Great Solutions to Team Challenges

Rube Goldberg Awesomeness with FIRE!

2011-07-06T15:38:00.000-07:00

I'm a huge fan of Rube Goldberg machines (the patience it takes to pull it off!) and this one is no exception. What sets this one apart? Fire. Yes, stick with it to the end and you'll see some Rube Goldberg style pyrotechnics. Something else to watch for? The pallets that collapse, domino style. Bravo, HEYHEYHEY.

Imagination is Critical to Successful Future

2011-05-10T11:41:00.000-07:00

I posted about this over on the Team Challenges Facebook page (there's lots of interaction happening over there - join us!) but realized that it would be interesting for the readers of this blog, too.

What will the future look like? It's likely that given a peek into life twenty years from now, we wouldn't recognize much of the technological changes. So how do we prepare young people for the future? According to this article in Good, we need to encourage imagination.

How can schools set the next generation up for success when we don't have a clear picture of what the jobs of the future will be? The growing consensus is that we need to shift schools toward to fostering creativity and conceptual thinking abilities...

Rote memorization and solving problems with a single correct answer is not the solution. Our students need the opportunity to develop their creative problem solving skills, to test out different solutions and analyze the results. If it didn't work, why? If it did work, how come? What could have been done to improve the results.

How are you working to encourage imagination and creativity in the young people you work with?

Creative Problem Solving Season Begins!

2010-10-11T20:53:00.000-07:00

I'm seeing an uptick in traffic here lately, and that can only mean one thing: Destination Imagination and Odyssey of the Mind teams are gearing up for their season. Whether you call them instant challenges or spontaneous problems, let me take a minute and point you to a few things that might be helpful.

Check the sidebar for a list of free team building challenges. -->>

For (almost) daily interactive challenges, join me over on Facebook.

Ten Minute Tasks, the e-book, may be helpful.

Team Challenges is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound. If you have bought Team Challenges in the past (or intend to), may I humbly request that you take a moment to write a short, honest review of the book?

Thanks for stopping by. If you try any of the challenges you find on this site or in my book, I invite you to share photos by sending them to TeamChallenges AT KrisBordessa DOT com.

And please. Take a minute to say hello, won't you?

Creative Music Video from OK Go

2010-09-20T15:12:00.000-07:00

While I'm not a huge fan of their music, OK Go always impresses me with their creative videos. Their latest, White Knuckles, features more of that OK Go creativity - and dogs.

Binder Clips as Refrigerator Organizer

2010-09-17T13:07:00.000-07:00

Tired of bottles rolling around in your fridge? Flickr user muteboy shares this clever solution: a binder clip. Smart!

Via LifeHacker

Are you following me on Facebook? C'mon over!

Build a Tower that Won't Topple

2010-06-04T19:36:00.000-07:00

One of the beauties of Team Challenges is that they are portable. Going camping for the summer? You can easily pack some basic challenge materials and add team building to your campfire activities (putting up the tent also qualifies!).

But what if you don't have the room or the desire to pack a roll of masking tape and toothpicks? Never fear! I've got you covered. First, you will need to send the team on a scavenger hunt to find the following items*, but don't tell them what the challenge will be.

22 sticks, about as round as a pinkie finger and a foot long
10 rocks as big as a fist
10 large leaves
5 pine cones
a handful of moss
25 small stones

Now...

Build a Tower that Won't Topple

Using the materials you gathered, build a structure that will hold as many of the small stones as possible at least 15" above the ground. You may not use any of the small stones as part of your tower. You have 1 minute to make a plan without touching the materials and 5 minutes to build the structure. Once your structure is complete - or at the end of the five-minute building time - choose a team member to place the small stones onto the structure one at a time.

You will receive up to ten points each for creativity, communication, and cooperation. Plus, for every 5 stones that stay on the structure without toppling it, you'll get 5 points.

*I am making a grand assumption that you will be camping in an area where all of these items will be available. If not, here's YOUR chance to get creative. What's on hand that you could substitute?

Did you try it? Snap a photo and I'll share it here!

A Marshmallow Challenge

2010-04-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

My friend Debra at From Skilled Hands shared this on Facebook. I'm passing it along to you. Watch for what I consider to be the most important part: the Kindergarten class. So very true!

You can read more about the Marshmallow Challenge - and try it yourself - over at the page cleverly titled The Marshmallow Challenge.

From Bike to Stroller in 20 Seconds Flat

2010-03-18T09:47:00.000-07:00

If you're a parent you know all too well how cumbersome all of the kid paraphernalia is. Fold the stroller, break down the playpen, collapse the bouncy seat. And that doesn't include diapers.

This creative contraption from Taga is brilliant (albeit, expensive). Bike to your destination with baby. When you get there, transform it to a stroller - in 20 seconds.

