Category: Videos

Distancing Sticks: Three Team Building Activities with PVC (video)

2/7/2021

Late last year I participated in a ZOOM call with Karen Whittaker and her super-staff. They wanted to share some of the team building goodness they have created for there in-person groups. (Karen has shared some FUN content with us before: Macro Liner Quotes (print-n-play) and Life Skills Memory Match (print-n-play).

Here is the first installment of activities from the call (more on the way). Karen and Staff share three activities using 1-inch PCV piping - 10-feet long, schedule 40 thickness. I've dubbed them, Distancing Sticks.

Activities on the Video (Karen's Names):

Egyptian Pyramid - Use the pipes to build a standard pyramid out of milk crates.
Chop Sticks - Move Orbs from point 'A' to point 'B' by rolling or tossing (played like Loops: Toxic Waste Removal - using the PVC pipes is a great lead into the LOOPS version).
Letter Opener (picture above) - Create a Scrabble-like puzzle manipulating wooden letter tiles with the PVC piping (use all the tiles provided).

Do check out the video below. If you have any questions about how to set up and play any of these activities, send me an email: chris@onteambuilding.com

Thanks again to Karen and the super-staff!!

If you have any distancing sticks ideas, include them in the Comments. We would love more!!

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

See Ya! for Connecting and Processing

10/1/2020

Recently I led three live workshops sharing, Community Building Activities While Safely Distancing. I pulled See Ya! from one of the Video Replays. It can be used at the beginning of a program as a way to connect players through ice-breaker questions and then it can be used again at the end of a programming to open up discussions with processing questions.

In the diagramming video, it shows players around a hoop or webbing circle, safely distanced. You can also set out spot-pods safely distanced apart in configurations for three or four players.

See Ya! can be played with 12 to 100+ people and works well with middle school ages and older. Check it out. And, if you have any questions, let me know.

If you'd like a copy of the Assets Package from the workshops, with over 70 safely distancing activity resources (45 described and diagrammed in the three video replays), you can find it over at the FUNdoing Store.

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

LOOPS: Toxic Waste Removal (with Video)

9/17/2020

Back in April 2019, I posted, 'P-Cord Loop Activities' shared by Andrew Bogue and Ben Vanderzyden. At this first post you'll find the video, 'Ball Game with Ropes' and the 'Let's Get Loopy' PDF ebook with several p-cord loop initiative. After I became aware of the super-fun activities using 'loops' I put my kit together (p-cord loops and inflatable vinyl orbs), ready to play. Then everything slowed down in the early months of 2020. However, just before all programming stopped, I was able to get some film with some of my facilitator friends trying Loops: Toxic Waste Removal (video below).

At this moment in history, team builders are starting to get back out, face-to-face with groups. I think this one will be great for this transition time of team building while safely distancing.

Toxic Waste Removal plays well with 10 to 16 players per set-up. You'll be pairing up participants. Each pair will need one 'Loop' - a 25-foot length of p-cord tied together with a double fisherman's (Barrel) knot. (You'll see the details in the video.)

The Basic Set-Up: You'll need an 8-foot by 8-foot square of rope (webbing or tape) and a container (the grey circle in the graphic) in the center of the square. Then set out eight game spots about 10 to 15 feet away from the square in different areas. Place an orb on each game spot. I found some vinyl inflatable orbs (playground balls) about 6-inches in diameter at a local Dollar Store. Dodgeball-type orbs are really good as well. (Tennis balls work too, but these are more challenging to move.)

Objective: The specialists (your group), are tasked to move all the radioactive orbs (ROs) into the protective container located inside the quarantined square.

