team building

Dried Peas and Straws!
It would be best to link it to the session aims and objectives, so without knowing more about the session it’s difficult to make a suggestion.

However, this is one I use at the beginning of a team building session. You get the group to play a relay game with dried peas and straws. Place a tray with dried peas at the start and an empty tray at the finish. Move furniture around so it’s difficult to get from A to B. Direct participants to do a relay race sucking on the straw to carry the pea from one tray to the other (start to finish). When 1st person drops in pea in finish tray the second person can go, etc. Give loose rules, let them assume things!

Start the first attempt. Allow 2-5 minutes (keep time consistent) and then count the number of peas.

Tell them they can do it better – give them a minute to work out a strategy. Repeat exercise.

Tell them they can do it even better – give a minute for them to discuss strategy. etc…

They should be able to work out that the ‘rules’ can be changed – e.g. they can remove obstacles in the room to make the route faster. They can move the trays next to each other. They can improve the way they change over at the ‘pea dropping off point’ etc.

Annah

One Response

TrainingZone says:

January 7, 2004 at 11:10 am

Dried Peas and Straws!
It would be best to link it to the session aims and objectives, so without knowing more about the session it’s difficult to make a suggestion.

However, this is one I use at the beginning of a team building session. You get the group to play a relay game with dried peas and straws. Place a tray with dried peas at the start and an empty tray at the finish. Move furniture around so it’s difficult to get from A to B. Direct participants to do a relay race sucking on the straw to carry the pea from one tray to the other (start to finish). When 1st person drops in pea in finish tray the second person can go, etc. Give loose rules, let them assume things!

Start the first attempt. Allow 2-5 minutes (keep time consistent) and then count the number of peas.

Tell them they can do it better – give them a minute to work out a strategy. Repeat exercise.

Tell them they can do it even better – give a minute for them to discuss strategy. etc…

They should be able to work out that the ‘rules’ can be changed – e.g. they can remove obstacles in the room to make the route faster. They can move the trays next to each other. They can improve the way they change over at the ‘pea dropping off point’ etc.

Annah