Category: Variations

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

3/10/2022

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.

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Floor Safe (Venn Key Punch Reprise) with Video

2/20/2022

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At the recent Association for Challenge Course Technology conference I attended a fun and informative activity workshop, "A Fresh Perspective on Three Favorites" led by KC Ray (thanks KC, so much fun!!). One of the three favorites was Key Punch (Rohnke, Quicksilver). KC shared the Venn Key Punch setup I learned a while back from a fellow facilitator. (HERE is the original FUNdoing post.)

KC's (purposefully subtle) directions revealed an additional "fresh perspective" involving an added problem-solving opportunity. Here's the take-away I'm calling, the Floor Safe Challenge:

Set Up: The picture above is from the original Venn Key Punch post. Each rope circle (above) includes 30 numbered spots. (If I remember correctly, I think each rope in the picture above was 25-feet long. KC indicates the ropes - seen in the video below - are each 30-feet.) I suggest, in this particular write-up, using 24 numbered spots in each rope circle due to the timed challenge. Here are some set up considerations:

There will be numbers 1 through 24 in each rope circle. In the overlapping 'eyeball' section of the two circles, the numbers inside are shared by both circles/groups.
The numbers in the eyeball are not sequential. For example, if I use four numbers, I'll put down a 3, 9, 15 & 21. Avoid putting the number 1 in the eyeball. The more numbers in the eyeball, the more coordination between the two groups in play.
The size/diameter of each rope circle in play will determine the level of challenge (based on this write-up). The smaller the rope circles, the easier the challenge. NOTE: In the video below, the groups are able to reach all the numbers (if they wanted to), by leaning into each circles and touching the numbers. If the circles are bigger participants may need to step into them to get to the numbers. Hence, taking more time to complete the task/challenge.

The Story (if you want one): In front of you, and the rest of your salvage team, is a giant floor safe filled with unimaginable riches. An identical safe was discovered recently half way around the world by your main competitor. They figured out the steps to unlock the safe. One of their team members, disappointed in the cut s/he was going to get, contacted you and offered your team the instructions for double what s/he was going to get. Shortly after you agreed to the terms and encrypted email was sent to you with the instructions to open the safe. [This is where you give the group the Floor Safe Instructions sheet - PDF Download below.]

You also just found out that your main competitor knows you discovered this identical floor safe. Some of their team are on their way to crack the safe - which means you will only get half of the riches inside since you discovered the safe. Your competitor will get the other half for opening it. They will be arriving to this site in 30 minutes. Will you get all the riches of just half?

Floor Safe Instructions (This is the information included in the PDF Download (below) that you will hand to the group(s) - handing out multiple copies of the instructions will make the challenge a bit easier.)

You have 30 seconds for each attempt at opening the safe. If you fail to open the safe in 30 seconds you will need to wait 60 seconds before the next attempt - the safe seems to be resetting itself.
The two woven ropes around the numbered keys and the numbered keys themselves may not be moved - the safe locks itself down when the ropes or numbers are moved.
All the numbered keys inside both keypads must be touched in sequential order starting with the number ones.
Numbered keys must be touched by hand or foot (it doesn't seem to matter) and each numbered key may only be touched once.
The two numbered keypads appear to be weight sensitive. Only one person can touch the surface inside each keypad at a time. In other words, it's okay for two people to be touching inside the keypads - one person in each pad.

floorsafeinstructions_vennkeypunch.pdf
File Size:	59 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

Facilitation Notes:

Your role during the challenge is to let the group know whether they opened the safe, or not, in 30 seconds. This is all you can say: "Yes, you did it!" Or, "No, the safe is still locked."
So, this means you are watching for "Instruction" violations. You do not share your violation findings with the group. You wait for the group to finish or until 30 seconds have passed. Then, you share one of the two responses above.
Some of the basic Instructions are easy for the group to catch (or see), like more than one person touching inside a key pad, or the ropes or number keys being moved. The tricky bit involves the number keys inside the 'eye' (overlapping rope sections) which is the "fresh perspective" I picked up from KC. There is an Instruction that states, "...each number key may only be touched once." More often than not, (I'm going to presume) the groups working each keypad will each touch the numbers inside the eye - violating the "once" rule.
When you respond to the group, "No, the safe is still locked," there is nothing more you can say. The group is left to figure out what they (think they) did wrong and fix their plan during the 60 seconds they have to wait before the next safe cracking attempt. (You can be the one to time the 60 seconds.)

