Unique Activities
Created By Darin Ulmer

The Results Driven Structure
Equipment: blocks or other building materials
Guidelines: Half of the group is sightless. I usually just have them close their eyes on the honor system for safety purposes. The sighted half is without speech but each person can make a unique noise (e.g. one person may snap their fingers, another may clap, another may thump their cheek, another may whistle, etc.,). A structure is built quickly by the facilitator in the middle of the room. The speechless members may study it for up to one minute and then the facilitator will disassemble the structure and place the pieces around the room. The sightless team members may touch the building materials and may speak. The speechless team members may see and make noises, but may not touch the sightless persons nor the building materials. The team is to reassemble the structure as it was originally built by the facilitator.
Processing:
What was this like in your life/job/organization?
How did it feel to be without sight/speech?
How did the team reach the solution?
Who took the lead and what did they do that was most effective?

Leaders
Equipment: none
Guidelines: Have the group start as they are, do not ask them to circle up or sit down. Just ask the participants to all get in the exact same position, every body part placed identically to everyone else's on the team. "We can go on as soon as everyone complies."
Processing:
Who was eventually copied by everyone else and why?
What steps can you identify that you went through as you attempted to conform to the same position that everyone was in?
How comfortable was it to become exactly like everyone else or to go along with the peer pressure?
Who resisted and why?

Web Heads
Equipment: one long pantyhose leg per two participants, one large light ball
Guidelines: Pairs put the ends of panty hose on their heads so that they are connected. All of the pairs come together and are challenged to play moonball. Only the panty hose may touch the ball and the team scores one point for every time they can bounce the ball back up into the air. Like volleyball, no pair may hit the ball twice in a row. The object is to get as many points as possible.
Variation: Have the team start in a circle so that a web is created by the hose. Place the ball in the center of the web and have the team try to bounce the ball as many times as possible.
Processing:
How did the team make decisions and how did they know that a decision had been made?
Was there consensus and buy-in to the plans? If not, what happened?
Was there a sense of competition or cooperation? Why?
What team skills (planning, communication, problem-solving) were improved over the last event?
Which skills need to improve further?
What will they look like when they perform as an excellent team?

Steal-A-Stick
Equipment: dowel rods, one more in each row than there are total number of participants
Guidelines: Have the team line up in a straight line facing you. Place the dowel rods in rows just in front of the team members (seven participants = eight dowels in front of each participant):

Ÿ         Ÿ        Ÿ        Ÿ        Ÿ        Ÿ        Ÿ  
__       __       __        __       __       __       __
__       __       __        __       __       __       __
__       __       __        __       __       __       __
__       __       __        __       __       __       __
__       __       __        __       __       __       __
__       __       __        __       __       __       __
__       __       __        __       __       __       __
__       __       __        __       __       __       __

The Closure Carnival
Equipment: none
Guidelines: If your experience in group today was a ride at a carnival or theme park what would it be called? Go around counter clockwise after the first person volunteers the name of their ride. Give the group plenty of time to think about the name of their ride. If someone passes, come back to them at the end.