Basic Information:
- Grade Level: 6-12
- Subject: All
- Number of Participants: 10 to 30 people
- Relationship to Environmental Education: Opportunity to demonstrate importance of human relationships, communication and teamwork.
Materials:
- One tent pole long enough for all participants to touch; or some other form of a lightweight rod.
Instructions:
- Line participants up in two rows facing one another.
- Introduce helium stick and state that participants must keep index finger on stick at all times without grabbing/pinching stick. Facilitator has participants point their index finger across from one another and lays helium stick on their fingers at approximately waist level.
- The goal is for group to lower helium stick to the ground by keeping everyone’s finger in contact with helium stick at all times and lower as a group.
- Increased challenge: This can be a very challenging activity, allow students to fail and debrief as needed for intervention until they deem themselves successful. If one person is speaking out for entire group or is controlling, facilitator may mute them to allow others to lead. Encourage participants to count out-loud as they lower the pole.
Critical Reflection:
This first time I played this game was during the canoe trip and I thought it was such an intriguing game. Its a good activity to exemplify how an entire group can fail together when they do not fully realize the challenge they are faced with and when they communicate poorly. Similar to many other included games, this game’s value is dependent to a proper mid-game debrief and a post-game debrief. Since it can be such a challenging game, I think it’s team-building potential is higher. It is also a good game to gauge your group members and the natural roles they fall into. It is important to use activities such as this one for me as an educator so that I can know who my students are and how they work in a group.
An Educator's Toolkit 