Category: No Props

Grouplets RPS

11/14/2025

Quick NOTE from Chris: This is a very parenthetical post – bear with me!

For years I’ve been interested in the idea of, “knowing what games you’re in,” “knowing what games you want to play,” and “understanding the rules” of the games and deciding how you want to play. This metaphorical idea comes from thought leaders like Simon Sinek, Seth Godin, and James P. Carse, who noted, “A finite game is played for the purpose of winning, an infinite game for the purpose of continuing to play.” (This quote is spot on to a possible outcome of Grouplets RPS.)

One of my favorite activities to explore the behaviors related to the question, “How did you play the game?” is Ubuntu (or Spot It) Steal. Participants learn the rules, play the game, and explore the question. We reflect on the behaviors experienced and observed, and dive into why particular choices were made. In short, the purpose is to share preferences and some reasoning behind them. (Do we keep our preferences right where they are, or maybe think about trying on something different? Kolb, ‘Abstract Conceptualisation’.)

Recently, I formulated an idea (meaning, the idea emerged in my brain and I thought about it until it took hold of my curiosity and then I played it out in my head until some structure occurred). Now I can use some help exploring (playing) the idea (game).

It’s a version of Rock, Paper, Scissors with a group of 20 to 40 people. (So far my thinking tells me we won’t get the dynamics with less people and the reflection might get watered down with more than 40. Exploration might prove otherwise.)

You can certainly play this without props (participants track points on their brain score card), but I’m thinking a score card or tokens (e.g., plastic chips, pennies, or beads) - you’ll need a lot of tokens, but I think the ‘reward’ aspect will be significant for some, even if it’s marking a score card. (With a score card you don’t need a pen. If everyone is given an index card, they will make a small tear in the card - along one side of the card - to indicate a win. Write on the card during quiet self-reflection after the game(s) and then share thoughts with the group. Option: Make 'tick' marks on a white board to keep score.

RPS Groups: Let’s Play

First we need to explore prior knowledge - does everyone know how to play RPS. (It amazes me to this day how many people know how to play RPS. I just wonder why?) Training and practice is needed if there are some people who’ve never played. Then, whether or not training occurred, play a few RPS rounds with everyone as a good warm up. The idea is to get everyone ‘on the same page’ (know the rules of the game) about the RPS expectations. Then, before the official experience, how will we know (confirm) everyone is on the same page? For example, do a few RPS calls simultaneously with everyone as you watch (check) for understanding.

NOTE: The Rock, the Paper, and the Scissors are the only signs allowed in this game. (You may or may not add this information into the instructions. In either case, there will be some things to talk about.)

We’ve confirmed. We’re confident everyone knows. (Can we ever be sure?) Let’s play the game (anyway).

When a player is ready to ‘face off’ with a partner (or a grouplet, more on this in a moment), they raise up a hand. This is an invitation to play.

Two things can happen when single players face off:

When player wins they get a point - they collect a token or mark their score card. No consequence for the losing player, other than ‘losing’ which could lead to something. (Thinking: The losing player would have to give back a token - what dynamic would this create?)
When a pair of single players ‘tie’ - they show the same sign - they form a ‘grouplet’. They are now a team and stay together.

As grouplets begin to form, two types of ‘players’ emerge - the single player and the grouplet player - gouplets are considered a single organism. A single player can play against another single player or a grouplet (everyone in the grouplet is holding up a hand to invite another ‘player’ to play) and visa versa. In other words, a grouplet can accept a challenge from a single player or another grouplet.

IMPORTANT: Before a grouplet invites or accepts an invitation to play, the people in the grouplet get together and agree on the sign they will use for their next game - everyone in the grouplet must show the same sign (think Giants, Wizards & Elves).

Four things can happen when a grouplet is in play:

When a grouplet plays a single player and wins, nothing happens. Both the grouplet and the single player go off to play another game. (Each person in the grouplet gets a point.)
When a grouplet plays a single player or another grouplet and ties – both showing the same sign – they merge, becoming a new grouplet. (No points awarded.)
When a grouplet plays a single player or another grouplet and loses, that grouplet is dissolved – all the players from the losing grouplet become single players again. (Each 'winner' gets a point.)
If someone in a grouplet shows a different sign then the rest of the grouplet, that grouplet is dissolved – nothing happens to the single player or grouplet they are playing. (No points awarded.)

These are the basics we have (right now).

“How Does It End?”

A Grouplet RPS game is played for 8.5 minutes, or when there are no more invitations to play.

(I’m envisioning grouplets, in some cases, will continue to play until they all end up on the same team. In other cases, individuals or grouplets will stop inviting people to play – hold a hand up – because they don’t want to lose or break up a group. Another case might be that two or three grouplets form and then stop inviting games so they no longer stress about losing – breaking up. It might be an all-group consensus to stop the game, feeling satisfied with their current status.)

I will program time for two games of Grouplet RPS. I want to explore how the second games is played after processing the first game. Will participants play the game differently after some insight?

