Tools that Teach pt 3-Adventure!

It has been way too long since I last posted here. Moving to Colorado and getting into the running of the new camp has taken up a little more of my time than I anticipated. Well, enough of a hiatus, back to the Tools That Teach! When I last posted, we were talking about the work of David Sobel and Jon Young. Over the years the two of these wonderful writers and naturalists have spent a lot of time watching and learning from children playing in nature. In his book Childhood and Nature, David Sobel spells out 7 areas that children's play in nature have in common. Adventure is one of those characteristics that shows up in children's play. So that is part 3!

As experiential or non-formal educators, we often use Adventure as a key tool in our work. Low and high ropes courses rely on the sense of Adventure they can inspire to bring people to an emotional connection to the group process, as does rock climbing and other wilderness pursuits. And I want to look at how we can intentionally include Adventure into our work with groups.

 In many instances we have removed some of the Adventure out of programming because of either risk management concerns or to make things easier for our participants because we want them to succeed or their group leader wants them to succeed. And yet Adventure is one of the original components of using challenge or "adventure" education. There needs to be an element of the unknown, the potential to not succeed. In short, there needs to be some Adventure.

Now, Adventure does not mean that you need to have a 60' high Pamper Pole, multi-person Zip Line, or even the Wall Element. Adventure, does not need glitzy elements, it can be an attitude. As a facilitator with a group you can craft a sense of Adventure into your programming. For there to be some Adventure, there needs to be an unknown factor in the activity. That does not mean that you introduce a power play based on your position as the facilitator. It means that there should be option for not completing the activity or multiple outcomes depending on choices that the group can make. Adventure means there is some unknown factor.

Adventure should bring some excitement to the activity. For an example, years ago on a ropes course in New Hampshire we built a TP Shuffle at their waterfront and over the lake water. This was used with summer campers and we would brief the participants away from the activity and then divide the group into two. In this version each group started on one side and had to cross over to the other side while another member of the other group was also trying to cross at the same time. Well, you could imagine the look on the groups faces when they walked out of the woods to see the challenge before them. There was some Adventure, and the possibility of getting wet in the never too warm NH lake water. There were several roles to play in the various scenarios we created, so if someone really did not want to run the risk of falling in, we could work with that in a way that kept the person involved.

Adventure could be in the storyline of the activity, it could be in the tools the group has, it could be the level of challenges that the group could choose. Adventure has many levels. Remember that we want to keep people just outside of their comfort zones at times and into their learning zones, and keep the Adventure appropriate to keep them out of their panic zones. Play with your concepts of Adventure, and see what results you get. And remember that with children, sometimes just exploring choices can be a huge Adventure.

Until next time, keep doing amazing work changing the world one group at a time. You can leave comments here, or email me atasinglefootstep@gmail.com. And I have another blog which is nature activity based called What's Out There.
  

Tools That Teach pt.2-Hunter Gatherer games.

Howdy again folks!
In this continuing series of Tools That Teach we are going to continue to explore the research of David Sobel and his work with youth and Sense of Place education. As stated in the previous posting, Sobel has identified 7 design principles for environmental/ experiential education programs based on watching children play outside. The second principle he has identified is playing/using Hunter Gathering Games. These games or activities should include skills that would be needed in a hunter/gatherer society. Some skills in that category might be sensory awareness, physical quickness, agility, decision making, teamwork, and strategy.
In a traditional or classic ropes course program games/activities that could fit in this category would be:
Smaug's Jewell's, Have You Ever-the movement version where you have to find a space marker or you are in the middle (like above), Everybody's It-actual any tag games really, Key Punch (calculator), and SWAT. These of course are just a few activities that would address several of the skills mentioned above. In an environmental education program activities such as Discovery Hikes, Deer Ears, Coyote Eyes, Stalking, Camouflage, Animals-Animals-Animals, and Bat and Moth. In a metaphorical sense, the small groups that we work with could be seen as tribes or packs. A challenge for you would be to see how you could weave that metaphor into your group work.
If you work with more teambuilding type activities, you can have your group explore what modern day "Hunter Gatherer" skills might look like and how they could help their Tribe ensure their longevity. Now, unless your program is based in indigenous education models or strictly environmental, using the term Hunter Gatherer with groups may not be effective. And having that model in your head as you plan and guide your program can add a design concept into your program. Even though the 7 areas that Sobel  recognized in children's outdoor play, I think that they can have a positive influence on adult groups. We were all children at some point, and by engaging childhood paradigms with adults groups you may be able add some emotional energy to your programs. Enjoy playing with hunter gather games and paradigm models.

