Palluruthy
SDPY Boys High School
- 4 activities here
- 1 community club
- 53 participations here
Palluruthy
A classroom the school lends us, with its teachers helping to arrange the sessions.
What happened here
Today's LifSkool session explored creative thinking. We revisited last week's question, "How do you know?", and tried a new one: "What else?" The boys turned the same pairs of eyes into completely different drawings. In pairs, they then found new uses for everyday objects and combined two objects into a new invention. Finally, each pair got the same ice cream sticks and joiners and was free to build anything. Every creation went in a different direction, showing how one starting point can lead to many possibilities. In discussion, the students shared what helped when an idea ran out: keep thinking, listen to a partner, combine ideas and try something unusual. As they worked through the challenges, they began to see how “What else could I try?” might help them find another way through everyday problems. Some creations were still in progress, so they took them home to continue.
LifSkool: Think Like a Detective
Our hour began by looking back at the previous LifSkool sessions and asking the boys what they remembered. They were able to recall the activities and connect them to skills they had already been practising, including communication, problem-solving and decision-making. Today’s LifSkool session focused on critical thinking. We invited the boys to think like detectives, using short thinking challenges and a collaborative investigation. Rather than explaining the skill first, they were encouraged to ask questions, examine information and work out what they thought had happened. What worked particularly well was the balance between pace and reflection. Having the activities and materials prepared in advance meant we could move quickly from one challenge to the next without losing momentum. But we also paused briefly between activities to ask the boys how they reached an answer, what they were assuming, or what made them change their mind. The boys responded strongly to this format. They were curious, eager to talk and ask questions, and every child contributed. The detective-style investigation gave them something concrete to think through together rather than simply listening to an explanation about critical thinking. Only afterwards did we name the skill and connect it to a simple idea: ask questions and check what you know before deciding what you think. Our main learning was that a fast-moving session does not have to mean rushing the learning. Good preparation helped us keep the energy up, while short reflection moments gave the boys space to notice how they were thinking. In future, we would like to build on this with slightly more challenging investigation-style activities. Group: Local Government School | Std 5–7 boys | 15 boys Materials: Simple thinking challenges, investigation materials, whiteboard and LifSkills workbooks. Space: Regular classroom with tables and benches Timing: Around 45 minutes
Today we changed the pace of LifSkool with a Team Challenge Day. The boys worked in pairs and small groups through a series of short challenges involving memory, coordination, problem-solving and communication. From the start, the boys were curious and eager to take part. They had to listen to one another, make quick plans, try different ideas and change their approach when something did not work. In earlier sessions, we had noticed that transitions and side conversations could quickly eat into the limited time we had. So today, we introduced a simple attention routine to support smoother transitions between activities. It worked well. The boys responded quickly, and the transitions between challenges felt much smoother. One of the strongest parts of the session was seeing how naturally the life skills appeared through the games. The boys were not only talking about communication, problem-solving and decision-making — they were having to use them in real time. This session also brought together several things we had been learning over the previous weeks. We had already seen that too much explanation could reduce participation, especially when the ideas themselves were quite abstract. Today, we deliberately flipped that around: less explaining, clearer routines, more doing, and more space for the boys to work things out themselves. Timing also worked well, and we were able to complete all the planned challenges within the session. Our main takeaway was simple: when children experience a skill first, it can be much easier to talk about the learning afterwards. A lively session, lots of curiosity, and a good reminder that the programme itself should keep adapting to what we learn in the room. Group: Local Government School | Std 5–7 | 14 boys Materials: Simple team-challenge materials, paper, markers and LifSkills workbooks Space: Regular classroom with tables and benches Timing: Around 45 minutes
This session focused on empathy and kindness — understanding how someone else might be feeling and thinking about how our words and actions affect others. It was also a learning session for us as facilitators. This was George’s first time leading a LifSkool class. He had prepared carefully beforehand, but nerves meant he relied quite closely on the printed lesson plan. We began with a movement energiser, which helped bring some energy into the room. A few boys were shy at first, but most gradually joined in. From there, we explored empathy through familiar situations and conversations about how another person might feel, what support could look like, and how small acts of kindness can make a difference. The boys were able to contribute examples and seemed to understand the core ideas. The biggest learning for us was around facilitation. Following a script closely can help a new facilitator feel prepared, but it can also reduce eye contact, interaction and responsiveness in the room. Attention drifted at times, and side conversations became more noticeable. It reminded us that the lesson plan is there to support the facilitator, not replace the connection with the students. The session also highlighted the need to revisit classroom routines and transitions. With an after-school group, chatter and changing energy levels are part of the reality, so clearer signals and expectations should help us protect more time for participation. At the end, each student chose a LifSkool buddy, who they will work with during upcoming team challenges. Attendance was again lower than the full cohort, with 12 of 20 boys attending, which remains an ongoing challenge for the after-school programme. Overall, the boys understood the ideas of empathy and kindness, while the session gave us useful learning about facilitation, engagement and classroom rhythm too. Group: Local Government School | Std 5–7 | 12 boys Materials: LifSkills workbooks, lesson-plan materials, speaker/music Space: Regular classroom with tables and benches Timing: Around 45 minutes