Processing Thoughts:

Lots of planning will go (or should go) into this challenge. How was this planning process for each person? Who was involved? Who was not involved? How did this 'sit' with everyone?
What roles and responsibilities were taken on, or given, to participants during the different attempts? What influenced any changes in roles and responsibilities during the challenge?
At any point during the challenge were you 'stuck?' What did being stuck look and sound like to you? If you were able to get un-stuck, what did this take?
What emotions surfaced for you during the challenge? How did you manage these emotions? How did the emotions influence the challenge?
What information do you want to remember from this challenge?

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

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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Image Changing (with ZOOM or Image Cards)

1/27/2022

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I tried this communication activity for the first time using the ZOOM Book pages (I do love ZOOM Book variations: ZOOM: On the Spot, ReZOOM the Order). NOTE: We're not talking ZOOM virtual meeting software. (Don't know about the ZOOM book team builder - GO HERE for the basics.)

This one can also be done (I'm imagining - since I haven't tried it yet) with any deck of image cards (e.g., Chiji Cards or Climer Cards). I've included the Frontloading for image cards after the ZOOM Book pages version.

I wanted a fairly quick activity to present to an adult group of 25 that could help me observe their initial behaviors around leadership and how the group communicated with each other - who was doing the talking and who wasn't. Another program objective (from the group) was to address how they handled change. Something the group members would be experience throughout their jobs. The long story short, we tried Image Changing.

Programming Note: Right now, I'm thinking this one, for the complexity desired, will work with 20 to 30 participants (there are 30 good usable pages in the ZOOM Book). I also believe we can go as young as 5th graders - I think they could do it if there are a few leaders in the group.

Directions Using ZOOM Book Pages

Prepare a sequence of ZOOM Book pages equal to the number of people in the group - each person will need a ZOOM Book page.
Shuffle up the pages. TIP: Wait until the last minute with your group to be sure you have the correct number of pages before you shuffle them up.
Deal out one page to each person with the image side down. Ask everyone not to look at the image on the page s/he is holding until instructed to do so.
Tell your group this activity will be played out in a number of different rounds. There will be quiet-shuffling rounds and talk-solving rounds.
The Objective: Solve the challenge within the time limit of a talk-solving round.
Tell the group: "The pages you have in your hands go into a particular sequential order. Your challenge is to put these pages into that order with each person in the group holding on to one page."
During a talk-solving round, participants can only look at the images on the pages of everyone else in the group - they may not look at the image on their own page.
Start out with a quiet-shuffle round. No one is allowed to speak during the quiet-shuffle round.
Ask everyone to move among the group and exchange their image page with five different people - still, no one looking at any of the image sides. After exchanging with five different people a person is required to stop moving.
It is okay to exchange more than five times. However, a person should stop moving after s/he has exchanged five times.
When everyone has stopped moving (they should not be in a circle if they followed the directions), the group will move into a talk-solving round.
When you say, "GO!" (you start your timer), the pages can then be held up so others can see the image sides. (Remember, a person may not look at her/his page image.)
A challenging talk-solving round is 60-seconds long. However, you can go longer (e.g., 90-seconds) if you believe it will benefit the group. (I'm thinking maybe younger groups get a bit more time.)
When the talk-solving round time is up, call, "Pages down." This means participants are required to again hold their pages with the image facing down towards the ground/floor.
At this time, you can call, "Quietly exchange your page with five different people and then stop moving."
When moving stops, you can go right to, "GO!" to start another talk-solving round.
This rotation between quiet-shuffling and talk-solving rounds continues until the challenge is solved.
When someone in the group states something like, "We got it!" during a talk-solving round, stop the time and check their result. If they got it, game over. Process the experience.
If they don't have it, start the time back up and say, "Not yet." Have them continue their work.

Using Image Cards
Preparation: When I end up trying Image Changing with image cards, I will pick out the images that are a bit easier to name versus the more esoteric cards - I think you'll know what I mean when you look at the image cards you have. A logical sequence will be alphabetical by the name of the image - if they choose this sequence. Have enough cards so each person in the group receives one.

Frontload

"The cards in your hands can be arranged in a logical sequential order - there will be a beginning and an end to the order. Your challenge is to find and then circle up in that order during a talk-solving round."

NOTE: This Frontload leaves it open for some creative sequencing. As noted above, alphabetical order is one possible sequence - which might be tricky with all the changing going on. What other possible sequences are there for the group to discover?

All the remaining directions above stay the same (I imagine?!).

What I Like About This One

It is ever-changing. What were the reactions to these changes?
How is time spent? Taking time to help everyone understand what is going on (being on the same page) versus always trying to be 'solving' is a great skill to practice. (Taking a breath.)
Leadership must emerge, as well as followership. Too many leaders might slow success.
Listening is vital to understand ones 'place' in the solution.
Helping and the willingness to accept help is necessary.
Sharing detailed information IS NOT always necessary. It might slow you down when you need to go fast.

