Buddy Ropes
Time Allowance: 20 Minutes
Equipment Needed: Cut a series of rope lengths that measure about five feet long, and tie an overhand knot in each end. Give each person one length just before the chosen activity begins. If provided the ropes (whips) too soon, some may use them for everything that their instinct says not to use them for.
Steps
1. This is played like „Human Knots‰ where you ask eight to ten players to stand in a cluster, face-to-face. Each person then reaches across the small circle and grabs someone‚s hand (like shaking hands), and with the other hand, reaches across the circle and grabs someone else‚s hand. If your group is mature enough to hold hands for a few minutes, a grand triangle of hands and arms will result. The objective is to untangle the group without letting go of the various grips.
2. Now try Human Knot using the Buddy Ropes. Rather than grasping a hand, grasp the end of a rope. Each person is assigned one rope and is genetically allotted at birth two digital graspers, so when all the grasping is done, this hand-in-hand scenario should come out even. Make sure, as in the hand-holding classic, that you don‚t grab two ropes coming from the same person, otherwise this vis-a-vis close encounter will severely limit your group involvement.
3. Notice how the tangled ropes allow a better view of what needs to be accomplished. Ordinarily, when you begin this problem (hands only), a participant‚s initial view is usually of someone‚s armpit or the back of a head. It also becomes quickly more obvious that the ropes allow more people to be involved. Fifteen participants sharing tangled ropes is no problem. Fifteen tangled people holding hands might result in separated shoulders.
Processing Issues
Cooperation
Leadership
Following Others