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ZEST: Live It! Activity Guide Text and Illustrations Copyright © 2015 by Father Flanagan’s Boys’ HomeISBN 978-1-934490-89-1

Published by Boys Town Press14100 Crawford St.Boys Town, Nebraska 68010

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Unless otherwise noted, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations or critical reviews. The activity sheets on the CD-ROM may be reproduced without special permission for use in individual classrooms.

Table of Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

SECTION 1 That One Little Thing… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5What’s Zest? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6From Black & White to Living Color! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Zany Enthusiastic Spice of Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Can You See It? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Book of Zest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

SECTION 2 To Launch and Propel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Mapping Your Way to Zest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Get Movin’! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Get ACTIVE With QR Codes! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28I Spy a Wonder! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

SECTION 3 The Invigorating Flavor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35What to Take? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Easy Decision…or Not . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Easy Decision or Not: Part 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Ignite YOUR Zest! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

SECTION 4 Get Your Nose off the Ground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Lemon or Bouncy Ball? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Zest Zappers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56A Zest Zapper Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Get Organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Check Your Attitude! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

SECTION 5 A Flair That’s Contagious . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69In the Top 100! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70Anagrams of Zest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73Zest EVERY Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76It’s SO Sweet! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79“Picture” Zest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

APPENDIX Boys Town Skills and Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

1

Introduction

H ave you ever taken the time to stop and watch children at play on a playground, during recess, or at

a local park? If you have, then it’s not a surprise for you to see that there is plenty of fun to go around – there are smiles, laughter, and squeals of delight as children run around with enthusiasm playing games. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could capture that energy and excitement, bottle it up, and keep it in reserve for our own daily activities?

Unfortunately, too many adults and youth go about their daily activities forgetting what it is like to live with zest. The demands of the world pressure us into conforming, robotic actions that take us through the mundane tasks of life, and we end up sleepwalking through our days systematically performing each task required of us. We fluctuate from fast-paced and demanding stress to feeling bored and blah, settling for the same “ole” thing day after day. This results in adults and youth becoming disengaged, bored, and unmotivated. When this happens, people end up settling for living in black and white instead of in color.

Occasionally, we notice that some people do seem to have a reserve of excitement and energy. Vitality for living is their personal mission. It is as if they have found a different lens to life the rest of us have somehow failed to learn or lost. They achieve, enjoy, and seem to possess opportunities that pass others by. They greet each day with optimism and gusto. Satisfaction runs high and problems are viewed as possibilities.

What is the difference? How do others seem to be enjoying life more? The answer is that these people possess zest – or what I like to call Zany Enthusiastic Spice of Today (ZEST). This means they live in the moment and try to squeeze all they can out of life. They don’t have time for gloom and doom or a poor pitiful me way of thinking.

Is a person doomed to either have zest or not? Is there a way to build enthusiasm and harness more energy for our daily activities? I believe the answer is a resounding YES! The cure is zest. We can learn to make a shift in our attitude, while also avoiding or minimizing life’s Zest Zappers. When we do this, it can propel us

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ZEST: Live It! Activity Guide

to a better way of living. Zest is definitely something that can be taught and caught.

How do we ignite this kind of exuberance and ramp up the energy? It starts by understanding what zest is and by asking ourselves if we have the enthusiasm, vigor, and passion it takes to try to achieve it every day. As we build our reservoir of zest, our energy becomes contagious to others. For educators, the question ultimately becomes whether or not the youth of today can learn to possess this quality for success. Are students able to learn to put a spring in their step, and see the world as half full when they are confronted with obstacles and setbacks? The answer again is YES! This ZEST activity book helps you teach kids about zest, what it is, and how to incorporate it into their lives.

When students learn to see the world with wonder and excitement, it helps strengthen the health and vitality of our schools, communities, and society. It also helps them to live life with purpose and meaning, think past the boundaries, embrace originality, explore creativity, inspire others, and live life with FLAIR and in LIVING COLOR!