Until next time, keep doing amazing work changing the world one group at a time. You can leave comments here, or email me at asinglefootstep@gmail.com. And I have another blog which is nature activity based called What's Out There.

Tools That Teach pt.1-Forts and Special Places.

     Howdy folks! I hope you are all enjoying the winter season wherever you are. First, I know that it has been a while since I have posted anything here. Last summer I was working at two camps in California and then early in the fall I got a job opportunity in Colorado. So after three years of living in the redwood forest of CA, I am now living in the front range of CO just south of Boulder. A whole new ecosystem to learn about. This is the first of a series of postings that I am calling Tools That Teach. Each posting will focus on a specific theme of environmental education design.
     This posting is on Forts and Special places. The themes I will be focusing on come from the combined work of David Sobel and Jon Young. Both of these great educators have found some really wonderful themes and models of education by working with and observing children playing outdoors for decades. I recently did a workshop for YMCA camp professional on the findings of Sobel and Young and how to use them in program designs. These postings will be an expanded version of that workshop. So here we go!
     In his years of research David Sobel has observed some pretty amazing things about children at play in the outdoors. One of them is that when provided the opportunity to play outside with some structure, mostly for safety, children do certain things regardless of background. One of those behaviors is the building of forts and creating special places. Kids are naturally drawn to building structures outdoors and creating special places to gather and play. It might be a tree fort, a shelter, or simply a wall of logs to provide some privacy.
     So what can we do as nature educators to use this tendency of children to help our efforts in teaching kids about ecological literacy and nature? Well, quite a few things. One activity you can do that requires the least amount of work, but perhaps the most patience is to simply build in some unstructured play time in a natural area on your property or program area. There are some camps and nature centers that are creating specific areas on their property that are design to facilitate this activity. The areas usually have a mixture of materials for children to use. A sand area, sticks, branches, leaves, rocks, stumps, and water if possible. In most cases the area is simply for outside creative play. At the school run by the Teton Science School in Jackson Wyoming, they have areas on one of the hills outside the school where kids can build forts, and the hill has many forts in different stages of completion. It is the hill in the right of this photo.

     You could also have a shelter building activity for your program. Before I go any further, the vast majority of survival shelter classes I have watched teach really lousy shelters. Mostly because of time constraints and the fact that mot too many outdoor educators/naturalists have every slept a night in a shelter that they have built in weather that might be a challenge such as cold and rain. The shelters have no insulations, are not really strong, and are WAY to big to be practical. Just some observations.
Just building a structure like the one above can be fun and enjoyable to be sure. And think about taking it one step further and asking about insulation, water proofing, and heating. With some adult groups I have worked with, when we finish our shelters, we test them by pouring water on top to see what happens. If you are going to teach survival shelters, then please do it correctly.
     Another activity you can do is have your kids build micro-shelters in different biome regions on your property. Fields, forests, and water ways provide a wide range of possibilities. Have your kids build small shelters for mice or other rodents. Ask them to think about what a small mammal might want and need for a shelter. You could also have kids build a small version of a human town in an area and ask them to consider concepts like erosion, wind/storm direction, and sun exposure. See what they can come up with. With these small scale models you can do fun demonstrations with erosion with water from a water bottle supplying the "flood". If your group builds these structures at the beginning of your program  week and you get some weather during the kids stay, revisit the structures and see how they did.
     These are just a few thoughts on how to incorporate children's natural proclivity to build forts and special places into your programming. There are many more options, and you are only limited by your imagination and natural resources of your site. Have fun and keep a little wildness in your program design.

