One responsibility we all have in the classroom is to bring in new and fun activities to engage students, make the content relevant and have fun in the classroom.  A fun way to do this is to bring current events to the school anytime you can.  If there is something going on in your community, state, country or the world, something that everyone, not just the beauty industry is talking about, find a way to bring it into the school.

For example, it is the end of January, and that means one thing… Super Bowl!! Now you don’t have to be a football fan for the Super Bowl to be relevant.  Your students don’t have to be die-hard football lovers to make this fun in the classroom.  Most everyone enjoys a good Super Bowl party and it isn’t always for the game.  It is about the food, atmosphere, fun, friends and for some, yes, it is about the game.

How do you bring the Super Bowl to your school? Simple, come up with various Super Bowl-related activities that you can incorporate into your school, leading up to the big event.

Here are a few examples:

Create a football field on a poster board in the student salon.

A football field is 100 yards long, with an end zone at each end.  Divide the student salon body into 2 teams.  Have each team pick a color. If you tie it into the current Super Bowl participants, it becomes more fun! Have each member of a team member create an individual football, player or helmet, with their name on it that will serve as their playing piece for the game. Each team member places their playing piece on the football field poster.

• Create a system that allows the student to move their players up and down the field:
  • A student would move their football forward 1 yard for every service dollar they serve they produce in the student salon.
  • For each unit of retail products, they receive a field goal worth 3 points.
  • For each up-sell service they perform, they receive a field goal worth 3 points.
  • For each walk-in ticket they take, receive 2 points.
• Also, create a penalty system.  For any school infraction, they occur (tardy, out of dress code, on their phones at the wrong time, refusing a client), they get a penalty and lose 5 yards.
• When the student’s football crosses the end zone, they receive 7 points and will start over.
• The team with the highest score at the end of the day wins!
• Also award special individual awards like MVP (Most Valuable Player), most walk-ins, most retail sold, etc.

Create a theory review game following the same concept.

• Divide the class into 2 teams and flip a coin to see who goes first.
• There will be one football on the field.  One team will be moving one direction, the other team will be moving the opposite.
• For each question a team gets right, they move 10 yards.
• If they miss a question it is a fumble and the other team takes over.
• When a team answers enough questions that moves them past the end zone line, they get 7 points.
• Allow a team the opportunity at any time to stop trying to move forward and instead settle for a field goal. Meaning the next question asked, if they get it right they score 3 points.  If they answer it wrong, the other team takes control.

On your last day of school before Super Bowl Sunday, plan a great tailgate party for students.

Make it a potluck and have students bring in their favorite super bowl foods. Encourage students and staff to dress in the colors of the team they will be supporting in the big game.

Have students group together and create a Super Bowl worthy commercial for your school, the student salon, a product you use or a student salon service you offer.

Have each group create the concept of the commercial and a 30-second commercial.  Show all the commercials in class and have students vote for the best one.

With teams participating in the Super Bowl from different parts of the country, it is an opportune time to speak to students about the different licensure requirements and laws and regulations from different parts of the country.

Take the two states that are represented in the big game, this year it is Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.  Have students research those states.  What are the licensure requirements? How many hours must you clock in each state for a cosmetology license?  Do they allow reciprocity?  What about the salons in those states?  What is the primary type of salon?  What are the typical charges for various services?

These are just a few ideas on how you can have fun with the Super Bowl. Get creative and come up with your own ideas as well. Much like the Super Bowl teams have a crazy week that leads up to Super Bowl Sunday, you could do the same in your school. Have a different activity/event every day in the week that leads up to the big event. Remember, this is just a fun way to engage your students with something that everyone is enjoying.