Tarp Maze

Equipment

• Tarp with a grid on it
• Make the grid as big or small as your group will need it
• Pen
• Piece of paper

Objectives
Place the tarp on a flat surface with the grid side facing up. Select one member of the group to be the guide. Draw a grid on the piece of paper the same as the one on the tarp. The guide then chooses a course through the maze using 8-15 steps, and draws the course on the piece of paper using numbers.

 
The rest of the team lines up on one side of the maze and tries to guess their way through the course without the map. As the first person steps into a square, the guide will tell them whether or not that square matches the #1 on the map. If they are wrong, the guide makes a buzzing sound, and they must go to the end of the line and let someone else try. If they guess correctly, they can keep moving until they make a mistake. The team must try to remember the pattern on the map to eventually make it through the maze.

*The guide can be the CTRS/leader of the activity or you can assign a group member to do this.

Variation
Time them secretly on the first try. After successfully completing the course, tell them their time and then have them try it again (with a different way through the maze), timing them again. Discuss the differences.

Discussion

• How many times did you make a mistake because you couldn’t see the map?
• Do we live life by trial and error, or do we follow others advice/example?
• Why was there such a difference between the two times? Discuss urgency.
• Was this frustrating? How did you handle the frustration?
• Did anyone step forward to be the leader? How did they lead? How would this have worked out if no one stepped up to be the leader?
• Did everyone listen to each other? 
• Could this have been solved if no one paid attention to their teammates going through? 

What is that?

This task requires a bit of prep work but is totally worth it! In this post, I have the work sheet and all of the images necessary so all you will need to do is print them.

Before the participants come, number each image and tape them around the room (they do not need to be in numerical order). Give each participant a worksheet (a piece of paper with numbers 1-20). Tell them to walk around the room and write down what they think each image represents on the corresponding number on their worksheet. Tell them they get X amount of minutes to work on this task (you can decided based on your time frame - I usually have the participants work on it for 10-15 minutes).

After the time is up, have everyone gather around and ask the participants if they were helping one another and talk about why or why not. After discussing it, tell them to try again. Give them so many minutes to work on it.

After the time is up, call them together and tell them the correct answers. Talk about if they got more correct the first or second time and the lessons they learned.

Life Lessons:
Teamwork
Communication
Helping each other
How to be successful

The Worksheet:

The Answers:

1. Visa logo
2. UPS logo
3. IKEA logo
4. NBC logo
5. Motorola logo
6. Pepsi logo (new and old)
7. Olympics logo
8. Highest freefall sponsored by red bull
9. Royal wedding
10. Napoleon Dynamite
11. Karate Kid
12. SALT
13. Hunger Games
14. Indiana Jones
15. Alvin and the Chipmunks
16. Fast and Furious
17. Giants winning the World Series
18. The Notebook
19. Nike logo
20. Sea Hawks winning the Super Bowl in 2014

Please comment below on how you would use it with your population, thoughts on how it has worked for you, advice for others on how to implement it, and so on! We'd love to hear about it!

The Images:

 

 

 

(cut off the part that says "Hunger Games")

Image Credits

1. Visa logo: http://www.blogcdn.com/www.bloggingstocks.com/media/2010/05/visa-logo.jpg
2. UPS logo: http://www.logodesignsense.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/UPS-Logo.png
3. IKEA logo: http://www.globalinternships.se/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/ikea-logo.jpg
4. NBC logo: http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120109171309/memoryalpha/en/images/9/97/NBC_logo.png
5. Motorola logo: http://www.mobiletopsoft.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/motorola-logo.jpg
6. Pepsi logo (new and old): https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSzX92wTJ2tErq3q01jZle58nUAFbArhsvKi7cNRCL7lKNzkRKAPw
7. Olympics logo: https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQS6VRMUS-8taw9mTwJFbnb7z3ZDmCxIGykvOGF9Y2ITDS_H5K7
8. Highest freefall sponsored by red bull: https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS2Za6dkkBoBZZCaDyikO7ItG53e-zjCWf02ZoE_SC8JmBiASmA
9. Royal wedding: https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTMrVSsURZkV7KWhY9Jzc-fttq3Wz-fQ5vlWfYd66P9TLd9EwjA
10. Napoleon Dynamite: https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQfCUJKwpkfzrvKDG-g-ZSVsV6YF3Qqaav-KhzIsAJ4TqP3bdLr_A
11. Karate Kid: https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR-Pkrxw6PfL6CszUgBMnjhB08_YPxCFebsyxdu_tvX6u2aS7b_
12. SALT: https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQw6TW9cweJdl6gV7MHmasr7FTUD_32C7dJkRPjX-WpMiAJmbGYVA
13. Hunger Games: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTUoj2Hw3mypFnjkB997zBXn4V9DmEDTQY4qGahxG5KbwW8e-pI
14. Indiana Jones: https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTWEl81owMCnxgV5m6KpXcyg3DvG3atwVswN0IG6qbsgHTr0PSG
15. Alvin and the Chipmunks: https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSKHgz24darcxRb2q0U-JYK1PKHXZcIADi8vm_vu4ZxYCwYuTmTMQ
16. Fast and Furious: https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQJr7plu92nYwY4agBNKR--jeiMB_-Qcl-rQBfg4zf7EbiwpO5VXA
17. Giants winning the World Series: https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR9xwUZ5zvme7h10Fjs8v2HHITxZ1z8W0jrmA3vqeTTG04_vnBjDg
18. The Notebook: https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQAbeqPSHa7A63hoGtmZ8QOkzmiHR1-djHPz6sirU9OdjH6tIKHsw
19. Nike logo: http://brandirectory.com/images/profile/logo/nike_swoosh_big.jpg
20. Seahawks winning the Superbowl in 2014: http://cmsimg.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=U0&Date=20140205&Category=PKR0101&ArtNo=140205038&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&Packers-could-open-2014-season-vs-Super-Bowl-champ-Seahawks