               As always, you can leave a comment here or email me at:

asinglefootstep@gmail.com

You can also check out our Facebook page.

Or even follow A Single Footstep on Twitter.

The Group as an Ecosystem

(Everything has it's niche)

The participants that we work with in groups are living organisms. No big surprise, or Earth shattering information there. They are capable of growth, change, production, and consumption. As a group of organisms existing within their niche, doing their job, they are part of an ecosystem. A dynamic and ever changing system that is seeking a balance that may not exist since the group is an open system and outside influences may exert influence on the ecosystem. If the group is an ecosystem, our course, program area, or facility, is the biome or even the bioregion where this ecosystem is currently existing. The group's home office, school, or community is the "natural" biome or bioregion where the ecosystem is usually found.

When the group comes to our program or we bring one to them, we are exerting an influence on the group. A change in the ecosystem has occurred, and the ecosystem will react. As facilitators we observe this reaction in the group process from our initial introduction to a closing statement. The group ecosystem is learning to adapt to this new influence. As each individual reacts to the new stimuli which is us the facilitator, the other members of the ecosystem will also react. It is in these reactions that we facilitate our program and challenge the group. 

As you facilitate your group, look for people playing different roles, or trying to fill their niche. Who are the producers in the group? Are there any primary consumers? Who is the top consumer of energy? Who are the decomposers and scavengers that are busy working on taking the group's "waste" and transforming it into useful nutrients? Is the ecosystem relying on you to be the decomposer? Is the waste being recycled or are there signs of bioaccumulation? 

Is there "biodiversity" in the group? And is the group striving for biodiversity or are they working to create a monoculture? Is there someone who is the Sun, and providing all the energy for the group? As your group progresses through your program, are they creating positive or negative feedback loops? Do you know the difference in ecological terms? And how could you use that knowledge?

There are some factors that we as facilitators can have control over. Is the biome your program creates the correct one for your group ecosystem? Or are you having your tropical ecosystem try and thrive in a temperate forest biome? What can you change so that your program is providing what the ecosystem needs to thrive and become stronger? What can you introduce into the ecosystem to help it develop and find optimal growth? Are there invasive plants or organisms that you see need to be removed from the ecosystem? 

I encourage you to take a look at your programming to see how healthy is the biome you provide for your group ecosystems that visit. And as you facilitate a group, notice what "environmental" or "ecological" factors are present or absent from your process. What can you change as an environmental architect? I always welcome comments on this ongoing exploration of the Ropes of Ecology. 

As always, you can leave a comment here or email me at:

asinglefootstep@gmail.com

You can also check out our Facebook page.

Or even follow A Single Footstep on Twitter.

What roots are you fostering?

What a Tangled Web We Weave!

(A St. Andrews Cross Spider-Argiope mangal)

The Spider Web initiative is one of my favorite activities. I love the planning and attention to detail needed to complete the challenge, and I love the engaged physicality of the activity. It can engage people on many levels and provides a wide range of challenges for participants. And there is some actual risk involved with lifting people through the web, which means there has to be a level of group readiness present in order to attempt this initiative.
In addition, I love the metaphor of the web. Lots of attachments, strands to get caught on, the spiders waiting for prey to get caught in the web, and the intricate weavings needed to build a web. Webs are also created from the spider directly. Other than the anchor points, the structure comes from the spider itself, not unlike the situations we create in our lives. We are often the creator of our own webs. With this rich palate available to a facilitator, there are numerous ways a facilitator can weave their own metaphors around the image of a web. But that is for another posting.

The Traditional Initiative:
The traditional Spider Web is built between two vertical objects, usually trees for a stationary web. Here is a simple drawing of a portable web using pvc pipes for the vertical poles.

