Adventure Based Initiatives

Introduction

Introduction
Too often school is not fun. It is work, which is how a lot of people, usually
adults, feel that school should be. These same people would say that school should be
about preparing children for the real world and the real world and work is not fun so why
should school be fun? The real world is fun or at least it can be. Work is fun, or at least
it can be.
There are too many people in this world that don’t enjoy their jobs and don’t
enjoy their work. To those people there is one thing to say. FIND A NEW JOB. When
students have fun at school, they want to come to school. When they want to come to
school, they will want to learn and when students want to learn, nothing can stop them or
get in their way. That’s what the activities in this book are all about. Learning and having
fun doing it.

What & Why

An initiative task is any task or challenge that you give the students that requires
them to use imagination, creativity, leadership and teamwork in order to be successful at
the task. The benefits of your group participating in regular initiative tasks are amazing.
Initiative tasks bring groups together like nothing else. They are shared challenges that
can be met only through teamwork and cooperation. They are fun activities where no
one person can stand out as being the “best”. They develop and encourage creative
thinking, problem solving and leadership. They force the group members to recognize
the strengths of everyone in the group. Problem solving in the real world is best done by
people who can look around the problem and find the loop holes. Problems that seem
impossible are only impossible if we follow the rules.
One note about initiative tasks: Doing just one as an alternate gym lesson isn’t
really effective. Initiative tasks are an attitude. They need to be done on a regular basis
in order to accomplish the things that are outlined in this manual.

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Facilitator’s Role
This is the hardest and easiest part of initiative tasks. It is the easiest because
you aren’t faced with trying to solve the challenge with the group in question. It is the
hardest because once you’ve laid out the challenge and the rules, you have to sit down
and shut up. Fact: once you given the go ahead, you can’t do anything. If it helps, tape
your mouth shut and sit on your hands. You’ll be watching your group doing things that
are totally unsuccessful and you’re going to want to help them. The problem is, if you
help them, you just blew the whole purpose of the task in the first place. If the situation
is getting dangerous or is becoming negatively frustrating, you will want to stop it and
bring them back to it on another day. Remember, as the facilitator, your job is to
present the challenge in a motivating manner, ensure that the rules are followed
and that everyone is safe and then assist the group in debriefing at the end.

Goal Setting
Before a group has started to work on a challenge, you might want to set some
goal for the group to meet as part of the challenge. If they have accomplished a certain
task, you might want to have them do the same thing only within a certain time period.
In the beginning, it is better to make it easier at the start and then increase the difficulty
each time the group is successful. This early success will make the participants feel
good about what they are doing and will pump them up for more. They can then use
what they’ve learned about each other and themselves at the next level. After a while,
don’t be afraid to pull out the stops and put the bar out of reach when you introduce an
activity. By throwing themselves at an impossible mountain, human beings grow by
leaps and bounds. Time and time again, groups of children and groups of adults
accomplish the impossible. There is absolutely no way to describe the feelings that both
the group and you will feel when that happens.

Limitations (Equipment, group size, room size, etc)

Rule number one about limitations….THERE ARE NONE. In other words, if you
modify things enough, you can make anything work, anywhere and for any group of
people. It may be difficult. It may seem impossible, but it can be done.
You might not want to present all of the rules listed under a specific task right away.
Many of the rules in this training come from a long history of doing the task and having
participants discover a loophole that allows them to solve the problem immediately. For
most of these tasks, you can use almost anything. If you don’t have gym mats for Raft
Crossing, use big pieces of paper or little pieces taped together. One of the most listed
pieces of equipment is the blindfold. When it comes right down to it, anything can be
used as a blindfold.
Group size is another thing that needs modification to work. If your group is too
small as to present any sort of challenge to the group, you’re going to have to increase
the challenge using equipment or other rules. If your group is too big, you’re going to
have to either split the entire group into some smaller ones or modify the task for the
group as a whole.
First of all, make sure that they activity is safe. Secondly, make sure that whatever
your task is, as many people as possible, if not all, are involved at all times.

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Teamwork & Trust
One of the goals of an initiative task is to have the group work together as a team.
You can accomplish this by defining success as the entire group being successful. Any
one person can probably accomplish the goal, depending on the goal. This will force the
group to work as a single unit. You will have do some work on accepting mistakes and
failure otherwise the group will act negatively. For these tasks to be successful in
bringing your group closer and working together more, they need to be able to develop
their trust in each other. You may choose to allow the person(s) to continue with their
behavior as another real life lesson. There will be people who do nothing or worse, do
something negative that brings the group down. Forcing the group to follow a specific
person is also a good way to allow some of your more quiet and less aggressive group
members to take a leadership role and share their ideas and opinions.

Failure
In today’s society, we have made failure a bad thing. It is our job to teach people
about failure: how best to handle it and how best to learn from it. It is not our job to shy
away from it. Failure is a big part of initiative tasks. If the group succeeds the first time,
you need to make the challenge harder until they fail. Yes, that’s right. Your goal as the
facilitator is to set your group up for failure. It is only through failure that growth can
occur. You will need to spend time teaching your group how to handle failure. You will
need to teach them that it is unproductive and useless to blame someone for the group’s
failure to accomplish a task. You have to teach them that the entire group shares
responsibility for the group’s successes and failures.
Teach your group how to look at failure as a learning experience. After they are
unsuccessful at a task, lead them through a debriefing session and help them examine
what went wrong and what can they do as a group to fix the problem. Your group will
have strengths and weaknesses just like any group in the real world. As a group, they
need to figure out how best to use those strengths and weaknesses. It is possible that
after a long period of time, your group has been consistently unsuccessful at overcoming
the challenge that you’ve presented to them. If this happens, you need to examine why.
Step away from this challenge for a while. Work on some simpler tasks that allow the
group to grow together and work better and then come back to the original problem later.
Failure is a fact of life. The real issue is how to deal with it and succeed in spite
or even because of it. That’s what your objective should be.