Let us know in the Comments how this one goes. Especially if you try the image card version (we need some data).

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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26 Word Builder (In the Dark)

11/19/2021

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Quick Context: Recently I was planning for a team building program where the last half of the experience was going to be after the sun went down - so, in the dark (very little twilight where I work - it gets dark fast). I actually found myself in new territory. How fun! This is where 26 Word Builder showed up. (Spoiler Alert: I didn't get to try it, so we're still in Beta. And this activity involves the 26 letters of American alphabet, so this may limit it's scope around the world. But I assume there can be some adaptation!!)

One of my go-to activities with large letter tiles is Word Builder. Sam Sikes and I shared this one in, "50 More Ways to Use Your Noodle" back in 2002. Before Sam and I had access to Jumbo Bananagrams (currently unavailable - bummer!) and Crowd Words (shown in the picture above) we sliced up noodles into 1.5 inch thick 'chips' and wrote letters on them (see Scrabble to make your set) to play letter-prop team builders. (Those were the days....) Anyway, back to the present...

'Building' in the Dark: Team building 'in the dark' poses some interesting challenges - most notably, the light (or lack of). The first prop chosen was a small camping lantern (low light, USB rechargeable) for each group/table and one for the letter cards table. Word Builder involves placing all of the letter cards (or tiles, about 120) on the ground where participants go out to get them - easy to see and avoid during the day. I thought this would not be ideal running around all over the letters in the dark so I chose to have the cards on a portable table - easy to see and obtain the letter cards. This table would be located in the center of a 50-foot long rope circle (the circumference is 50 feet). About 15 feet from the letter cards rope circle were six picnic tables - one for each group of 2 to 4 participants. Doing the math, 26 Word Builder (in my mind) will work well with 12 to 24 participants. Okay, that's the general set up.

26 Word Builder

Objective:
All groups are challenged to form a word, three or more letters in length, as quickly as possible.

Rules:

Players must remain around the outside table area unless they are going to pick up a letter.
When the timer says "GO!" (could be a player or facilitator) time starts and the game is on...
One person from each table group is allowed to be inside the rope circle at a time. (There will/should never be more than six people inside the rope circle.) The rope may not be reshaped in any way during the activity and the table with the letters on it may not be moved.
All of the letter cards on the table, inside the rope circle, must always be letter-side down.
Once inside the rope circle, each person is allowed to pick up one letter card and bring it back to his/her table. The letter on the card may not be revealed (looked at) until the card is at the group's table.
If the group wants the letter that was brought to their table, it stays there - face up or face down, this is up to the group. Then another person from the group can go into the rope circle to get another letter. Again, the letter may not be revealed until it's back at the group's table.
If a group does not want the letter that was brought back to the table, the next person going to retrieve a letter may bring the unwanted letter back. The unwanted letter must be placed back on the table, letter-side down.
All players are required to take turns going into the rope circle to get a letter. In other words, everyone from a small table group will need to go get a letter before anyone else from their group goes in again to get a letter, and so on...
When every group has spelled out a word of three or more letters, the time stops.
Record (write down) all of the words used during the first round then process the experience to showcase what was learned.

Additional Thinking on 26 Word Builder:

Why six groups? A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y - six groups. American English words require at least one vowel or the letter Y (well, there are some words in English that don't have vowels, but we don't use them much). So, using only the 26 letters of the Alphabet there will need to be a vowel or the Y at each table, then consonants are used with them to form the words (but you knew that!).
Why only the 26 letters of the American Alphabet? I believe, the limited resources will force the small groups to communicate with each other a bit sooner than later. If they (someone) were to make a pre-assessment and count the number of letter tiles available, they could make an educated guess as to what the set contains - the 26 letters of the Alphabet. Then, they would be able to determine what 'six' words would be possible with the limited choices available. Then, each group will be searching for their letters.
Why three letter words or longer? Two-letter words are too easy, three-letter words are possible for every one of the six groups. I don't think four-letter words for all six groups is possible? A combination of three- and four-letter words between the groups is possible. And, if a pre-assessment is not successful and a group uses two (or more) vowels in their word, the overall objective will not be met. (A problem they will all need to sort out if this happens - while the time is still running.)
Helping? This is the major behavior we're after in this one. When a group uncovers a letter they don't need, but someone else might, how do they make this information available to the other groups while following the rules. (Hint: More communication.) And, when a group realizes they do not have the resources they need, how do they make it known to the other groups - how do (will) they ask for help?

