Blog Posts

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.]

4 Comments

What's the Quote Cards (Beta Testing) Print-N-Play

1/22/2020

8 Comments

[Be sure to get down to the examples at the bottom of this post - updated 3/19/20]

Testing out this activity - I could use your help!! I ran across a reference to the clip-art icon site TheNounProject.com and got hooked on the thousands of choices. (Thanks so much to the person who posted it on one of the Facebook groups I follow - sorry I didn't save the reference). So, I paid the unlimited license for the year ($40) to see how much use I can get from the site. What's the Quote, is the first thing that came in. Help me flush this out. Your downloadable print-n-play set is to the right.

whatsthequotecards_cavert.pdf
File Size:	518 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

Getting Started I just got back from FedEx with my set of cards. I printed them on sturdy glossy card stock ($2) and I made two other sets on regular copy paper (more about why below). I used the rotary cutter at FedEx to chop up my sets (I was there about an hour cutting up three sets of cards).

So far, I'm thinking I'll use the glossy set to re-use with different groups - we'll write the quotes on index cards or Post-Its. For the copy paper sets, I'm going to have participants simply write the quotes on the cards and do something with these depending on the context.

Thoughts So Far I will scatter the cards out on a table/floor so all the images are visible. I think a discussion about quotes and maybe some (of my favorite) examples might help spark the fires. Depending on the group and context, I'll direct them in one of the following:

General Directions - Look around through the pool of cards. Be open to the possible quotes that might come into your brain about any of the cards. When you get a strong feeling about one of the cards, one you can put your own original (or something close to another quote you might know) quote to, pick that one out of the pool, grab a pen and write your quote under the image on the card. Notice there is not a lot of room under the images, so try to craft your quote to fit within that space. Besides, short quotes are easier to remember. When everyone is finished, we can discuss our work. (If there is time, maybe while waiting for others to finish, players can make more than one quote card.)
Quote for Another - Think of someone in your life right now, it could be a friend, family member, teacher, (co-worker, retail shop owner, police officer...) with whom you would like to show gratitude or cheer them up. Then, look through the cards with this person in mind. Find an image that inspires an original quote from you that you would like to give this person. Grab the card, write your quote on it and pass it along the next time you see him/her.
Quote to Yourself - (Student Context) You will be looking for an image that inspires an original quote that you are going to save and then read on your graduation day. What do you want to say to yourself on that day? What image will inspire you? (With this one I would have envelopes to seal their image quote into and take home to store in a safe place until graduation.)

What else can we do with these? I would love to hear your ideas. Share in the Comments (or send me an email). We'll Beta for a couple months then I'll create an 'official' write-up to send out. (And, thanks for the help!!)

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

Update 3/29/20
Quote Card Examples

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Tools for Team Builders: Card Groupings (video)

1/9/2020

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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.

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Pipeline (a.k.a., Channels) Obstacles

11/20/2019

2 Comments

If you've been following the FUN for a while, you know Pipeline (a.k.a., Channels) is one of my go-to team building activities - I use this activity in so many ways. I've posted some Pipeline considerations in the past:

Pipeline: Variation
Immobile Chopsticks (w/video) - Pipeline using foam noodles.
Bridges & Traits (A Pipeline Enhancement)
The Channels Project: Creating with (new) Bloom's

Looking through my collection of 'Blog Post Ideas' recently, I found some Pipeline Obstacles I've used in the past - fun ways to make transporting a round object a little more interesting. So, place these challenges along the path from Point A to B - let the group know your expectations of each challenge. When I program this one, any object drop results in a restart.

Passing Through: Find something the object has to roll through - like an opening in a chair (see picture), a hanging tire on a ropes course, a window, a hair scrunchy, a mailbox slot, a hole cut in a cardboard box (maybe there is a hole in two sides of a larger box and channels have to be used inside the box to get the object through the second hole!), the handle of a purse...what else?

