may recognize everyone. 

I'm a teacher dedicated to having fun with my students as they learn and am also sensitive to the fact that some learners dislike making mistakes or may believe they may look "dumb" to their peers when they do. I work hard to create a supportive classroom environment with no pressure to always be "correct." We are to simply try our best, whatever that may be that day. Our games are not meant to be overly competitive, being focused on group enjoyment and supporting each other as well. 

While I created this course for learners who completed my “Flex Your Brain” and were eager for more, taking that class is not a requirement for this ongoing course. For those familiar with “Flex Your Brain” this course is different in that it has brain warm-ups, and brief, interesting brain facts that help you understand what’s happening in your mind. The class is also full of fresh games, new movement breaks, and unique icebreakers!  

Our class will follow this structure:

1. Fun brain warm-up activity/puzzle
2. Ice Breaker (getting to know you/sharing)
3. Brief Brain Fact(s)
4. Game One
5. Movement Break
6. Game Two 

Please know that while I do my best to end after 50 minutes, there may be days where we run a bit over our allotted time if students are doing well and certain games naturally continue. I will not go into the next hour. 

If your child has learning difficulties or other differences that I can support them with, please send me a message so that I may do my best to accommodate them. Thank you! 
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Please scroll to the bottom of the description to see which week your child's section is on. 

Week One:

Selective Attention – Can you focus on only the needed information for your task and block what’s unnecessary? Will you even notice anything else, like, say…a dragon or rainbow unicorn?! Your brain may surprise you…

What’s That Sound? – Test your auditory processing and ability to recognize and name every day (and perhaps some rather strange and unusual) sounds.
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Week Two:

Short-Term Memory Trials – How many will YOU recall? Let’s see if you can beat your teacher!

Optical Illusions – Do you see what I see? Hmm…maybe, maybe not. Then who’s right? Nobody! Let’s see, literally, if you can view both perspectives! 
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Week Three:

Dual Tasks – Calling all multi-taskers! Can you watch one visual and perform a related task while also looking out for another visual to physically react to? Let’s try!

Mystery Bag – Find the answer to mysterious objects in the least amount of time possible by asking your very best questions. How many objects will we get through before time is up?
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Week Four:

Attentional Blink – Your visual focus and attention will be put to the ultimate test with this quick-moving activity. Don’t you dare blink!

Memory Mad Libs – Mad Libs made into a memory game? Oh yes, indeed! 
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Week Five:

Brain Teasers, Mysteries, and More! – Put on your best thinking cap to solve these interesting puzzlers.

Spot the difference – Your attention to detail, large and small, will be thoroughly tested in this game! 
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Week Six:

What is THAT?! – Can you make sense of these strange angle or extreme close-up photos and state what they are?  

False Memories – Would your brain create something that wasn’t there? It’s quite possible! We’ll find out and try to fight it. 
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Week Seven: 

Color Trials -- What will these memory trials reveal about your brain and color memory?

Color Memory -- The brain finds recalling various hues of the same color challenging. How will you do on this and tangram color placement? 

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Week Eight: 

It's All in the Details -- How much does your brain actually remember from what you see? We'll have two types of trials that put this to the test! 

Sound Memory Matching -- Testing your audial (hearing) memory isn't something we do very often, our brain is much better at recalling visual information, so let's challenge ourselves with this twist on the classic "flip two" memory game!
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Notes:

Tuesday 9 AM EST:
 Week One: August 17th
Week Two: August 24th
Week Three: August 31st
Week Four: September 6th
Week Five: September 13th
Week Six: September 20th
Week Seven: September 27th
Week Eight: October 4th -- class will end on this date