The main object of the Spider Web is for the group to get from one side to the other by going through the web. Not around, over, or under, but through the web. Depending on the facilitator, touching the web might result in a penalty such as blindfolding the person who touched, making the part of the body that touched the web unusable, or sending the person or the whole group back to beginning side. Some programs put bells on the webbing strands to alert the participants when they have touched the webbing.
There are also some guidelines on how people should go through the webbing. In general, if both of a person's feet come of the ground, then they must be in constant contact with at least two other people until their feet are back on the ground. This prevents people from jumping or diving through the web. There is debate on how the person needs to go through the web. Some people say that the person needs to go through head first facing the ground. This enables the person to use their hands to catch themselves if the group drops them. Other's say the person should go through feet first with either the face down or up so that the person can get their feet on the ground first. I have used all of these variations. Also the way they go through may be dependent on the material used to build the web. The only issue I have with face down, regardless of head first or not, is that in lifting and passing the person when they are face down can allow people's hands to come into contact with personal parts of the body of the person being passed easier than if the person is going through face up. Just a thought.
So there are the basics, and here are some variations:
Variation 1:
If your group is not ready or able to pass and lift people through the web, provide them with a length of climbing rope, maybe 75-100' in length. Then the challenge is that the group needs to pass the rope through each of the openings in the web without the rope or them touching the webbing strands. You can still provide consequences for the rope or people touching the web.
Variation 2:
Again, if your group is not ready to pass or lift people through the web, provide them with a collection of objects-beach balls, boards, large stuffed animals, etc. Then the group has to pass the objects through the web without touching the web.
Variation 3:
Use a multi-sided web. I find that 3 or 4 sided webs work really well. It really doesn't matter if the separate webs are the same or not. The real challenge comes from the fact that as more and more people get in to the middle of the webs, space becomes tight for the participants.
Variation 4:
In this variation, you are attaching things to the web before the activity. For an environmental focus you can attach cards that have portions of the food web or the water cycle on the web. Then you provide participants with cards that either match the cards on the web, or are examples of the term listed on the web cards. Then the participants have to go through the appropriate opening in the web. You could also attach cards that have terms written by the group, or provided by you, that pertain to their group process or culture. Then, as the people prepare to go through the web, they state how the term on the cards can help the group or is a hinderance to the group.

Just a few thoughts on Spider Web variations. If you do more inside programs, explore a variety of ways to build an indoor or portable Spider Web. Enjoy!

As always, feel free to leave a comment here or email me at:

asinglefootstep@gmail.com

Feel free to explore A Single Footstep's website.

www.asinglefootstep.com

 Website to explore:

A Facebook page from Michael Cardus. Michael provides great pieces on teambuilding on this page. Check it out. 

http://www.facebook.com/TeamBuildingWNY

A Lesson in Sustainability

(Sustainability Bowls)

                                                                                                                                                                                    A while back when I was in grad school I was writing a paper on teaching sustainability and I found myself struggling with activities to teach the concept of sustainability in an experiential manner. Then I found The Nuts Game by Julain Edney. It is a really fun activity and I am sure it can be adapted in many many ways. Regardless of who you work with, teambuilding or environmental education groups, this activity can be useful. 

         Teaching sustainability can be a challenge for any facilitator. Sustainability can be a tough topic to talk about because of so many definitions and uses of the word in such a wide variety of situations. Sustainability, or sustainable development is often defined in roughly the following way by Lester Brown; “Sustainable Development meets the needs of the present without diminishing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” While this is a fairly straight forward definition, it also is somewhat vague enough to allow a great deal of individual interpretation.

            Sustainability also can be applied to numerous topics. You can talk about sustainable economics, food production, energy, population, building, business models, etc. You can also delve into group decision making and group think topics. Enjoy!

           

Overview:

            To give participants an opportunity to experience sustainable behavior.

Resources:

            Several small non-breakable bowls or containers-Frisbees work well. They should be about 12” in diameter. 10 small objects in each bowl to begin with. I have used pennies, black rocks, nuts-metal not the eating kind, and marbles. In addition to the objects in the bowls to begin the activity, you will need a bunch more to refill the containers as the activity progresses. You will also need a watch or other time keeping device that can measure seconds.

Set up:

            You will need an area where your group can divide into smaller groups and where the containers can remain upright during the activity.

Outline:

            Have your group divide themselves into small groups 3-4 people in each small group. Have each small group sit around their container that has 10 of the objects inside. Explain to the groups that the goal of the activity when it starts is for player’s to get as many of the objects from the bowl as possible until the end of a round.