Spy Master

Ask players to gather together and close their eyes. Tell them they are all detectives and will be given a mystery to solve. Walk quickly around the circle and secretly tap one person who becomes the spymaster (you can tap a few more if you have a lot of participants). Tell everyone how many spy masters are in the game. Everyone else is a detective. Make sure all eyes stay closed. Circle the group several more times so the identity isn't given away.

Ask players to open their eyes and mingle around the room giving each other compliments and talking about their day. The spymaster should mix talking with "you've been double crossed." The person who was double crossed mingles one or two more times and then falls as dramatically to the floor as he/she would like. 
Detectives (all of the players who are not spy masters) try to uncover the identity of the spymaster throughout the course of the game. When a participant thinks he knows who the spy master is, he calls out, "I know the spy master!"and then calls the person's name out. Everyone votes to say if they think this person is or not. If the majority vote that they think the person is the spy master, the person is out of the game, whether the person is the spy master or not. 
Two ways to win: all of the spy masters are out of the game (detectives win) or the spy masters are the only ones left (spy masters win) When the round ends, appoint a new spymaster.



 Life Lessons
Talk about the importance of giving compliments (how it affects mood, etc.)
Discuss what it is like to be 'double-crossed' and how to deal with it
Talk about assumptions (if they guessed the wrong spy master) and the consequences of assuming 

Please Comment Below: What did you think of this activity? How did it go over with your group?

Here are a few links to ideas on how to lead activities better:

• Why Leadership and Activities are Important 

• Correctly Using Leadership

• Leading the Activity (Problem Solving, Group Control, etc.)

• Handling Different Age Groups

• Managing Large Groups and Choosing Teams (relays, team spirit, including everyone, etc.)

Pictures Credits: http://cache4.asset-cache.net/gc/82193145-group-of-teenagers-talking-together-outdoors-gettyimages.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=g55RrC%2FeJu9k2VRwWE3rgmhwmTV8XCJOe3ZI1vj0RFc%3D

You're a Star and Sign my Cast

These are some of my favorite pre-openers! Pre-openers are activities used at the beginning of a social as people arrive. Pre-openers are meant to keep people involved and talking so they do not lose interest. I have used these as activities as well - not just pre-openers. Either way they are fun and keep the participants' attention.

My Experience
I have always had great success with these games. One time, everyone wanted to keep playing - we played You're a Star five times! I was starting to run out of names so I had the participants write names and tape them on their friend's back. Both games are easy to explain and very chill so the participants can talk, catch up, get to know each other, etc.  

Sign My Cast

Give every participant a brown bag with a hole in the bottom and a marker. The participants put their dominant arm through the brown bag to create a cast. The participants walk around mingling and signing each other casts with their non-dominant hands. When everyone seems to have all of the signatures, have them stop and count the number of signatures they have. Have those with 10 signatures raise their hands, then 15, 20, and so on until only one person's hand is up. Have that person say how many he/she has and then give him/her a piece of candy or some other prize. 

You're a Star

Before everyone comes, write the name of a famous person on different index cards. Choose names the group will know. Tape an index card on each players back without showing the player the name written on the card. Have all the players walk around asking each other "yes/no" questions untill the players figure out who they are. If someone figures it out quickly, give them a new one to keep the game going or just have them try to help others.

Recommendations

Here are some ideas for You're a Star: 

• Kids: 
• Characters from Disney shows/movies
• Jessie
• Ariel 
• Simba
• Superheroes
• Batman
• Thor
• Teenagers and Adults 
• Characters from recent movies/television shows
• Different actors
• Will Smith
• Sport players
• Michael Jordan
• Peyton Manning
• Elderly
• Characters from older movies/television shows
• Casa Blanca
• MASH
• Famous sports players from his/her era

Also with You're a Star, if you are having a hard time coming up with names, have participants write down a famous person and tape it to another participant's back. Participants definitely have a lot of fun this way because they are more involved.

Life Lessons

These activities can be used to build communication and social skills. You're a Star practices problem solving skills and critical thinking while having fun! Sign my Cast practices motor skills especially since everyone will be using their non-dominant hand.

Materials
Make sure to bring extra materials just in case more people show up, etc.

• You're a Star
• Enough index cards for each person to go twice - just in case
• Markers to write the names with
• Sign my Cast
• Enough markers for everyone to use one
• Enough brown bags for everyone participating

Where to Play
You can play both of these inside or outside. I love it!

Please comment below on how you would use these activities with your population, thoughts on how it has worked for you, advice for others on how to implement it, what you would process and so on! We'd love to hear about it! 

Here are a few links to ideas on how to lead activities better:

• Why Leadership and Activities are Important 

• Correctly Using Leadership

• Leading the Activity (Problem Solving, Group Control, etc.)

• Handling Different Age Groups

• Managing Large Groups and Choosing Teams (relays, team spirit, including everyone, etc.)