Possible Reflection Questions:

What was your original mindset going into the game – in other words, what was your self-talk, the conversation you were having with yourself when starting? Did this mindset change over time? Why? Or why not?
What was your mindset going into the second game? Why did you choose this mindset to play?
Think about the behaviors that surfaced for you – the things you did and said – as you chose the way to play the game? Share one of these behaviors that stand out to you?
What behaviors did you notice about others in the game? Which ones did you like? Which ones did you dislike? How did these behaviors influence the way you played your game?
How did collecting points influence the way you played the game?
After you ‘tied’ with a single person or a grouplet what feelings or ‘self-talk’ surfaced in your head? For example, did you feel excited to join the person or group, or were you bummed you lost – didn’t get a point?
After you beat a person or group what feelings or ‘self-talk’ surfaced in your head?
Did any of you add another sign to the game? What was your reasoning for adding the sign? How did adding a sign change the game for you? For others?
Did anyone think about adding another sign to the game? Why did you choose not to?
Was it against the ‘rules’ to add another sign? What are your thoughts about this related to everyday life? How do we add rules in life? How do we change rules in life? How do we question rules in life? What stops us from doing these things?
Did anyone ask the person or grouplet you were about to play what sign they were going to show? Why did you ask? Why didn’t you ask? Was it against the rules to ask?
Let’s summarise together the different ways we played the game – what are the possible ways to play? How does this concept – ways of playing – relate to our everyday lives?
Did anyone choose NOT to invite anyone to play? What was your reasoning for playing the game in this way?
How do we learn about the rules of the ‘games’ we want to play in life?
What are some of the ‘games’ we are playing right now in our lives? (Using a positive lens.) What are some important reasons for understanding how someone is ‘playing a game’?

What do you think will stick with you the longest after playing this game?

This could be something?! Let us know what you find out. Leave a Comment below.

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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Choice Line Up

10/23/2025

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On a regular basis I find myself exploring the activities I know for different ways to use them. Particularly in ways that help my group members interact with each other a little more. One of the most common questions I ask myself is, “How can I add another ‘problem’ to the experience.” Problems invite interaction.

A recent exploration involved ‘Line Ups’ – the no prop activity where a group is given some parameter, followed by everyone finding their place. For example, “Line up in alphabetical order by your first name.” Or “Line up in birthday order my month and day, not the year.” Raise your hand if like to program Line Ups.

For years I’ve been providing the parameters for Line Ups. And each time I use the activity I challenged myself to bring in one or two parameters I hadn’t used before. When Ryan Eller shared ‘100 Ways to Line Up a Group’ I was all over it. Here are some of my favorites from Ryan:

Straightest to Curliest Hair
Who lives the furthest to the closest distance from where you’re standing.
Average time to get ready in the morning – least to most.
The furthest travelled away from home.
Number of times you’ve moved to a new house or apartment.
Number of first cousins.

Beyond the Basic Line Ups

Extension 1:
Years ago, my first extension of Line Ups was to include some time for a short conversation related to the parameter. For example, “Get together with one or two people near you and share the story of your name.” Or “Get together with one or two people around you and share your experience of a favorite birthday.”

Thought Experiment: What would be a question to discuss related to each of the parameters I picked up from Ryan? (It’s common to invite people to share a ‘scar’ story. What about a ‘hair’ story?)

Extension 2:
My latest change to Line Ups involves adding an additional problem to the process - choosing the Line Up. Instead of me providing the parameters, I ask the group to provide them. Specifically, I challenge them to come up with 10 different line ups to accomplish. (Why 10? The first few line ups will be the ‘easy’ ones. Then the group is going to have to work a little harder – take the time it takes – to come up with ones that everyone can be, or wants to be, part of.)

I frontload the challenge with a consideration: “As you discuss line up ideas, consider if the parameter you suggest include everyone in the group. For example, if you want the group to line up numerically by the sum of their cell phone number, does everyone in the group have a cell number? How do you know? How will you know?”

What I want to do, purposefully, is to get participants to think a little more about what they want to ask the group to do. How will they inquire? Who will lead the ‘thinking’ process? Will participants ‘share’ the space for suggestions? How will the group decide on a line up? Will they ‘check in’ with everyone? Will everyone be comfortable with the line up? Will people speak up about their level of comfort?

Yes, Line Ups, of course, can just be a fun way to get participants to interact, talk with each other, and ‘connect’. And, when you want to/can, dive in a little deeper, extend the process. Get them into some conversations to build more understanding, more awareness of each other.

My favorite processing question after this one:
What is something you found out during this activity that you didn’t know before?

How have you extended Line Ups? Leave us a Comment below!

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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Count to 50

7/24/2025

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My friends Swati and Agyat (doing some amazing work around the world, in part with Play for Peace), answered my call to share some of their favorite activities used with groups with a wide range of cultural diversity.

I love all the one's they shared. (I posted the Aga Zumba Zumba action song a while back. Agyat is the one with the name tag.) Count to 50 stood out to me as a good progression to an activity I played as a participant many years ago.