Round 2
After the first Round of learning, challenge the group(s) to another Round. However, let them know they will not be able to use any of the words created (the ones you wrote down) from the first Round. Hopefully, with the learning they acquired from Round 1, the second Round will be a lot faster. Process their new experience to pull out the benefits of learning from our past.

Please help me work through this one - Beta is fun! (One thing that comes to mind for me, while in the dark [that could be read at least two ways!], the physical rope on the ground might be a tripping hazard!! How could we designate a boundary area?) Share those ideas in the Comments or send me an email!! I think this one has potential....

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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Collaboration with Picture Word Circle Puzzles (Reprise) Print-N-Play

9/30/2021

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Back in December of 2016 I shared the first set of Picture Word Circle Puzzles (PWCP) and noted that I had yet to try them with a group. (You can find links to more information about Circle Puzzles at the 2016 post.) Fast forward almost 5 years now and I can tell you, this particular set of PWCP is one of my go-tos when I'm working with a group on collaborative behaviors. I've used this one with 8th graders on up.

When I first started using PWCP, I felt the need to show my groups how Word Circle Puzzles (WCP) worked (the first iteration of Circle Puzzles). We would play out one or two WCP as a big group, then I would divide the larger group into smaller groups of three or four participants to solve this picture puzzle. Recently, I've chosen to skip the WCP introduction, adding a little more challenge to the cognitive aspect of the task - struggling a bit with the big 'picture' so to speak.

Set Up and Play
Each group working around a table (or a group of desks) is ideal, but they can all work the cards around on the floor or ground if you don't have the table/desks option.

First you'll need to print out the PWCP (find the PDF download below). Each small group of three or four participants will need a puzzle (this puzzle includes 16 picture cards). NOTE: I laminate my puzzle cards for long term use. The card set also includes eight Help Cards.

Choosing the number of Help Cards to put in play will determine the level of challenge. If you put 12 Help Cards in play the puzzle will be pretty easy to solve - if the group collaborates by sharing information and not 'waisting' the Help. Putting 10 Help Cards in play is a little more challenging, groups have to make more educated guesses (ideally together,) and they can still collaborate without using Help Cards. Putting eight Help Cards in play makes it a pretty difficult challenge, but the puzzle can be solved if all the small groups work together by sharing information and strategically using Help Cards.

An Example of Play: Let's say you have 24 participants. You divide them into six groups of four and direct each group to move into an area away from other groups (separating the groups with some distance - when possible - is purposefully done so it's a bit more challenging to see and share information - look up 'activation energy' for some psychological connection.) You give each group the Picture Word Circle Puzzle saying:

"I'm now going to give each group a puzzle to solve. Each puzzle has a set of pictures. Your objective is to first name each picture using one word. Then, figure out how to connect each word, picture card, with another word, picture card, so that all the picture card words form one circle of connections. For example....." (If needed, you'll want to do a little research on Word Circle Puzzles in order to explain how to describe the process - intro info to Word Circle Puzzles is HERE. BTW: There are TONS of FREE Word Circle Puzzles at the FUNdoing Blog - use the Search feature - put in Word Circle Puzzles - to find them.)

You've decided to use 10 Help Cards - five of each kind (see the header picture above for the two kinds). You distribute two Help Cards to four groups and one Help card to the remaining two groups (the distribution of resources is not always 'fair'). Explain that the groups can use the Help Cards to ask you the question on each card at any time during the challenge.

Be sure to provide time for the groups to ask you confirming and clarifying questions before getting started. Be careful not to solve any problems for them at the onset. You can use my favorite response when appropriate, "I'll leave that up to the group to decide." If they ask the 'Golden Question' right off the bat, they're ahead of the game: "Can the small groups work together on this?" I respond, "That is not against any of the rules."

Be sure to set a time limit for the task to add a little pressure. I believe it can be solved in five minutes or less if all groups work together and share resources. However, I've yet to see this occur. Giving them 20 minutes is a good length of time to pull out a lot of learnings.

A Nudge
Solving this Picture Word Circle Puzzle is very difficult without 'Help' or sharing ideas with other groups. I'm still fascinated by the resistance of the participants to use their resources in order to move ahead. The resistance to working together with others is fairly common in team building activities when there is a perceived notion of competition - we see it all the time.

This leads me to a tool I use as an educator whenever the groups are still struggling after 15 minutes of working on the task and have yet to share ideas with any of the other groups. I take a countdown 'time-break' to get their attention. I ask a few questions about how it's going, what's working, what isn't. Then, I start up the time again and share, "You are all working on the same puzzle." Sometimes this turns on lightbulbs, other times it doesn't.

