Line up the group in one line, or two lines facing each other, depending on the number of people.

Each person sticks out their index finger from one (or both hands), so that they are all pointing parallel to the floor, just above waist height.

A stick (tent poles work well) is placed on all the outstretched fingers.  The objective is to lower the stick to the ground, as a group, such that no-one's finger ever loses contact with the stick.

The only contact that anyone has with the stick is their finger(s) underneath the stick.  If anyone loses contact, even for a fraction of a second, the stick is returned to waist height and the group starts again.

Facilitator Notes

If the group gets stuck with this one, try asking them: "What do you hear when the stick is going up?  What do you hear when it is going down?  Where is your focus?"

Chances are, the more they focus on each other or on blaming, the more the stick goes up.

I like to ask if anyone ever briefly dropped their finger off the stick, just to confirm that they were not the ones causing the rise.  "What does that tell you?"

You can also do this one with the group in a small circle, lowering a hula hoop.

http://ceeps.ca/activities/HeliumStick.htm

Contents © Copyright 2006, Andrew Welch.  Please note and credit activity Source at the top of this document.