


Pot o’ Gold
Approximate Running Time: 20 – 30 minutes including debrief (can be dependent on how collaborative the group are though!)
Minimum Group Size: 3 people
Maximum Group Size: 30 people (per group – if you are working with a large group you can split them up in the same space to run this activity)
Age/ Level: Participants must be capable of reasoning and understanding the meaning behind the activity rather than just the simple objective. This activity is suitable for a mature Grade 4 class or older participants.
Space Required: This activity requires enough space for participants to run around freely, as well as enough space for participants to sit in a circle to debrief. A four-cornered room works well as each group can be assigned a corner of their own.
Materials:
– hula hoops (one for each group)
– random items or ‘gold’ such as tennis balls, blocks, etc.
– a piece of paper for each group that has the objective of the activity written on it: “Your objective is to put all of the ‘gold’ in a hoop”
Set-up:
Not a lot of physical space set-up required, but you will need enough clear space for the groups to have their own space for a hula hoop and room to move and collect ‘gold’.
Objective:
The objective of this activity is for participants to consider how they work in groups, the choices they make as individuals and how those choices affect others. Concepts such as conflict resolution can be addressed in debrief sessions.
Facilitator Guidelines:
- Divide participants into four to six evenly-sized groups and give each group a hula hoop. In the centre of the room, place all of the ‘gold’ (random items).
- Give the participants the parameters of the activity:
- This activity is to be done in silence.
- Each group will be given an objective.
- The activity will start when the facilitator says it has begun and will end when the facilitator says it will end.
- Hand each group their objective (on a piece of paper). Each piece of paper has the same objective on it, but the groups’ won’t necessarily know this. The objective written on each piece of paper is “Your objective is to put all of the ‘gold’ in a hoop”.
- Start the activity. This will usually result in chaos as participants try to get all the ‘gold’ into their team’s hoop. Some will be quite physical (ensure the activity is always safe for participants!) and others may be quite sneaky by trying to steal from other teams.
- After the activity has run for a while, stop the participants and allow them to re-group with their team to consider their strategy – What was working well? What wasn’t working well? What could they do differently? Were they successful in reaching their objective?
- In the second round, you may like to tell the participants that they will be successful when all teams reach their objectives (if they haven’t come to the conclusion that collaboration for whole group success is a good solution!).
- Repeat the activity in silence and how participants communicate (without voice) their collaborative message.
General Debrief Questions: The debrief for this activity is largely determined by whether or not the participants were able to collaborate for community success.
What happened during that activity?
Were you successful in achieving your objective? Was the group successful in achieving their objectives?
What strategies did you use to resolve conflict?
Did all the groups have the same objective? Did the whole group have a shared objective? Do you think sharing your objectives with others can create a better space for collaboration?
What could have made this activity easier?
How could this activity apply in real life?

Warp Speed

Game of Life
Approximate Running Time: 15-20 minutes (including debrief)
Minimum Group Size: 3 people
Maximum Group Size: 30 people (per group – if you are working with a large group you can split them up in the same space to run this activity)
Age/ Level:
Participants must be capable of reasoning and understanding the meaning behind the activity rather than just the simple objective. This activity is suitable for a mature Grade 4 class and older participants.
Space Required: This activity requires enough space for participants to run around freely, as well as enough space for participants to sit in a circle to debrief.
Materials:
– No materials required
Set-up:
No set-up required for standard activity. However, if the activity space is large facilitators may wish to create a “playing zone” by marking the floor with painters tape.
Objective:
The objective of this activity is for participants to consider how they work in groups, how they listen to each other, the choices they make as individuals, and how those choices affect others, etc etc.
Facilitator Guidelines:
- Ask all participants to stand inside the playing area (taped area, or space in room)
- Instruct participants to raise their right hand and point their index fingers to the sky. Tell them that this will be their “sword”.
- Ask participants to place their left hands behind their backs with the palm facing out. Tell them that this is their “heart”
- In the first round tell the participants: “The objective of the game is for you to stay in the game of life! Go” (allow them to start to play).
- After they have eliminated all but one player, start the second round.
- In the second round tell the participants: “The objective of the game is for you to stay in the game of life! Go!” (allow them to start to play)
- After they have eliminated all but one player, start the third round.
- In the third round tell the participants ” The objective of the game is for everyone to stay in the game of life! Go! (allow them to start to play)
- After they have eliminated all but one player, and if they have not “figured out the trick” to keep everyone alive yet, start the last round.
- In the last round tell the participants: “the objective is for everyone stay in the game of life! Go!”
- Participants must follow these rules:
- If you step out of the playing field you are out (either the taped area, or a designated area in a space).
- If you stab someone in the heart they are out.
- Hearts may not be purposely covered.
General Debrief Questions:
The debrief for this activity is largely determined by whether or not the participants were able to keep the entire group alive.
What happened?
How did you stay alive?
To those of you who managed to stay alive the longest, what was your strategy? Why did you feel you needed to kill others?
Do you feel that in order for you to be successful in life, others have to be unsuccessful?
How do others support you in your life?
How can you support others? (Classmates, colleagues, etc).