The Ice Pond: This is a laminated blue sheet of paper with a little 'Ice Pond' graphic. This paper is placed on the ground. When a group gets to it, one player (or two) must pick it up, another player, with the object, rolls it onto the pond, another player 'catches' the object at the other end of the pond. After success, the pond is placed back on the ground - the group travels on to the next challenge.

The Rabbit Hole: In the picture, the group is using a Deck Ring, but any circular object can work. Cut a plastic water bottle into a ring shape, how about a small cardboard ring or a plastic cup with the bottom cut out. The challenge is to DROP the object down onto the next channel through the Ring. The wider the Ring the harder the challenge.

Drop It In: Use ending containers with different sized openings and different sized bases. Smaller bases are less stable and more challenging to keep upright - unless the group solves for this problem. Container openings just big enough to accept the size of the round object will be more challenging than large openings - of course, unless the group solves for this challenge (see picture). When I play, if the container falls a restart is enforced.

What are your favorite obstacles? Share in the Comments below.

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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Pressure Cooker 2.0

11/7/2019

2 Comments

Our team building friend, Neil Mercer (the creative power behind the post On Board) recently shared with me a newer version of Pressure Cooker. The first version he shared with me is included in the book, Portable Teambuilding Activities. It's an activity you can do with those numbered spots you have for Ven Key Punch, Key Punch: The Overlap, or Thread the Needle.

In the initial version of Pressure Cooker, Neil simply gave his group 20 minutes and a maximum of three tries to produce their best time through the numbers. He noted that planning is not very productive during this challenge - there is some, but it's not very intentional. In this 2.0 version, he divides the time and restricts the boundary area for more driven results. I really like "the things to look for" (and focus) he uses with this one. Lots of good discussion points to bring up during processing. Thanks Neil!!

Set Up: You need numbered spots and a long activity rope. (If you don't have rope, use cones to mark off a square boundary.) You can set up with numbered spots from 12 to 24 with more or less space between numbers inside the circle boundary area. The activity calls for one number per player (the larger the number of players the longer the activity). The more space you have between numbers the easier the activity. Lots of good adjustments to make depending on the challenge you want to present.

Pressure Cooker 2.0 (from Neil Mercer)
Before you is an invisible maze of numbers. The way through it is to follow the numbers on the discs scattered inside the perimeter.

This task is split into two sections of 10 minutes.
The first 10 minutes is dedicated to planning and practice.
The second 10 minutes is what we call “Money Time!” … execution.

The first ten minutes (the planning & practice time):

There is an identical number of discs as there are team members – ideally 12-16 people.
The Objective: Each person must pass and touch all the numbers in ascending order and the team must complete the task as quickly as possible.
Only once all team members have entered the perimeter and stood upon a disc can the action begin.
Every team member touches every number in ascending order and returns to their original number. For example, I start on number 8. I touch, in order, numbers 9,10,11,12,1,2,3… and return to number 8 (in a group of 12 of course!)
Only once all team members have returned to their original number may the whole team exit the perimeter.
Time starts when the first person enters the perimeter (circle) and stops when the last person exits (the circle).

The second ten minutes (or three attempts):

The group has 10 minutes or 3 attempts, whatever comes first.
If anyone touches the circle boundary or exits the circle during an attempt, an extra 5 seconds are added to their final time.
The moment anyone enters the circle in this second stage (this has to be made very clear) an attempt will begin, time starts, whether the group is ready or not.
Here, the facilitator must tell everyone to get moving and begin the attempt. Even if they are not ready.
Time starts when the first person enters the perimeter and stops when the last person exits.

Things to look out for (and talk about):

Generally, [Neil has seen] most of the planning take place inside the circle, there is no real vision of the spread of the numbers.
The first chance to really look at the spread is under pressure in the execution stage.
Do we blindly follow another team member or learn our own route?
Do we as a team operate “mechanically/mathematically” all touching their number at the same time and waiting for all to catch up, or “organically” by feeling how we are all moving together without stopping or waiting?
How come someone stepped into the perimeter before we were ready?
Who goes along with the action even though he/she does not know the plan? Why does this happen? [Chris added this one - he sees this all the time.]

