Wink

Description of a Fun, Energizing Group Activity

Wink Chasing activity which works best with larger groups (16-30) Make sure people are physically warmed-up. Form a circle, all facing in one direction, then sit (on ground or in chairs). Every second person is designated as a catcher. Catchers watch the backs of the person in front, who are runners. Runners maintain eye contact with the winker, who is in the middle of the circle. When he winker winks at a runner, the runner gets up as fast as possible and try to get away - and run a full lap. The runner behind the winker must be alert and try to catch the runner. Equipment: None. Chairs optional.

The winker keeps it moving. Time: ~10 minutes

Brief Description: Energizing group activity. Adds suspense, physical exercise, and fun. There are runners, catchers, and a winker.

Wobbly Broomstick
Description of a Dizzifying Physical Challenge Wobbly Broomstick This exercise makes people wickedly dizzy - perhaps dizzier than they ever been before. Choose the time and place carefully. Its best if the following activity doesn't require too much order! e.g., end of a day's paddling, on a sandy river bank, and you have a spare 30 minutes. Use a large, flat area with soft landing e.g., on sand. People should know how to "spot". Use a stick about 6ft long - anything long and thin can be used - a paddle, broom, etc. Invite people into a wide circle and put a stick in middle. Demonstrate the main parts of the challenge which are to:

1. hold stick upright, on end of chin; 2. twirl around X times (10 is mild; 20 is extreme); 3. throw the stick on the ground and jump over it. The group's responsibility is to:

1. count the number of twirls out loud; 2. remind the person to keep looking at the top; 3. maintain a safe circle of spotters and ensure the person lands safely. If a person can longer balance upright, they are better off laid out on the ground. Group members should break the fall if its risky due to awkward balance. This is advisable for about 1 in 5 falls. And there usually a slightly dangerous fall in a session which is comfortably handled by a group which is alert, caring and knows how to "spot" and "catch" people.

Most people, especially kids, will fall over before 10 twirls and almost certainly succumb before 20 twirls. After a few practices, however, many adults can learn how to spin 20 times and complete the jump over the stick and perhaps even stay upright - that's the ultimate challenge. Equipment: ~6ft stick and a large area without walls and soft ground for falling, e.g, sand or grass.

Time: ~5 mins per person in group Brief description: Creates wicked dizziness. Put a 6ft stick in the middle of a circle. Challenge: Holding stick vertically on end of chin, looking at the top, spin around 20 times, then throw the stick to the ground and jump over it. Its almost impossible!

Description of a Fun Group Game Chair Game Active, physical engaging variation on "musical chairs"; can entertain a group for hours Place chairs in a tight circle, with the chairs touching each other. Have 1 person stand in the middle - there is now a vacant chair The person in the middle tries to sit in an empty seat The group prevents the person by someone moving seat, creating a new vacant seat The game moves fast -- due to the strategic "bum-shuffling" by the group, the place of the empty seat is in constant movement, like a Mexican wave, changing directions, tempting, then moving fast - or instantly appearing on the other side if a bold cross is made by someone Eventually the person in the middle makes a successful lunge for a seat (it can get very dramatic), the group member who was aiming for the seat (group consensus) now goes in the middle And so on....

Chair Game

Equipment: 1 armless chair per person. Robust kitchen chairs are ideal. Time: ~10 to 60 mins Brief description: Hilarious, physically engaging, strategic group activity/game. Create a tight circle of chairs. The person in the middle tries to sit in the "vacant chair", but it keeps moving because group switching themselves into the vacant chair.

Multi-Way Tug-of-War
Description of a Fun, Physical, Teambuilding Activity Wilderdom Store gear, books, kits

Multi-Way Tug-of-War

Fun, finale-type activity. Physically exhausting and emotionally climaxing! Works for kids through to corporate programs. Ideal for adolescents and possibly youth at risk. Especially with older adults, be careful with this activity, especially if they are unfit or if overexertion is contraindicated (e.g., heart problems). Use for any size groups, indoor or outdoor. Ideal is large group outdoors. Pick a soft location e.g., grass/beach. In traditional 1 on 1 tug-of-war it is mostly strength that wins, with a few tactics. In multi-way tug-of-war it is mostly tactics that wins, with some strength. Lay out the ropes, etc. as shown in diagram below. Participants should prepare appropriately e.g., watches and hand jewellery off. Divide into groups and make sure the groups appear to be of similar strength. Brief group on normal tug-of-war safety rules, basically: o no wrapping or tying rope around anyone or anything only hold rope with hands o watch out for rope burn on hands - let go if rope is moving through hands o watch out for rope burn on body - let go if you lose footing First command from the Tug-of-War master is "take the strain". This is only to take up the slack, that's all. The Tug-ofWar master makes sure the centre ring is stable and centered. This needs strong leadership because teams are always keen to add extra strain! Second command is "Go!!" Teams attempt to pull the center ring or knot over their finish line. This can rarely be achieved by strength alone and instead will require guile. Teams can swivel to cooperate / compete with other teams, then switch directions, etc. Conduct several rounds. Continue, say, until one team earns 3 victories and the Tug-of-War title. Allow teams plenty of time to physically recover and debrief/plan after each round.