Groups & Competition

You will have a number of people who are not actively involved in solving the
problem at hand, either mentally or physically. This can result in a number of problems
including boredom, fooling around, etc. To combat this problem, you can break the
larger group into two or more smaller groups and each group is responsible for solving
the problem as a group. Human nature is competitive, and many of our greatest
achievements have been a direct result of competition. The problem with competition is
that it usually results in there being a winning team and a losing team which does not do
a whole lot for fostering the overall teamwork approach that these tasks and games are
trying to create. How do we tackle this problem?
Methods that work for me include:

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1. Make sure that you have a bundle of variations of each activity so if a specific
group is successful at a task, you have something else ready for them so they can
continue being challenged without pause.
2. When one group has completed the task, their job is now to help the other group(s)
accomplish the task by cheering them on, offering advice or physically assisting them.
3. If it is a game that actually involves one team playing another, don’t keep score.
GASP!? “ Don’t keep score??” you say You’ll be surprised by how easy it is and how
quickly people accept it. People will just play for the joy of playing as long as you set up
properly.
4. Continually change the group members around so that you don’t end up with a
specific group of people identifying with only each other within the overall group. If you
allow “cliques” like this to develop, you will have difficulty maintaining the overall group
cohesion.
5. You can also try to have the different groups in different areas or rooms so that
they are basically unaware of what the other group is doing. You will need to make
sure that you have sufficient safety supervision of the groups.
6. For really large groups, set up a number of initiative task stations with different
tasks at each station and each group goes around and spends anywhere from a half
hour to forty five minutes at each station. Each station has its own facilitator who makes
sure that they debrief with the group. The hardest part of doing things this way is that
you don’t get to observe every group at every station and see the lessons learned.

Making Groups and Partners

Your job as a facilitator is to create a situation where everyone involved can feel
good about participating. For this to occur, you need to make the groups, especially in
the beginning. As much as possible, try to balance skills and abilities of group
members. Have everyone partner up with another person that they feel is approximately
the same size and skill level. One partner is a one and the other partner is a two. The
ones are all in one group and the twos are all in another group. Another way of doing
this is to have everyone just stand in a line and you go down the line and place people
on one team or another trying to keep the balance of skills between both groups. One of
the hardest moments for anyone is when the facilitator says to them, “Everyone get with
a partner.” Again, as with group making, allow experienced groups to get together with
their own partners. Do inform them that you expect everyone to be taken care of and no
one to feel left out or you will make the partners. Always try to teach them to live by the
motto of “One for all and all for one.” As hokey as it sounds, it works.

Debriefing
As the leader you need to debrief the group after the initiative task. This means
sitting them down in a circle or some formation that allows everyone to face everyone
else and discuss what just happened. The task provided the challenge and the
opportunity for the group to learn about themselves and about how they work together.
The debriefing session afterwards is where they actually get to reflect and learn about
what they did, what happened and what they could do next time.
If you don’t debrief with the group afterwards, the things that they learned usually get
lost. If you don’t debrief afterwards then all you really did was play a game. The key to
good debriefing is being able to read the group and their responses and see what you
can do to bring out what happened from the group. Be prepared for a very long period
of silence.

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 What follows are some methods that can be used to get a group warmed up and into
the debriefing process without a lot of individual risk on their part. All things are easier
if you know that you aren’t going to be alone in responding or acting.
 Go around the group and each person has to contribute one word, phrase or
sentence that describes the whole experience for them as an individual.
 Have each person end a phrase in his/her own way. For example: I’m glad
that….I wish we had….I didn’t like…...I liked….. etc.
 Each person holds out their hand with their thumb up, down or somewhere in
between measuring whatever it is you asked them to measure. Was the group
successful? Did the group work well together? Was everyone involved in a
positive way? Once everyone has shown their feelings on the question through
the location of their thumb, you can use this information to begin a discussion on
why they feel the way that they do.
 Ask one volunteer to describe what happened from beginning to end. If
someone else feels that the volunteer is missing something, s/he can say “Hold
It” and then take up the description from that point and so on.
 Use a Polaroid camera or video camera to take pictures or film of the group
solving the challenge and then show them to the group. Discussion is sure to
follow. The group will be surprised by the things that they see on the tape and
did not realize were happening.
 Once you have the group warmed up, you can then start in with more specific
questions. Don’t overdo it. You don’t have to and shouldn’t ask all of them.
Here are some more specific questions you can follow up with once the group is
comfortable.
 What things interfered with getting the activity done and what could have been
done about those things? (no names please)
 What things made the activity work better and why?
 If you could have had one wish during the activity to help you and your group,
what would it have been and why?
 If you were going to do the activity again, what would you do the same, different
and why?
 How did you feel about the procedure your group used?
 How does what happened in this activity apply to your real life?
 I tried to make the initiative good for myself by...
 My highlight during the initiative was...
 One thing I have learned about myself from the initiatives was...
 A personal challenge I had during the initiatives was...
 One strength I have come away appreciating about myself is...
 I tried to make the initiatives good for others by...
 One thing I have learned about people that I can apply elsewhere in my life is...
 How did our team function?
 What were some team strengths?
 What is one word that would describe why your team was successful?
 Did you notice any changes in the team from the start of the initiatives to the end
of the initiatives?
 Have you gained any insights about teamwork that you can use elsewhere in
your life?
 What has this team meant to you?

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Following the Rules
The members have to buy into the rules as well as the scenario. You need to set out
clear rules and real consequences at the beginning and be able to expect that all of the
group will follow them. Emphasize that these are “real-life” situations. In the real world,
if someone touches something that would harm them, the reality of it catches up with
them and they are injured or killed. This means that you have to be able to trust
everyone in the group and everyone in the group has to buy into the task as a whole.
Some times it helpful for the facilitator to ask the group for their input when establishing
rules the group will follow. This typically fosters a sense of investment to honor the rules
that have been established.

It Won’t Work
If you are reading this and thinking that everything is just great but there is no way
that it will work with the group of people that you have, remember to take the time to do
the simpler and warm-up tasks first. Eventually have your group willing to work together,
play together and meet even the toughest challenges. Modify things as much as you
need. Simplify things as much as you need. Some people aren’t into silly imaginative
scenarios, at least not in the beginning.