Processing
As always, be observant of behaviors and make note of the questions related to the groups' behaviors. Here are some that always seem to surface for me:

What were the resources available to you during the task?
How well did you utilize the resources you knew about?
How long did it take you to utilize your resources?
What prevented you from using your resources?
Once you heard you were working on the same puzzle, what, if anything, changed?
What advice do you hear about on a regular basis? Who gives you this advice? What influences your decision to follow, or not follow, someone's advice?
What resources in your life are useful to you right now? Which ones are you not using? What resources might you be overlooking?

Extension
Here's something I'd like to try in the near future. After the groups have gone through an enlightening processing session over this first Picture Word Circle Puzzle (??!!), I want to give them another attempt. I'll set up the same task, in the same way, with a different Picture Puzzle. Will they use their recently acquired information/knowledge to successfully complete the task in less time? (Want to try it? You can find the Picture Word Circle Puzzles Kit, with six more Picture Puzzles at the FUNdoing Store. Let us know how it goes.)

Here's The First-Ever Picture Word Circle Puzzle:

picturewordcirclepuzzle_set1.pdf
File Size:	6000 kb
File Type:	pdf

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All the best!

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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Micro Cup It Up Activities: Flip Flop Tower & Reverse Pyramid Build (with video)

8/13/2021

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If you've been following the fun for a while, you know I love team building with cups (in non-alcoholic ways). And, you might also know I'm the co-author of the book, Cup It Up: Team Building with Cups (with Barry Thompson). The book is available for immediate download or paperback version.

Recently I was organizing some pictures and video files and found some cup action using the smaller one-ounce cups (initially presented at NCCPS: The National Challenge Course Practitioners Symposium - a.k.a., the Un-Conference near Boulder Colorado).

Those of you who have been team building with cups for a while should be able to pick up the steps from the video. (As always, if you have any questions be sure to email me: chris@onteambuilding.com) Here are some finer details for each activity:

Flip-Flop Tower
All the details are HERE for the Macro Cup version - plays the same with the smaller cups!

Reverse Pyramid Build
You will find complete details for this one in the Cup It Up book (along with lots more cup activities). Here are the basics:

Pyramid Rule: Each horizontal level/row of cups has only one more cup than the level above it.
Start with one cup on the table (i.e., flat surface).
Only the cup(s) touching the table can be lifted.
Cups may only be added underneath the pyramid structure.
If a cup falls from the pyramid in any way, start over with one cup.
If you are not lifting the pyramid, only by the bottom row, you can use your index fingers (only) to touch the pyramid structure.

The Reverse Pyramid Build is one of my favorite cup activities. It has the tactile, visual and auditory connections that engage participants. It brings up great conversations about success and failure (when you fail you see it and you hear it) and small groups are active in planning and carrying out particular roles and responsibilities - some are more demanding than others. All good stuff to talk about.

Do let me know if you have questions! Email: chris@onteambuilding.com

Have FUN out there.

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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A New Way Through the Mountain Tops

7/30/2021

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I haven't posted a lot about Challenge Course elements (constructed structures) here at the FUNdoing blog since these types of activities not as accessible to most team builders. Recently however, I've found an engaging way to run Mountain Tops that I really want to get 'out there' in the world. (FYI: I'm working on a more portable Mountain Tops that I'll share as soon as I can get pictures.)

Image taken from, The Guide for Challenge Course Operations (2005) by Bob Ryan

I learned and known this activity as Mountain Tops. When searching for a reference the only one I could find (on my shelves) refers to this activity as Islands (source indicated under the image above). No matter the name, the traditional operation of the element is the same.

There are three platforms six to eight feet apart. Two, five to six foot boards are provided. A group of 10 to 12 participants is challenged to get from the first platform to the third platform without the boards or anyone in the group touching the ground. (This is the nutshell idea. There are a few more details.)

As you can see in the image above, a single board will not span the distance from one platform to the other. However, two boards together in an overlapped configuration with participants standing on enough of one end of each board can support someone moving across. (NOTE: At least one foot must be in contact with a board or platform at all times - i.e., no jumping.)

At first, there is some good group problem solving going on. But once the board configuration is solved, it's all about moving people - there is very little problem solving left (other than managing participants on platforms). Despite the access I've had to this element I've rarely used it over the years due to engagement levels...until recently. Hence, A New Way Through the Mountain Tops.

Mountain Tops 2.0 (we'll call it for now)

Set Up: Check out the picture up in the header. The first and third platform are 4 x 4 feet and six inches high. The middle platform is 3 x 3 feet, six inches high. There is one six foot board (2 x 6 inches) on the center platform. The other two boards are 5 feet long (2 x 6 inches). The platforms are seven feet apart.

