Blog Archives

Onezies to Fivezies (Macro Tenzi) with Video

3/22/2022

Speaking of FUN! I have been having so much of it learning how to use some the "board and table-top" games on my shelves in new ways, from the new book, Teambuilding from the Toy Aisle by my friends Matt, Michelle and Trevor!

And recently I attended a fun-tastic ACCT workshop presented by Matt, Michelle and Trevor. We spent 90-minutes playing some of the gems from the book (don't get me started on "Dude!").

I grabbed some video (below) of the Macro Tenzi game that was super-fun to watch (don't know Tenzi? HERE are some videos.)

Onezies to Fivezies (A Competitive Game)
NOTE: For this game you'll need some dice - 10 dice for every group of 4 to 5 people. I loved the large foam dice used during the workshop. However, you'll find, after a quick search, the large foam dice are an investment. You can certainly go with smaller dice. How about this. HERE'S a free die template so you can make your own using card stock. (If this one is no longer there/free, I'm sure there is another one out there on the web.)

Numbers: I plan to play this one with 12 to 50 participants (3 to 10 teams), middle school age and older. (If elementary ages are ready for 'friendly' competition, go for it.) It can take a while to get to the winning team. The game is full of surprise wins - the underdog is never out of the race!

In Teambuilding from the Toy Aisle, the trio calls this one, "Onezies, Twozies, Thumbsies, Singsies." I'm simplifying it a bit. Here's my take - just Onezies to Fivezies:

Divide your group up into smaller teams of four or five players.
Provide each team with 10 dice. (The dice do not need to be all the same color, but it does help when dice roll astray.)
First Round: When you say, "GO!" all teams begin rolling their dice. Every team is going for 'Ones' in this Round. When a one is rolled it is set off to the side. Non-ones are picked up by anyone on the team and rolled again. When all the dice of one team are ones, they yell, "Onezies!" All rolling stops. If there is a verifiable tie, declare the tied teams winners of the Round.
Next Round: On this next Round, the winning team(s) from the first Round will be rolling for twos - or, Twozies. All the other teams are still rolling for ones - or their Onezies. Teams don't move up a number until they win at the subsequent number.
The Next Rounds After That: I think you get the idea. Comebacks are possible. The journey can be long. Teams don't advance to the next number until they complete the number they are on. When a team calls, "Fivezies" the game is over.
Optional Challenge: Change up the way all teams must roll during the Round: Rolls must be tossed from above the hips; Rolls must be tossed from above the shoulders; Rolls must be done with only one hand - the other hand covers one eye; Rolls can only be made with fingers - press your thumbs into your palms...

"Rematch" they call!! If you've got the time....

Processing Ideas
(Even though this is a competitive game, there can be lots to talk about - if it's part of the plan.) Here are some concepts to consider:

Planning and Strategies (what worked and didn't work)
Respectful Play (any sabotaging)
Team Camaraderie (how did teammates treat each other)
Skills and Abilities (was everyone all in, or just partly in)
Winning and Losing (how do we manage with the feelings of each)
Underdogging (did you hang in there every Round of give up/in)

The video below was the First Round at the ACCT Conference Workshop. Tons of Thanks to the players and presenters. So much energy. So much FUN!

Keep me posted!

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

0 Comments

Materials Move (A Pipeline Variation) a.k.a. Seven Minutes!

3/10/2022

2 Comments

Pipeline! As many of you know, it's one of my all-time go-to activities - so many ways to play. HERE'S my favorite variation using pool noodles (with video).

Quick Bit of History (for those who want some): As far as I can go back through my bookshelves, it was written up as 'Half Pipe' in Karl Rohnke's FUNN STUFF, Volume 2 in 1996. Karl gives credit for this 'move-a-marble-from-point-A-to-point-B-using-PVC-piping' activity to Larry Brown who shared it with Karl around 1981. (Cutting the PVC tubing in half appears to be Karl's idea?) When Karl bumped into Larry in the mid-90s, he shared with Karl that he added a version with different sized marbles "to represent different kinds of metaphorical problems at home or in the workplace." Materials Move plays off of Larry's idea (and I didn't even know it!).

Quick Prop Note: Cutting PVC tubing in half is not for everyone (this usually involves a table saw with a fine-tooth blade, steady hands and a brave soul - and, if you do this, wear a mask to prevent breathing in PVC dust. Apparently this dust is not good for you!). There are lots of vendors that will sell you 'half-pipes' - Training Wheels has a marvelous colorful set. You can also use the full PVC tubes (not cut in half). The big-box hardware stores sell 10-foot lengths of PVC tubing you can cut up with a PVC cutter (it looks like a pair of scissors). Options: You can use pool noodles as shown in my favorite variation above. I've also used paper towel and toilet paper rolls as 'marble-tubes' and spent time with groups personalizing the tubes with colorful markers. And, check out the corner molding in THIS 'Bridges and Traits' version (scroll to the bottom of the post). All you need is a handsaw to cut the molding.

Materials Move

The set up (above) for this one involves four buckets. (I'm a big fan of buckets!!) Other containers, of course, can work as well. There is a center 'Destination' bucket and three 'Warehouse' buckets. Each Warehouse bucket contains three different kinds of material. (See right.) When I came up with this variation I had small bouncy balls, medium sized plastic (hollow light-weight) golf balls and tennis balls on hand. So, that's what I used.

