Category:

Pangram Project (another Beta Test) with Video

2/5/2020

Okay. First off, the video (below) is a weird one, but it's filled with good stuff - I promise!! So, I'm going to ask you to pretend you're listening to a Podcast - BTW - The OnTeamBuilding Podcast is launching soon....stay tuned - so this will be practice. I got to work with Kim's Crew recently for about 20 minutes (Kim's old Crew helped with some FUNdoing videos last year), but I did not have all the permission to film releases for this new group, so the focus of the video is only on hands and the box-top we worked with (seriously, if you are prone to seizures, don't watch the video - just listen).

Background: I'm collaborating (with a virtual friend - we have never met in person!) on an online course called, Team Building with Letter Tiles, that will include old favorites and new challenges (using large letter tiles). This Pangram Project is a new one I've been working on. In this version we used small (Bananagram) letter tiles and plan to go Jumbo (Bananagrams) when we work out the process.

Below is a partial transcript of my interaction with Kim's Middle School Crew. When you see the part that says, Video Starts Here - that's where the video starts (obvious, I know). The transcript before the start of the video was my discussion with the Crew before the activity. (I wanted to spare you some, pointing at the ground footage - I was basically recording myself through the wireless microphone that goes through my smartphone camera, then pointed my camera at the action.)

Nuff said. This is a long one, but I think there are good take-aways. Let me know your ideas about the activity.

Chris

Pangram Project Pre-Conversation Transcript (with Kim's middle school Crew)

Chris (C)
What is team building to you? What does team building mean to you? Obviously, team building is, team building, but what does that mean? You've done team building right? Maybe on your wilderness trips you did some team building things...

Student (S)
Working as a group...

S
Doing things together...

S
Figuring out problems together...

C
Doing things together. That's a key word. You could do things by yourself, but when you work as a team you figure out things together.

Let's play a little, then afterwards I'll ask how we were team building.

As with all activities I'll share with you, you are not required to take an active part. If you want to stand back and keep an eye on the team to see what we're doing you can share your observations about how we did as a team after the activity is over. And, if you want to take an active part at any time let us know and we'll get you involved.

This is how it works. There are 26 letters on top of this box, A through Z. If you want to play come up and step around closer to the box. If you want to just watch you can stay where you are. If you want to move closer up behind the group and watch, feel free to do that.

This is going to be a team project. It has three parts [and we actually added a fourth part - shown in the video]. Part 1 - everyone that chooses to be a part of this project has to have some letters. Your role and responsibility is to keep track of your letters.

For Part 1, you will need to figure out who has what letters. As a group, you're going to touch the letters in order, however you want to do that. Everyone that's in play should have at least one letter if not more than one. Whatever you think you can handle. Decide together who is taking and touching what letters.

(Video Starts Here)
Part 1 is touching the letters A through Z in order with everyone, in play, touching at least one of those letters. Whenever you are ready, you can begin Part 1.....

(Students choose and touch their letters and then put in one more round for practice)

[Introducing Part 2]
At any point in the project you can always practice. If someone says, "Can I practice a bit more," you can stop the group and set this up and practice.

So, here's Part 2 if you're ready, unless you need to practice?

This next Round (Part), you're going to flip your letter over - you touch it, then flip it over in order. In Part 2, here's what's going to happen. You're going to flip the tiles back over, in order, A to Z. So, if you need to practice before you flip the tiles over, get some more practice. When you're ready for Part 2 we're going to do the flip-over thing.

Does anyone need to practice one more time?

Kim (of Kim's Crew)
Do you feel confident with where your letters are by just looking at it - once you can't see the letters. What do you think?

(An orah of student consensus for moving on.)

Okay, going on to Part 2? Alright. Is it going to be okay to say fail? Because, if we make a mistake, some people call it failing.

Kim
First attempt in learning.

C
Is it going to be okay to make mistakes?

Students (Ss)
Yah...

C
What are we doing with mistake?

Ss
We're learning from them.

C
We're learning from them. Then we're moving on. Trying it over. Getting better.

Alright. So, this time, we're into Part 2 of the project. Part 3 is the final exam. We'll get to that in just a moment.

So, when you touch your letter (this time), touch it and then turn it over - in order.

(students turn over letters in order...all letters tiles are face down)

C
Okay. Are you ready? (I'm a little nervous) Are you ready to try?