Now, look closely to see the small white squares near the platforms. Those are Jumbo Bananagram letter tiles placed with the letters down (see the pictures below for a close up with letters up). There's lots more about these tiles below. (NOTE: There are also a few wooden, light brown, stumps near the right platform left over from a Zig Zag - those are not used with this element.) Each tile is placed three to four feet away from the platforms. You can use any type of letter tile you can get your hands on. The most accessible might be small paper plates with letters on them. And, if you can write the letters on the plates so participants can't see the numbers through the bottom of the plates, that would be optimal. (We want to provide a little mystery at the onset.)

Setting Out Letters - In the Big Picture (I don't share this with participants), the group will be tasked to discover and/or form three words using all the letters. So, when I set down the letters I mix up the first word letters around platforms two and three (counting from left to right). I mix up the second word letters around platforms one and three. And, the third word letters around platforms one and two. (This may become clearer as you read through to the end of this description. If not, send me an email and we'll talk.)

Objective: The group will be tasked to successfully complete three challenges with less than 10 fouls (or less depending on the overall objectives of the group).

Group: 9 to 12 participants is optimal (I've seen it done with up to 15 using the set up in the picture above.) I'd do this one with middle school ages on up.

Pre-Challenges: Before Challenge 1 is presented to the group, everyone will need some information to take with them. The 13 letters above will make up the words, Team Work Rules. If you have more than 13 participants, come up with three words that equal or exceed the number of participants you'll have. You can simply have a list of words that might be relevant to your program goals or words that make up a sentence - up to you.

Now, I don't tell the group about the words at this point. Before the first challenge I tell everyone: All of you need to be responsible for taking at least one word with you into the challenges. If needed, you can be responsible for two words, but no more than two. This process is essentially the first team building task they have to go through.

When the group tells me that everyone has her/his letter (or letters), I give them the first challenge. (NOTE: You can check in to make sure all the letters are assigned, or let the group move on without checking. Out the 15 attempts I observed recently, two groups went into the first challenge without all the letters being assigned. Good talking point here.) After all of my observations, I found that giving the group directions to the first challenge while everyone is still standing off to the side of the element provides space for some key planning they might consider. (For example, once they find out the first challenge, they strategically place people on platforms where they have the most success flipping over the tiles, And for some, being on a platform that has enough tiles to flip over - when someone has more than one tile to flip.)

Challenge 1
(During this brief, there is some information relevant to all the challenges - the bullets.) The following is an example of a possible script:

This activity involves three challenges.
You'll need to complete the first to move on to the second. Then, you need to complete the second challenge in order to move onto the third.
You will have 20 minutes to accomplish all three challenges. [NOTE: I found this to be a good time frame - they either accomplish all three tasks or they don't. Good talking points.]
For all three challenges you will be allowed a total of 10 fouls - after the 10th foul you will start over with the first challenge.
Fouls: 1) When a participant touches the ground - every three seconds touching the ground is a foul. The exception to a person touching the ground is when she/he is working with a tile. Slight ground touches are okay in this instance. 2) When a board touches the ground - every three seconds a board touches the ground is a foul. 3) When a board touches a tile. 4) When a tile is thrown or dropped to the ground after being picked up. 5) When a board is thrown - for obvious safety reasons. 6) When anyone is not in contact with a board or platform - essentially, no jumping.

The first challenge involves simply flipping over all the tiles you see on the ground near the platforms. Simply flip over and leave it where it was. You may not begin to touch the tiles until everyone in your group is standing on top of a platform. Once everyone is standing on a platform all fouls are live until all three challenges are complete or your 20-minute time frame is up.

SAFETY NOTE: Please be mindful and avoid pinching any fingers or toes with the boards during the activity.

You may only flip over the number of tiles equal to the number of letters you are responsible for - if you are responsible for one letter, you flip over only one tile. Two letters, flip over two tiles. Are there any questions about the rules or your first challenge? [Answer questions here.]

If there are no more questions, your 20-minute time frame starts NOW!

What I've seen so far is most groups simply jump up on the platforms and get started - they are concerned about the time. In the two exceptions I mentioned above, the groups walked around the platforms, not touching anything, and assessed where people needed to be in order to flip over the right amount of tiles.

I'm also thinking that if there are some taller people in the group, move some tiles out away from the platforms even further. Will the group assess this ahead of time. If the distribution of the people does not line up with the tiles, challenge 1 will take longer to accomplish. (The 'prior planning prevents poor performance' discussion.)

The big Mountain Top change for me with Challenge 1 is that now everyone is actively engaged in either flipping a tile or helping the flipper. They also pick up the 'diving board' use of the boards which will lead to moving from platform to platform.

