Balloon Crab Walk

Materials

• One balloon per person
• One trashcan or something that can act as a goal per every two people

Designate a start and finish line. (Explain the rules to the participants before giving them each a balloon.) They are to do the crab walk from the start to finish line while keeping the balloon off the ground. If the balloon touches the ground, the participant must start over at the start line. Once they get to the finish line, the participant has to get the balloon in the goal.

Once everyone is done, have them partner up. Together, each partnership is to get one balloon from the start line into the goal. (Designate a place for the participants to put the balloon they are not using). The game finishes when everyone has gotten their balloon in their goal.


Variation
Add a string at the start and finish line about one foot high. This creates a new obstacle for the participants.
Make a rule that they can only say uplifting things to each other - I like to do this when participants finish before each other because sometimes they can say rude things. This way they know up front they need to be positive and uplifting.

Lessons Learned
Talk about how difficult it was to complete the task alone.
Ask if it was easier alone or with a partner - talk about the importance of support networks and what their support network is in the facility and at home.
Talk about problem solving - what methods did and did not work, how did they find out the methods that did work, did others help them to solve their problem (either by giving advice or watching a peer do it successfully).
Give them a pen/pencil and a piece of paper. Tell them to think of a time that someone helped them and have the write about that time and how they can pass it forward.

Have you led this game or one similar? How did you implement it? What are other ways you could process this group?

Photo Credit: https://www.google.com/search?q=kids+doing+crab+walk+with+balloon&client=firefox-a&hs=fED&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=fflb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=MhQBVOHWGYvNggTMooD4Dw&ved=0CB8QsAQ&biw=848&bih=425#imgdii=_

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