Games, Schmames!

• 
  Name Game
  
  • Trust Fall Circle
    Human Knot
    Killer
    Trust Walk
    Elements ("Earth, Air, Fire, and Water")
    Portraying Elements as Animals
    In a Hole
    Animal
    Masks
    Props
    Who Started the Motion?
    Four Minutes of Where
    Two Different Wheres
    

TRUST FALL CIRCLE:
This is an exercise of trust and teamwork. Students stand in a circle with shoulders touching, and with each student focused on the center, where one of the other students is standing (this student should be a volunteer). When all of the students are focused, instruct the student in the center that he/she is to stand with ankles together and heels planted on the ground, knees straight. He/she will then be instructed to fall, trusting the students in the circle to catch him/her, and not allow him/her to fall to the ground. The students in the circle should be instructed to help each other, and not allow the center student to fall, gently stopping his/her descent and redirecting it in another direction.

Note: There should be NO shoving or forceful movements of the center student. This should be an exercise of trust and not one of scaring the center student. As many students as possible should be allowed to participate in this activity, but none should be forced if it is obvious that they are truly uncomfortable with it.

Variations:

• This exercise can be modified to be "Trust Walk Circle," in which students stand in a rough circle at arm-length apart from each other. A volunteering student will stand in the center of the circle and spin around with his or her eyes closed to lose any sense of direction. From there, the student will walk to the circle's edge with his/her eyes still closed. Whenever the student nears the edge fo the circle, the "border" students will gently grasp the walking student and re-direct him/her in a new (though not necessarily opposite) direction.

  Note: As students become "used" to the idea of walking to the circle's edge, they may stop or hesitate as they near the circle's periphery because they "know" where it is, even with closed eyes. To combat this and help the students rely on trust, modulate the diameter of the circle or the circle's shape while the student is walking around.

Our very own Chuck "Jack Rabbit Slim" Charbeneau wrote this game description!