            Players can take objects at any time and in any quantities after the start of the activity. Also let the groups know that after about 10 seconds, the amount of objects left in the bowl will be doubled by you. This cycle will continue for several rounds. If one group empties their bowl, they are “out” of the game for now until you stop the game. Let several rounds happen before stopping the activity.

            Once the activity begins, participants are asked to remain silent. After you have let several rounds go by, a typical game lasts only about 2 minutes for several rounds. Get the scores from each player, each group, and the overall number of items harvested from all the bowls.

            That is the first game. For the second game allow each small group to spend 5 minutes or so developing a plan so that every person and each small group gets as many points as possible. Groups are free to create any guidelines or rules for themselves. The original rules of the game still are in effect, and groups can create or add anything else they want to as long as it is safe. One rule that applies through out the entire activity is that one group or individual cannot take objects from another group’s container. You can provide each group with resources to write down their new rules.

            After the 5 minute planning period, play another game with each group following their new rules. Then record the same information as you did in the first game and compare the results. Then have the groups look at and compare the data results.

Safety:

            Make sure that your containers are non-breakable and that each group has enough space to sit comfortably. I find that wooden bowls or frisbees work well. Keep and eye and an ear out for disputes that may occur in the small groups that could get out of hand.

Facilitation/debriefing notes:

            This activity is a good frontloading activity for discussions on resource management, conservation, and sustainability. After doing this activity allowing the groups to talk about the plans they made, and how they worked. Also talk about what are some real world situations where sustainability is an issue and what they think might be some solutions.

Well that's it for this posting. Enjoy the Nuts Game and keep providing great learning spaces for your participants!

As always, feel free to leave a comment here or email me at:

asinglefootstep@gmail.com

Community

( A wonderful group I used to work with)

So I just got back from an amazing experience at the annual National Challenge Course Practitioners Symposium (NCCPS) the "Un-conference" in Boulder, CO. It is a gathering each year of between 150-190 experiential educators for 3 days. It gets called the "Un-conference" because the entire conference is done in Open Space. It is an amazing process that is truly an organic experience. Tom Leahy who sponsors the event always says that the right people are here and the people who are not there are where they need to be.


The years when I can make it out to Boulder for this event, 4-5 times now, I always come away with a wonderful sense of community. Now, I make it to several conferences and gathering of educators each year, but there is something special about this group of folks. I am sure a large part of it is that we as a group create the entire conference. The only things that are scheduled are the pre and post-conference workshops, and the closing on Saturday afternoon. The entire process of creating an event with 150+ people is a fantastic example of people coming together to create learning in a community.


So, my question to you is, "Do your programs have that feeling?" If yes, why? And if no, why? What do you do for your groups that help create a sense of learning and community. Do your participants leave with a sense of being a better community, and do they feel that they accomplished something? In addition to the groups you work with, how is the community you live and work with? I am asking these questions because on my flight home I spent time reflecting on the groups I have been a part of over the past couple of decades. Some of those groups were a pleasure to be with and I am still in touch with many of the members I connected with. Other groups were not as rewarding to be a part of. I encourage you to examine the groups you are part of, and how do you help the groups that come to you for a program.


Here are a couple of activities for you to work with. Enjoy!


Cycle Tag:

                                                               Original Inspiration:

 Clam Free- New Games Foundation

Overview:

            This icebreaker tag game is played to get participants moving around and playing together. And it presents a very basic example of the food cycle.

Resources:

       You will need an open area where the players can move around easily such as an open field or a gym. You will also need some objects to mark off the boundaries of your playing area.

Outline:

            Gather the group together in a square with no corners in the area you will be playing in. Show them the boundaries that they will be playing in. Then get a volunteer, a participant or another staff, who will be the first Consumer. The Consumer’s task is to try and gently tag the other players who are a rare species of Producer-“running grass” (autotrophus mobilusquickus). If the Consumer tags a Producer, that Producer is frozen in place and has been transformed into Scat!