One final point. If there are participants responsible for more than one letter, and the group did not plan for this, some of them may need to move to a different platform to flip over another tile - hence, preparing them for Challenge 2. (If you don't want this to happen, create three words with the total number of letters equal to the number of people in the group.)

SAFETY NOTE: When people are moving across boards to different platforms, be sure to spot the crossing - it's very common for boards to slip or move down towards the ground. And, boards can break. So, you might choose to have groups reassess board placement before someone crosses - for safety reasons.

Processing Time Out: Once the first challenge is complete I stop the working time (the 20-minute clock). First I reiterate the number of fouls the group has remaining (since they will/should be aware of how many fouls they had during the attempt). Then, we spend a little time talking about what happened for them during challenge 1. Essentially, what worked, what didn't and what would you like to do better during challenge 2. (One of my favorite questions: What information/learnings did you share across platforms during the challenge?)

You can lead this processing time out while they are all standing on the platforms or bring them down off the platforms to another space. If you bring them down, let them know they must all return to the same platform before beginning challenge 2.

Challenge 2
After the processing time out, ask everyone to step back up onto the platform they ended with after challenge 1. Then give them challenge 2.

Your next challenge will be to retrieve the letter or letters you are responsible for - the letters you chose at the beginning of the activity. You may only touch a letter tile(s) you are responsible for. Meaning, you can't pick up someone else's letter and hand it to her/him. Do you have any questions? [Answer here.]

If there are no more questions, you have _____________ (time) remaining on your 20-minute timeframe. Time restarts now.

That's it. They are off to work on moving people from platform to platform. Now, some people might be on the platform they need to be on - less work for them. Others will need to travel.

As you can see in the picture above, it is perfectly okay to have a gap between the boards. Just be sure to spot anyone crossing. Also, if you are the only facilitator with the group, require that only one person may cross at a time so you are able to spot them. In most cases there are things/tasks to accomplish at each platform, so there is little waiting around if they are on top of 'things.'

Processing Time Out: Again, stop the working time and process a bit. Did they improve on something? Any major failures they learned from? What will be their main improvement focus for challenge 3? Whatever questions work for you, and them, to bring out some learnings. Then back to the final challenge.

Challenge 3
For this challenge there are some options. If the group is within 5-minutes of working time, give them the 'get-to-it' version:

For your final challenge, your letters make up a sentence - Team Work Rules. Well of course it does!! You are required to bring your letter(s) to the appropriate platform. TEAM will be at the first platform. WORK at the SECOND and Rules at the third. Again, you may not hand off or pass your letter(s) to someone else - you must take them to where they belong. Once you get to the appropriate platform you are allowed to place your letter on the ground in front of your platform in order to spell out the word your letter is part of. No foul will be given.

If there is more than 5-minutes left on the clock, give them another problem to solve:

This final challenge has two parts. The first part is to use all the letters within your group to create a sentence. Here's a hint. The sentence is made up of two words. However, within the two words, there are three words. And yes, you need to stay on the platforms while you work on solving the problem.

Now, you may need to give some hints along the way so it doesn't take too much of their time remaining - keep an eye on the clock. Once they have figured out the sentence, give then the second part of the challenge:

You are required to bring your letter(s) to the appropriate platform. TEAM will be at the first platform. WORK at the second and RULES at the third. Again, you may not hand off or pass your letter(s) to someone else - you must take them to where they belong. Once you get to the appropriate platform you are allowed to place your letter on the ground in front of your platform in order to spell out the word your letter is part of.

Once they have completed the third challenge, bring them down off the platforms for some processing.

As you might have already figured out, if the group commits 10 fouls you can bring them down off the platforms and have them take a little mental (and possibly physical) break while you reset the activity. This is, of course, if you have the time for them to restart. You have the option to give them only the remaining time on the initial 20-minute time frame or give them a new 20 minutes. This will depend upon the overall time allowed for your program and the outcomes you are working on.

Processing:
There are lots of things to talk about for this one. Here are some things I've seen:

Describe your planning process for the first challenge. What went well right away? If so, how did your plans change during the challenge? If anything, what did you overlook during your initial planning time?
Describe any changes that took place in regards to planning for the second and third challenges. What influenced your planning for these challenges?
What do you remember about your communication between platforms throughout the challenges? What communication behaviors worked well? What communication behaviors didn't work so well?
What were your resources during the challenges? How did you utilize your resources? In what ways could your resources have been better utilized?
If you made mistakes (fouls) during the challenges, how did you go about fixing them? Did the same mistakes happen more than once? If so, why do you think this happened?
How was the workload distributed during the challenges - Evenly? How did you divide up the work? Unevenly? Why do you think this happened?
What did you learn from the challenges that you want to remember after this program?