I can't wait to give this new version a try!

All the best my friends. Keep us posted.

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

2 Comments

Bull Ring Adventures Power Pack

10/17/2019

2 Comments

In the last Tools for Team Builders FUNdoing blog post, we learned how to Make a Bull Ring and a few ways on how to use it. Here are some additional thoughts and challenges to consider when programming the Bull Ring. (Thanks to everyone who sent me an email about their Bull Ring adventures.

The Bull Ring Adventure (from Chris Cavert)
This is one of my all-time favorite Bull Ring challenges. It includes 5 Parts. Here are the Foundational rules for all Parts:

Each participant must hold the end off his/her string at all times [I have a small knot tied at the ends of my Bull Ring strings - so I usually say, 'must hold the knot at the end of their string at all times'.]
All participants in the group must hold on to the end of at least one string at all times during the adventure.
Strings [for safety reason] may not be wrapped around anything during the adventure. [Be sure to define what a 'wrap' is to you.]
The round object may only be touched during a re-set after it falls to the ground/floor.
If the round object drops during any Part of the adventure, you must start over from Part 1. [Or, if there are time constraints, start over with the Part they were working on when the object dropped.]

Set Up:
Check out the pictures above for the basic set up. You can adjust it in any way to meet the needs of your group. There is a starting line, three obstacles and a finish where the group places the object back onto a tower.

Towers - Start & Finish - Options for Towers are shared in the Make a Bull Ring post.

Spot Field - These are game spots (see the, Tools for Team Builders: Game Spots post for spot ideas). Create a good size field - the further the spots are apart, the easier it seems to be.

Trap Door - This is a simple self-standing structure made from 1/2 inch PVC tubbing and connectors.

Hole in the Wall - This is a hula-hoop taped to chairs. The higher the hula hoop is off the ground, the more challenging it becomes.

Part 1:
The Bull Ring is set down on the ground, the ring is over the tower, the round object is on top of the tower and all the strings are laid out flat and straight on the ground - all of this is behind the designated starting line.

Challenge: Pick up the round object with the Bull Ring to where everyone in the group is standing up.

Part 2:
Challenge: Move the Bull Ring through the Spot Field.

If a participant's foot is on the ground it must be touching a spot [this does not mean the entire foot must be on a spot]. If a foot touches the ground without touching a spot, the group must begin again at Part 1. [Or, the participant must close his/her eyes for the remainder of Part 2 - yes, still stepping on spots only. If this person touched the ground again, without stepping on a spot, then start over at Part 1.]

Part 3:
When a participant places his/her string end through the 'Trap Door' [opening in the PVC structure] he/she can safely step off the spots in Part 2.

Challenge: Move the Bull Ring through the Trap Door.

Participants have a little wiggle room when it comes to always holding the end [knot] of the string. Once the hand-to-hand transfer is made through the Trap Door, holding on to the end [knot] is expected again.

Part 4:
Challenge: Move the Bull Ring and participants through the Hole in the Wall [hula- hoop].

Part 5:
Challenge: Place the round object on top of the final tower, set all strings on the ground and let go of all strings.

Reminder: The Foundational Rules must be followed during all Parts of the Adventure.

'A Bull Ring Experience' sent to us from M.P. (Thanks M.P.!)

I was a participant in the bull ring activity as a part of an experiential education session. It was the first time that I did the bull ring. At first it appeared to be challenging to just lift the ball off the pipe. Once the ball was on the ring and in transit, it was easy for us to transport it until we had to pass through a narrow door. We dropped the ball, had to begin again.

We were the last group to reach the destination. At this point it became a little challenging. All five groups had to place the ball simultaneously [on the tower structure]. One group dropped the ball at this point. They had to begin again [from their starting spot] and the remaining four groups had to balance and hold the ball until all groups were together.