I don't recall the name or a source, but it involved math. Some of us are good at math, others, not so much. I'm in the later camp (but I'm getting better). We circled up (maybe 20 or so people). Our goal was to get to a certain number, I can't remember the goal (buried trauma?). The challenge was to count sequentially, from number 1, up to the goal. If your number was a 3 or a 7, or a 'multiple' of 3 or 7, you had to clap. (I don't recall if we had another action like 'comb your hair back' in Count to 50.) That's it! If a mistake was made, the group started over. I still can feel the panic of multiples! (And, I'll assume, that was the point. And how did I manage my panic? I think I missed the lesson!)

Needless to say, I didn't program this one AT ALL during my career. (Now I know better – I could have hooked the 'math-smart' people.) With Count to 50 I'm motivated to add it to my programming choices preceding the original version I learned years ago – a progression to the challenging multiples.

I also like the group culture development of the way Swati and Agyat use it. When a mistake is made everyone recognizes it as an "OOps" with action (see below), and then they move on for another try. They are in the challenge together, supporting each other, making room for mistakes as learning opportunities.

Here it is...

Count to 50

Objectives:
Empathy-Building, Self-Awareness, Group Support, Failing Forward

Needs & Numbers:

No props are needed. Works well with 10 to 16 participants. (When you have more than 16, divide the group into smaller groups of at least 10 people.) Multiple groups can play at the same time.

Process:

The group stands in a circle.
The challenge is to count from one to fifty in sequence with participants taking turns calling out one number at a time - the one next in the sequence.
Any participant who gets any number that has the digit ‘4’ (4, 14, 24, 34...) in it has to clap instead of calling out that number.
Any participant who gets any number that has the digit ‘7’ (7, 17, 27, 37...) in it has to comb through their hair using one hand instead of calling out that number.

Rule:

If anyone gets confused, makes a mistake, the whole group CELEBRATES by saying 'Dhat Teri Ki' (OOPS! In Hindi) while touching their forehead with the palm of their hand. [Use whatever “darn, I made a mistake" word and gesture that works for your group. I'm going with "Oopsy Doopsy!" – more syllables work better for me with the palm-to-forehead action.]

The game restarts with the same person from where it stopped with that person saying “one”.

NOTE: If someone knows a source for the 'multiples' version of this activity, please let me know.

An educated guess tells me this version will be a little easier to accomplish – get to 50. What are the skills we need?

Focus
Anticipation
Helpfulness (What will this look and sound like?)
Grace & Support (What does this look and sound like?)
Acceptance

I can see myself using the experience to talk about some of the behaviors of a successful group, discussing what mistakes are for and supporting each other through challenging, even risky, tasks. (What risks are involved in Count to 50?)

After a success (to 50!), I'll move on to other activities before trying Count to 50 again. What will the group remember about their success? What behaviors do they need? Were they just 'lucky' the last time, or did they learn what it takes to repeat their success?

If I assess that my group is ready, I'll add a 'change'. Same goal, a different approach. What will the group need to manage the activity with multiples – multiples of 4, a clap, multiples of 7, comb the hair back. I anticipate that 'helping' will become important. What norms will be developed for the use of helping behaviors?

Add Another Level of Challenge Get to 50 in 60 seconds or less. Now we have a progression, three levels of challenge to work with, adjusting to the skills and abilities of our groups.

Thought Experiment: What are some benefits to returning to a 'process improvement' activity that was done earlier in a program? (We tend to stay with the same process improvement activity for two or three attempts in a row. What if we spread these attempts out over time. What might we find?)

Have fun out there, and keep me posted!

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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Quick Line Up Name Game

6/27/2025

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I’ve been playing the traditional Quick Line Up for a long time. The earliest publication I found this one in is Karl Rohnke’s Bottomless Baggie (1991). As he says, it breaks some ice and provides “a low-risk, low-skill sense of team affiliation.”

Here are the basics. (Refer to the diagram.) There are 24 participants in the example group above. I don’t plan this one for less than 16 people (four per team), no more than 32 (eight per team). The group is creatively divided into four smaller teams. The facilitator, the purple figure in the center of the square, is facing the ‘North’ team after setting the four teams into a square formation. (If the group is not divisible by four, some teams may have one more person than other teams – this is okay for the way I play this cooperative interaction.)

The position of each team in the square is an important part of the activity. The facilitator explains that during play each team will orientate themselves to the facilitator in the same way after the facilitator moves. The group standing in front of the facilitator is the North Team. The group standing behind the facilitator is the South Team. To the left of the facilitator is the West Team, and to the right of the facilitator is the East Team.

The fun begins when the facilitator changes their orientation. Let’s say the facilitator, while standing in the center of the square, simply turns around 180 degrees. The four teams will wait until the facilitator shouts, “Line Up!” After this que, all teams move (safely) to their designated position in relation to the facilitator’s orientation. The North Team moves their line to the front of the facilitator and the South Team moves around behind. The West and East move to the left and right of the facilitator respectively. When the teams reform their lines in the new location team members must line up in the same order as the last line they were in.

After this initial practice run the facilitator checks in to see if everyone understands the process, then moves again. The facilitator does a little jump-spin of 135 degrees and says, “Line Up!” Then, waits for the results. Once everyone is set, the facilitator does another 180 spin and calls, “Line Up!” After the three test runs, the group is ready for the Name Game part of the adventure.