Ss
Yes....

C
Okay, here we go...

(students turn over letters in order...without any mistakes)

C
Nicely done! Anyone a little nervous about turning over their letter?

Ss
Yes.....

C
Talking about team building. How...would you define what we're doing as team building?

S
We're remembering where we put it [our letters]...we're working together so we all can figure out where it is.

C
So, you are remembering your part.

S
Yah

C
Your role and responsibility, as part of a team. Right?

Anything else about team on this one?

Kim
Success as a whole?

C
Were you successful?

Ss
Yah

C
Even if you missed a couple, would you still be successful? That's still an 'A' probably.

Ss
Yah

C
Yah. You've got to define your success.

Kim (in the background)
We're helping each other out.

C
Anything else about being a team in this situation?

S (maybe picking up what Kim said?)
We're helping each other out if we forget where a letter is.

C
Yah. I think someone wasn't sure, and someone said, "no, maybe..." So we can help each other out. That's good too, right?

Are you ready for the Final Exam, or do you want to try this Round (Part) one more time?

Kim
I noticed a lot of focus in our group during that round. Do you think we're ready?

Ss
Yes...

C
Okay. Let's get ready for Round (Part) 3, you are going to turn your letters over in order, A to Z. We're going to get ready for the final exam. (students turn letters over, face down again)

C
Do you work on group projects in school?

Ss
Yah

C
What are important things for you about a group project? When you're in a group, what do you like to see happen in a group?

S
Everybody working together.

C
Everybody working together. And, what is one behavior, that when everybody's working together they're doing? What are the things you can see and hear?

S
Focused

C
Focused...on the project. Versus being sidetracked...

S
Yah

C
Anything else you would like to see and hear while working with a group?

S
Communication

C
Talking to each other?

S
Yes.

C
Is it, nicely talking to each other? Or yelling at each other, or...

S
Nicely

C
Nicely. So, calmly, nicely. Intonation is important to you.

Anything else about a project that you like to see when you're working together?

S
Everybody doing their part.

C
Everybody doing their part. Do you all have a part?

Ss
Yah

C
What is your part in this project?

S
"E, P, S"

C
E, P, S [this person's letters]. Oh, I like that. You all have your letters, right? And you feel confident about your part of the project?

Ss
Yes....

C
Is it going to be okay to make mistakes?

Ss
Yup, Yes, Yah...

C
Here's Part 3. Anybody know what a Pangram is? [A sentence that includes all the letters of the alphabet. The pangram challenge is to create the shortest, proper, sentence using all 26 letters.

(See Video. Setting up Part 3 - spell the words in a pangram.)

Part 3: Participants are required to spell the words of the Pangram - flipping letters over in the order of spelling the word in play.

Pangram we used: (31 Letters) The five boxing wizards jump quickly.

(Lots of good stuff in here...)

C (after successfully spelling all words in the first pangram presented)
Help me out with this. What do you think about this as a team building activity? What are some things [this activity] does to build a team? What does it help us practice?

S
We're communicating together.

C
Talking to each other. And, talking nicely to each other. You weren't yelling or making fun of anybody. That's a good quality.

S
We were focused.

C
Seemed to be very focused, especially on our part.

S
Right.

C
And then there are others able to focus on other people's part. It depends on the kind of learner [you are]. Anything else this helps to build a group of people?

Kim
I noticed there was no judgement. We were able to do our part. Sometimes when I'm working with High Schoolers, and they're working in a group, they are quick to judge on how somebody's doing something. But, I know that I was focused on other stuff, and I missed my letter, but nobody was, "come on Kim" giving me a hard time about that at all. Everybody was...

Teacher in the Crew
...supportive...

Kim
Kind and patient. Yah, supportive.

C
[There was a time when] you got stuck...what did a 'teacher' (Kim) do, as a role of a teacher, what did the teacher do to help you?

S
She said, "let's practice"...

C
Sometimes people have advice that can help you move forward. Sometimes you've just got to restart and go from the beginning. But that was a great way...to practice without even looking at the letters.

New: Part 4 (Spontaneous experiment with this.)
Players 'train' the person to their left what letters they have - so, everyone will then have a new letter or letters to remember.

