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Flip and Find (using Playing Cards) (with Video)

1/31/2019

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Hello Team Builder! I'm sticking with the playing card theme for this post. After you play the Ice-Breaker "Who Am !" from the LAST POST, you can play Flip and Find. 

In the video above, you will see the large group version of Flip and Find (small group version below). This large group was participating in a Team Olympics - there were about 60 players in the room. Points were awarded for the top three places. So, how does it play? 
Set Up: 
Establish a starting line (I suggest cones or masking tape. If you use a rope, players might trip on it.) We used Jumbo Playing Cards in the Olympics (video), but any cards will work. You need a suit of 13 cards for each group of 6 to 8 players. Mix up (shuffle) each suit and then set them down in a vertical line moving away from the starting line - the first card is about 10 feet from the starting line. The further the cards are apart, the more running involved (and the more challenging they are to see from behind the starting line - if teammates are watching/ helping). 

The Objective: 
Turn the cards over in sequence - starting with the King and ending with the Ace - as quickly, and safely as possible. 

Directions: 
  • One person from each group can be in the "card field" at a time (over the starting line). 
  • One card can be turned over during each turn into the card field. 
  • If the card turned over is the first one (the King) or the next one in sequence (after the King), it can stay turned over - face up. The card must stay in the same place on the floor (or, ground). 
  • If the card is not the one in the sequence, it must be turned back over, face down in the same place on the floor.
  • All players must take one true before any player takes a second turn. All players must take a second turn before anyone take a third turn, and so on. 
  • Players can talk to each other during the activity - they can help each other remember where certain cards are positioned. 
  • When the Ace (the final card) is turned over, the player to turn it over lifts the card into the air to signify completion of the task (jumping up and down is okay too!). 

Depending how you play, there can be 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, or go by time - play two rounds and add time together for the overall place in the game. 
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Small Group Version

Set Up: Depending on space, you can set the cards up vertically (like in the video) or horizontally (like in the picture). When I set them horizontally, the line of cards is about 20 feet from the starting line (the closer they are the easier the cards are to see - make it easy or more challenging depending on the group). Notice, there are two groups in the picture, one is playing down the other side of the porch. I set it up this way so the two group could collaborate.

The Objective: 
Turn the cards over in sequence from King to Ace. 

Directions: The activity plays the same (see directions above). However, in the small group version I give each group three attempts so they have the chance to improve on their process (and, hopefully share ideas with other groups in play). A super fast time comes down to creating roles and responsibilities and relying on each other for help. 
Let us know how it goes! Leave a Comment below. 

Have FUN out there, 

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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CUPple-a-Points (with Video)

1/3/2019

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First and foremost, I want to thank the wonderful team building facilitators at BRIDGES for trying this activity with me (for the first time ever). And, a BIG shout out to the creative mind that gave us the name for this one. (It was fun watching you all work!) 

Context Note: The footage was taken at a day-long team building facilitator training. I kept in the "learning" conversations. I thought some of you out there might benefit from the thinking that went on during this discovery process. (Alfie Kohn might call this, taking the facilitators, and you, "backstage" for some Deep Modeling as a way of learning.)

More Team Building Activities with CUPS! Check out CUP IT UP 
CUPple-A-Points (here's what we have so far): 

​Set Up: Place 10 nested stacks of 30 cups each (300 Cups), inside a hula-hoop (or maybe even make a small box shape on the floor with tape).

Objective: Gain as many points as possible in two minutes. Every cup that is not touching the floor after two minutes earns you a point. 

Directions: If you have time, and the planning dynamic is part of the group's program objective (e.g., practicing planning behaviors), allow for unlimited time to plan and practice before the first official two-minute build. If you don't have unlimited time, give them, say, three minutes to plan and practice before the first build, then maybe, two minutes before the second build and one minute before the final third build.  

Note:
  • Round 1 Footage: Participants can be used as resources/props.
  • Round 2 Footage: Participants CANNOT be used as props. 

Rules: (Applied to either Round 1 or 2 set up. Each round, or variation, includes three building attempts.)
  • After two minutes, only cups outside of the hula-hoop will count for points. 
  • Any nested cups, one or more cups inside of each other, will not count for points. 
  • After two minutes, all "hand" must be off the cups. Then, after three seconds, "1, 2, 3," the cups that remain off the ground can be counted for points. (It might be faster to count the cups NOT off the floor, then minus this number from 300 for the score.) 
  • When you (the group) are ready to start an official two-minute building, let your facilitator know. The facilitator will keep time and inform you about time remaining. 
To reiterate, there are two different presentation variations so far (shown in the video - they are noted as "Rounds") - one where participants CAN BE use as resources/props, and one variation where participants CANNOT be use. We tried both to get some film of each. 

Also, at this time, I would choose one of the variations and take time for three two-minute building sessions in order to see how the evolution of the builds turn out. What will be "success" for the/your group? 

Let us know how it goes. Leave a Comment below. 

All the best, 

Chris Cavert, Ed.D. 
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    Blog Author

    Dr. Chris Cavert is an internationally known author, speaker, and trainer in the area of adventure-based activity programming and its relation to community and pro-social behavior development.

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    This blog is a space for hands-on programable fun - energetic activities and ideas that can be used as a means to bring people together; activities and ideas we as educators can add to our social development curriculums. 

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