.png)
On February Friday 16th, the Metro Area Boys & Girls Clubs hosted the Brain Games event at the Clarence Fraim Boys & Girls Club in Wilmington. The Metro Area is comprised of seven Boys & Girls Clubs locations including the Brown, Claymont, and Fraim Clubs, and the Johnson, Richardson Park, Richey, and Shortlidge school sites. A select group of children from each Club were chosen to compete.
Brain Games is a trivia competition that emphasizes the importance of learning and team building. Each team competes by answering challenging and engaging trivia questions alongside participating in several invigorating team-building exercises. Trivia questions were modelled after Jeopardy, with multiple topics to choose from and each question worth a different amount of points. Topics included Math, Science, US History, English, and Geography along with a miscellaneous round of questions. One such question delved into the historical significance of Betsy Ross, challenging participants to recall her most well-known contribution.
In conjunction with the trivia competition, several team building exercises were conducted. Teams were constructed to work together in order to build a bridge out of unconventional materials, showcasing their collaborative skills. Additionally, teams worked together to create the largest paper chain from one piece of paper.
Brain Games drew inspiration from an old Boys & Girls Club event entitled Brain Gains. After a hiatus, the event was brought back for the first time last year, and was implemented this year with numerous improvements. A notable addition to this year’s Games is the introduction of a regional state competition which will take place on March 23rd. The games unite children grades 4-8 together, providing them with an invaluable opportunity to forge meaningful connections, learn effective teamwork, and cultivate individual leadership skills.
Megan McBride, the Area Operations Coordinator and a key organizer of Brain Games, highlighted the significance of the event, stating, “It’s important because it gives the kids a chance to step up and show what they’ve learned and know in a setting that’s inspiring and not something they get to participate in every day.” This sentiment underscores the transformative nature of Brain Games, where learning is not confined to traditional classroom settings but extends into an inspiring and collaborative environment.
This year, the Claymont Boys & Girls Club was triumphant, earning the honor of representing the Metro Area in the upcoming state competition against the other five regions in the state. Mikayla M., one of the Claymont Boys & Girls Club winners said she felt her group, “had our ups and downs but got up and worked together as a team.” Another winner from Claymont, Nayeelia V.T. said, “Even though some of the questions were hard, I still tried my best.” The winners all agreed they learned something new from the experience, and look forward to representing the Metro area later this month.