It was fun, it was engaging as well as challenging! It was challenging to keep the clarity in communication while discussing strategies.

When it was time to place the balls [again], two groups dropped. Only three groups managed to place the balls on the pipe.

Chris Here: I see so much to process, just from this story. What do you see? [I share my thoughts below.]

The Bull Ring Pen from M.C. (Thanks M.C.)
I go a little bit different route with some of my leadership groups and fasten a pen to the strings with strings at top and at the bottom of the pen. I then take a child's coloring book of connect the dots blow it up to an 11x17 sheet and have the group connect the dots. Sometimes I will lay small flat obstacles under the paper [e.g., coins] that they may encounter while they are connecting the dots.

Variations include:

Blind folds with one person directing the action.
Only the top set of strings is blindfolded
No talking
Making the strings extra long

It is a great activity when one is limited to the constraints of a board room!

A few other things from Coach Mack [I learned the 'Clipping In' version of Bull Ring from Mack.] Thanks my Friend!!

Using the lanyard clips, I have the strings free flowing through the clip, with one participant on each end of the string. The string is 20 feet long, both ends have a knot where the participant holds the string with one hand. They cannot use the other hand to gather up the string. The free-flowing string adds a dynamic process for the two participants. Both have to work together to keep the string "engaged" or else the object falls. With this set up, you can have eight participants with four clips. Four clips means everyone has to do their part or else the object falls. The dynamic nature is interesting because it involves communication between the two partners, as well as all the partnerships communicating as a team.
When the group 'clicks' into the ring, now you have the partnerships talking about their commitment to the team and/or goal, etc.
The dynamic nature also adds a problem solving and commitment feature to the game. For greater control of the ring and object. If the partnership agrees that one person should move closer to the ring while the other one moves farther away, the person who was closer - possibly 6 inches away from the ring - allows that person tremendous "control" over the process, both in the communication, because they can visually see the rings position in consideration of the PVC tower, and, because his string is so short, creating tremendous control and stability. It is fascinating though because his partner now has around 20 feet of string meaning he is far away from the problem thus has to be very tuned in to the communication to participate effectively.
If you add obstacles so the teammates now have to manage around chairs, etc., communication becomes critical. The person far away that has these obstacles versus the person close to the ring. Tremendous metaphor for business.
And let's not forget, blindfolds and/or moving the ring through hula hoops.
And now, let's build a community. Have 2 to 4 rings, all connected with a thin, bungee cord with lanyard clips that are 1 foot to 4 feet long. These are connected to another teams bullring. 2 to 4 teams, each contributing to the overall success of the group.
Finally, the string I like to use is parachute cord. A little bit thicker thus not prone to getting into knots or tangling with the other strings. Furthermore, it does not snag or fray. Storing by daisy chain is easy. Cutting the string with a heat rope cutter tool, or some other way to seal the ends is recommended.

'A Bull Ring Experience' (story above) discussion considerations from Chris:

I love M.P.s comment, 'It was challenging to keep the clarity in communication while discussing strategies.' Lots to discuss around this point. What is 'clear' communication? How do we know when we're clear. How did we want to keep clarity in the future?
I would talk about how it was 'challenging' to get started with lifting the Bull Ring together, then once in 'transit' it was easy. How does this relate to a typical team/group project? How does the outcome fit into this progression?
Talking about 'drops' (a.k.a., mistakes) is available. How did we manage drops? How did we treat each other? What support/help did we offer?
What about 'waiting' for a group that is behind? When we're done with our part, how does the group manage waiting for others? Is there any way to help? [I wonder, could the landing structure have been moved closer to the group that needed to start over so the rest could meet them part way to save time? And, is the risk-reward worth it?]
Finally, in the end, [I'm assuming there was a time restriction, since the droppers didn't start over], only three groups out of five were successful at placing the objects on the 'pipes' - how does this sit with the group? How do they move on after this result?