[NOTE: Traditionally, Quick Line Up continues with the facilitator moving outside the square to different places in the activity area to get the teams running around and sorting themselves out. Again, as Karl said, this one’s a nice “low-risk, low-skill sense of team affiliation.” As a name game, we’re going to add a bit more challenge and connection.]

Quick Line Up Name Game Version
For the Name Game (I’m experimenting with), the facilitator explains, there are some roles to fill. (Notice in the graphic above.) Each team has a ‘Lead’ and a “Sweep.” The lead is standing at the right end of their team’s line, the sweep is at the left end – this is in relation to every team facing the facilitator inside of the square.

The facilitator, reorienting inside the square, will practice the ‘name-frenzy’ with the teams a couple times. The facilitator moves, calls “Line Up” and then the teams move. After each team relocates and line up, the Sweeps will move down their lines performing a name-frenzy, moving from person to person, saying each person’s name as they go.

Eventually, the Sweep steps into their line just past the Lead and the Sweep says their own name.

Now, the old Sweep has just positioned themselves as the new Lead and the person at the left end of the line is now the new Sweep (who will do the name-frenzy after the next “Line Up!”) After a couple of reorientations with the facilitator inside the circle, the facilitator ventures outside the circle to other locations in the area.

I’ll play enough rounds so everyone on each team has a turn to do the name-frenzy. The spirit of the game is to move around, help each other get to where they belong, practice names, and have some fun! My body and energy during play is upbeat, encouraging, and constantly in motion. We don’t have to process this one (of course, you can), just enjoy the chaos and interaction.

Let us know how this one works for you! Leave a Comment below.

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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Human Square: Practicing Communication Behaviors

5/9/2025

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I finally programmed time to lead this challenge with a group of 23 adults. It was a group of people who regularly connect so they knew each other’s names and they had established a comfortable level of trust with each other (I asked about this during the needs assessment).

Short Version: (published at FUNdoing, June 2014)
Move everyone together into a close-together clump (graphic on the left). Ask them to put their bumpers up and close their eyes. Challenge them to get into a square without opening their eyes (get to the graphic on their right).

Long Version – Behind the Scenes:
One of the objectives of this group was to explore communication behaviors. They wanted to confirm which behaviors were working for them, which ones they could improve upon, and which ones they were missing. I thought that Human Square would help with detailed communication, purposefully checking in with each other, and the importance of listening.

Midway through the experiences of a three-hour program, I asked everyone to find some personal space, and be close enough to each other so if they reached out, they could touch the people around them on the shoulders (graphic above left). Then we all practiced the art of ‘bumpers up.’ This is where our hands are up in front of us, elbows are slightly bent, and palms are open with our fingers are pointing to the sky and thumbs are touching. This position gives us a little safety cushion when we are walking around in tight spaces with other people (especially when our eyes are closed – after bumpers up practice).

First, we mingled (I was in the crowd modelling some behaviors) with eyes open, around the activity area for about a minute saying hello to each other as we bumped bumpers and shoulders from time to time. I asked everyone to stop, shake out their hands and arms, and then put their bumpers back up. Then, I asked them to close their eyes and mingle around the group again. This time, being more purposeful with their movements and their traveling speed – slow.

During this part of the practice, I had my eyes open watching the group’s behaviors and reactions and turning people back into the group (e.g., calling their name or using my bumpers to turn them) for more practice. After another minute I stopped everyone, had them open their eyes and shake it out. For the most part they ended up staying physically close to each other, so I was ready to introduce them to the Human Square challenge.

The Challenge: Starting from where everyone was standing, I asked them to bring their bumpers back up, thumbs touching……and close their eyes again. Then, I told them the challenge: “Now, I’d like you to move yourselves into a square formation – four straight sides of approximately equal length – without opening your eyes.” I paused for some dramatic effect and to notice (look and listen) for the participant’s reactions.

I then took some time to discuss the ‘moment’ we were in. Here’s the gist of what I said:

“Let’s take a short pause. Please open your eyes and lower your hands – shake them out a bit. Good. Let’s take a team breath. [We learned this at the beginning of the program.] Good. Now, some of you might have moved, figurativley, into a different zone of comfort when you heard what we’re about to attempt. Some of you might be ready to jump right into the challenge. [We learned about the comfort zones earlier as well.] I just wanted to take a moment to reflect. We’ve been working on some communication behaviors. What behaviors have been working for you? [We took time to discuss.] Okay. What communication behaviors haven’t been working for you, ones you’ve been starting to improve? [We took time here.] What communication behaviors do you think you will need for this next challenge? [We took time here.] So, you believe you can remember to use these behaviors to successfully move through the challenge? [Time for responses.] Knowing about the challenge, what other behaviors might you need to implement to support each other during the challenge? [Time for discussion.] Okay. Now that we have reviewed some helpful behaviors, where are you in the comfort zone levels? And if you are in the red zone, what might help you move to yellow? [Discussion here.] [NOTE: We didn’t have anyone identify themselves as being in the red, but we did have several yellows – they shared that the review helped to remind them they ‘had each other’s backs.’ It was inspiring to hear their comments.]