Team building groups may wish to discuss what the secrets to success were in this activity - and whether these lessons apply elsewhere.

Equipment
4 way powerpull with 20 loops for double handed pulls or 40 loops for single handed pulls by a large group Or make your own 4 way tug of war with several good quality ropes each ~60ft+ with attachment e.g., via knots, splicing or ring/karabiners

Time
~30-60 minutes

Brief Description
: Fun, physically demanding, competitive team activity. Several teams pull against each other, requiring communication and tactics as well as strength to outmanoeuvre and win.

Description of a fun group game Ha-ha Short, fun, physically engaging energizer and laughter-generating activity Pick your time, place and group. e.g., works well half-way through a backpacking trip with female adolescents Everyone lays down so that their head rests on another person's tummy; the group should all be interconnected by heads and tummies. Set a mock "serious" tone Optional: Eyes closed The challenge is NOT to laugh The other part of the challenge is for the first person to say out loud "Ha!" The second person says "Ha-ha", and so on The groups tries to see how far the "Ha" gets along the line before someone laughs After a few attempts, this generally descends into a crescendous wave of uncontrollable laughter

Ha-ha

Equipment: None Important: Be aware of potential body self-consciousness issues, e.g., may not be a comfortable activity for some obese people or a conservative group. Time: ~10 minutes Brief Description: Each person places his head on another person's tummy, so that everyone is connected. The 1st person says "Ha", then the 2nd person "Haha" and so on. The goal is to get all the way through the group without anyone laughing; its infectious if someone starts laughing.

3-way Thumb Wrestle In threes, each puts in one hand. Join hands with grip as per a 2way thumb wrestle. Try to pin the other two members thumbs for victory. Victors can then go into competition etc. if you want a grand winner. Trains, Fox & Hunter Groups of three. Two are free - fox and hunter. If fox gets on end of train, train becomes fox. If hunter catches fox, they swap. Hobby by Pantomime

In a circle, each person says own name & shows his/her hobby by pantomime. Circle Dance In a circle, everybody swaps to opposite side - Return to old place backwards - Go to opposite side blind. Mini-Chasey 1. In pairs in a small space (e.g., rope circle) - Try to catch partner - If caught, switch chaser. 2. Catch partner by sight - using binoculars made from hands. Vampires Everybody is blind & normal if normal people meet each other they have to make a sound but one person will be a vampire (chosen by leader) who doesnt speak. If you meet a vampire, become a vampire. If two vampires meet, they become normal. 1-2-3 In pairs, face to face. Alternate counting 1 - 2 - 3 (keep going) then replace saying...1 with a clap...2 with clapping legs...3 with a jump Dragons Groups of 5 to 8 players the ending player has scarf like tail the head of dragon has to catch tail of the other dragon the dragons cant break Group Papers-Scissors-Stone Two lines play paper-scissors-stone if person wins, moves up line, if person loses, swap into opposite line (remember some winners in that line will be moving up). The line will keep moving.

Apples to Oranges
Required: One apple, one orange, paper, pencil, container, and music Players: Small to large groups

Print out slips of paper that you will pull out of a container. Each slip will be labeled differently as follows: before the apple, the apple, after the apple, before the orange, the orange, and after the orange. You might want to do a couple sets in case certain slips become detectable after use. Once youve completed the slips place them in a container mix them up. Have players stand in a circle, give the apple to one person and the orange to someone across the circle, then start the music. They are to pass the fruits until the music stops. When the music stops, pull out a slip of paper and read it. If the paper states before the specific fruit that person is out. If its after the specific fruit that person is out. If it just states a fruit that person is out. So not only do you have to worry about holding the fruit but where it is in the circle. If you have a large group, set up several circles or a circle within a circle would be cool. You could also use different colored FlingSocks instead of fruit. Variations to the game can be passing the fruits under the leg, behind the back or twirl around once then pass the fruit.