What else did you 'see' in the story? Leave us a Comment below.

Thanks again my friends for sharing - I LOVE learning from you! There is so much to do with a Bull Ring! Let us know if there is more. Share in the Comments or send me an email.

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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

10/8/2019

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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.

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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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Lots of Tops (Noodle Activity) with Video

9/13/2019

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Lots of Tops is a version of Immobile Chopsticks (a FUNdoing Blog post) and an activity found in the book, 50 Ways to Use Your Noodle, by Cavert & Sikes (tons of fun with noodles!). In the original Immobile Chopsticks there is one destination for the tennis balls. In Lots of Tops there are LOTS of destinations.

NEEDS: For each group of 6 to 12 participants, you'll need 12 to 15 tennis balls, 12 to 15 towers and one game noodle for each person in the group. (A game noodle is half of a long foam pool noodle toy - easily cut with a bread knife.) The towers you see in the video are thread spools picked up from a textile factory that does sewing (often discarded or recycled). Towers can also be plastic cups, open end down (like in the Immobile Chopsticks blog post), paper towel or toilet paper rolls, sections of 1 inch PVC pipe, aluminum cans, rolled paper - anything that can support a tennis ball. The more towers you use the longer the challenge. (To make it easier for younger groups, use plastic cups and set them down open end up - the tennis ball is dropped, carefully, into the cup.)

SET UP: Place the towers for each group in a straight line, about three or four feet apart. Place all the tennis balls (equal to the number of towers) on the floor/ground about 12 feet from the start of the line. (If I have hula-hoops around, I put the tennis balls in a hula-hoop set on the ground 12 feet from the first tower.)

OBJECTIVE: Cap all the towers with a tennis ball.

RULES:

The Tennis Balls can ONLY touch/be touched by the noodles after leaving there starting position.
If a Tennis Ball touches the floor/ground during its travels, it is returned to the start.
When a Tennis Ball is touching a players game noodle, this player may not move his/her feet.

FACILITATION: I love all the possible ways Lots of Tops can be facilitated. My favorite way is to give all the groups in play at least two chances at topping the towers. So, when this is timed, a second chance will give a group the opportunity to find ways to achieve a better time.

I've also lead this one as a 'completion' activity as well. Once the towers are capped, the group(s) can talk about how they achieved the task, what 'problems' they encountered and how they got past them, and then talk about what they want to keep doing as they work together in the future.

With multiple groups I like to have a 'group time' so when one group is done capping their tops, what do they do? These are just a few ways to present Lots of Tops.

LEARNINGS: Here are some topics I can discuss with this one:

Planning out a task - how does the planning evolve?
Division of Labor - who is doing what and when? does the group stick together or divid and conquer?
Collaborative Leadership - does leadership change hands or stay with one or two players?
Collaboration - if there are multiple groups, do they exchange information? what influences the exchange of information, or not?
Roles and Responsibilities - are these assigned, assumed, unknown?
Goal Setting - how do we set goals without data and then with data?

Let us know how this one plays for you. If you have another version of Lots of Tops, please share in the Comments! Have FUN out there my friends.

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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Connections with Stationary Greeting, a Large Group Favorite (No Props, Any Large Group)

8/29/2019

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I had the wonderful opportunity to work with a group of 50 6th graders recently (and an amazing team of facilitators). We wanted a quick interactive activity to get them moving and 'connected' with others in the group. I was happy to share my favorite activity under these parameters:

Stationary Greeting

I learned this activity from my friend Mike Spiller. He showed us his version of Stationary Greeting while we were all (over 100 of us) sitting in the bleachers of a school gymnasium. I added the 'pivot' connection for flatter playing areas.

To set this one up, gather everyone in your BIG group together in a clump - or, I call it, family style. Have them scooch in nice an close together without touching anyone once they have found a place to stand. (NOTE: I like to warn everyone that we'll be close together for a few minutes, so, "if you need a little extra space, position yourself near the outside of the clump.")