Before setting ourselves to start, I did remind them they had the choice to open their eyes if they needed to. However, if they opened their eyes they were required to stop moving and not speak. If they chose to close their eyes again, they could resume moving and speaking.

Ready! We set the bumpers up, closed eyes, and began. What I remember the most was the first verbal comment: “Does anyone have any ideas about this?” A bit of chaos began the adventure with people talking over each other, but they came up with a norm that helped. Someone stepped in to organize the comments, using names and taking turns. Eventually they formed four groups, each group linked arms into a circle then each opened into a line. Then, the ends of each line were identified and they organized themselves to connect by the ends.

I did step in to verbally share about being careful moving in their lines since some people did not have their bumpers up anymore – however, the ends of the lines did. Once they started, it took about 15 minutes for them to get into the square. (FYI: I was not allowed to share pictures of the process with this particular group. I’ll get some in the future.)

When they believed to be in their square, I asked them to open their eyes. After some celebration and the verbal release of comments and anectotes, we explored the questions we discussed before staring the challenge:

What communication behaviors were helpful?
What communication behaviors did not work?
And what was missing?

We spend the next 20 minutes in a productive review.

The Human Square, I felt, really helped to emphasize communication outcomes for this group. They collected data from their discussion on flip chart paper and planned to use this data as they worked on improving their interactions with each other.

As we all know, each group has a makeup of different participant’s preferences and persepectives. It’s up to us to make our best (educated) guess as to what experiences will help them reach their desired outcomes.

Thought Experiment: What are the factors that might have led this group (above) to a meaningful experience with Human Square?

Please leave your thoughts and ideas in the Comments.

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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The A-Files (Vol. 4)

2/14/2025

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Here's another installment of The A-Files. I run across short activity snippets in my piles and files (both paper and digital) all the time, from conference workshops to ideas generated in that space between asleep and awake. Some fast (short-form) fun that might catch on. Check out the others volumes: Vol.1, Vol.2, Vol.3

What You Say – Courageous or Play It Safe

What You Say is a staple icebreaker in my programming repertoire. It's a tell-things-about-yourself experience with some 'challeges' by choice built in. I often use it to frontload a program to talk about the adventures ahead, the opportunities everyone has to choose their level of challenge along the way, and the chance to explore ones comfort zones in a supportive environment. My friend Jon shared another challenge he includes with this one. (Jon told me he calls this Brave or Play it Safe. I use 'courageous' in order to weave in some of the work from Brene' Brown. See below.)

Using a deck of standard playing cards, take out the face cards and then scatter out the Aces through 10s on top of a table or on the floor, rank side up (making a pool of cards). Before getting into the instructions of the activity, frontload the experience with a discussion about the concepts of courage and playing it safe. (Brene' Brown talks about 'ordinary courage' – the fact that most people make courageous (i.e., brave) decisions every day. Being courageous is not always about epic deeds. Just getting up each morning and facing the day can be a courageous act.) Then, provide the instructions and share this final directive with everyone before they choose a card: "Before you choose a card, I'd like you to make a choice. For this first round, will you choose to play it safe, or be courageous? If your choice to play it safe, and remember this is your truth, your choice, choose a lower number. If you want to step out of your comfort zone a bit, be courageous, choose a higher number. Once you've picked up a card, pair up with someone in the group to share the information about yourself. If there is still some time left after sharing, ask each other questions about what you heard your parter tell you."

After the first round (e.g., 3 to 4 minutes), discuss with your group some of the reasons people chose the card/number they did. Be mindful about lining up this discussion with the program objectives of the group. After the discussion, collect all the cards, return them to the pool, mix them around, and then ask everyone to choose another card – playing it safe or being courageous. Play out a second round and then discuss the choices they made this time, and why?

Note: I've used this version of What You Say a few times now. However, I've placed it in the middle of my program sequence, reasoning that participants should have some time interacting experientially with each other before they are given a choice between being courageous and playing it safe. Using this one too early could force them to choose a higher number than they really want in order to 'save face' and not look 'weak' or 'chicken.' Build up some psychological safety and group support behaviors before this didactic choice and make the conversations meaningful.

Rope Challenge

I love to find (and develop) team building activities using webbing or rope. I found this energizer (my distinction) at the Develop Good Habits website (not a fan of all the adds, but I do run into content I like at this site from time-to-time).

Needs & Numbers: Use a 15-foot webbing (Raccoon) circle with groups of 4 or 5 or a 50-foot ropes circle with one group of 10 to 20.

Process:

Make a circle (tie the ends) out of your webbing/rope for each group in play.
Each group lays out their circle on the ground or floor.
Each group stands inside their circle and sets up their webbing/rope so it is taut on the back of their ankles.
The challenge, for each group in play, is to move the webbing/rope up from their ankles to their wrists without touching the webbing/rope with their hands.
When the webbing/rope reaches waist level, everyone in the group must raise their arms/hands up over their heads and keep moving the webbing/rope until it reaches their wrists.