Big Chief
Players: Small to large groups Have all players sit in a circle and then chose a person to be it. The it is to leave so that it cannot see or hear. Choose one person to be the chief and he will act out short movements. Examples are clapping hands three times, stomping feet 4 times, etc. All other players must do what the Chief does. Have it return to the group to figure out who is the Big Chief, you can give him up to three guesses if theres a large group.

Blindfolded Shoe Shuffle

Required: Blindfolds and shoes Players: Medium to large groups Each person puts on a blindfold and takes off their shoes. They then throw them into a pile in the middle of the floor. The referee then jumbles them all up and then shouts GO! The first person to find their shoes by touch and smell alone and put them on is the winner. Submitted by Mr. Minty

Body Jump Relay

Required: 6 players per team Players: Medium to large groups

Each team will have the players lie down on the ground, face up, fanned out in a circle with their heads facing the middle of the circle. On go, the first person from each circle, gets up and runs around the circle jumping over the other team members. Once around he will lie back down and the #2 person will do the same. Then you keep playing until all the players have completed the task. The first team to complete the cycle is the winner. For added fun and excitement with youth groups, a blindfold can be passed to the player that is getting up. They can half walk and crawl around the circle with members instructing them where to go. Another version is having them race/walk backwards. Submitted by R. Scheel, Fun-Attic Inc.

Circle Delight
Required: Two balls Players: Small to large groups

Two teams stand alternately in a single circle formation. Each team has a ball. At the signal the balls are thrown in the same direction from person to person belonging to the same team. The balls start moving from opposing players standing opposite each other in the circle. The purpose is to see if one team can move its ball from player to player at such a speed that it overtakes the ball from the opposing team. If this happens one point is scored and the game begins again. The first team to score three points wins. Note: The ball must be relayed between players of one team as they are positioned in the circle while not hindering the opposing team.

Colonial Circle
Players: Small to medium groups This is a very old game from the colonial days One player will be the chosen British spy and all other players will be in a circle formation holding hands, facing inward. The spy will request to enter the circle by saying, Please good people let me in so I can warm my toes and light my pipe. The players will allow that person to come into the circle. That player will enter and stand in the center of the circle. He will act out that he is warming his toes and lighting his pipe by saying Ah, its great to be able to light my pipe and its great to warm my toes. As he's doing so, hell figure out a way out of the circle and then suddenly try to escape through one set of players locked arms. If captured he picks a new spy and the original spy has to sit in the center. If he escapes he picks a new spy to come back and spy with him. When they try to escape, they will exit at different locations in the circle.

Do You Love Your Neighbor?

Players: Small to medium groups All players sit in a circle except one person who sits on someones lap and asks, Do you love your neighbor? If he/she says YES, you all move one seat in any direction and the person thats IT trys to get a seat. If he/she does, then the person left standing is IT. However if he says NO then the IT asks, Who do you love? The person that was chosen then answers with a physical trait of other people in the circle

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(ex. glasses, shoes, hair color, and style of cloths) and those people move to any seat they can get except for there own. Submitted by Bryan Laird

Duck Duck Squirt

Required: Squirt gun and clean bucket of water Players: Small to medium groups All players sit or stand in a circle. Pick a person to be it. They are to go around the circle like Duck, Duck, Goose but they say " Duck, Duck, Squirt". They then squirt a player and the chase begins. The "squirter" is to run around the circle and back to players position without getting tagged by the person that was squirted.

Soft Gripper surface wont sting

Ducks N Hens
Required: Two objects Players: Small to medium groups Game of the Month 11/02 Circle up in groups of 8-10. Hand one person two random objects. One of these random objects represents a duck, the other represents a hen. The person is a vendor. His goal is to sell the foul. To his right, he passes the first item, and says, Do you want to buy a duck? The buyer says, Does it quack? The vendor says, Yes it quacks. The duck continues to be passed to the right with the question and answer session going all the way back to the original vendor and back to the current transaction. (B asks A, A answers B, B sells to C, C asks B, B must turn around and ask A, A answers B, B answers C, C sells to D, D asks C, C asks B, B asks A, A answers B, B answers C, C answers D, and so on.) In the meantime, immediately after the duck is sold, the original vendor turns to his left with the hen, and says, Do you want to buy a hen? The buyer asks, Does it cackle? Yes it cackles. Same deal with the hen... the question and answer session goes all the way back to the original vendor. The fun comes when the messages start to cross. Its hilarious!