Benefits of Teaching ZEST (Zany Enthusiastic Spice of Today)

• Students are taught how to recognize and obtain more zest in their lives.

• Students learn how to initiate motivation.

• Students learn Boys Town Social Skills that can help your classroom function better.

• All activities are developmentally appropriate for 4th-12th graders.

• The lessons elicit thought-provoking discussions and self-examination.

• The activities are easy to use and don’t require a large amount of prep time.

• Technology is used to engage and motivate students.

• The activity guide can be used in numerous settings like the classroom, homeroom, advisement, enrichment, interventions, and character programs.

when students learn to see the world with wonder and excitement, it helps strengthen the health and

vitality of our schools, communities, and society.”“

3

Using the activities and lessons in ZEST

is a great way to learn about and

explore how to stop sleepwalking and

instead launch and propel into a life of possibility. The lessons

here have been structured in such a way that they can be taught in

a class period, or they can be extended and approached in ways

that spread the lesson out over two or three class periods. Much of

this will depend on the amount of discussion that is generated in

the classroom.

Each activity provides a material list and step-by-step instructions

on how to deliver the lessons; however, there is still plenty of room

for you to tailor activities for each class of unique learners and the

issues they are facing. The Boys Town Social Skills are interwoven

throughout the lessons and activities, as well as the Executive

Function Objectives. There are also suggestions for how to deliver

the content in a “flipped classroom” approach. Detailed, teacher-

friendly instructions are written in order to help teachers feel at

ease when implementing the lessons that require a broader use

of technology. Finally, because helping teachers to conserve time

is a priority, additional resources are listed along with suggested

answers to discussion questions.

INTRODUCTION

How to Use this Activity Guide

11

OBJECTIVES

Zany Enthusiastic Spice of Today

Social Skills: Students will practice staying on task with zest.

Executive Functions: Students will display enthusiasm while creating acronyms.

MATERIALS NEEDED• Computer access (or paper and

pencil if unavailable)• Dictionary and thesaurus access for

students (book or online)

• White board or flip chart• Markers for board or flip chart• Boys Town Social Skill poster,

“Staying on Task”

TEACHER INSTRUCTIONS

1. Review with students the meaning of zest and record any new ideas or definitions that the students have brainstormed on a white board or flip chart.

2. Explain to students that in order for this activity to have the best outcome, it will be important for everyone to stay on task. Post and review the Boys Town Social Skill, “Staying on Task,” with students. The steps to the skill are:

• Look at the task or assignment.• Think about the steps needed to complete the task.• Focus all of your attention on your task.• Stop working on your task only with permission from the adult who

gave you the task.• Ignore distractions and interruptions by others.

3. Based on the class ideas and definitions of zest, ask the students to explain how they could show zest while staying on task. (Sample answers: “Look at your task or assignment with excitement or energy” or “Focus all of your attention in finding zany, fun words to use.”)

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ZEST: Live It! Activity Guide

4. Instruct students to create their own acronym for the word zest on a piece of paper or on the computer. Ask them to focus on creating their acronym for zest in fun, creative words. (See the title of this activity for an example.) Students might want to use a dictionary, thesaurus, or a computer for help in finding words. Ask them to stylize their acronym with flair.

5. Have students present their acronyms to the class, and explain why they chose these words for the acronym.

6. Display the acronyms in the classroom, hallway, or across lockers as a visual re-minder to add zest to their daily activities.

Make a few acronyms of your own and display them for the students to see. Encourage the use of the thesaurus or online synonym sites.

Flipped Classroom: Prior to class, ask the students to find out what an acronym is and how to create one. Instruct them to make a list of how a person could develop an acro-nym. The instructions could be in student chosen format. Review during class then chal-lenge students to a contest of who can make the best zest or zest-related acronym.

Additional Resources: Book or online examples of acronyms.

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OBJECTIVES

Social Skills: Students will practice the steps to making a decision.