How
First of all, you need to make sure that everyone knows each other. If you are
working with a group that has come from a bunch of different places and don’t know
each other, spend a little time on getting to know each other. Once a group is ready and
you are going to do one of the initiative tasks, gather the equipment necessary, lay it in
front of the group, present the scenario, read the rules and then step back. Keep an
eye on the group throughout their attempts. If any serious negative attitudes start to
develop, you should step in and stop the activity. No talking, no discussion, just pack
everything up and back to class but be weary of those who may sabotage future
activities if stopping is what they wanted in the first place. However, most learn pretty
quickly that negative behavior will not be accepted and if they want the chance to
accomplish the task, they better keep a focused eye on the goal. When the group has
been successful, when the group has failed or when the time allotted is running out, lead
the group through a debriefing session. As indicated in the debriefing notes previously,
don’t spend too much time on debriefing. It is very important that if a group was
unsuccessful at a task, that they get another opportunity to come back to that task and
be successful at it. Nothing leaves a bad taste in the mouth than not having
accomplished something as a group and not getting a chance at it again. If this means
that you keep coming back to the same task over and over again throughout the year
until the group succeeds, then do so. Another thing to watch for when you are doing
activities is boredom. A little bit of boredom can be allowed if for no other reason than
as a learning experience. Again, there will be times in the real world, too many
unfortunately, where things get boring. It is a necessary skill to be able to work past the
boredom and accomplish the task. If you are playing a game and things are getting
boring, you’ve played the game too much.
So good luck and have fun. That's what these activities are all about, learning
and having fun doing so.

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 Tools and Concepts
The adventure wave
The adventure ways is the course and that all groups follow when
presented with a challenge. Each activity begins to with a briefing. The group
then begins to face the challenge itself. They will almost certainly experienced
frustration and stress and hopefully work through it to resolve the challenge. As a
facilitator the most difficult role can be to step back and allow the progression to
happen. If the group needs a nudge in the right direction, be cautious and
interfere as little as possible. Safe failure is the best teacher, trust in the process.

Full Value Contracts

The full value contract is an agreement made by the whole group to value
certain behavior as a group and as an individual. It can be a tremendous tool in
directing behavior and redirecting negative behavior and in creating a creative
and emotionally safe environment. In a sense, it states that the group values
what individuals have to say and provides a framework for good communication,
decision-making and trust.
Full value contracts can manifest in many different forms including verbal,
written, symbolic and metaphorical. The most common form and is a written
contract that is brainstormed, agreed upon by the whole group and signed.
Another is the five finger contract that is useful when the time is limited (See
below).

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Challenge by choice model
The challenge by choice model is the cornerstone of adventure
programming. The programming provides the atmosphere for a participant to
push themselves beyond where they thought they could go, but the choices
concerning how far to go must be made by the participant. There is a fine line
between pushing someone to his or her full potential, and pushing someone to
where they truly do not want to go. The facilitator must be aware of everyone’s
comfort zones.
Zones may overlap and participants will often exist in more than one.
However, if a participant enters fully into the panic zone, the experience will take
a serious negative turn and possibly become dangerous.

Group Evolution Evaluation Tools

Sequencing is defined as providing an order of activities in which they
build and flow appropriate to the group’s needs. This is one of the most
important roles of a facilitator, judging the timing of progression from one level to
the next by your comfort level and the group’s status. One model to assess this
is the GRABBS model:
Goals: is the group meeting them?
Readiness: is the group ready for the activity?
Affect: is the group ready emotionally?
Behavior: is their behavior at a level appropriate for the next activity?
Body: what is their body language telling you?
Stage: what stage are they in?

The group will pass through three stages. The model for assessing these
is the storming – forming – Norming model:

Storming: the group is not very functional as a unit. They are usually
distracted and non-cohesive.

Forming: the group is beginning to pull together and identify as a working

unit or team. Roles emerge.

Norming: the group has come together and has a set pattern of problem
solving and decision making. They are supportive and encouraging both
physically and emotionally.

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 These models are intended to be tools for the facilitator to attach, if the
group is unstable, to area where they need work. Plain signals are sometimes
confusing, and input from the group is an important tool in clearing up confusion.

Briefing and debriefing:

Briefing
A Briefing is given before the group begins a challenge. It contains non-
negotiable safety information, goal setting framing, and clarification.
A good briefing is essential to engage the group. It is critical not to give the group
too much information because you want them to use their own creativity and
reasoning to solve the challenge. A good rule of thumb is to allow the group to
ask two or three questions and then not allow any more questions. Give them
some planning time, and if the group requires it, make them plan. You may need
to remind them of safety concerns and slow their enthusiasm if they’re not
mindful of each other’s safety.

The things to think about:

 Present safety information clearly.
 Frame the activity in terms of completion.
 Give a chance for the group to ask questions.
 Take into consideration special challenges and make allowances.
 Fantasy and imagination can be fun components to add to a brief.
Example: You all are shipwrecked on a desert island and only
have this plank and a hula hoop to get to the life raft snagged over
there.

Debriefing
Debriefing is the discussion that takes place immediately after completion
of an initiative. This allows the group to reflect on the events that have taken
place and discover successful patterns that may be helpful in the challenges
ahead. This is also a time to “bring it home” with the participants and ask them
how these patterns may relate to how they handle life situations. The following
three questions are helpful in making a debriefing successful:

What?
The “what” is the time to gather facts, individual perceptions, and to help
the group identify their problem solving process. What did we do? Why
did we do it? What helped us? What hindered us? How did it feel
when….? How did we handle it?

So what?
The “so what” tries to identify what all the “what” responses mean. The
group will generalize what it is that they have learned from the activity.
Pick words like respect, trust, or determination, and have participants
explain what it means to them. Did this teach us anything? What steps did
we used to solve this? Did we respect Jenny when she said….?
Now what?

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 The “now what” tries to identify the lesson learned and decided what to do
with the information. Allowed time for the participants to tell what all of
these new problem-solving techniques might mean in their lives. Do you
think we should have treated Maria differently, how would you have felt?
How can we use this new information when the program is over? How
might we apply this problem-solving process in our lives

Sequencing
The following is a general sequencing guideline. Activities suggested are
appropriate for this stage of group development. Resources that contained
descriptions of the suggested activities, as well as facilitation ideas, can be found
in : New Games, More new games, Silver Bullets and Islands of healing
books. Additional resources and a publication guide can be ordered through
Project Adventure at 508-468-7981.
Below is a typical sequence of how to present an adventure program that
builds upon itself.