'Hummdinger'

My circle of fun grew recently. My new acquaintance Silvio reached out and shared one of his adventures with me – the "Activities and Games by Silvio" YouTube channel. He's just getting started – you know I Subscribed. In his current batch of videos I found 'Hummdinger.' Love it! A nice interactive group clustering activity requiring audio communication – Humming. Do check out Silvio's video and explanation (link above).

Quick Synopsis: Provide and practice, by humming, four well-known songs like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star; Row, Row, Row Your Boat; The Alphabet Song – "A, B, C, D, E, F, G....; Queen Songs, ABBA Songs, or Songs from musicals – anything popular with your group. Have some fun practicing the songs so everyone is humming loudly in preparation. Then, ask everyone to quietly choose one of the songs – don't tell anyone. When ready, ask everyone to start humming their chosen song, mingle around the group and find others in the group humming the same song. Same songs stay together, humming and gathering up others humming their tune. When everyone is in a group, go around and let each group hum a few lines of their song to identify themselves to everyone – nice and loud.

One Breath Feedback

I'm often asked about how to prevent (or limit) over-sharing (i.e., talking to much), especially during a reflection session when time is limited. Here is a crafty way to set a boundary on talking (click on title above for full details). I found this idea at the SessionLab Post 1/21/25 (This particular activity is way down in the 'Check Out and Recap' section of the page – I thought you might like to see the entire post. LOTS of activity ideas.)

Quick Synopsis: After sitting down for a reflection session, ask your group a question that will highlight some learning from the last activity. Tell everyone to quietly THINK about the question, then SHRINK down their thoughts into the important points, and then (breath deeply and) SHARE their highlights with the group using only one exhaled breath. After everyone has had the opportunity to share, ask another question participants can respond to in one exhaled breath of time.

Thank you for the work you do. Be courageous out there!

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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The Best of 2024

12/27/2024

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It's time for a little recap of the FUNdoing Blog posts that have garnered the most views in 2024. Historically I've shared the top 3 – this years it's 4 (I couldn't leave out Aga Zumba!)

Memory 30 – I've used this one myself a lot this past year. Here's why. It's a great problem-solving activity for groups of 6 to 8 people. So far I've worked with one to eight groups in play at the same time without any issues. It's a great tabletop activity for groups inside and great for a sit-on-the-ground activity outside. Gear is simple – each group needs numbered spots, 1 to 30. And you can make the numbered spots yourself with colorful index cards. Finally, it plays well with older elementary ages (with 20 numbers) on up to adults (all 30 numbers).

Claps Challenge – I learned this one early in the year at the ACCT Conference. Loved It!! It was presented as a closing activity – a way to bring the group together, ending on an active success. Since I added this one to my programming, I've also used it as a small group (8- to 12-person) challenge, with six groups active at the same time. It's a nice way to get participants solving problems together, it gets them talking to each other, and they can start building success with challenging tasks. I've done it with a group of 52 adults in one big circle and one group of 22 sixth graders sitting in a circle. It's motivating, fun, and challenging.

Fantastic Stories & Connections – This is a very interactive and fun get-to-know-you print-n-play that was shared with me by a FUN Follower. I worked up a nice modern version of the original to encourage interactive conversations and connections. It's a version of the historic 'Human Bingo' – however, in this version, even though one could play to get one or more five-in-a-rows (at which point you are required to yell, "Fantastic"), it's more about participating in short meaningful conversations to get to know each other. You can play for 10 to 20 minutes with middle school ages and older.

Aga Zumba Zumba - Action Song – Since I learned this one in India from my friend Agyat (in October), I haven't had a chance to use it yet – but it got a lot a views (I think the 'video' caught attention). I love action songs. They move most people out of their comfort zones but in the end everyone realizes they were in it together, and it was actually okay. Really, most people end up having fun. I like using action songs in the beginning of a program to learn something new and take a little risk. Then, I like to end a program with "one more" round to get loud and active, bringing up the energy for a final celebration.

See you next year!

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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Aga Zumba Zumba - Action Song (Video)

10/24/2024

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I'm back after an amazing journey in India. There is so much to 'unpack' (figuratively and literally). I thought this video would be a fun way to start sharing some of my learnings.

My friend Agyat (salmon-colored shirt on the right) led an early-morning 'Play for Peace' session at the 2024 AEE Asia Pacific Regional Conference in Pune India. (Learn more about the amazing work of Play for Peace – "From conflict to compassion." – HERE and more about AEE Conferences HERE.)

When I use them, I include Action Songs at the beginning of a program as a way to frontload some of the experiences ahead. Here are some examples:

In most cases, the Song will be a 'first-time' experience for everyone. They will be learning something new together.
Mistakes will be made along the way. Then there will be an opportunity to practice to get better if we are motivated to do so.
There is some safe social risk-taking, but most people are more focused on their own actions instead of noticing others.
Not everyone will be good at everything right away, more work will need to be done.
Spontaneous laughter and celebration occur even during something challenging.
(And, I can program Songs for small and larger groups.)

