Category: Tools For Team Builders

Tools for Team Builders: Making a Hole Tarp (video)

4/27/2025

I learned the Hole Tarp activity from my friend Tom Heck, probably about 10 years ago. In the last three weeks I saw the Hole Tarp several times during some of my activity hunting boughts (and then realized I never got this one to the FUNdoing Blog). So it's still alive and well. HERE'S a retro video from Tom. In his video you'll see some white tape near each hole. His challenge for the group was to get them to roll the tennis ball across each piece of tape without the ball falling off the tarp.

As you'll see in the video (below), I use lines of different lengths to cross. I have also developed a nice progression with the Hole Tarp (below) to account for the skills and abilities of each group in play. Each Hole Tarp can accommodate 6 to 8 participants. When you have more than 8 people in your group, be sure to have more Hole Tarps on hand. Each group is then free to work their way through the different challenge levels at their own pace. I like to see how many Levels each group can make it through in 15 minutes. (I hope to have a video of some groups in action soon.)

Here is a quick summary of the challenge Levels:

Main Rule: The ball many not be touched while it's on the tarp.
Level 1: Cross as many lines as possible before the ball falls off the tarp. When all five lines are crossed, move to the next Level.
Level 2: Circumnavigate each hole. This means, the ball must travel around each hole crossing the hole's line twice. When all five lines have been crossed, move to the next Level.
Level 3: Circumnavigate each hole ON BOTH SIDES of the tarp. After going around all five holes on side one, get the ball to side two, without touching it, and go around all side two holes.
Level 4: Circumnavigate as many holes as possible. Go around the five holes on side one. Get the ball to side two and go around all five holes. Then, go back to side one and circle the five holes there. Then, back to side two, and so on.

I'll do a full write up of other aspects of the Hole Tarp (like using two tennis balls) once I catch some groups in action. Until then, fill in the blanks as to what makes sense for the challenge Levels.

And, you can reach out to me if you have questions.

Editorial Note: Shooting video by oneself is a bit tricky. Forgive the 'interesting' moments and absorb the intent. Thanks.

Have fun out there!

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

P.S. A big thanks to Training Wheels for letting me film at the warehouse!

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Team Tower Turning (with Videos)

3/26/2023

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(About a 10 minute read.)

A friend and fellow team builder, Linda Williams, recently showed me her version of Team Waterwheel (from the book, Cup It Up: Team Building with Cups which Linda edited). She adapted Waterwheel for a training with over 300 people. Her design purpose was to work on the concepts of 'planning' and 'task implementation' with participants from a world-wide organization. I've used it now over a dozen times and I really like the versatility and outcomes.

Linda provides a set of directions (PDF download below) for each Tower Turning team that includes general info and some goal setting (Tower Height Goal and a Building Quality goal - which is the number of 'collapses' the team will allow themselves along the way), and Team Tower Build Operational Procedures. There is also a Team Tower Turning Reflection Questions handout for you - a variety of questions to choose from to bring out the learnings from the experience (these Reflection Questions could also be given to each group to work through on their own during the designated reflection time).

Team Tower Turning Participant-Directed Handout

teamtowerturning_2023.pdf
File Size:	81 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

Large Group Facilitation: When Linda worked with the group of 300, the participants were seating at round tables. All the building supplies and instructional handouts were preset at each table. During her introduction to the activity she used slides to emphasize the main points (some of her slides at the right) - one of the slides had an embedded video of the 'turning' process. My largest 'turning' group so far has been 72. I didn't use technology, just verbalized the instructions and showed them an example of how to start and how the turn is done.

Here are the basics of the activity to supplement the handout:

Needs & Numbers: You'll need 12 plastic cups and 15 - 4 by 6 inch index cards for each group of four to six participants.

Time: This one can take up to 40 minutes depending on the amount of time available for the reflection phase. Breakdown: 5 min. to introduce, 10 min. of 'required' planning time to read through the 'Operational Procedures' and set Goals, 12 min. of building time, and at least 10 (to 20) min. of reflection time.