Introductory Activities
Objective: allow the group members to get to know each other and to
become more comfortable with their group situation.

 Ice breakers: get to know you games

 Fun is a major component.
 Non-threatening to group members.
 Success oriented.
 Require minimal verbal interaction among group members.
 Facilitator manages activites.

De-Inhibitizor Activities
Objective: to provide participants the opportunity to take a risk or to look
silly or inept. Encourage an atmosphere in which it is safe to do so.

 Involves small amounts of risk, physical or emotional.

 Fun activities that allow the group to see themselves as a working
unit.
 Success is not as important as effort.
 Cooperative and supportive.

Communication activities
Objective: provide a chance for the group to enhance and explore their
interactions and communication skills. Explore individual roles within the
group. Decision-making skills as a group and communication between
group members are focused.

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  Physical activity in which non-verbal interaction, verbal interaction and
idea sharing is important.
 The solving of a problem is an established goal.
 Leadership roles and skills emerge.
 Group oriented.

Trust activities
Objective: to provide group members the opportunity to trust their
emotional and physical safety to other group members.

 Physical and verbal group interaction is the focus.

 Support in caring for group members essential for safety.
 Involve fun risk and fear.
 Deliberate sequencing of trust activities to slowly build trust within the
group.
 Dialogue between “truster” and “trustee” introduced.

Personal growth and socially responsible activities

Objective: to provide the group a situation where the whole group and
the individual are challenged in an encouraging and supportive
environment.

 Depend on the ability of individuals to support and encourage each

other.
 Aids in group members acknowledging their differences and
commonalities in reactions to stress, fear, and risk-taking.
 Help expand perceived limits and potential aid in self-esteem
development.
 Allow use of all the skills group members have learned throughout the
experience.

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Name: The Name Game

Timeframe: 10 minutes

Materials: An open and creative mind

Description:
 This activity is used to warm the group up and to help them get to know
each other’s names.
 Have students stand or sit in a circle.
 Students will introduce themselves using an adjective and a verb. They
will also “perform” the verb they choose.
 Once everyone has had a chance to introduce themselves you can
proceed one of two ways:

1. Each student attempts to go around the circle and remember all

the names and actions.

2. For high speed fun start with one student, say their name and
perform their action and then it is up to them to pick someone new
until everyone in the groups name and action have been repeated.
You can also challenge the group by timing them and then seeing if
they can beat their time.

Ex. Hi, I’m crazy Katy and I like to ski. (legs together, arms
bent, swishing down the mountain)

Processing Questions:
 How many new people have you met?
 What did you learn about the person to your right? Left?
 Did you learn anything about yourself during that activity?

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Name: 2 Minute Interviews

Timeframe: 15 minutes (with a group of 10 to 12 students)

Materials: Enough space for the students to conduct their interviews

Description:
 Gather the group together to explain the activity.
 Each group member should get with a partner (the facilitator can partner with
someone if need be), preferably someone they may not know well.
 The facilitator will explain that each person in the partnership will have two
minutes to interview their partner. Be sure to emphasize that the questions
should be quick hit questions so several topics can be covered in a short amount
of time.
 The facilitator keeps time and announces to the group when it’s time to switch
roles (the other person starts asking questions to their partner).
 Once both students have had the opportunity to ask questions, the group gathers
together once again and each students reports to the group information they
found out about their partner.

Processing Questions:
 The facilitator should ask which pair would like to go first.
 The group members should introduce their partner to the entire group prior to
reporting what they have learned.
 The group members should just highlight three to four facts they learned.

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Name: Band Aid Tag

Timeframe: 20 minutes

Materials: Space, Bodies

Description:
 This is a simple variation of a traditional tag game with the difference being that
you are not simply “It” or out if you get tagged.
 Elect one member of the group to be “It”.
 Create whatever boundaries seem to be appropriate for the size and scope of
your group. As in traditional tag, the “It” must run around attempting to tag the
rest of the group.
 When a person is tagged, they must place a hand on the spot on their body in
which they’ve been tagged, like a band-aid. So if you get tagged on the knee you
must run around with your hand on your knee etc.
 Once you have been tagged twice you are sent to the infirmary, keeping your
hands placed on the spots you were tagged, (set aside an area for this!). You
must be tagged by someone with NO injuries in order to be set free.
 The “It” cannot tag the same person 2 times in a row. Play as long or little as time
permits.
 The next “it” can be the last person sent to the infirmary or a random pick of your
liking.

Processing Questions:
1. How does this tag game differ from other tag games you’ve played?
2. Can we learn anything about injuries or hindrances through this exercise?
3. Can you think of a way to make the game better or more fun? (I love this
because this actually how many of my games and initiatives have evolved
over the years!)

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Name: Counting to 20

Timeframe: 10 minutes.

Materials: 6 or more students.

Activity Description:
Preparation- Explain to the group that the goal of this exercise is to test the
group on their ability to work together successfully counting up to 20.
Activity: The notion of counting to 20 seems simple, but to drive home the
importance or planning this activity has taken that aspect away. During this activity the
group can not make eye contact, cannot have discussions in order to create a plan on
how to successfully count to 20, and at no time during their efforts, can any group
members speak at the same time. If two or more people should speak simultaneously
they must start the counting over again, beginning with “one”.

Modifications:
1. All group members must contribute to the counting at least once.
2. Increase the counting number to over 20.
3. Decrease the counting in order to have a higher level of success.

Debriefing: Use the following prompts to help the group gain understanding of the
purpose of the activity.
1. What Difficulties did the group encounter?
2. Did the group formulate any “un-official” plans?
3. Did the group ever waver from focusing on their goal?
4. Has anyone ever run into difficulties while addressing a seemingly easy task?
If so, what changes needed to take place in order to achieve success?
5. Who thought the group was going to be able to complete this task without
difficulty.

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Name: Butt Head Tag

Timeframe: 15 minutes (group of 10 to 12)

Materials: 6 to 8 cones to make boundaries for 20 ft X 20 ft square.

