Everybody Up
Time Allowance: 15 Minutes
Equipment Needed: None
STEPS
1. Ask two people of approximately the same size to sit on the ground (gym floor) facing one another so that the bottoms of their feet are opposed, knees are bent, and hands are tightly grasped.
2. From this sitting position, ask the duo to try and pull themselves into a upright standing position.
3. If the pair is successful (most are), ask them to seek another partner and try standing up with three people, then four, etc., until the entire group eventually makes an attempt.
4. Criteria for a successful attempts are:
- hands grasped so that an electrical current could pass through the group
- foot contact with the same electrical set-up
- all derrieres off the ground at the same time
5. Something that began as a simple cooperative stunt becomes an initiative problem that includes the entire group.
6. An expanding group will soon find that the seemingly logical circular configuration of bodies cannot be continued beyond eight or so. A change of thinking (initiative) must be employed to come up with a solution that allows large numbers (fifty people or more) to complete the problem.
7. An alternate or additional way to present this problem is to ask the participants to sit back-to-back and try to stand as a pair, trio, etc. Do not allow interlocked arms for safety reasons (shoulder dislocation possibilities).
Processing Issues:
Cooperation
Trust and Support