Procedures:

The ROs may only be touched by the Loops.
If an RO touches one of the specialists, this person must stand perfectly still for 60-seconds so the radio waves do not move through the skin into the blood stream.
When a pair of specialists is moving an RO they may not move their feet (too much risk of contamination).
If an RO is dropped to the ground, another pair of specialists must take over moving this RO. (The pair that dropped the RO must evacuate the area around the RO to avoid the immediate pulse of radio waves.)
If an RO is dropped inside the 8 by 8-foot containment area (the rope square), any pair can pick up this RO using their loop.
ROs may not be rolled, on purpose, along the ground (or floor) - this causes an excess of radio waves to be released and may lead to a complete evacuation of the specialist team and all of the local inhabitance.
In order to avoid a complete evacuation of the local inhabitance, you must safely contain all the ROs within ______ minutes. (You will need to decide a fair, but challenging, time for the goal.)
DISTANCING RULE: (If needed) Specialists must stay at least 6-feet away from each other to provide enough room for the slow leak of radio waves to pass between each other. (You will need to decide how this will be monitored.)

Facilitator Notes: One of the main facilitated objectives I see with this activity is the opportunity to learn and practice a skill set, and then put this skill set to use. (And then be able to process how this experience was for the participants.) In the video (below), you will see the group initially learning about and practicing the use of the p-cord loops. (FYI: This video was taken pre-COVID, so we were not concerned with distancing and waring masks.) Then, they jump in to move the ROs to safety. Not as easy as it sounds.

This activity is still in Beta Testing mode. I have yet to play a full round of moving 8 ROs - I'm guessing this can take a while depending on how long you let the group practice and how far the ROs are placed from the square. When you can, get out there and try this one (and some of the others shared in the Let's Get Loopy PDF). Let us know how it goes!

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

The Number Game (Face-to-Face, Safe Distancing & Online Applications)

7/22/2020

This post is my effort to archive all the information for presenting, The Number Game in a variety of team building (learning) environments - Face-to-Face, while Safely Distancing and Virtually.

Here are the complete instructions, and the handouts you'll need for face-to-face and safely distancing experiences, excerpted from the book, Games for Teachers:

thenumbergame_instructionsandhandouts_cavert.pdf
File Size:	149 kb
File Type:	pdf

Here is a 15-minutes overview video of the Game:

Virtual Presentation of The Number Game
HERE is a Video (Facebook Video - 43-min) of a presentation I did with a group of young participants using the Cover Sheet & Number Grid (PDF Below).

numbergame_online_coversheetandgridcavert.pdf
File Size:	52 kb
File Type:	pdf

Below is another video (24 min) of The Number Game I presented during a virtual training called ZOOMing In (using the ZOOM platform).

If you have any questions, after consuming all this content, please leave a Comment or email:
chris@onteambuilding.com

Be Well and Keep us posted!

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

Wacky 8-Count Challenge Videos (Guest Post)

5/28/2020

SUB-TITLE CONTEST I was trying to come up with a catchy (and fitting) sub-title for this one like, 'You're Kidding Me!' or 'Mo Cardio' but couldn't decide. So, let's have a little contest. Check out the videos, get a little experience with any of the challenges (be careful!!), then leave your sub-title suggestion in the Comments. We'll keep submissions open until the end of June, 2020. Patrick gets to pick the winner. The winner will receive a FREE download of choice from the FUNdoing Store. Be careful out there. If you've been sitting around a lot lately, don't try all four challenges in one day!!

I so love it when we get a share! This one is from Patrick Chamberlain. Inspired by his colleague David Adlard and a couple of videos in the April Challenge Week FUNdoing Blog post (Six Count & Double Jump Six Count), Patrick made up his own challenge (well, four challenges actually). Super fun and 'Wacky' challenging! Thank You Patrick! You're amazing. (Be careful out there my friends!!)

Wacky 8-Count Challenge 1

Wacky 8-Count Challenge 2

Wacky 8-Count Challenge 3

Wacky 8-Count Challenge 4

Keep me posted!

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

April Challenge Week (Experiential Learning)

4/13/2020

5 Days, 5 Challenges - some you may know, others will be new. The theme is learning, teaching and then using our new-found skills and abilities in new situations. How will you challenge yourself? (Have FUN this week and don't forget, kindness goes a long way.)

Challenge #5: Overhand Cuff Links

This final challenge for the week is a tricky one (actually, tricky two). No magic involved, I promise. (I lost track of the source for this one - pretty sure I saw it online somewhere. Since I don't know the name for this challenge I could not re-find it. If you know a source please share. Thanks.) Challenge On!