Description:
 Facilitator randomly assigns partnerships to the group members and “taggers
and “taggees” are established.
 Rule #1, there is absolutely no running in this game.
 Rule #2, no tagging above the shoulders
 Within all of the partnerships, one person should start with their hand on their
Butt and the other with their hand on their head.
 When the facilitator shouts “begin!” all of the participants with their hands on their
heads attempt to tag any participants with their hand on their butt and vice-versa.
 Once a participant is tagged, they must then switch their hand placement and
continue to tag those with different hand placements.
 As soon as there is only one team of either “Butts” or “Heads” that round of tag is
over. Feel free to do several rounds.

Processing Questions:
 Was anyone frustrated with having to switch team affiliations?
 Was it easier being on one team or the other, why?
 Did anyone find a way to work collaboratively with other team members, how?

16
Name: Walk Tag

Timeframe: 15 minutes

Materials: 6 to 8 cones to mark the boundaries of a 20 ft X 20 ft square.

Description:
 Facilitator randomly assigns partnerships to the group members and “taggers
and “taggees” are established.
 Rule #1, there is absolutely no running in this game.
 Rule #2, no tagging above the shoulders.
 The object to walk tag is to tag your partner. If your partner tags you then must
then become the “tagger”, however, prior to chasing your partner, you must first
clasp your hands together, raise your arms above your head as high as they can
go, look at your hand and start spinning while you exclaim, “Oh no, I’ve been
tagged!” five times, giving your partner time to make an escape.
 Once a tagged person has successfully completed the above directions they can
begin to walk around within the boundaries attempting to tag their partner back.

Processing Questions:
 Who didn’t break any of the rules?
 If you broke the rules, Why?
 Were you frustrated by the limitations put on you?
What strategies did you use as “taggers” or “taggees”?

17
Name: Shark Races

Timeframe: 15 – 20 minutes

Materials: Large open space, two cones (Markers), two Hula Hoops.

Description:
 The group is divided into two teams.
 Each team assembles at the starting line, standing around their hula hoop with
both hands on the hoop.
 The facilitator yells “Go!” and both teams take off toward a cone that is
approximately 30 yards away.
 The object is for each team to remain attached to their hula hoop with both hands
and race down around the cone and back to the finish line.
 At any time during the race the facilitator can yell “Shark!” and both groups must
stop at once, drop their hula hoop, step into the hoop with at least one leg, and
sing one round of Row row row your boat, then continue on with the race.
 Groups will be disqualified if they cannot be understood while singing, or if the
hula hoop is bent, stretched or pulled out of shape.

Note: Once you have done one or two races, allow the teams to be the ones who yell
out “Shark!” but make sure both teams understand that both teams still must stop and
sing.

Processing Questions:
 How well did your group work together?
 What parts were more successful than others?
 Were all skill levels of the team taken into consideration?
 What was most important to you during these races?

18
Name: Move it Buddy

Timeframe: 5 to10 minutes

Materials: space

Description:
 Have the group stand in a circle.
 Give the group 30 seconds to memorize the first, middle and last names of the
people to their left and right.
 The facilitator points to someone in the group.
 The people beside that person race to see who can say their first, middle and last
name the quickest.
 The person who does not say the name enters the circle and points to the next
person thus continuing the game.
 The person in the middle, instead of pointing to someone, may opt to call out,
“move it buddy”, at which time the group must shuffle and learn the names of the
people on each side of them.
 Play until everyone has been pointed to.

Processing Questions:
 Does everyone know the full names of at least three members of the group?
 Who thinks they can name all members of the group?
 Why is it important to be able to address someone by name?

19
Name: Trick or Trust

Timeframe: 15 minutes

Materials: 30 Fake $5 bills

Description:
 Divide your group into two teams; it is not necessary that each team have even
numbers.
 Give each team an equal number of fake $5 bills.
 Facilitator keeps an equal number of bills for themselves. Each team also
receives two cards. On one of the cards is written the word “trick” and on the
other is written the word “trust”.
 The object of the game is to end up with the most money. Money is earned or
lost depending upon which card a team decides to play.
 Play begins with teams deciding amongst themselves which card they want to
play. If both teams play their trust card, they both receive $5 from you. If both
teams play their trick card, they each must give $5 to you. If one team plays the
trick card and the other team plays the trust card, the team playing the trust card
pays the other team $10. When teams have decided which card to play, they
secretly give it to you. When both teams have given you a card, announce the
results and redistribute the money accordingly. Play for a set number of rounds
or until one team loses all their money. The team that ends up with the most
money wins.
 *Note – You, as the bank, are an important part of play. Most teams will soon
discover that it is far too risky to play their trust card since doing so may cost
them $10 and also give the other team $10. As a result you will most likely end
up with the most money. The message of the game is that is difficult to put your
trust in others because you risk losing when you do. The only way for both
teams to gain is if both teams play their trust cards. This would lead into a
discussion about how important it is to be able to trust each other and to be
worthy of other peoples trust, which is integral to a successful ropes course
experience.

Processing Questions:
 What does trust mean to you?
 What is the difference between group trust and individual trust?
 Is it hard to give trust to others, why?

20
Name: Helium Pole

Timeframe: 15 to 20 minutes

Materials: One tent pole approx. 6 to 9 feet in length.

Description:
 The group is split in half and two lines are formed having the two groups face
each other no more than 1 foot apart.
 All group members bend their elbows, having their palms facing the ground and
their index finger sticking out straight.
 The facilitator lays the pole down across the backsides of the all the index
fingers.
 The group then attempts to lower the pole down to the ground without the
backside of any one’s fingers losing contact with the pole.
 If contact is lost by anyone for any amount of time, the group must attempt the
initiative again from the starting/ standing position.

Modifications:
 Have only two members of the group speak.
 Blind fold some of the group members.
 Instate a time limit.

Processing Questions:
 Did people follow the given guidelines and directions?
 How important was communication in this initiative?
 What were some of the communication techniques used during this initiative?

21
Name: Common Ground

Timeframe: 10 to 15 minutes

Materials: Rug squares for each participant. A list of tasks or characteristics many have
in common.