Training occurred, then, with the limited time we had left, players flipped over the letters from A to Z without any mistakes - each person flipping over his/her new letter or letters.

[This was about 70% of the conversations that took place during the activity. Lots more in the video.]

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What's Missing? Revisited (New Prop)

9/23/2019

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It's so fun for me to find easy-to-use props for team building activities. Back in 2015 I shared the activity What's Missing using Qwirkle pieces - small wooded squares. You can get three sets of wooden pieces from a Qwirkle game, but it is a slight investment to buy the game. Well, those clever MindWare folks have a spin off - Qwirkle Rummy cards!! For us, it's a super-portable inexpensive prop for What's Missing.

I found my deck at Barnes & Noble for $6 (plus tax)! If you don't have a B&N near you, pick them up from their website for the same price - plus a little shipping HERE. And, same deal. There are three 'sets' of colorshape cards in a Qwirkle Rummy deck. So, you have a couple sets to give away. (FYI: At the time of this post, Amazon was selling the cards for about $12!?)

Here are the updated directions for What's Missing using the cards:

Needs & Numbers: You will need one set of color shapes cards from the Qwirkle Rummy game - 36 cards: six different colors and six different shapes of each color (again, there are three of these 36-card sets in a Qwirkle Rummy deck). Plays well with 12-34 people.

Set Up: Place all 36 cards colorshape-side down on top of a table (or on the floor). You (the facilitator) pick up two cards off the table - be sure the group sees you pick up the cards, but make sure they don't see the colorshapes you have. NOTE: I like to make sure I have two cards of different shapes and colors, and, more often than not, I like to be holding one of the 8-pointed stars and a card that is purple or blue - I've found these cards often have the most ambiguity.

Once I have my two cards I ask each person in the group to pick up one card without letting anyone else see what colorshape they have. If there are cards still left on the table, I ask for volunteers to pick up another card. If there are still extra cards I ask for volunteers again to pick up another card. If all group members have the number of cards they want and there are still cards left on the table I will provide the 'Leftover' Rule (see below).

The Challenge: Once everyone has the card(s) they want to manage (this is a choice they can make) and they all understand they are not allowed to show their colorshape(s) to anyone in the group, the challenge is to find out the colorshape cards I am holding - the shape on each card and the color of the shape on each card.

When I facilitate this one, more often than not, I allow my group three attempts at the answer. And, when making an answer attempt, they must tell me the shape on both cards and the color of each shape. If the answer is incorrect, I simple say, "Incorrect." I don't tell them which one is incorrect. This adds a little more 'adventure' to the process. If their answer is correct, with a little flare, I reveal each card and we celebrate the effort before debriefing the learnings.

The One-Shot Challenge: I have used this process as well. I leave all 36 cards on the table and ask them to pick up cards (like explained above) until only two remain. (If there are more than two after everyone has the card(s) s/he wants, I ask someone to slide two cards off to one side of the table - these are the two they will need to discover. The group will use the Leftover Rule with the other cards left on the table.) When the group believes they have the answer we flip over one card at a time to see if they 'succeeded' or 'failed.' This process can be stressful but very appropriate for some groups.

Rules:

Players are allowed to say anything they want about the colorshape on their card, but they can't show anyone what they have.
Players are allowed to move around.
Players may not give away any cards they are holding.
Players are allowed to put a card they are holding back on the table.
Players may not pick up a card from the table once the activity begins - when players start sharing information about their cards.

Leftover Rule:

Every player can take one turn to pick up one card from the table, look at it - no more than 10 seconds - then place the card back on the table, colorshape down.

Variations:

If you are playing with smaller groups (e.g., 12 participants) you can take out six cards - six of the same color or six of the same shape to keep the 'set' intact. If you need to take out more, the next removal would be five of the same shape or five of the same color. (The "set" will not remain intact taking out random pieces.)
Don't allow the players to move around during the activity - they must remain in the place they are standing once the game begins.

Have FUN out there my friends!! Keep me posted.

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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Consensus Building with Chiji Cards

8/14/2019

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Recently, at a training for some amazing educators, I had another opportunity to work with my Chiji Cards. For me, they are a 'grounding' prop, one that I have been using in impactful ways for over 20 years (they were the first image cards on the scene way-back-when). Now, there are a wide variety of 'image cards' that can be used to build community in all-kindsa ways. (My second favorite set of image cards: Climer Cards.) And, I've seen some homemade image cards that are amazing - just cut out and laminate pictures from magazines and catalogs. (I'm actually working on a print-n-play set of my own - drawing the images on my iPad.)