Creative Canvas/ Sticky Storm
Approximate Running Time: 15-20 minutes
Minimum Group Size: 1 person
Maximum Group Size: 1000 + people
Age/ Level: All
Space Required: Enough space for all participants to sit comfortably, and space for each group to post their chart paper and move around it.
Materials:
– Approximately 8-10 sticky notes per participant
– 1 pen/ pencil per participant
– Chart paper (1 per group)
– Markers (2-4 per group)
Set-up:
Create group “stations” by laying out flipchart paper, sticky notes (enough for approx 8 per participant), and markers.
Objective
The objective of this activity is for participants to consider an idea/ prompt/ reflection in an interactive and visual/ kinetic way.
Facilitator Guidelines
- Invite participants to sit with their groups around their flipchart paper and sticky notes.
- Tell the participants the prompt that you have planned prior to the program. For example: “What makes you a leader?”
- Ask participants to write their responses on the sticky notes provided, one response per sticky note.
- After they write their responses ask the groups to gather their sticky notes together and then categorize the ideas that they have.
- When they have categorized their ideas ask them to showcase the order of importance of the responses through an illustration on their flipchart paper. This illustration will serve as a measuring tool for the responses theuy had for the prompt. The illustrations can be absolutely anything. Examples from previous groups include: hamburgers, ice cream sundaes, beaches, thermometers, dinosaurs, etc).
- When the groups have completed their designs give them an opportunity to share with the rest of the participants.
Facilitation Variations:
You may wish to provide them with time to display their designs on the walls and wander around the gallery of designs, before you have a group discussion about them.
General Debrief Questions:
What is on your drawing?
Why did you choose those designs/ images?
What do those images represent?
Why did you choose those ideas over others?
Are everyone’s ideas represented?
What is the most important concept or idea represented on your group’s drawing? Why?

People Movers
Approximate Running Time: 10 minutes
Minimum Group Size: 4 people
Maximum Group Size: 100 + (as many people as you can provide place-markers for)
Age/ Level: Grade 4+
Space Required: Enough space for all participants to stand and move around in lines of 4-8 people
Materials:
– 1 place-marker per person. This may be: polydots, pieces of paper, foam, pylon, etc.
Set-up:
Participants will be divided into even-numbered groups of up to 8 participants each. Each group requires a number of place-markers, one per participant. The place-markers should be lined up in a straight line. If the group is large, the lines should be set up side by side.
Objective:
The objective for this activity is for the group to communicate and collaborate to determine a strategy and solve a physical/ mental puzzle using their bodies and a set of place-markers.
Facilitator Guidelines:
1. Begin by having the participants line up in their groups, next to a line of space-markers (which were previously set up).
2. Each group must split into two groups. There should be an even number of participants on each side of an empty place- marker. The groups will look like this, depending on the number of participants:
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
- The objective of the activity is for each half of the group to reach the opposite side of the line from their starting point, by switching places with the other half of their group (ones to twos and twos to ones, etc)
- In order for participants to complete the challenge they must follow these guidelines:– Participants must always look forward, towards the other half of their group (i.e. ones must look at twos, twos must look at ones)
– Participants may only move forward (towards the opposite side of their group)
– Participants may only move forward if there is an empty space in front of them, and if there is an empty space in front of the person in front of them.
– While participating in the activity participants must not step off of their space-markers.
– If anyone fails to follow the guidelines, everyone must restart the activity.
General Debrief Questions
How did your group solve the puzzle and complete the challenge?
What was the hardest part?
How did you feel you did personally?
How could you have been a better team mate?
How did you support your team mates?
How did your group communicate?
What did you learn from this activity