Flip Flop Tower (CUP IT UP Teaser with Video)

---

(THIS POST WAS UPDATED AUGUST 2nd, 2017)

GO HERE to find a fully updated and detailed downloadable write-up for Flip Flip Tower.

As some of you might know, my friend Barry Thompson and I have just finished up a team building activity book called Cup It Up: Teambuilding with Cups! (Find the downloadable ebook at the FUNdoing Store or the paperback on Amazon).

BONUS ACTIVITY: Flip Flop Tower. We did not put this one into the book CUP IT UP, so it's a perfect bonus and teaser to demonstrate the power of team building with cups. You'll notice in the picture above the group is using Speed Stack Cups (if you have them the different colors make for a great visual). In the picture below the group is using the red Solo brand cups. They both work great. 

Needs & Numbers: For every group of 2 to 5 participants you'll need 36 cups (as noted above, Speed Stack or Solo cups work great). You will also need a solid surface, at ground level, to build from. A wind-free environment is also a good idea if you are not working on objectives like frustration or anger management! 

Procedure: I've been using this activity a lot lately - since I just developed it about a month ago - at the beginning of a program as an energizing team-builder with a little tension. It doesn't take long to present and play, the directions are simple, and it provides a nice starting point to talk about the types of activities a group will be going through during their program. 

No matter the size of your group (so far my biggest group has been 50), divide them up into small groups of 2 to 5 participants (with my group of 50 I had 10 groups of 5) - you'll need 36 cups for every small group. Ask each small group to find some space in the activity area to build their tower. After everyone is settled into their spots, provide the challenge. ​

The Objective Using only the 36 cups you have in your possession, build the tallest free-standing tower in 60 seconds.

Rules for Building: 

• One individual cup is added to the tower structure at a time. (Note: Each group is building only one tower structure.) 
• Each person in the group must add one cup to the tower structure before anyone adds in a second cup to the structure. Then, everyone must add a second cup to the structure before anyone can add a third, and so on until the time is up. (Note: the order of turns can change during each round of turns.) 
• ​When the horn blows (whistle sounds or "STOP" is called), all hands must be off of the tower structure. What remains standing will be counted for a score. 

Scoring: 
​Tower structures are scored by number of rows. Rows consist of one or more individual cups - nested cups, one, or more, inside of another, will not count as a row. (Note: The score for the red Solo cup tower is 16 (rows). 

Once the groups understand the challenge I let them know they will have three attempts to build the tallest tower possible. I then give them three minutes to plan and practice before the first attempt.  

Here's what I tell everyone before I start each attempt - "Your first row can be set up and ready to go. The rest of your cups can either be in your hands, set down on the ground, or a combination of both. Okay, is everybody ready? Set! Go!"

After 60 seconds, giving the groups continuous updates on the time remaining, call a hard STOP (e.g., horn, whistle, or yell it out). After the dust settles, have the groups count their number of rows still standing - the number of rows is their score for the first attempt. Tell the groups to remember their score. Then, give everyone two minutes to plan and practice for the second attempt. Encourage the groups to try and "better their score." 

After the second round, each group makes a note of their score. Then, give everyone one minute to plan and practice for the third and final round. Have them note their score for the third round. After all three attempts take some time to focus on one or more of the discussion points (suggestions) below based on your group's objectives for their program. 

Discussion Points: 

• Planning - What did this look like over the three attempts? 
• Strategies - What strategies did you plan on and did they change? Why?
• Failure - If your structure did fall, what did you do? 
• ​Success - How did you measure your success? Were you successful? 
• Risk Taking - What risks did you take? What risks did you avoid? Why?
• Collaboration - Did any collaboration take place? Was it "secret" or "open" collaboration? 

National Standard and World Record
As of the date of this post, the national average of rows in 60 seconds, for the adult (18 years old and older) bracket is 17 rows. The world record, adult bracket, is 20. 

Video Here's video of a group using Speed Stack cups. I only included two rounds to keep the video short - you'll get the idea. Note: Notice the tower in the first round is higher (for a moment) than the one the group builds in the second round - watch the behavior in the last few seconds of the second round!! Great stuff!

I've also been setting up Flip Flop with "expectations" - GO HERE for details on how expectations work - detailed write-up of Flip Flip Tower.
 
Let me know how this version goes!! Leave a comment below. 

All the best, 

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.