            Now this Producer/Scat is not out of the game! They can raise a stink by waving their hands and shouting, “Scat! Scat! Scat!” To be able to run around again, two non-frozen Producers must join hands around the Scat and say loudly “ Decompose and break it down!” Then the player is recycled into a new Producer and may continuing playing. If the Consumer manages to tag all the Producers, then the game is over. You can also have multiple Consumers if you have a large group.

Safety:  Make sure people are tagging safely, and that your area is free of obstacles.

Energy Tag                              

                                                 Original Inspiration:

                                                                        Evolution- Karl Rohnke

                                                                        Rock-Paper-Scissors- Universal

Overview:

            This icebreaker tag game is played to get participants moving around and playing together. And it presents a very basic example of the food cycle.

Resources:

       You will need an open area where the players can move around easily such as an open field or a gym. You might also need some objects to mark off the boundaries of your playing area.

Outline:

            Get your group together and tell them they are going to get a chance to move through the food chain in a couple of stages. Everyone starts out as Producers-Grass. As grass, players can either move around on their hands and knees as short prairie grass, or walking around as tall prairie grass. When two “grasses” meet they rock/ paper/ paper/ scissors (RPS) while saying “Grow, grow, grow”. You decide when the players should throw rock/ paper/ or scissors. There is always confusion on when to throw, on three or after three. You choose, or let the group choose.

            Anyway, the winning grass person, then goes up the food chain and becomes a primary consumer, an herbivore. The grass that lost, stays as grass. Then the new herbivore begins moving around as the herbivore of their choice looking for another herbivore. When two herbivores meet they RPS while saying “Munch, munch, munch”.  The winner of the herbivore shoot-out moves up to being a Carnivore/ Omnivore. The loosing herbivore then moves back down to being grass.

            The new carnivore then moves around as any carnivore they wish to be looking for another carnivore. When two carnivores meet, they RPS while saying “Rawr, rawr, rawr! While showing their fierce claws! The winning carnivore then becomes a decomposer. The loosing carnivore slides back down to being an herbivore. The new decomposer moves around as a kind of invertebrate, wiggling and wobbling around.

            When two decomposers meet they play RPS while chanting “Dirt, dirt, dirt!” The winning decomposer then gets to move onto being the Sun. As the Sun, players move around with arms outstretched sending beams of energy to the people who are still Grass. Let the game progress for several minutes then bring the group together and see who is still at each level.

Variation:

       You can change the activity a little by having people all start out as the Sun. When two Suns meet, they play RPS while saying “Energy, energy, energy!” Then the winning Sun moves up to a producer, and the loosing Sun remains a Sun. You can also have players continue playing even when they become a Sun after winning as a decomposer. They continue playing RPS, and then the winning Sun would then become a producer again, starting the whole cycle again.

Safety:

            Make sure that your area is free of obstacles.

Tarp Maze:

I learned this activity from Jim Cain at NCCPS this year.

                                                

Overview:

          A simple activity that uses a tarp with several holes cut in it and the group has to move a ball around the tarp without letting the ball go through the holes.

Resources:

      A golf ball, and a tarp about 9'x9' in size. You can use a bigger tarp if you want to.

Outline:

        Have the group stand around the tarp and grab hold of the edges. The taro should have holes cut in it so it looks like the number 5 on a dice face, almost an "x" shape. Let the group practice a little bit with moving the ball around the tarp for a minute or so. Then provide them with a challenge to move the ball around each hole in the tarp without the ball falling through. The center hole should be small enough to allow the ball to rest in the middle  without falling through. Depending on the group and the level of challenge you want to provide them with, you can make the center hole bigger, and you could also challenge them to get the ball around all five holes in succession. If the ball falls off or through the tarp, they would have to start over.   

Variation:

       Once the group has accomplished the above task, challenge them to see if they can launch the ball into the air and then flip the tarp without dropping the ball. This is really fun!

Website to visit:

http://www.emilysgame.com/ This is a website by one of the participant's at NCCPS this year. Emily is a high school student who is involved in an adventure program in her high school.

If you have any thoughts or questions, please leave a comment here or email me at:

asinglefootstep@gmail.com