NOTE: Of course you can use other resources you have on hand like marbles, real golf balls, pool balls or baseballs. What I like about the light-weight plastic golf balls is that they are very susceptible to wind - the wind can blow them right off the tracks! A problem to solve.

Place each of the three Warehouse buckets about 40-feet from the Destination bucket. Put three of each kind of material in each Warehouse bucket. This particular set up is for the 'Seven Minutes' challenge. (NOTE: I believe this challenge can be completed within 7-minutes with 12 to 30 participants. However, the five groups (of 20 to 30) I've tried this with so far have yet to make it in seven minutes - a couple were very close. So, am I setting my groups up for failure? I don't believe I am - I know there is a group out there that will get it. The points we've been exploring (see below) have been worth the struggle and failure.)

You will also need one 'half-pipe' (channel, gutter, tube) for each person in your group.

The Story: You are a team tasked to move supplies to a nearby village. However, you will only have a small window of time to complete the task due to recent conflict in the area. In the three Warehouses you have at your disposal [show each object] there is food (smallest-sized object), water (medium-sized object) and medical supplies (largest object). To ensure the wellbeing of the village inhabitance, you need to get seven of each supply (food, water, medical supplies) to the village (bucket) in seven minutes. You each have one resource to use to help transport the supplies. Your instructor [this is you, the facilitator] will show you how to use this resource with the different supplies. Good luck. And may the force be with you! [Or something of that nature.]

After the story, I share the 'rules':

Each person can use one and only one of the resources - the half-pipe. Each person must keep this resource in his/her possession at all times and may not touch anyone else's resource.
When moving the food (smallest object), it can only travel down the 'inside' of the resource. (See first picture.) [Note: At this time I do not limit how many food items can be in a half-pipe at one time. It does not seem to matter in relation to the outcome, yet.]

When moving the water (medium object) it must travel on the outside of two resources. (See second picture.) Remember, you can only touch the one resource you were assigned. [Note: Again, at this time, I have not specified how many 'waters' can be on any one resource at a time. This factor has not influencing the outcome, yet. However, when a group finally 'gets it' I think it will matter.]

When moving the medical supplies (the largest objects), they must be 'lifted' and carried, not rolled, using at least two resources. (See the third picture.)
Supplies from the warehouse can be picked up by a person in the group and placed into or onto the first resource(s) available near the warehouse.
If at any point in time during transit a supply container drops to the ground or it is touched by a participant during transit, it must be returned to the nearest warehouse for decontamination and repair before it can be transported again.

To limit transportation damage, if you are moving supplies your feet must be stationary - you may not move your feet if you are in contact with supplies. If a foot moves, all supplies in contact with the person who has moved must be returned to the nearest warehouse for damage assessment before it can be transported again.

After the story and rules, I tell my group they have seven minutes to plan and practice their process for moving the supplies - this is their skills-development training. I watch and check with my group to make sure they understand the objective, the rules and how to use their resources. Basically, will they be playing by the 'rules' (or 'procedures' in place).

So far with every group I've observed (5 groups so far) during this planning and practice time, they've divided into three groups, each working on how to move one of the different supplies - 'skill specialty' is not a bad approach, but it has its limits, so they've found. One group, I recall, actually did decide that everyone should practice moving each of the different supplies, but not everyone took the time to do so. (In the end, practicing with each supply - using best practice ideas - would have been beneficial.)

After the planning and practice, I prepped everyone for the 'seven-minute' move. I ask for any last questions, reiterated some of the rules (e.g., "you can only touch your resource") and then said, "GO!", starting the timer. I then monitor the rules for compliance. (Or, let them hold themselves accountable if you want to focus on this objective.) After seven minutes I said, "Stop!"

Here's why I like Materials Move:

Groups realized they did not use their 'practice' time well. They spent far too much time talking and not enough time 'doing' in order to get data on their skill development.
Moving the water (on the backs of the resources) is the most challenging task - it takes the longest time to get to the village. This was not identified by any of the groups during planning and practice. Reallocating group members to this task, they discovered, would have been helpful.
Groups also determined, after the attempt, that learning 'best practices' from other small groups would have helped them integrate and help other groups still working on moving a particular supply. For example, the food was the easiest/fastest to move. Integrating into another group's process took valuable time - group members, the food-movers, had to learn how to help the other groups.
Groups determined, too late, that they allocated more personnel than they needed at first for their supply movement. In other words, if people were waiting for any length of time to move a supply (e.g., moving the food), they actually could have been more help with another group (e.g., moving the water).
(My Favorite Insight) Some people in all the groups I've been with admitted they avoided the most difficult task (moving the water) because there was more failure involved - working with another person to move the water took more coordination and often resulted in more drops and restarts. This brings up the idea of 'doing the hard work first' so it will be less stressful (in most cases) towards the end of task when the easier things remain.

Let us know how this one works for you and if you change up anything to reach other outcomes. I'll add any new information I discover and let you know when I get that group that can get it done in seven minutes.

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

2 Comments

Onezies to Fivezies (Macro Tenzi) with Video

Materials Move (A Pipeline Variation) a.k.a. Seven Minutes!

Blog Author

Blog Purpose

Categories

Archives