Fork Over The Chocolate

Required: Chocolate bar, knife, forks, pair of large gloves, clothing Players: Small to medium groups Game of the Month 2/09 You need a bar of chocolate (preferably cold for older players), knife and several forks, a dice, a pair of large gloves and some other items of clothing depending on age group. e.g. scarf, hat, large coat or jacket, trousers, waistcoat, the list is endless. Everybody forms a circle, half circle or sits in chairs. One person starts by throwing the dice followed by each person in turn. When someone throws a six he then runs to where all the clothes are and starts putting them on, once he is completely dressed he can then start trying to eat the bar of chocolate, with

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the knife and fork of course, cutting one square at a time. While they are doing this the rest continue throwing the dice and if someone else throws a six, the person eating the chocolate has to stop and get undressed while the next person tries to get dressed and start eating the chocolate etc... The games obviously ends once the chocolate has been eaten.

Hidden Surprise
Required: Pill bottle, tape, newspaper, money, dice Players: Small to medium groups Heres a game for both the young and old. Take an empty pill bottle and place an amount of money in it. Whatever you decide you want the winner to have. Wrap it up with layers of newspaper and duct tape, electrical tape or any other kind of tape. You can even layer it with different types and make a huge tape ball. Have everyone stand in a circle. Take a set of dice and place them in a flat box. If the person rolls a double, they must go inside the circle and start working on getting the tape ball apart. They continue unwrapping until the next person rolls a double. Keep going until someone wins the money. This can take awhile and it is real fun and exciting for all ages. You can modify this game using different containers to hold food or other prizes. Submitted by Sheri Snook, Lewistown, PA

Hot Valentine
Required: Fun Gripper Ball or FlingSock Players: Small to medium groups

All players must sit in a circle with their legs crossed. In the middle is the leader holding the Hot Valentine. The leader will decide whom to throw the Hot Valentine to and then close their eyes. The players will then toss the Hot Valentine to each other around the circle until the leader calls Hot Valentine. The person holding it will be out but first starts the game by tossing it to another player. The last person without the Hot Valentine is the winner.

Group Juggle

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Description of an Icebreaker & Name Game Wilderdom Store gear, books, kits

Group Juggle
Fun way to start working together. Can be used to learn names and develop a sense of interconnectedness.

Stand in a circle, toss a ball to someone, using his/her name, and they in turn toss it to someone else, using the next person's name. Keep it going, then more balls are introduced and it starts gets crazy.

How to Run a Group Juggle Session

Set up & instructions (1st round) 2nd round - have another go! 3rd round - do it faster! 4th round - adding more balls! Variation: Warp Speed Links to other descriptions

Set up & instructions for 1st round of group juggling

Arrange participants in a circle, not too close, not too far from one another Include yourself in the circle

Explain that you are going to throw a ball to someone - pick someone out & ask their name, then say "Hi Freddy, my name is James...here you go!" [underarm throw a ball to Freddy] Freddy then says "Thankyou James", picks someone and says "Hi X, my name is Freddy...here you go!" [throw]....they say "Thankyou, Freddy] and on we go. If you're not trying to learn names, skip the naming part & just throw!

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 The challenge from here is simply to get the ball thrown around to everyone in the circle, and finally back to the trainer.

2nd round of group juggling

I then say, "Right, well done, now let's see if we can that again making sure we use the same order, and using each other's names. Remember to say the name of the person you are throwing to, and thank the person, by name, for throwing it to you, OK?" On the second round, most people will be challenged to remember who to throw it to, and the two names! Take it slow, help the group out, so that each person has a successful second round.

3rd round of group juggling

I then say, "Good, so how about we do it again, but this time, let's let's see how fast we can do it, OK? Here we go...Hi Freddy, my name is James...." [throw] It will go pretty fast this time, and the group will probably feel quite pleased with themselves.

4th round of group juggling - introducing more balls

I then say, "That's great, but I think you can do faster than that. Come on, let's see how we can really go..." [I then throw and say the name with super fast enthusiasm to set the tone! After the first ball has passed through a few hands, I take a 2nd ball out of my pocket (surprise!), and casually, but earnestly say "Hi Freddy...." [throw]. By now everyone is so well trained, the 2nd ball will automatically keep going, and there will be a detectable sense of challenge/excitement. After a bit, I introduce a 3rd and 4th ball, up to about 6 balls.