Description:
 Each participant stands on their rug square.
 The facilitator begins play by announcing something from the list, ie; “everyone
who has a brother or a sister, change squares.”
 As people begin to move the facilitator picks up a square that is unoccupied. This
forces at least two people to share a square.
 Continue to announce items from the list such as; “everyone who likes chocolate
change squares”, or “everyone who’s nervous to climb 30 feet in the air and jump
off of a pole switch squares”.
 Each time people begin to move, pick up a square. Each round more and more
people will be forced to share squares.
 Eventually your whole team will be forced attempt to get everyone onto one small
square. This will require everyone to work together to accomplish the goal.

Processing Questions:
 Did people feel nervous about having to share their space/square with others?
 How did the group attitude change throughout the activity?
 Did people address the challenges with positive attitudes?
Was everyone equally involved in this activity? Explain.

22
Name: Island to Island

Timeframe: 30 minutes

Materials: Various rope loops ranging in diameter from 1 to 3 feet, enough loops for
each member to have one.

Description:
 The facilitator spreads out the rope loops in the area used.
 The facilitator explains to the group that each time they exclaim “Island to Island”
each member of group must move to a different circle.
 Once the group has made a couple of shifts the facilitator should start removing a
rope loop each time they ask exclaim “Island to Island.”
 Rule #1, both feet of each participant must be entirely within the loop.
 Rule #2, both feet must be entirely in the loop for at least 5 seconds.
 The facilitator will continue to take loops away until there is only one loop left for
the entire group to fit into.

Note: When the groups start working together to fit into loops make sure they are
taking each other’s safety and wellbeing into consideration.

Processing Questions:
 Did anyone feel as though “their” loop was taken away?
 Did anyone get invited into a loop by another participant?
 Did anyone feel uncomfortable asking permission to share a loop with someone
else?
 Did you notice if people were competitive over who would get to a loop first? Why
do you think this was so?

23
Name: Traffic Jam

Timeframe: 30 minutes

Materials: 1 stick, carpet square, or piece of rope for each participant plus one
extra.

Description:
 The purpose of this activity is to encourage students to utilize problem solving
skills and promote group cohesion. I use the rope, carpet square or whatever to
define the space in which the cars can move.
 Split the group in half (odd numbers are fine).
 Each group will represent a line of cars (they can name themselves) traveling on
a one way street towards each other.
 The object is to get all the cars to essentially trade places on the street so that
they can continue traveling.

Ex. 4> 3> 2> 1> open <5 <6 <7 <8

Sol. <5 <6 <7 <8 open 4> 3> 2> 1>

The Rules:

1. Only one car may move at a time.

2. Cars can only move one space at a time, except when passing.
3. Cars can only pass one car at a time (there must be an open space in
order to pass).
4. Cars cannot pass cars that are traveling in the same direction in which
they are.
5. If they find themselves in a “traffic jam” (nowhere to move) then they
must re-set. (typically the person in the front of each group goes to the
end when this happens.)

Processing Questions:
 What types of skills were needed to complete this task?
 How did the group make decisions? Was there a plan?
 What did the group do well? What could the group do better?

24
Traffic Jam Solution

1 2 3 4 _ 5 6 7 8
1 2 3 _ 4 5 6 7 8
1 2 3 5 4 _ 6 7 8
1 2 3 5 4 6 _ 7 8
1 2 3 5 _ 6 4 7 8
1 2 _ 5 3 6 4 7 8
1 _ 2 5 3 6 4 7 8
1 5 2 _ 3 6 4 7 8
1 5 2 6 3 _ 4 7 8
1 5 2 6 3 7 4 _ 8
1 5 2 6 3 7 4 8 _
1 5 2 6 3 7 _ 8 4
1 5 2 6 _ 7 3 8 4
1 5 _ 6 2 7 3 8 4
_ 5 1 6 2 7 3 8 4
5 _ 1 6 2 7 3 8 4
5 6 1 _ 2 7 3 8 4
5 6 1 7 2 _ 3 8 4
5 6 1 7 2 8 3 _ 4
5 6 1 7 2 8 _ 3 4
5 6 1 7 _ 8 2 3 4
5 6 _ 7 1 8 2 3 4
5 6 7 _ 1 8 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 1 _ 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 _ 1 2 3 4

25
Name: Stepping stones

Timeframe: 20 minutes.

Materials: 50 items that can be stepped on. (paper plates, rug samples, etc) 2 pieces
of rope 10 feet in length.

Description:
Preparation-
 Lay out the 50 items in a grid on the floor/ground, 10 rows of 5.
 Use the two pieces of 10 foot rope to determine two separate river banks.
 Plot a trail through the grid, the trail must be made by connecting the items
either, forward, sideways or diagonal.
 Each item can only be used once in the pathway.
 The trail must never go backwards.
Activity:
 Explain to the class that they are a Rock-N-Roll band that is on their way to a
benefit concert to help raise money to defeat world hunger.
 The group has encountered a river of Magic Mud on their trip to the concert. It is
important that the entire group makes it across the river in order to attend the
concert. If they are not successful the benefit concert will be a flop and many
third world countries will suffer.
 The Magic Mud River that the group has encountered has several stones in it.
However, only specific stones are stones that are stable and can support the
weight of each group member.
 If a rock that isn’t part of the “trail” is stepped on the facilitator yells “splash”and
the student who is currently attempting to cross the river must return to the river
bank from where they came.
 If any of the students fall into the Magic Mud, it will suck them back to the river
bank they started from.
 All students must remain on the river bank while not actively attempting to cross
the river.

Modifications:
 Connect three or more participants together with short pieces of rope.
 Blind fold half of the group.
 Take away the gift of speech from some of the group members.
 Identify that some students can’t walk at all and must be carried across the river.
 Create a time limitation for completing this exercise. (A flood of Magic Mud is
going to happen in 10 minutes and it will wash away all of the stepping stone.)

Processing Questions: Use the following prompts to help the group gain understanding
of the purpose of the activity.
 Was it hard to communicate as a group?
 Did the group make a plan prior to making attempts to cross the river?
 Did the group include all members in the activity? How did everyone get
involved?
 Did anyone feel that the group lost focus on the task? If so, what were the
distractions and what could have helped in keeping the group on task?