After a Song, we'll briefly explore some of the concepts (practice) and behaviors (laughter) they experienced during the Song. It's a simple thought-provoking exercise to prepare them for what's ahead.

Please let us know if you have a visual source for other Action Songs so we can build our collection together. Leave a trail for us in the Comment. Thank you!!

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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Claps Challenge (from Robb)

3/15/2024

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I played and learned about this group 'challenge' from my friend Robb at the 2024 ACCT Conference (I'll confirm the origin and edit as soon as I can). Robb called it the 'Clap Game' – I hope he doesn't mind the name change. I really wanted to get some video of this one in action before I posted, but no luck (I'll film and add it here as soon as I can). I just didn't want to wait any longer to share. So, I'll do my best to describe it.

NOTE: It's such a joy to experience programming tools that are new to me. I send a big thanks to the teambuilding collective out there innovating and sharing the newness!! Really. THANK YOU!

Okay. Play this in your head as you read. If it doesn't make sense, reach out to me for clarification. I promise it's worth the cognitive juices to translate into action.

So far my two experiences with this one have been with about 40+ players (ACCT) and about 30 players (UnConferene). During both, we were in one big circle, but I think it could be done with multiple concentric circles (circles inside of circles). I also think the challenges can be done in smaller pods of two to six – being a nice way to scaffold learning.

Claps Challenge
You are going to circle up your participants and ask them to be about elbows width apart. There are three challenge levels to the activity. Before each one, explain and demonstrate the challenge while participants have their arms down and relaxed. If you get them into the 'hands ready' position too soon, you may lose their attention. (And, the arms tire out and cause even more distraction.)

Challenge 1: Clap, Clap
Stand where everyone can see you. For example, in the middle of the circle if you are not planning on participating with the group (so you can observe behaviors). Or be a part of the circle standing in between two other people.

Place your hands in the 'hands ready' position. Your right hand will be open in front of you and slightly off to the right with your palm facing down. Your left hand will be open in front of you slightly off to the left with your palm up (see the picture above - specifically, the person in the middle). Again, you are doing this by yourself to demonstrate the action. NOTE: My thinking here is not to give away any sort of collaborative process by demonstrating with help. Do what works for you, of course.

Now, to demonstrate I'll say,

"The first challenge is to work together as a group and perform two simultaneous claps like this, CLAP, CLAP with the person on your right and left." [I move my right hand down and up twice and my left hand up and down twice on CLAP, CLAP so everyone can see the motions.] "The idea is to perform two distinct claps together, at the same time – as clear and crisp as possible. You can make as many attempts as you would like to reach your best result. When everyone in the group agrees to the best result, I will provide you with the second challenge."

At this point, the group is tasked to work together to accomplish the task. During my two experiences, we each started out working with the people to our left and right to discover how to clap together. Then, someone would eventually speak up, taking on some leadership, to figure out how we could all follow the same process. Then there were attempts, problem-solving, and eventually success – agreement on our best result. It was fun to watch.

NOTE: I'm thinking, that even if there are multiple groups in play, everyone attempts (performs) each challenge together. CLAP, CLAP.

That's the general idea of the process. Plan together. Practice. Perform to the best result.

Here are the other two challenges (each can be demonstrated without help):

Challenge 2: Clap, Clap, Flip, Clap, Clap.
On the 'Flip' everyone turns their hand 180 degrees – right palm faces up, left palm faces down, then Clap, Clap. With this challenge and the next, a rhythmic cadence is not required, like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and done – but we don't tell them this. The requirement is to do all the parts with synchronous claps and everyone agrees on the best result.

Side Bar: During my second experience (I was facilitating), someone did ask me what I thought about their attempt. Of course, I did a little 'facilitated questioning' which ended up with everyone interested in my opinion – fair real-world inquiry. So, I agreed to give them a grade (it was a B+) and the reason why (some claps were not performed at the same time as the majority of claps). The group decided to go for an 'A' grade, which took a few more attempts.

Challenge 3: Clap, Clap, Flip, Clap, Clap, Clap, Flip, Clap, Clap.
On the second Flip, hands go back to the starting position for the final Clap, Clap. During both of my experiences, the first two challenges had a similar pattern-based solution on the two claps. This third challenge made us change our strategy/pattern a bit to accommodate the three claps. Again, this was really fun to watch and experience together with the groups.

Additional Information:

The first group of 40+ I participated with were adults, most of whom had many years of experience leading/facilitating groups through teambuilding activities. Getting through the three challenges, with about a 'B' average, took us about 12 minutes.
The second group of about 30 included high school students and adults, but all of us had experience facilitating teambuilding programs. We played for about 10 minutes with a 'B' average on the first two challenges and only tried the third challenge a couple of times due to our time constraint – I wanted to at least show the group the last challenge.
So, keep in mind, that this three-challenge experience could take a while if a group is set on reaching 'A-level' status. If you plan this as a closing activity, allow enough time to end on some level of success.

I hope this makes enough sense for you to try it. I'll get a video here as soon as possible. (And if you could send me a video!? That would be amazing.)

Have fun out there!