Usually I let 4 to 6 balls be juggled for a while (note the balls will be coming back again to the trainer - just keep them going). A group of 12 adults can usually handle 4 to 6 quite well. If I'm feeling conservative, I just let the group have the success of doing this number of balls, and collect them in when that seems to have been achieved. But usually, once the group seems competent at 4 to 6 balls I gradually then introduce an unmanageable number of balls into the juggle & maybe also weird objects (e.g., kids soft toys) which all gets crazy, fun, out of control, etc. and ends in a hilarious shambles. Generally doesn't require debriefing.

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Links to other descriptions of Group Juggle

Group Juggling - First steps of training & development - plus Warp Speed Group Juggling (Cat Juggling) - Team Building USA [standard description with team building emphasis] Group Juggle [.pdf] [tailored description with focus on stress management, time management, conflict/change resolution]

Equipment
15 tossable items in mesh stuff sack with directions Several soft balls or throwable objects. The more, the merrier!

Time
~15 minutes

Variation
Warp Speed

Summary
Throw balls to others in a sequence, using each person's name. Works every time. Can be extended to "Warp Speed" (to see how fast the group can throw balls through a set order to each group member).

Categories
Description of an Icebreaker and Get to Know You Activity

Categories

A fun, interactive, introductory get-to-know-you activity for medium to large groups. Works best with large groups (min. is ~15). Useful for celebrating diversity. Particularly useful as an icebreaker, e.g. can be used as a opener for a workshop/conference. Ask everyone to stand up and then to walk around; explain that you will announce a category (see list or use your own) and that participants should then quickly organise themselves into smaller groups, based on the category to which they belong. Once everyone is organised into their groups, ask each group to identify itself.

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(Optional) Make a brief comment or ask each group a question. Allow participants time to say hello and mingle/chat with each other when the smaller groups are formed. Keep things moving by asking participants to walk around before announcing the next category. Continue until the group is "warmed up" and ready for the next activity. This will probably be after ~5 topics, depending on the group, purpose, and time available. Categories can also be used as a fun, simple way to organise people into smaller groups for other activities. For the first category, use one with two options and announce one side of the room for one category and the other side of the room for the other category. This should help participants to get the idea for how the activity works.

List of categories
Two categories

When you clasp your hands together and fold the thumbs across the top, is your right or left thumb on top? Fold your arms across your chest. Is your right or left arm on top? Which leg do you put into your pants first? Which eye do you prefer to wink with? Which side of the bed (left or right) do you get out of in the morning? Are you a folder or scruncher (toilet paper) Can you roll your tongue? (yes/no)

Three categories

When licking an ice cream cone...do you: o Twirl the cone clockwise o Twirl the cone counterclockwise o Lick up and down?

Many categories

What is your favourite season? How many siblings do you have? What colour are your eyes? What's your shoe size? What type of shoes are your wearing? What's your favourite colour What's your star sign?

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References
Collard, M. (1996). Categories. In No props: Great games with no equipment (p. 10). Project Adventure Australia: Viewbank, Victoria, Australia.

Equipment
None.

Time
~10 minutes

Brief Description
Ask a group to organise themselves into smaller groups, based on different criteria (such as number of siblings, favourite colour, etc.).

Gotchya! (Grab the Finger)

Description of Icebreaker Activity Gotchya! (Grab the Finger or Cheese) Handy icebreaker and attention-grabber for kids thru corporate group programs. Stimulating group activity to get people together, focused, challenged, having fun and ready for action. Useful to get focused attention when people arrive, get off the bus, or to fill 5-10 minutes. Works with any size groups, indoor and outdoor. Participants stand in a circle, arms out to the side. Left hand palm up, right index finger pointing down and touching on neighbor's outstretched palm. "When I say the word go, do two things.... grab the finger in your left hand, and prevent your right finger from being grabbed... 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... [add suspense] ... Go!". Repeat several times.

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Tom Leahy advises "put big energy, and your own style to it...it never fails to grab everyone's attention, bringing them immediately to the present...Provides perfect off the bus spark for the day....Good for 10 minutes". The trick is dramatizing the "Go!", the build up of suspense, and most will jump the gun, adding to the fun. Try a different trigger word, e.g., "Cheese", and mention lots of other "eeze" words for humor - peas, sneeze, wheeze, please and freeze. Or use the word/theme of the day e.g., "outdoor" to help get people listening to every word. Can transition to talking about "assumptions" and "temptation", etc. Acknowledgement: This game was discussed by Tom Leahy, Mike Anderson and others on the ROPES discussion list, February, 2004.

Equipment: None. Time: ~5-10 minutes Brief Description: Fast-moving 5 min. group activity to get people together and focused. In a circle, right finger on next person's left palm. Try to grab a finger before yours gets grabbed.

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