Note to Facilitator: It is important to include enough time to debrief the activity with your participants. See the sample Reflection Questions in the handout to consider including in your after-activity discussion. Feel free to modify or add questions that will best suit your participants and the desired outcomes of your session.

Group Reflection: Read through the Reflection Questions in the handout to see the learning possibilities in the activity.

Why I Like Tower Turning:

Easy to find and use props (and there is so much more you can do with CUPS!)
Self-Directed instructions provide more decision-making and problem-solving for a group.
There is a clear picture of success and failure - when the tower falls, the group has the opportunity to identify and then solve the falling problems.
It can be scaled to almost any size group (if you have the cups and a way to project your voice).
When I want to go deeper, I have groups take about 5 to 10 minutes to identify the attributes of a good working team and write these findings on the index cards (you'll need some markers). And then we can use this attribute 'data' to consolidate a take-away list of behaviors the whole group wants to focus on after their team building program.

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

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

P.S. Tools for Team Builders Bonus Video: Tube Turning

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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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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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Tools for Team Builders: Game Spots

12/13/2018

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The start of something new!
Tools for Team Builders.
Welcome to the first episode - Game Spots.

Hello Team Builders, I'm getting starting with my "instructional" filming (working on my first online course right now as well) - there is a fun and interesting learning curve to be sure. I look forward to your feedback - any and all, I can take it - as I move through this adventure. Leave a Comment below or fill out and send the form in the Contact tab at the top of the page.

In this first episode, I share my ideas (and preferences at this time) on game spots. Heads Up! This instructional format is a bit longer than my activity videos (at this point). Below you'll find Blog Notes for the video and four links to posts I've made in the past that include game spots.

Blog Notes

Poly Spots: Flaghouse has a nice selection.
HERE are the 9-inch Spot Markers in a variety of colors.
HERE are the poly spots with numbers on them (I've used these a lot - I highly recommend them. Downside: If one goes missing you cannot order a single replacement.)
HERE is a set with a variety of shapes and round spots.
(Note: Once you know the kind of spot you're looking for, there might be better prices at alternative sites.)

Livestock Tags (numbered spots):
HERE is a link to Premier 1 Supplies. Lots of choices and sizes. You choose how many numbers you want. You could even put the name of your program on them (if it's a short name).

Shelf & Drawer Liner: (non-skid spots, great on hard surfaces and washable if you use them outside)
HERE is the Bed, Bath & Beyond link to the brown Con-Tact shelf liner (I didn't see the white or blue??). Free shipping for orders over $39 at the time of this post. And, if you happened to be a BB&B member, the rolls are cheaper! (Of course, if there's a store near you....)

Rope Lengths: (I usually use P-Cord from my rope lengths, but other nylon types of rope work too. Be sure to safely burn the end so they don't unravel.)
HERE is the link to West Coast Paracord - my go to place for easy shopping. And, I buy enough for free shipping. I cut my rope at 4-foot lengths. Others have told me they like 5-foot lengths.

Questions: If you have questions about any of the game spots talked about in the video, leave a Comment below or fill out the form under the Contact tab at the top of this page.

Activities Using Game Spots Found on FUNdoing Blog Posts

Crazy Eights Players move around spots in a figure eight pattern. Groups of any size.

Card Quad Jam (with Video) While standing on a pattern of spots, move playing cards to their correct place in line. Up to 52 players.

Double Group Juggle Two tossable objects in play with lots of moving from spot-to-spot. Groups of at least 10 and up to 18 players. Multiple groups can be in play at once.

Switching Places Spots are all you need (or use the playing card version). Players switch around based on a categorical topics. Any size group can play.

Have FUN out there my friends!

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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Tools for Team Builders: Making a Hole Tarp (video)

Team Tower Turning (with Videos)

Tools for Team Builders: Card Groupings (video)

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

Tools for Team Builders: Game Spots

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