Executive Functions: Students will exhibit zest by actively participating and making decisions on what items to take to a deserted island.

What to Take?

MATERIALS NEEDED• Paper• Pencil

• Boys Town Social Skill poster, “Making Decisions” (1 copy per student)

You want to move students from being passive bystanders to active participants in their own life. When students are confident and feel they have some control over daily decisions, they are more likely to possess greater amounts of motivation, energy, and anticipation for everyday living.

TEACHER INSTRUCTIONS

1. Begin this lesson by asking the students the following questions:

• What kind of decisions do people make?

• Do all people make decisions in the same way? If not, why do you think that’s the case?

• What are some techniques that people use to help them make decisions?

• Is it easy for you to make decisions? Explain.

• What steps do you go through to reach a decision?

2. Give each student a copy of the Boys Town Social Skill “Making Decisions.” Ask stu-dents to place it in their assignment book or a place where they can refer to it often and will not be likely to lose it. Review the skill steps:

37

SECTION 3

• Accurately identify what decision you must make.• Examine what your choices currently appear to be.• Generate other choices, if possible.• Look at the potential consequences of each choice.• Pick the first- and second-best choices based on the potential outcomes.

3. Explain to the students that for this activity, they will need to use the skill of “Mak-ing Decisions” to decide what seven items they would take with them if they were being sent to a deserted island. Ask the students to record their decisions and the reasons behind making them on paper.

4. Share answers and have students compare and contrast the reasons behind their decisions.

Some students might struggle with making decisions of any kind. It is important to monitor their progress in this activity and provide prompts if needed.

Flipped Classroom: Prior to attending class, ask students to make a list in the form of a PowerPoint slide on “How to Make Good Decisions.” During class, compare with the Boys Town Social Skill “Making Decisions.” Continue with the deserted island activity.

Additional Resources: Online picture of a deserted island, so the students would have some type of visual depiction of where they would be.

69

S E CT I O N

A Flair That’s ContagiousWhat a difference it could make if we lived each day with excitement and flair! Zest helps us to soar through life. Enthusiasm can provide opportunities that we otherwise wouldn’t have. It can turn the “boring and blah” into a fun, exuberant experience.

Zest is contagious. When someone has a passion for or is excited about an activity or experience, others can’t help but be influenced by the person’s behavior and attitude. Positive, upbeat emotions motivate all of us. People with zest enjoy more in life because they anticipate the good. They find exhilaration in adventure and are fueled by their sense of excitement. In the following activities, youth will have several opportunities to exercise their zest and influence others to do the same.

Activities included in Section 5 are:

• In the Top 100!• Anagrams of Zest• Zest EVERY Day• It’s SO Sweet!• "Picture" Zest

5

73

OBJECTIVES

MATERIALS NEEDED• Paper for booklets• Stapler• Colored pencils, crayons, other sup-

plies for designing booklet covers• Paper for anagrams

• Pencil• Boys Town Social Skill poster,

“Controlling the Impulse to Lie”• Boys Town Social Skill poster,

“Asking for Help”

The more people focus on the positive things happening in their lives, the more zest they will have. All students should be encouraged to find ways to look at their world through a positive lens. Remember: Zest is contagious energy!

TEACHER INSTRUCTIONS

1. Give each student two pieces of paper. Have students place the papers on top of each other and fold in half. Staple the outside top and outside bottom to form a booklet.

2. Instruct students to name and design the cover of their booklet. The booklet will serve as a place to record 10 great things that happen to them each day.

3. Tell students to record “10 Great Things” that happen to them for that day (Monday) on the first page after the cover page. They will record “10 Great Things” that hap-pen to them on Tuesday on the page following Monday. Continue for each day of the week until all the pages have been used. (This should be five days.)

Social Skills: Students will control the impulse to lie. Students will ask for help by following the appropriate steps.

Executive Functions: Students will show self-control and grit by working independently with focus. Creating anagrams will promote zest.

Anagrams of Zest