26
Name: Toxic Waste

Timeframe: 30 minutes

Materials: 80 foot rope, elastic band, 4 eight foot lengths of rope, 2 large cans, 1 tennis
ball, 4 blind folds

Description:
 It is explained to the group that it is their job to dispose of the toxic waste (tennis
ball) that is the large can.
 The group cannot enter inside the large circle (80 foot rope) to get to the can.
 The group can use the lengths of rope, and elastic band as tools to remove the
can.
 Rule #1, you must be wearing a blind fold prior to touching or manipulating the
ropes.
 Rule #2, if you’re not touching the ropes you cannot speak.
 Rule #3, only one person on the ropes at a time.
 The group is to work together to pick up the can with the toxic waste in it and
bring it over to the other can (the bottomless pit) and successfully dump the toxic
waste into the pit.
 Description of scene below:

Processing Questions:
 Did anyone emerge as a leader in this initiative?
 What were the obstacles or barriers that needed to be overcome?
 Did the group do any planning prior to using their tools?
 Were all ideas heard?
 What led to any successes the group had?
 On a scale from one to ten how successful was this group?

Name: Reverse pyramid

27
Timeframe: 10 to 15 minutes

Materials: Open space

Description:
 Arrange 10 students in the shape of a pyramid with four students standing in the
back row, three in the third row, two in the second row and one in the first row.
 The objective is to reverse the pyramid so that in row one there are four students,
row two has three students, row three has two students and the back is left with a
single student.

Example: start finish

X X X X X
X X X X X
X X X X X
X X X X X

The goal is to complete the objective moving as few students as you can. Most groups
will easily accomplish the task moving four or five students. The goal can be
accomplished moving only three students.

Solution: start finish

1
2 3 7 2 3 10
4 5 6 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 8 9
1

Processing Questions:
 How did the group work together to communicate ideas and solutions?
 Was the group successful in your opinion?
 Did a leader emerge from the group?
 What were the different roles people played in this initiative?

28
Name: Points Down

Timeframe: 20 minutes

Materials: Open space (grassy/ soft)

Description:
 The group should spread out into their own personal spaces.
 The Facilitator explains how different parts of the body are considered points (the
head, hands, elbows, knees, shoulders, Buttocks, feet).
 When the facilitator calls out a number each student needs to find creative ways
of having that many points touching the ground, ie: Facilitator calls for 4 points,
an option for a student would be to have 1 foot, 1 knee, 1 hand, and their head all
touching the ground simultaneously. All final configurations must be held for 5
seconds to be considered successful.
 After a couple of rounds where the students worked independently the facilitator
should call for all of the students to pair up or triple up. The premises are the
same but now the student must collectively have the points touching the ground.
 Continue to form larger groups and as the groups get larger call out smaller
numbers for higher levels of challenge.
 End the initiative with one large group and a number of 3 or 4 and see how well
they do.

Note: Facilitators need to monitor the groups closely making sure that they are
taking safety into consideration first.

Processing Questions:
 What roles did people find themselves in? Lifters, planners, lifted, etc?
 Did everyone agree on how to solve some of the challenges?
 Was anyone who was lifted uncomfortable or felt uncared for when being lifted?
 How was the group most successful?

29
Trust Initiatives: Setting a clear tone of “serious fun”

Firstly, when a facilitator is introducing trust initiatives to a group of participants they

should take some time to explain some general rules and policies the group will have to
follow in order to continue through the progression of trust initiatives. The need to
manage risk is at it’s all time high when delving into the realm of trust activities with
students who haven’t had previous experience with trust activities.

Secondly, the participants have to buy into the rules as well as the scenario. You need
to set out clear rules and real consequences at the beginning and be able to expect that
all of the group will follow them. Emphasize that these are “real-life” situations. In the
real world, if someone touches something that would harm them, there is no ref that tells
them. The reality of it catches up with them and they are injured or killed. The challenge
that you need to present is for the group to succeed at the task within the rules, not
outside of them. This means that you have to be able to trust everyone in the group and
everyone in the group has to buy into the task as a whole.

Lastly, the concept of taking control over someone has to be very clear to the
participants. Trust activities are based on the premise that one person is willing to give
up the control and wellbeing they have over their own body and give that control to
others. In these scenarios the potential for physical and emotional damage is possible
and the facilitator must be ultra aware of groups ability to collectively focus and follow
the guidelines set by the facilitator.

Communication Sequence
When facilitating trust initiatives a communication sequence must be utilized prior to
anyone giving control of their body to any other group member or members. It is of the
utmost importance that the facilitator strictly requires the participants to use the
communication sequence in order to eliminate confusion or misunderstandings.
When the participants are setting up a trust initiative and they are ready to hand over
control of their body the “faller” will start the following communication sequence being
sure to use the names of their catcher:
Faller: “catcher’s name”, are you ready to catch me?
Catcher: Yes I am “faller’s name”
Faller: “Catcher’s name”, may I fall?
Catcher: Fall when ready, “faller’s name”

It is important that names are inserted into the communication sequence due to the
close proximity of others around the participants. If a catcher wasn’t paying close
attention and a faller heard someone else state “Fall when ready” the faller could
possibly fall backwards without support from their catcher and sustain serious injuries.

In summation, trust activities can be a very meaningful and beneficial aspect of an

adventure education experience. The true success lies in a facilitator’s ability to manage
the group with strict guidelines to be followed coupled with attention to detail, making the
experience fun and safe for all of the participants.

30
Name: Trust Lean

Timeframe: 20 minutes

Materials: Space (level and soft)

Description:
 The facilitator asks for the group to partner up with someone of similar size and
height.
 The facilitator explains that both roles (the “faller” and the “catcher”) of the
partnership are equally important. The faller must remain as rigid as a board, not
move their feet and trust the catcher. The catcher must be focused, ready, use
proper hand positions and leg strength to assure no harm comes to the faller.

Step one:
The faller stand with their back to the catcher with their arms crossed across their chest
and their feet together. The Catcher stands approx 4 feet behind the faller with one foot
back and their toes pointed out to the side and their other foot out in front and the knee
of that leg slightly bent. Both of their hands are out in front of their body at the upper
back level of the faller.

