Students knew the day was coming as our Advisory lessons the week before focused on Mix It Up Day. I find that this is a VERY difficult day for many students. It takes them out of their comfort zone at the very time where maybe they feel the most comfort...lunch. Does that mean we shouldn't do it? NO WAY!!! :)
I LOVE Mix It Up Day and how it stretches kids to connect with different people. This is a super important life skill and I love that they get to practice it in middle school.
Here is how we organized the event: We counted the tables in the lunch room (30). Then we bought 30 helium filled balloons from the Dollar Tree ($1 each) and numbered them 1-30. As kids came into the cafeteria, we numbered their hands with a Sharpie 1-30. They just had to find the table with the appropriate numbered balloon. At the table, we placed laminated front/back lists of questions to get the conversation going.
Of course, we did have those students who tried to change their number and dodge the event (mostly 8th graders), but for the most part it was successful. It was a lot quieter than regular lunch. :)
How did you mix it up?