After this recent training I was looking through my Chiji Guidebook materials and found this great story from Jennifer Stanchfield of Experiential Tools - Jennifer is an amazing educator, trainer and author working with people all over the world. Here's one of her Chiji stories:

My favorite ways to use the cards are
group consensus methods.
Jennifer Stanchfield

My favorite ways to use the cards are group consensus methods. This came out of one of those accidental inventions of facilitation that occur when you are confronted with having to adapt your favorite activities to new parameters. I made a major switch in my facilitation approaches when I moved from working with small groups in the therapeutic setting to larger classroom groups in public schools.

I first came across the cards early on in my training career when I was searching out tools and ideas that would help the recreational therapy students I was teaching in my program at the university hospital. I wanted to show them how to become more comfortable with processing.

The Chiji Cards were introduced in an experiential education magazine as a tool for novice facilitators and Steve Simpson and I connected around that article. [Steve is one of the creators of the cards and the co-author, with me, on, The Chiji Guidebook: A Collection of Experiential Activities and Ideas for Using Chiji Cards]

When I started using the cards with my own groups I found that that they weren’t just a “tool for beginners." As a seasoned facilitator I appreciated the depth of conversation and insight that came out of participant’s connection to the metaphoric images.

I used the cards successfully in my small groups of adolescents and family groups at the hospital. Because they had become one of my favorite tools I of course carried them with me to my classroom settings as well. When I moved to these larger groups I couldn’t use them in the same way I had at the hospital, as it was impractical, due to time constraints, for 24 students to pick individual cards and share in a class session. So one day after a group challenge in the physical education classroom I tried spreading out the whole deck of cards on the gym floor and asked the whole group of students to come to agreement on one that represented what they achieved together.

I became hooked on this method after seeing the group drawn in by the cards and treating processing as an engaging group problem rather than “that boring thing you do after the fun activity”, not to mention the rich dialogue that occurred as the students discussed coming to consensus on one card. The student’s shared profound insights about the cards and their connection to the activity/learning as they came to consensus. It was if they were unaware that they were processing.

Since that time this has become my method of choice when using the cards. After an activity/important moment/ end of session, I just ask the group to come to consensus on one card/object that best represent their experience as a group, the strengths of the group, or something they have achieved together.

Thanks Jennifer for sharing your story. How about you? Do you have a favorite activity using image cards? What are your favorite image cards? Leave us a Comment so we can learn together.

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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Hooper Dooper (Revisited)

5/23/2019

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Back in 2015, I posted HOOPER - a variation of the activity 60 in 60 (found in, The More The Merrier by Sikes, Evans & Cavert). Recently I found some video footage of Hooper and updated the self-directed handout (download below), so I thought I'd 'revisit' this fun activity with a new post.

I've played this one with middle school age groups and older. So far, 12 groups in play is the most I've tried this with.

The Basics:

Hooper Dooper is meant to be a self-directed activity for one or more small groups of five to six players.
Provide one hula hoop, one inflated beach ball and the directions to each group.
Set a planning and practice time for all groups in play - for the first planning and practice time, I give them 10 minutes. Then, only three minutes before any other additional game. (I usually provide time for three games - scoring attempts.) All groups plan and practice at the same time.
Set an 'Official Game' time - I also refer to this as a 'Scoring Attempt'. Depending on group objectives, a short game is two minutes, a long game is four minutes (long games are usually for groups working on that stick-to-it/grit objective). All groups play the Official Game at the same time - all groups are on the same clock held by the facilitator.

I love using this activity when there are lots of groups in play. We have great conversations about:

Where ideas came from - were ideas 'stolen' from others?
Did any collaboration take place?
How did groups spent their planning and practice time.
If a plan was made, did groups stick with it or change it in progress, and why?
What distraction happened and how did groups deal with them?
Did each group follow the directions (especially the one where each player take turns hitting the ball).

Here is the handout:

hooperdooper_guidelines.pdf
File Size:	39 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

Let me know how it goes for you!