Challenge #4: Double Jump Six Count

I have not seen a specific reference to this activity - someone taught it to me years ago at a conference. Thank You, Someone!

Challenge #3: Six Count

Six Count can be found in, Executive Marbles and Other Team Building Activities, by Sam Sikes (1998). Sam says, "This is a good, quick icebreaker that stretches people's minds and smile muscles." Six Count has become so much more since - it's about moving through the discomfort of challenge and failure. It's about sticking to it, even if it's not easy.

You can find Six-Count to Competence (what I called, Synchronized Six Count in the video) in, The More The Merrier. Here are some of the Discussion/Questions from the book: What were some of the strategies your group used to learn Six-Count? What made the activity difficult? How did you, as a group, overcome the difficulties? In what ways is Six-Count like other things you do?

Challenge #2: Pencil/Pen Turning

A write up for Pencil Turning (or, Pen Flip) can be found in, The More The Merrier, by Sikes, Evans & Cavert (2007). One Facilitator Note from the books says, "The wonderful thing about this activity is that both hands have to work together to accomplish the task." Discussion/Questions include: What makes this activity difficult? What helped the most to find a solution? How is this activity like our interactions with each other?

Challenge #1: Wiggle-Waggle (with a special cameo guest!)

The most recent description of Wiggle-Waggle is found in, FUNN 'N Games by Karl Rohnke, 2004. (I believe, Wiggle-Waggle made its first appearance in Rohnke's, FUNN Stuff, Vol. 3 1998). You'll see the original mode of play in the video (along with two additional ways to Waggle), but there are more versions of play in the book:

Digital Wiggle-Waggle - Big circle of players. Each player connects (e.g., point at one another) with another person across from him/her - essentially pairing up. "On the signal each person walks toward [his/her] partner and attempts a double (both hands) Wiggle-Waggle."
Blind Wiggle-Waggle - Pairs are divided in half, each half moves to one side or the other of the playing area - not too far apart. All players close their eyes (by choice). With bumpers up, partners move towards each other, communicating freely. When pairs meet, Wiggle-Waggle - eyes can open when successfully Waggled.
Electronic (Virtual) Wiggle-Waggle - "Call a friend on the phone [or ZOOM call them] and try to verbalize what needs to be done to reach a satisfying level of solo completion."

Key Pad Express (Reprise) with Video

3/5/2020

Key Pad/Punch Variations
Key Pad (a.k.a., Key Punch, Quicksilver, Rohnke & Butler, 1995) variations have popped up over the years at the FUNdoing Blog (lots of ways to meet the needs of your groups):

Ven Key Punch (two groups share some the same numbers)
Key Punch: The Overlap (two groups sharing the same space)
Table Top Key Punch (with a Rubber Chicken)
Thread the Needle: A Key Punch Variation (an object is passed through a hoop)

In the, Thread the Needle post, I shared a rare 'G.E.M.' (gameplay enhanced material) write up - that was almost four years ago. Then, recently, I found the 'lost' video footage of this one. So, I figured a Reprise was in order. (If you've been with me since 2016 - thanks for staying with it. I do hope you've been having FUN!)

Here's the super-detailed G.E.M. write up...

(Find the Video is below.)

keypadexpress.pdf
File Size:	166 kb
File Type:	pdf

Brief Overview
Set up an area with numbered spots (like the diagram) - it's nice to have about a 3 to 1 ratio (spots to players). (Don't forget, you can make inexpensive numbered spots using index cards!) NOTE: more spots in play takes more time to complete. Good constant movement for 8 to 10 players in a group. You'll need a (fun!) tossable object (there are rubber chickens and pigs in the video). This object is placed in, on or beside the bucket (facilitators choice), and the bucket is set just in front of the starting line. All players start from behind this line.

On 'Go' (time starts), one player picks up the object and runs to spot number 1. Other players run to other spots (this can be worked out during planning). The player on number 1 tosses the object to a player standing on spot number 2. This player then tosses to a player on spot number 3, and so on until the final number.

The player on the final number, after catching the object, can run it back and place it into the bucket - time stops. (Or maybe there is a faster way to get the object back to and into the bucket?) Then, the team(s) can analyze and plan for another round (or two) in order to improve on their time. (Multiple teams/groups can play at the same time. Competition or Cooperation?)

