Stepping Stones
Time Allowance: 20-30 Minutes
Equipment Needed: One prop per person and two ropes or another suitable method for identifying the Take-Off (Point A) and the Safe Zone (Point B). Props can be rug pads, floor tiles or paper plates. Twelve-inch squares work well or odd shaped pieces that are big enough for two to four people’s feet to squish on the pad.
Steps
1. The basic set-up here is the old “get from Point A to Point B without touching the ground in between” routine.
2. People are assembled at Point A, given one prop less than their are number of people; i.e., nine people get eight props and are told to arrive safely with the entire group at Point B before time runs out.
3. If this sounds too much like the same old thing, here’s the fun way. People are on Planet Lrak-Dna-Evets -- a marvelous world of beauty, peace, and fecundity The people there want to spread their chromosomal bounty throughout the universe, so they are embarking on a space voyage to another world. To leave the planet, they will need special life-support vehicles to carry them safely through space and shield their genetic treasure. Their life-support vehicles are the props. Any life-support system can support as many people as can stand on it.
4. Here are the rules:
a. Anyone touching the ground in space, i.e., between the boundaries, must return to the home planet for decontamination and spiritual healing. Rescuing these fertile travelers is recommended since all people are expected to arrive safely at the new planet.
b. For life-support vehicles/systems to function, someone must be touching it at all times when it is in space to maintain a 98.6 degree temperature to maintain DNA viability If a life-support is untouched for even an instant, it ceases to function and it is immediately removed from the activity Example: A person tosses the support onto the ground, and then steps onto it. Because it left the person’s grasp when it was tossed, it is lost forever. A correct use would be to place it on the ground and step onto it while having constant touch with the prop by hand.
c. Generally life support vehicles only move forward in direction. If you supply this information, you may eliminate the possibility of a rescue should someone fall into space. Sometimes, only a few props are allowed to go in reverse, or props can only cross the universe one time. This rule attempts to prohibit the solution of having people shuffle across space using two props as skates and sending them back for another person to use. It’s a creative solution, but doesn’t require much teamwork or cooperation. It may, however, be a very effective technique for younger audiences.
d. Be extremely watchful for untouched life-supports. People try to hide the fact that they make mistakes. Don’t let an untouched prop remain in use (unless the group really needs to succeed).
e. Set boundaries. Generally, it makes sense to set the boundaries far enough apart so that the group will need to recycle some of their props in order to cross the gap. Lay the props out in a straight line from boundary A, then add three to five feet of open space before placing boundary B. This spacing requires the group to work together to use their props, using some of the materials two times to be successful.
5. For a variation, divide the group in half. Each group starts on a different planet -- half at Point A and half at Point B. They must exchange places. Each group gets one less prop than people. Do not state it explicitly, but the groups may share their resources (props) if they chose to. The focus of the problem suddenly becomes one of identifying whether two different goals can be pursued simultaneously for a common good, or will the two groups operate independently and/or competitively.
Processing Issues
Leadership Roles
Group Problem Solving Skills