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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P-Cord Loop Activities (FUN Follower Share)

4/25/2019

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Well, the cat is out of the bag! Over two years ago now I saw a cool video (below) with a group using strings and tennis balls - they were moving tennis balls across the strings and dropping the tennis balls into baskets. Shortly after that Ben Venderzyden (a FUN Follower) sent me a PDF (below) of three activities put together by Andrew Bogue noting, "Andrew put this series of activities together as an introduction to P-Cord Loop Activities." Then, shortly after that my friend Solomon Masala sent me his version of "Tennis Ball Transfer" (the other PDF below).

With all this information converging in a relatively short period of time, I knew I had to try it out. Well, finally, this past January, I put my P-Cord Loop Activity gear in a bag and carried it with me to two different conferences in hopes of getting some good video to share. However, I failed!! I did shoot some video but nothing I found useful - we ran out of time at each workshop to complete the activity. Then, today, someone shared on the Facebook group, Challenge Course Pros, a little clip of one of the workshops where we were trying out the process of rolling orbs along the P-Cord track - the cat out of the bag.

So, it's time to share everything I have and give a GREAT BIG thanks to those who shared with me so long ago - sorry it's taken this long. (I'm still on the quest to shoot some video of a full activity, so I'll share it when I have it.) And, since you'll have your hands on these ideas, try them out and get some film!! We would love to see how it works for you!

My "Loop Kit" contains 12 orbs, about 8 inches in diameter (I found these at a Dollar Store and I can let out the air and pump them up when ready to use) and 12 P-Cord Loops (25 feet of P-Cord each, tied at the ends with a Barrel Knot). I have enough equipment for 24 participants (each pair gets one orb and one loop).

Have FUN out there my friend!

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

Let's Get Loopy (P-Cord initiatives from Andrew Bogue and Ben Vanderzyden)

p-cord_initiatives.pdf
File Size:	618 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

Tennis Ball Transfer (from Solomon Masala, Source Consulting Group)

tennisballtransfer_masala.pdf
File Size:	358 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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Objectable Human Knot

3/27/2019

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(Spoiler Alert my team building friends! I have yet to see the successful completion of this challenge! Want to be the first in the record book - send in a short video clip of the last two minutes leading to success. We would love to see if this is possible!)

These were the first attempts to my eyes (two groups at a conference workshop) of, Objectable Human Knot. In the video you will see us set up the Human Knot with buddy ropes in a way that will lead to a single circle solution.

Once the tangles were set a beach ball was placed atop each set of ropes.

The Challenge: Without human contact with the beach ball, untangle the rope knot without letting go of the ropes or dropping the ball. (With this set up, everyone should be standing next to the person from the initial circle of the set up - this would be the expectation of "untangle.")

During these Beta Testing attempts, the groups placed the beach ball back on top of the ropes right away if it fell to the ground. In "real life" team building, we decided, if the ball drops, the group would have to reset the tangle from the beginning before placing the ball back on top of the ropes. (Just a thought so far.)

We also talked about letting some of the air out of the beach balls so they didn't roll around as much (to make the activity easier), use different objects like a small cardboard box or stuffed animal and allowing for a certain number of drops (e.g., three) before resetting the tangle.

Give this a try. Help out the cause. Is the task even possible - we would love to know! (And, see a video of a successful conclusion.)

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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ReuseYourGear Games

2/27/2019

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Have You Ever...
worn two helmets on your head at the same time? On the way out the door, literally, from the ACCT Conference in Denver, I ran into Jeremy Sterndale and friends re-using retired climbing gear for some FUN in the hallway. Of course I had to find out what was going on - and play a little bit.

Last year Jeremy started the blog: reuseyourgear.blogspot.com

His site, "is an effort to repurpose, recreate, reimagine, and rediscover. I want to help out "re" in the forefront of things, thoughts and processes in the challenge course and outdoor facilitation worlds."

He's also posting ideas on Instagram at ReuseYourGear

During our super-fast game session, I learned about making rope discs, rope darts, monkey fist knot tossables and fashioning two helmets together for a target. Use hot glue to fasten the coils and helmets together. (I'm guessing a gorilla glue will work too.) In the short video above you'll see some different views of the gear so it makes more sense. For rope "darts" (rope version of Lawn Darts), simply tie a stopper knot (i.e., half barrel) at the end of a length of rope - start with at least 20 inches of rope. (I didn't get specifics - so you can experiment.)