Again, all the finer details (including processing ideas), are found in the PDF above.

Let me know how this one goes for you. And, do you have a favorite Key Pad/Punch variation you would like to share? Leave us a Comment.

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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.]

Tools for Team Builders: Card Groupings (video)

1/9/2020

This episode of Tools for Team Builders: Card Groupings explains how to get groups of up to 52, and, specifically a group of 60, into different sized groups quickly.

What do You Need: You'll need one standard deck of playing cards for 30 to 52 participants (if the group size is under 30, I use other methods for getting into different sized groups - like Back-to-Back or People to People). If you have 53 to 104 participants in your group, you'll need two decks of playing cards - the two decks need to have different back logos or colored patters. (If you are working with more that 104 participants, another way of creating groups might be better - like, a predetermined list of players in a group or handing out colored bandanas randomly as people join in your program.)

Before starting this one, you need to prep the cards (this is covered in the video, but I thought I'd include it here since I already had this written!). All the Aces will be at the top of the deck (no matter how many decks you use) then, all the twos, then three, then fours, fives and so on - the Kings will be at the bottom of the deck.

When you're set to distribute, call the players in near you and then deal out one card to each person in the group. This might take a little time, minute or two, but it's a nice way to say, "Hi" to everyone in your group. (By looking at the cards you have left over, you can determine how many people are in the group and how many smaller groupings you want to make.)

Card Terminology Be sure to teach everyone the language you are going to use for the groupings. As noted in the video:

There is the BACK, the logo or colored pattern
There is the FACE, the side with numbers, letters and shapes (suits)
The RANK, this is the value of the card - Aces, 2s, 3s, 4...10s, Jacks, Queens, Kings
The SUITS, Clubs, Spades, Hearts & Diamonds
Finally, there are two COLORS, red & black

The Blind Shuffle: Once everyone has a card, ask them to exchange cards with others until you say, "Stop!" (Let them exchange cards for about 15 seconds.) After you have called the stop, let them know how the groupings will play out. Here's how it works. You are going to share a grouping of cards (examples below). Everyone does their best to arrange themselves into the grouping. If someone cannot find a grouping, he/she can find you and you will help him/her get into a group (depending on how many cards were dealt, you might simply place players from the remainder into other groups near by - this is also explained a bit more in the video).

Activity Idea, Grouping Commonalities: When everyone is in the specified group you directed, the task is to find as many things in common with each other as possible. After each grouping gets together, they will have three minutes to discover how many things they have in common - a nice way just to get people talking and learning a little bit about each other (e.g., all have a bike, all like peperoni pizza, all have pets). After three minutes, the facilitator calls for a blind shuffle, calls a "STOP", checks to see if everyone has one card, then calls a new grouping.

Examples
One Deck of Cards for about 50 Players (in video):

Pairs - Like Rank & Same Color
Groups of 4 - Like Rank
Groups of 6 or 7 - Like Suit, Evens and Odds
Groups of 12 to 13 - Like Suits
Groups of 25 or 26 - Like Colors

Two Decks of Cards for about 60 Players (in video):
[First take out the clubs of both decks. Then, Take out the Jacks, Queens & Kings of the remaining Hearts, Diamonds and Spades - this leaves you with 60 cards]

Pairs - Same Rank, Same Suit
Groups of 3 - Same Rank, Same Back
Groups of 5 - Same Suit, Same Back, Odds and Evens
Groups of 6 - Same Rank
Groups of 10 - Same Suit, Same Back
Groups of 12 - Two Ranks get together, Aces and 2s, 3s and 4a, 5s and 6s and so on.
Groups of 15 - Same Color, Odds and Evens
Groups of 30 - Same Color

Two Decks of Cards for about 100 players (bonus - not in video):

Pairs - Same Rank, Same Suit
Groups of 4 - Same Rank, Same Back
Groups of 6 or 7 - Same Suit, Same Back, Odds and Evens
Groups of 8 - Same Rank
Groups of 12 or 13 - Same Suit, Same Back
Groups of 16 or 17 - Two Ranks together, AND you'll need to distribute the players with the Kings to other groups.
Groups of 26 - Same Suit

Let us know what other sorts of activities you like to do when moving through groupings of different sizes. Share it in the Comments - Thanks.