Frontload: Here's how I like to frame Stationary Greeting with just about any group:

"As you can see, my friends, we are close together. In a moment we're going to make some connections with others around us. So, please be mindful of the way you move during the connections. This will be a good time to practice, 'thinking' before 'moving' - be aware of the others around you. Today, during our program together, we will have a lot of opportunities to think before we move!! Please take care of yourself and others so we can all have the best possible time."

Okay. We're ready to connect!

Round 1: "Alright everyone. Here's our first round of connections. Go ahead and have your feet about shoulder width apart. Now plant some roots under your feet into the ground. This is where your feet must stay. For the next 90 seconds, see how many fist bumps you can make with different people around you, one fist bump per person, without moving your feet. Again, it is important to be careful with your movements - be aware of others before you reach out for a fist bump. Do keep track of how many fist bumps you can make because I'll be asking you for your score at the end of the 90 seconds. Ready. Begin.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1, everyone FREEZE! Okay. Raise your hand if you had more than 10 fist bumps with different people. Keep your hands up until I get to your number. How about 15? 20? 21? 22? 23? Nice job everyone. That's a lot of connections. And, thanks so much for being mindful about your movements. Let's see if we can make some more connections."

Round 2: "Before we make more connections, you are free, at this time, to move to a different place in the group if this would be more comfortable for you or you think you might want to connect with more people - you might not be standing in the best place to connect with others. If you want to move to a different spot, be respectful of others and find a place you can share with the people around you. Today there will be opportunities to make choices that will help you out and help out your group. So, please speak up if you need help or if you have choices you want to explore.

Okay. Is everyone where they would like to be? Perfect. In this round, you will have one pivot foot - like in basketball. One foot will stay planted in one spot, but you can spin around on this foot. Once you start the connections, you must keep this same pivot foot - no changing pivots. Okay. Let's see how many fist bump connections we can make, with different people, now that we have a pivot foot. Yes. you can fist bump with the same people as you did in the first round. But, not you should be able to get others you could not reach before. 90 seconds. Ready? GO!

5, 4, 3, 2, 1, everyone FREEZE! Okay. Raise your hand if you had more than 15 fist bumps with different people. Keep your hands up until I get to your number. How about 20? 25? 26? 27? 28? Amazing job everyone. That's a lot of connections. And, thanks again so much for being mindful about your movements - there was a lot more to consider before stepping into the crowd. Let's try one more round."

Round 3: "Okay friends. This round is simply about connecting with others you have not connected with yet!! Standing right where you are, feet shoulder width apart, you'll be looking around the group for others just out of your reach and make eye contact with them - when you make eye contact, give this person a little wave, say their name if you know it, then look for someone else to eye-connect with. No fist bumps during this round and we're only going to play for 60 seconds - so, get in as many connections as you can. Ready, GO!

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Freeze! How many more connections did you get? 10? 15? 20? 25? 26? 27? Fabulous. Please remember, let's keep connecting with others in the group today - especially with the people you don't know yet. The more connections we can make, and keep, the stronger we can be together. And, don't forget. Let's remember to think and then move!! Take care of yourself and others. Make it a good day!"

These three rounds take me about 6 minutes. I can get the group to start thinking about some good behaviors for the day and get them moving, stretching and physically connecting with others in the group. Stationary Greeting is a solid opener.

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

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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Pangram Project (another Beta Test) with Video

What's the Quote Cards (Beta Testing) Print-N-Play

Tools for Team Builders: Card Groupings (video)

Pipeline (a.k.a., Channels) Obstacles

Pressure Cooker 2.0

Bull Ring Adventures Power Pack

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

What's Missing? Revisited (New Prop)

Lots of Tops (Noodle Activity) with Video

Connections with Stationary Greeting, a Large Group Favorite (No Props, Any Large Group)

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