Step Two:
The communication sequence it started by the faller.
Faller: Catcher, are you ready?
Catcher: Ready!
Faller: Am I ready to fall?
Catcher: Fall when ready?
Note: Be sure that the students address each other by name during the
communication sequence to eliminate confusion.

Step Three:
The catcher makes contact with the faller’s mid-back once they have begun to shift their
weight backward and is committed to being caught by the catcher. The catcher absorbs
the weight of the faller with their arms and legs. Then by pushing with their arms and
legs, straightens the faller back up to the upright position and then asks if they have
regained their balance.

 The partners can continue to work with each other doing these leans several
times, trading off the various roles and responsibilities. The facilitator circulates
throughout the group to analyze each student’s ability to be a faller and catcher.

Processing Questions:
 How did different levels of trust show itself during this exercise?
 What did some of the catchers do to instill trust in their partner?
 Was it easier being a catcher or a faller?
 If a faller moved their feet while leaning backward, what non-verbal message was
sent to the catcher?

31
Name: Pendulum

Timeframe: 20 minutes

Materials: space (level and soft)

Description:
 The facilitator asks the group to split into groups of three.
 The approach to this activity is very similar to the trust leans, however the faller is
able to lean backwards to be supported by a catcher as well as leaning forward
to be supported by a catcher.

Step One:
The faller stands with two catchers (one in front and one behind). All body positions are
the same for the faller and catchers. The catcher located in front of the faller will support
the faller by placing their hands on the shoulder joints once the faller begins their forward
lean.

Step Two:
The faller begins the communication sequence and the catchers answer simultaneously.
Faller: Catchers, are you ready?
Catchers: Ready!
Faller: Am I ready to fall?
Catchers: Fall when ready?

Step Three:
The catchers allow the faller to lean forward and backward, being passed gently back
and forth several times. The catchers work together to make sure the faller has
regained their balance prior to letting go of the faller.

 The partners can continue to work with each other doing these leans several
times, trading off the various roles and responsibilities. The facilitator circulates
throughout the group to analyze each student’s ability to be a faller and catcher.

Processing Questions:
 What were some of the differences between this exercise and the trust lean?
 Did you feel safe as a faller? Why?
 Did you have to trust one of the catchers more than the other? Why?
 Is it easy to give control of your body to others?
 Did anyone try this activity with their eyes closed?

Name: Wind in the Willows

32
Timeframe: 20 minutes

Materials: Space (level and soft)

Description:
 The facilitator gathers the entire group together to create a circle of students.
 All students should stand shoulder to each other and assume the “catcher”
position. Facilitators should be monitor the size of the circle to ensure that the
“catchers” don’t have to step forward in order to safely catch the “faller.”
 One student should be chosen to be in the center of the circle, assuming the role
of the “faller.”
 The facilitator should inspect the circle of catchers making sure there are no gaps
in between the circle of catchers.

Step One:
The faller initiates the communication sequence and the group answers simultaneously.
Faller: Catches, are you ready?
Catchers: Ready!
Faller: Am I ready to fall?
Catchers: Fall when ready?

Step Two:
The faller can fall in any direction, keeping their feet planted in one spot and their body
as rigid as a board. The faller should keep their arms crossed over their chest at all
times.
The group of catchers can support the faller by grabbing their shoulders and arms while
gently passing the faller off to other catchers in any direction.
Ultimately there should be two catchers working to support the faller at any given time.
The Facilitator continues to inspect the group of catchers to assure proper body
positioning and to avoid gaps that may have opened up in the circle.

Step Three:
The group steadies the faller into an upright position.
The person who is directly behind the faller will slowly support the faller through a trust
lean, while the remainder of the group surrounds the faller putting their hands under the
faller’s body to support the head, torso, and legs.
Once the entire group has the entire weight of the faller supported the group lifts the
faller up to shoulder level
Once the faller is lifted the group begins to slowly lower the faller back to the ground
swaying the faller from head to toe (falling like a leaf) until the faller is gently placed on
the ground, and then helped back up to their feet by a fellow group member.

 The facilitator should challenge the group asking all members to be silent during
the entire activity. This allows for greater focus and a more serious approach to
the activity.
 Facilitators should also take into consideration the challenge by choice
philosophy and respect the individual choices of the group members.

Note: A facilitator should only attempt to facilitate the first two steps if the group
is having trouble with focus and attention to detail.

33
Processing Questions:
 How did it feel to give complete control over your body to the group?
 Did you feel respected by the group throughout the entire experience as a faller?
Explain.

34
Name: Elevated Trust Fall

Timeframe: 20 to 30 minutes

Materials: A steady platform approx 3 ft off the ground, a group size of at least 10
students.

Description:
 The facilitator should preface this activity by stating how the group must exhibit
focus and attention to detail at all times or the activity will not be able to continue.
 The facilitator also reinforces the importance of each role and the responsibilities
that comes with each role. The faller must remain rigid making sure that they
don’t “sit” back into the zipper. The zippered students make sure that they are in
correct body position and that all members are prepared to catch prior to the
faller falling.

Step One:
The group works together creating a “zipper” that starts from the platform out away from
the platform. The facilitator inspects the zipper making sure the appropriate amount of
overlap and the students are tilting their heads back just a bit to avoid injury.

Step Two:
The faller climbs up onto the platform with the facilitator and turns their back to the group
of zippered students.
The facilitator assures that the student is lined up correctly to fall back into the middle of
the zipper.

Step Three:
The faller initiates the communication sequence to the group and the group answers
simultaneously.
Faller: Catchers, are you ready?
Catchers: Ready!
Faller: Am I ready to fall?
Catchers: Fall when ready?
The faller falls into the zipper.

Step Four:
The group catches and supports the faller.
The catchers who are supporting the faller’s legs slowly let down the faller’s legs and the
catchers who are supporting the faller’s torso steadies the faller until they are upright
and balanced.

 Facilitators should also take into consideration the challenge by choice

philosophy and respect the individual choices of the group members.

Processing Questions:
 What allowed you to fall into the group zipper?
 Is this the highest level of trust you have ever given to others?
 What are some of the emotions that you felt as a faller and catcher during this
activity?

35