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

Tools for Team Builders: Make a Bull Ring (video)

10/8/2019

We're making Bull Rings! It's a super-fun prop used for team building activities both easy and challenging. First you'll find out about the basic construction and then I add my favorite construction adaptation. I've used the Bull Ring activity, in one way or another, with 5th graders (10 years old) and older. Each Bull Ring, in my opinion, works well with 3 to 8 participants. Indoors or Outdoors. And, working with more than one group at a time is just fine. Actually, I prefer it in order to bring up behaviors and conversations about cooperation and cross-group planning and interactions.

Special Construction Note: In the video, I forgot to mention that I tie a small knot at the ends of each string to prevent the strings from unravelling and to have a more stable connection to the end of the string when holding on. For SAFETY REASONS we never let anyone wrap sting around body parts (e.g, fingers).

Below you'll find some brief activity ideas and links to other Bull Ring videos.

I first learned about the Bull Ring from my friend Jim Cain (FUN Resources from Jim) and then read more about it in Teamwork & Teamplay by Cain and Jolliff. Here are four 'challenges' (summaries) presented in the book:

Bull Ring - The challenge is to carry a small ball using a metal ring and twine Bull Ring through a series of obstacles and place the ball into a goal, such as a tin can, plastic bucket or into [on to] a segment of PVC tubing. This activity can be made more difficult by transporting the ball around objects such as trees, tables, chairs and fences.
Bull Ring II, Table Tops - The challenge is to capture various objects on the table and move [slide] them to a collection place [area on the table], using only the Bull Ring. Begin this activity with participants holding the midpoint of each string. This will allow everyone to pull or release a little string without losing their connection with the rest of the group. A variety of objects dragged by a Bull Ring present different challenges: Marbles; Cone shapes made from wood or plastic; Magnets can be picked up using the ring and then removed once it reaches the 'collection place' by a designated player; Crumpled paper; A pencil; A paper clip; A piece of [folded up] duct tape.
Bull Ring III, Write On! - Using the Bull Ring Universal Writing Tool, the group will make marks, color in spaces, answer test questions and play games by writing with the Bull Ring. Find the best way to creatively attach a marker to the ring area. [I, Chris, use a small piece of a Foam Noodle Pool Toy. Most of them now have holes in them already. So, slice off about 2 inches of noodle. Then, make a slice vertically into the hole in the center. Finally, trim off some noodle along the cut to size so you can jam it into the ring with a marker in the hole of the noodle. I like this version because it's easy to change out the marker when you want to use different colors.] From Teamwork & Teamplay: One of the simplest challenges is to have the group fill in a coloring book page [taped to a table] with different color markers. Other Ideas: Spell Words; Successfully go through a maze; Create art or a picture of a team mascot.

Bull Ring Golf - [My, Chris', favorite version] Set up tee boxes (starts) and holes (finishes) around your play area. Have obstacles to navigate at each hole (like a mini-golf course). Time how long it takes for a group to move their Bull Ring & Ball from Tee to Hole. Drops add 5 seconds to time. Lowest time overall wins the tournament.

VIDEO LINKS to the BULL RING in Action

Bull Ring: Hole in the Wall (a.k.a., Bull Ring Hooped) - Take a Bull Ring through a Hula-Hoop

Pick Um Bull Ring - Use a Rubber Band/Bungie Cord-type Bull Ring

Focus Ring Team Building Game - (from Tom Heck) I love the dialogue in this Bull Ring video. And, notice the stand/tower you can make with PVC - all different sizes can be made.

Team Building Game: Bull Ring - Check out the PVC stand for multiple groups. They don't show it in the video, but after some team practice on their own - moving a Bull Ring/Ball from a start to finish, have all groups end at the multiple-stand together. Each group placing their ball on the stand at the same time. Lots of group cooperation.

Bull Ring Team Building - Use your favorite search engine to search this term for more videos.

Have FUN out there my friends!

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.