Our B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students enjoyed a beautiful day at the park enjoying a day filled with friends, food, and fun! This was the first Community Based Instruction (CBI) for our B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students and they had a great time! 

Students enjoyed playing soccer, participating in races with one another and taking a hike around the park. After several hours of fun and working up an appetite, it was time to enjoy some delicious pizza from Little Caesars. The next hour was spent socializing with one another and enjoying their pizza, chips, and soda. 

After their fun filled day, everyone was ready to head back to school. The class can’t wait for their next CBI- a day at the movies! We are proud of the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students as they practiced their Independence, Growth, Empowerment and Social Skills during the day at the park! 

The B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students enjoyed a beautiful day at the park, working on team building skills. This year, facilitators Donna Mansolillo and Kathy Gorman Gard have focused several of the Community Based Instruction (CBIs) on getting the students outside and interacting with one another in a relaxed environment. This was key for students after coming back from a year of virtual learning from home. 

Some of the team building activities that the students took part in were a Scavenger Hunt and the Balloon Pop Communication activity. First, the students participated in the Scavenger Hunt and were assigned to a group. Each student received a job during the scavenger hunt…the group leader, the photographer, and one student to write down what they found. This Scavenger Hunt was done very different from the traditional ones. Students used their phones to take pictures instead of gathering the items they found. 

One of the items listed on the scavenger list was, “Find something beautiful”. Each group came up with different ideas of what they found beautiful. Some of the responses from the different groups were, the sky, trees, and birds.  

The next activity, students were each given a balloon. Inside the balloon was a question that they had to answer. First, the students had to keep the balloon up in the air without letting it pop. Once the balloon popped, each student read their question and shared with one another. Some examples of the questions were, “Who is the most important person in your life, what have you done that makes you proud of yourself, and If you knew you were going to have your last meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?” The students answered thoughtfully, and each person respected what their classmates shared.  

After team building, it was time for lunch! Students brought their lunch with them and enjoyed the rest of the time socializing with one another. Todays CBI focused on Resources, Independence, Development, Growth, Empowerment and Social Skills.  

Vanilla, chocolate or strawberry were the decisions the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students had to make for their Community Based Instruction (CBI) at Publix. Students were given the challenge to decide in their individual groups what ingredients they’d want for their ice cream sundaes.

The challenge was this: the group budget was $15.00 with tax included, enough ice cream must be purchased for everyone in the group, and to buy at least 3 toppings. Prior to going out on the CBI, students met in their groups to decide which flavors of ice cream and toppings they all liked. Once they came up with their lists, they had to agree which ones they would be purchasing. Students had to use compromising and negotiating skills to reach their agreement.

After students finished shopping for their ingredients for the ice cream sundae challenge, they headed back to school. This is where the fun began! Students were able to create their own sundaes and even share toppings they purchased with one another.

Each group did a great job staying within their budget and agreeing on the purchases they made for their sundaes. What a great CBI that ended up with a tasty treat!