If you try this New Way Through the Mountain Tops, please let us know how it went and what changes or additions you made. Leave a Comment below. Thanks.

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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Blind Relay (a FUNdoing Share)

7/9/2021

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First and foremost, thanks to Chetan 'Bobby' Patil for the awesome share!!

Here's a really clever version of Obstacle (Mine) Field I've been waiting to share for over a year now (the face-to-face restrictions held me back).

The super-short video teaser will give you a quick view of the idea. Here is Bobby's full write up of the activity:

blindrelay_chetanpatil.pdf
File Size:	317 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

What I Like About This One

It has a way of 'unsighting' people without blindfolds or closing the eyes. (Bobby does share the idea of eyes closed if you want to go there.)
I like the role of the 'safety guide' - How will this person watch over/care for someone else? (Another way to also practice spotting.)
The goal setting is good and asking the group to set the time they need to achieve said goal.
The collaboration between other inside (and outside) players is genius. There is small group work that depends on cooperation (and planning) with others.
Of course, you have permission to adjust the activity in a way to best serve the needs of your group (i.e., if somethings missing, add it in).

Bobby and I would love to hear how this one goes for you! Leave us a Comment below.

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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Number Flips (a Key Punch Variation)

5/20/2021

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Every team builder I know carries around a set of numbered spots (usually, at least, 24). I've seen the small 'livestock tag' version, the poly-spot versions (small & large), the yogurt lid (write-the-numbers-on-the-plastic) version and index card versions. There are so many activities you can do with numbered spots. The most famous of all is Key Punch (Rohnke, Silver Bullets).

Here are some versions of Key Punch I've posted here at the FUNdoing Blog:
Ven Key Punch
Key Punch: The Overlap
Key Pad Express (with Video)
Thread the Needle

Number Flips was created as a self-guided activity for groups of 6 to 12 participants. (Of course, it does not need to be self-guided.) I believe this one can also be done (with more hands-on facilitation and maybe taking out the 'unflip' part) with elementary age groups as long as they know their numbers. A great one for middle school age and older.

So far, here is what I'm getting from the activity: Planning practice, execution and adaptation of plans, adapting/adjusting to change, acceptance and working through mistakes, roles and responsibilities, process improvement.

All you need for each group you put into play is two 50-foot activity ropes, a set of (at least) 24 numbers and up to 12 game spots. I've attached the PDF download of preparation information and the self-guided directions below.

numberflips_2.0.pdf
File Size:	219 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

A Little Help: I just started using this activity with a handful of groups - I'm really finding it engaging. I could use some feedback, especially with the write up. If something is way too confusing, let me know. Leave a Comment below. Thanks!!

All the best,
Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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ICON Circle Puzzles (mini kit 2)

4/9/2021

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ICON Circle Puzzles are the latest evolution of Word Circle Puzzles. A few posts ago I shared a couple ICON Puzzles and I recently was moved to create a couple more - I wanted to add more to my ICON set so I can have challenge options when showing this version. (Puzzles sizes now include: 8 cards, 9 cards, 10 cards & 13 cards.) In this Kit 2 I added a separate HELP Cards page so we can print this off on different colored paper - I like to print my HELP Cards on light green paper.

For Your Reference:

ICON Circle Puzzles Mini Kit 1 - FUNdoing Blog with play details and Word Circle Puzzles links and a link to the second evolution of circle puzzles - Picture Circle Puzzles.
Use the 'Search' feature (top of this blogs right column) to find TONS of 'Word Circle Puzzles' ready to use.
TheNounProject - This is where I get my ICONS (free for some ICONS, pay $40/year for unlimited).
Circle Puzzles Print-N-Play Kits - Check out the Circle Puzzles Kits, both Word and Picture Word Circles Kits at the FUNdoing store. PDF downloads ready to print and play!

ICON Circle Puzzles - Kit 2

iconwordcirclepuzzles_set2_kit.pdf
File Size:	575 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

Have FUN out there...

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

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<<Previous

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

Floor Safe (Venn Key Punch Reprise) with Video

Image Changing (with ZOOM or Image Cards)

26 Word Builder (In the Dark)

Collaboration with Picture Word Circle Puzzles (Reprise) Print-N-Play

Micro Cup It Up Activities: Flip Flop Tower & Reverse Pyramid Build (with video)

A New Way Through the Mountain Tops

Blind Relay (a FUNdoing Share)

Number Flips (a Key Punch Variation)

ICON Circle Puzzles (mini kit 2)

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