Floor Safe (Venn Key Punch Reprise) with Video

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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

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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.