You can use this gear, among other things, to play a static version of corn hole and a dynamic version (shown in the video). And, this is just the beginning I'm sure. So, what would you do with this gear? Leave your idea in the Comments below and/or head over to the ReuseYourGear blog to contact Jeremy about your idea. I know he's looking for more!

A BIG thanks to Jeremy for sharing and starting something fun and beneficial! Everyone has those "things" around that can find new life. Share what you've done and what's possible.

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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Team Building a la Card, by Jon Grizzle

1/16/2019

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I was gifted this new book by Jon Grizzle (from Jon himself) when I was attending the Association for challenge Course Technology Conference last year. (This year The ACCT Conference is in Denver Colorado, my backyard, Feb. 7-10. I'll be leading a pre-conference on Portable Team Building Activities - I get to bring ALL my props - and a couple other activity workshops during the conference. If you are in the area, it would be great to see you - let me know you follow the FUN so I can thank you properly!)

I have really enjoyed learning some new card activities and variations from the book. Along with the new activities I've picked up, Jon opened my thinking about using cards as boundary lines and borders (literally in one case) - perfect. There are some really good adaptation of well-known team building activities as well, that substitute the standard props with cards - like a card Spider Web. Clever! (You've got to build it, but we all know I like it when we build stuff.)

I put an Amazon link below to Jon's book if you're interested in picking it up.
(To help me supplement my professional blogger income, I'm now an Affiliate for Amazon. If you buy the book after using the link below, I get a little - super little - piece of the action. Every "little" bit helps.)

Here's one from the book I've already used, with a little addition from me:

Who Am I? (A nice tried-and-true ice-breaker - take out the index cards with names on them and use playing cards)

Have everyone randomly select a card without looking at the face value. Then, break into pairs (I, Chris, always ask my participants to raise up a hand, look for someone else doing the same thing, and get together.)

The goal is to discover which card they are holding by asking each other ONLY five "yes" or "no" questions. It's perfectly okay to ask more if needed, but the challenge is getting it in five questions or less.

Having multiple rounds will allow people (pairs) to begin strategizing. (Excerpted from the book.)

Here's the way I've used this one:

After giving everyone a card - asking them not to look at the face - I hold the remainder of the deck in my right hand, face down, and call it the draw pile. The same goal - discover the "rank" of the card you are holding (that's the number, letter or face card - no need to guess the suit), without looking at it. The additional goal: As a group, discover the rank of as many cards as possible in 3 minutes.

"When the activity starts, hold your card out in front of you, mingle around and ask other players questions that can ONLY be answered with a "yes" or "no". After you ask a question of someone, and get your answer, you must go off to ask someone else a question. You can always return to someone you've questioned before, you just can't ask more than one question at a time.

Once you have discovered the rank of your card, find me (the facilitator) and place your card, FACE UP in my left hand - my left hand holds the discard pile - and then take a new card from the draw pile in my right hand - don't look at the face. Then, get back out there to ask more questions. (Discovery - participants get some good cardio when doing this.)

The activity begins when I say, "GO" - time starts - and ends when I say, "FREEZE" - when time stops."

As Jon notes, multiple rounds will allow participants to develop strategies. (Discovery - I set the countdown timer on my phone to "BUZZZZZZ" after three minutes and had to put the phone in my pocket since my hands ended up being full of cards.)

Thanks for the inspiration Jon - GOOD STUFF!

HERE'S a link to Jon's book if you want to add it to your library.

(I was a guest on Jon's Card Talk - Team Building FUN with Cards. You'll see in the video (Episode 5), we added some Cups to Card Throwing. Check it out!

Do you have a favorite card activity? Leave us a Comment below.

Have FUN out there!

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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Tools for Team Builders: Game Spots

12/13/2018

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The start of something new!
Tools for Team Builders.
Welcome to the first episode - Game Spots.

Hello Team Builders, I'm getting starting with my "instructional" filming (working on my first online course right now as well) - there is a fun and interesting learning curve to be sure. I look forward to your feedback - any and all, I can take it - as I move through this adventure. Leave a Comment below or fill out and send the form in the Contact tab at the top of the page.

In this first episode, I share my ideas (and preferences at this time) on game spots. Heads Up! This instructional format is a bit longer than my activity videos (at this point). Below you'll find Blog Notes for the video and four links to posts I've made in the past that include game spots.

