April 1st 2006 Meeting -
Rick Bosch - noodle stuff
Noodle Cube – You’ll need 8 foam noodles (1/2 a pool noodle size) for every group of 9 to 12 players. First you’ll ask 8 of the players in the group to work together to make a three-dimensional noodle cube and then hold it up off the ground – one player holding each corner of the cube. Now, using this floating cube each player in the group must go “through” the cube, each using a different combination of entrance and exit sides of the cube. The idea, again, is that each player is asked to go through the cube, so players will have to switch out positions holding the cube so they can go through it. If a player touches any of the noodles as they are going through, they must step out and try again from the beginning of their turn. The players holding the cube can move it around to help out, but they must keep the cube together at the corners and hold its cube-like shape during the process. Extra players not holding the cube can help as well! It’s not a race, just a process – and so much to discuss when it’s over.
Noodle Trust Run – You’ll want at least 13 players, 12 of them armed with foam noodles (1/2 a pool noodle size) – I like to keep the group size below 21. The players with the noodles will form 2 lines facing each other so they can hold their noodles out horizontally into the void between the two lines – they’re making a noodle gauntlet. The non-noodle player will be facing this void full of noodles about 20 feet away. This non-noodler, who will be deemed the runner, says to the group, “Noodles Ready?” The line of noodlers now focusing on the runner says, “Ready!” The runner says, “Running!” The noodlers reply, “Run Away!” At which point the runner starts to run towards the void of noodles. As he approaches the first noodles, the noddlers lift up their noodle just before the runner reaches them. The idea here is that the noodles go up in a wave as the runner passes between the two lines – not being touched by any of the noodles. Of course the challenge to the runner is to go really fast and keep the eyes open while running through the noodles. After the run, the runner takes the noodle of a player who would like to try the run! If there is time, give everyone another chance to run through the noodles.
Lock & Key Tag
Needs & Numbers: You’ll need Noodles for this one (foam pool noodle toys - long ones from the store cut in half. I suggest a minimum of 20 players (no more than 50 I would guess right now - until we hear otherwise) each needing a noodle. You’ll also want at least three different colors of noodles to choose from (four colors would even be better).
Process: Knowing how many players you have, divide up your noodle colors so there will be about the same number of colored noodles in each group of noodles. For example, let’s say I have 24 players and yellow, orange and green noodles. I want to make sure I hand out 8 yellow, 8 orange, and 8 green noodles (if I have another color to choose from I’d be handing out 6 of each color right?). Note here: One of the nuances I like about this game is that you don’t necessarily form teams by dividing the group first then handing them their noodles (you could do this if you want for such a dynamic). You just go around the group (standing around the playing field) handing out noodles. So, if they decide to get together, or not, is something you get to talk about. The question is then, can a player with a yellow noodle tag another player with a yellow noodle? If so, then what? Interesting stuff….
Back to the game! It’s a simple tagging game where tags are done below the knees (players are not allowed to walk on their hands during this game). If a player is tagged he or she becomes “locked” in place and must stop where they are, take their noodle, holding each end, and form an arch over their head, forming the arch of a padlock - so to speak. To get back into the game (get unfrozen) someone with the same colored noodle must move their noodle completely through the arch of a frozen (locked) player. The locked player becomes unlocked and can return to playing the game. We played in a pretty tight room for our group - lots of tagging and unlocking. If you play with bigger boundaries you might consider controlling the speed by having players walk heel-toe or straight legged.
One final thing to consider. If you notice one color is all locked up, what are your options? Think about this for a moment - what could you do?
Rick Bosch - at the post-meeting celebration -
Mushroom - starting with a beer bottle (or something more politically correct) and a deck of cards. Start by stacking a card on the top of the standing bottle. The next is stacked on top of the first card… the only rule is two corners must overhang the existing card and so on. The mushroom of cards on the top of the bottle can grow quite large, like a mushroom. The penalty for causing the stack to fall would be something really bad.
REACTION - start by each player possessing a piece of string with a bead tied at the end…the jute twine used to make bracelets and such, made into a braided kind of thing, maybe with a medium 1/4″ bead at the end, would be perfect… if not, use fishing line and a bottle cap…whatever. Whoever is “IT”, places and holds a plastic cup “open end down” near the center of the table. Each player lays his/her bead in the center and holds the string. IT then rolls a dice. If a 6 or 1 come up the IT tries to trap as many beads as possible with the cup while everyone tries to pull theirs out of the center before getting trapped. Any trapped get a letter eventually spelling R-E-A-C-T-I-O-N. If numbers 2 thru 5 come up, no motion is required and anyone removing their bead gets a letter. Fakes, trash talk, are all allowed. First one to REACTION is then IT.
Terry Thomas webbing stuff - (All stolen from Jim Cain)
WEBBING ICE BREAKERS
When doing the usual ice breaking round of those telling their name and “a little bit about yourself” give them about a 10-15 foot piece of webbing first. Have them tell “a little bit about themselves” while they wrap the webbing around their finger, talking until the webbing is fully wrapped. When done they pass it along. Get a “little more’ that way.
Tie the same 10-15 feet of webbing end to end(water knot). The group of 10-12 is to suspend the ring of webbing approximately shoulder high in their fingertips or hands, toss the ring into the air, and catch it again… harder than it looks but doable.
Deviation…. try the pizza spin while airborne
Deviation…. one more time and flip the ring over and catch it… pretty darn hard to do.
Cloud Watching - toss the webbing into the air and after it hits the floor, the various members of the group interpret the shape as in cloud watching
Ice Breakers - as each person describes themselves, they kneel on the floor and start by drawing with the web the state they are from, and perhaps pointing to the city location, etc. as they talk. Deviations could include changing the shape to some other details the talker wants to draw with the webbing… pets, job, hobby, etc.