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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Twizzling Again (A Warm Up & Energizer)

9/29/2023

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(Note: All my books are boxed up right now, so my references are limited. I’ll be back to edit connections as soon as I can. Thanks to Michelle Cummings for letting me borrow her copy of Rohnke’s Quicksilver.)

A few summers back, before a long Spring Training (ropes) schedule, I picked up a copy of Tinker: Building Purposeful Experiences from Classic Adventure Activities from some of the amazing people at High 5. That Spring I ended up working/playing through most of the activities in the book with my trainees – SO FUN! (Thanks ‘amazing people’!)

One of those activities is forever etched in my mind because I learned it from Chris Ortiz (a High 5er some days back), it’s easy to remember (catchy name), and I can use it as a fun no-prop opener or program energizer with about 12 to 40 players – Clap, Jump, Spin, Run (I’ve also seen it as Jump, Clap, Spin, Run.) NOTE: I like starting with a Clap since it’s a nice auditory way to start the chain reactions. Here’s a quick description from Chris (from his 2015 handout 2015):

What does this have to do with Twizzling Chris? Well, you know me, I love the history!

Jump back (pun intended) to over 25 years ago, somewhere in Massachusetts at a Project Adventure workshop I learned Twizzle. After my recent re-learning of Clap, Jump, Spin, Run I also started re-using Twizzle. It’s the same general idea, moving around within a circle formation, but in Twizzle everyone is in play at the same time….until they're not!

In the classic pre-21st century adventure game style, a player can be called ‘out’ of Twizzle to become a ‘referee’ Whose job is to oust others who break the freeze rule. (For inclusion purposes, I’ve added a way to get back into 21st Century Twizzling.)

If you have Rohnke and Butler’s book Quicksilver you can find Twizzle on pages 135 and 136. They credit the fun to Tom Fuchs – thanks, Tom!! Here is my abbreviated version of the directions – basically, how I'm Twizzling again:

Circle up (12 to 40) participants – face them clockwise NOT holding hands. (This circle of people will be moving in a clockwise direction from time to time, looking at the back of the person in front of them.)

Teach and practice the following Action Terminology – as participants learn the Actions, mix in the old with the new during practice:

“GO – Walk in the direction you are facing.” [Practice for 20 seconds.]
“STOP – Stop moving and FREEZE.” [Practice] Let players know that ANY movement after the stop and freeze, is NOT freezing.
“TURN – Make a half turn, 180 degrees, and FREEZE.” [Practice] Again, any movement after the freeze is not freezing.
“JUMP – Jump, making a half turn, 180 degrees, and FREEZE.” [Practice]
“TWIZZLE – Jump, making a full turn, 360 degrees, and FREEZE.” [Practice]

After a couple of minutes of practice, all players are deemed official ‘Twizzlers’ and are now ready for Competition Twizzle.

Before the game begins, I ask for volunteers to be the first referees – we need one ref for every four players. For example, if there are 12 players there will be three referees, and 20 players will have five refs. I ask all the volunteer referees to step into the middle of the circle. Their job, as with all referees, is to watch for and call fouls. When they call a foul, they get to return to the circle of Twizzlers and the player who fouled becomes a referee in the center of the circle.

The Objective of the Competitive Twizzle Be a part of the Twizzler circle at the end of a three-minute game.

You, the facilitator, will start the time and then call out the Actions. The referees will watch for the following fouls:

A player does not ‘FREEZE’ after an action is made – other than the ‘GO’ action.
A player un-freezes before the next Action is called.

A player does not stop in the correct position of a turn – 180 degrees and 360 degrees. (This means under- or over-rotating.)

When there is a general understanding of play, I like to start with a one-minute practice round to clear up any unknowns. Then, I start the first official three-minute game and play on. Initially, we get in at least two or three games. Then we can Twizzle as an energizer throughout a program day.

Okay. Now that you know how to play. Let me tell you about some of the discussions I’ve been able to open with Twizzle:

What are your views regarding competition? What are some of the negative aspects of competition? What are some of the positive aspects? How can we be better competitors?
Describe how you played the game. Were you competitive? Were you focused? How much did you care about your performance? Were you respectful – in what ways? How did you view the referees? Were you respectful to them? In what ways?
If you were a referee, how did you do at your job? Did you like the job? Explain. Were you respectful? In what ways? If a referee overlooked a foul and did not call the foul, why do you think this happened? What are some ‘fouls’ you see in your everyday lives? What fouls do you ‘call’ and which ones do you not call? Why does this happen for you? What will it take from us to call the fouls we see? Why will this be important to our future?

The ’foul’ conversations have been the most impactful for my groups. We all know we need to call more fouls, but it’s not an easy task. What we discover is that together we can support each other, call the fouls, and make changes that help our communities and us. Twizzling Again can get us thinking and get us doing!

Keep me posted!

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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Grouplets RPS

Choice Line Up

Count to 50

Quick Line Up Name Game

Human Square: Practicing Communication Behaviors

The A-Files (Vol. 4)

The Best of 2024

Aga Zumba Zumba - Action Song (Video)

Claps Challenge (from Robb)

Twizzling Again (A Warm Up & Energizer)

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