Blog Notes

Poly Spots: Flaghouse has a nice selection.
HERE are the 9-inch Spot Markers in a variety of colors.
HERE are the poly spots with numbers on them (I've used these a lot - I highly recommend them. Downside: If one goes missing you cannot order a single replacement.)
HERE is a set with a variety of shapes and round spots.
(Note: Once you know the kind of spot you're looking for, there might be better prices at alternative sites.)

Livestock Tags (numbered spots):
HERE is a link to Premier 1 Supplies. Lots of choices and sizes. You choose how many numbers you want. You could even put the name of your program on them (if it's a short name).

Shelf & Drawer Liner: (non-skid spots, great on hard surfaces and washable if you use them outside)
HERE is the Bed, Bath & Beyond link to the brown Con-Tact shelf liner (I didn't see the white or blue??). Free shipping for orders over $39 at the time of this post. And, if you happened to be a BB&B member, the rolls are cheaper! (Of course, if there's a store near you....)

Rope Lengths: (I usually use P-Cord from my rope lengths, but other nylon types of rope work too. Be sure to safely burn the end so they don't unravel.)
HERE is the link to West Coast Paracord - my go to place for easy shopping. And, I buy enough for free shipping. I cut my rope at 4-foot lengths. Others have told me they like 5-foot lengths.

Questions: If you have questions about any of the game spots talked about in the video, leave a Comment below or fill out the form under the Contact tab at the top of this page.

Activities Using Game Spots Found on FUNdoing Blog Posts

Crazy Eights Players move around spots in a figure eight pattern. Groups of any size.

Card Quad Jam (with Video) While standing on a pattern of spots, move playing cards to their correct place in line. Up to 52 players.

Double Group Juggle Two tossable objects in play with lots of moving from spot-to-spot. Groups of at least 10 and up to 18 players. Multiple groups can be in play at once.

Switching Places Spots are all you need (or use the playing card version). Players switch around based on a categorical topics. Any size group can play.

Have FUN out there my friends!

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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Teambuilding with Index Cards (and More!) from Jim Cain

11/15/2018

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My good friend Dr. Jim Cain just released his new book, Teambuilding with Index Cards. (Training Wheels has them discounted this week HERE - get your copy today!)

Here's the tag line: 180 activities for teachers, trainers, facilitators & group leaders of all kinds that turn ordinary index and playing cards into extraordinary teaching tools. (Full transparency: Jim has packed his new book with LOTS of activities - about half of them use Index Cards and Playing Cards. The other half are team building activities that utilize other props.)

STORY CARDS Here's a fun Icebreaker I found right away. Give each participant an index card (I like the bigger cards) and supply a variety of colorful writing tools. (Other supplies can be fun too, like stickers, glitter and glue, and even magazines so people can cut out pictures and words to glue on their card.)

Next, invite everyone to draw on their card (or create) five events from his/her life and then be prepared to share and discuss these illustrations (creations) within a small group of four to six people. So, this one can be done with any size group if you have enough creative materials.

(The story behind my card above: I'm an only child [the number 1] - I had an amazing mother. Summer camp and camping changed my life after moving "up north" from Milwaukee Wisconsin to Lake Five - country life was much kinder than the BIG city. I discovered my calling as an adventure educator and never looked back. And, finally, I've been able to travel all around the world, and have met some incredible people with their own wonderful stories.)

Crossword Names (in Jim's book) is another index card favorite of mine. When Jim requested activity submissions for this book, I gave him this one. It's written up HERE (I call it, Name Letter Opener) if you haven't seen it yet. You can play with any size group and with anyone able to write their name.

All the best my friends!

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

NOTE: Received some feedback about font size - "...can you make the font bigger?" Well, yes! Thanks for asking. What do you think out there? How's this font size?

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Pangram Project (another Beta Test) with Video

What's Missing? Revisited (New Prop)

Consensus Building with Chiji Cards

Hooper Dooper (Revisited)

P-Cord Loop Activities (FUN Follower Share)

Objectable Human Knot

ReuseYourGear Games

Team Building a la Card, by Jon Grizzle

Tools for Team Builders: Game Spots

Teambuilding with Index Cards (and More!) from Jim Cain

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