Dave Sgro and Rick Bosch-
Birdie on a Perch
Get a partner. One person is the perch one is the birdie – prior to starting the game, partners figure out how they are going to get the birdie (one partner) on the perch (the other partner) so the birdie’s feet are off the floor/ground (safely). Then set up inner and outer circle one partner in each. Sing a song (softly – e.g. She’ll be coming around the mountain) while circles move in opposite directions. Facilitator calls “BIRDIE ON A PERCH!!” and partners have to find each other and get perched. Last pair perched is out of the game (or not – just play for fun and laughs).
Lion Hunter
For a large group you’ll need 1 lion hunter for every 10 lions (players). Have the lion hunters leave the room while you tell the lions that they need to stay as still as possible so they will not be detected by the lion hunters (blinking and breathing naturally is not detectable by the hunters). Lions need to keep their eyes open during the game and lion hunters cannot touch the lions. When the lion hunters return to the room they are trying to get the lions to moving in such a way as to be detectable (other than breathing or blinking). If a lion laughs or moves body parts he or she is transformed into a lion hunter and joins in detecting other lions that can’t stay undetected.
Steve Troop -
The Horizontal Web - A Great twist on the traditional vertical Spider Web. The web (with a plastic pipe frame) is horizontal approximately a foot or more off the floor. We use four milk crates. Rules are simple, everyone in the group must navigate the length of the web “using” each space only once, touches start over and close the space, and can’t go under the web. Mark the spaces with anything laying on the floor, like a rubber disk, stuffed toys. Contact Steve for a great story line.
ps-the space is technically “used” when the foot is removed from the space
**New 04/26/06**
KEYPAD TOO
From Sam Sikes via Rick Bosch @ 2006 NCCPS in Boulder, CO
PROPS:
• Masking tape or rope for boundary square
• 9” orange spots markers at each corner
• 9” diameter spots evenly spaced within boundary equal to the number of
participants in the group
OBJECTIVE:
Entire group to cross the square diagonally without losing any resources that are needed to complete activity, a group starting at each corner. exiting at diagonal corner.
HISTORY:
I first heard about this activity at a conference in Texas. The idea of multiple converging groups all attempting to accomplish a common goal whether they realize it or not intrigued me. Frank Fry developed the concept, We call it the Keypad Too because it uses the same equipment as the Keypunch activity what we always called the Giant Keypad from the book by Karl Rohnke and Steve Butler called: Quicksilver.
PREPARATION:
Make a square or rectangle that is approximately the same number of steps from corner to corner diagonally as people in each of the groups. For a group of, 10 you will need to make the distance of the boundary 10 steps. Divide the group into smaller groups, and ask each small team to stand near each corner of the before giving the instructions if you want to increase the likelihood that they will compete.
INSTRUCTIONS:
You are standing at a large square with several resources to use on the inside and one spot on the outside of each corner that will be used as an entrance or exit. Your small team will need to enter the square by first stepping on the spot outside the square. Then you will need to use the spots inside as resources to make your way to the diagonal corner exit& The spot outside the far corner of the square is your only exit. Each of the four small teams has their own entrance and exit.
The Rules:
* The boundary and spots may not be moved by participants.
* Enter and exit by stepping on an orange spot.
* Spots are the resources used for crossing. ANY body part, such as a hand or foot, contacting the floor must also be in contact with a spot.
* “Illegal” contact requires that person to go back to their beginning orange spot and Reenter.
* A spot is /activated/ by a contact # once activated, loss of contact with that spot results in loss of the spot. The facilitator will remove vacated spots.
* Loss of too many spots to complete the activity safely (people have to jump or have both feet off the floor at the same time) results in a shut down. The group starts over with all spots replaced and opportunity to learn from the experience.
* All participants must be in the square before any exit.
SCENARIO:
It’s budget time again and funding is limited this year. There may be enough resources for you to reach your goals if you use them wisely. To use the resources in front of you, all you have to do is enter from your corner and step on them to get to your goal:
the diagonal corner exit. Unfortunately, there are some restrictions on your resources. Once you activate a resource by touching it, it must be continuously used or it will be taken away, If you purposefully or accidentally use support instead of your spot resources, you will have to exit the system and start over at the beginning. If there is any time when you or anyone else cannot constantly be in contact with a resource after entering and before exiting at your goal, the whole group will have to start over.
FACILITATOR NOTES:
The following are some common questions asked:
How many feet can be in contact with a spot at one time? (as many as you want).
Can one person have both feet contacting a spot? (yes)
Can we help support each other from outside the rectangle? (yes)
Can we go back in the rectangle once we’re done? (no) By exiting, you are sayingyou did not need your human resource inside anymore. I suggest that you demonstrate the entry at an outside spot, the contact with the spots, the loss of a spot when vacated, the illegal contact, and mention the potential for injury to a facilitators hands while retrieving vacated spots. It’s good to avoid offering information that suggests strategies unless they ask.
VARIATIONS:
• Add several more spots to the square. The added spots often cause the participants to neglect the value of their resources and actually lose more spots sooner than they should.
• Use two or three fewer spot than people. This often causes a lot of planning about the use of resources because they are scarce. An early loss of spots will make the activity more difficult.
• Require that the participants touch the spots only or individuals have to restart. This makes the activity much more physically difficult especially for people with big feet.
POTENTIAL DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What did you need to do to succeed in this activity?
How did you coordinate with other teams?
Where was your focus as an individual?
What did people do once they exited the square?
What do the spots represent for this team?