Creative thinking. It's going to take over the world, someday.

Via TreeHugger, where you can watch a short video of the transformation.

Rockin' Rube Goldberg!

2010-03-06T14:01:00.000-08:00

Box Top Challenge

2010-02-22T15:13:00.001-08:00

What to do:

Scavenge a top or bottom from a refrigerator box. These are usually reinforced "trays" with edges about 3" high. Cut a hole in the center of the box top about 4" in diameter.

How to Play:

Have team members spread out evenly around the box top, holding it up at hip height. Now, set a tennis ball in one corner of the box and have team members try to move the ball through the hole.

Alternatives:

Once they are successful, see how many times they can get the ball through the hole in two minutes
Have team members use only one hand
Try it without talking at all
Have everyone on the team close their eyes except for one person who gives directions (really hard!)

**For more challenges, click on the links in the sidebar

Call it Junk? Call it Art?

2010-02-20T14:08:00.000-08:00

I spotted this over at Woman's Day, where there's a collection of several great "upcycled" pieces of art. This? Features about 6,000 clear plastic bottles. Photo courtesy of Amanda Spak via Flickr.com.

2010-02-19T09:13:00.000-08:00

Even NASA astronauts sometimes have to leave behind all of their education and depend on creative problem solving skills. This, via There I Fixed It. There's also a short note from an astronaut that includes this gem:

...things very frequently don’t turn out like you planned, and sometimes you
have to improvise: this is what sets apart good engineers (those who merely
get good grades in school) from great ones (those who understand adversity, appreciate elegant simplicity, and know how to react when things go wrong. And they barely made it out of school).

see more There I Fixed It

Leadership Lessons from a Dancing Guy

2010-02-12T18:31:00.000-08:00

Brainstorming

2010-01-30T10:18:00.000-08:00

Brainstorming. Here's how wikipedia defines it:

Brainstorming is a group creativity technique designed to generate a large number of ideas for the solution of a problem. In 1953 the method was popularized by Alex Faickney Osborn in a book called Applied Imagination. Osborn proposed that groups could double their creative output with brainstorming.

I was surprised to read this criticism of brainstorming in the next paragraph, though:

Although brainstorming has become a popular group technique, researchers have not found evidence of its effectiveness for enhancing either quantity or quality of ideas generated. Because of such problems as distraction, social loafing, evaluation apprehension, and production blocking, brainstorming groups are little more effective than other types of groups, and they are actually less effective than individuals working independently. In the Encyclopedia of Creativity, Tudor Rickards, in his entry on brainstorming, summarizes its controversies and indicates the dangers of conflating productivity in group work with quantity of ideas.

I find brainstorming to be a very effective way to solve problems, whether it's with one other person or a group. And I've definitely seen my Destination Imagination teams succeed through brainstorming.

I had a reminder about the domino effect of brainstorming today via the Team Challenges Facebook page. In answering this question:

Name things that are full...

One group member said, "decks (for sane people)." This was followed by the next person saying, "a pair and three of a kind - full house."

The allusion to a deck of cards prompted a new line of thought.

I think the key is to allow ideas to flow without any commentary or critique. Nobody in the group is allowed to judge the answers, or say they are stupid, or that they don't fit. They are just words, but hearing them may prompt a new answer, a new idea.

How has brainstorming worked for your group? Do you feel it's an important part of your team's efforts in creativity?

Coffee to the Rescue!

2010-01-24T21:18:00.001-08:00

Via There I Fixed It

Rethink Hanger - Clever invention

2010-01-21T10:42:00.000-08:00

All those empty water bottles that you've been collecting? The new Rethink Hanger is a plastic hook that lets you connect two water bottles together to turn them into something functional.

Creative.

Everyday Creativity

2009-12-28T13:50:00.000-08:00

Psychology Today addresses Everyday Creativity in a recent issue (the article is available online). Just as I stated in the opening pages of Team Challenges, the article suggests that while we recognize the creative genius of people like Mozart or Picasso, rarely do most people consider themselves creative.

Pete Herzog noticed that his three kids rarely drove the expensive battery-powered toy car he had bought them for Christmas because it was always out of juice. One afternoon he spotted a broken solar-powered garden lamp rolling around and took off its panels. He hooked them to the toy-car battery, using parts he melted off the lamp's circuit board. Now the car, left to bake in the sun all day, is always ready for joyrides.....But he doesn't think of himself as a creative person!

The article is worth a read for anyone interested in creativity - or anyone who wants to work on thinking more creatively. According to the article:

The first step to increasing your creativity quotient is believing you can.

I would say, the second step to increasing your creativity quotient is practice. Happily, I'm not going to insist that you get out the paints. You can practice thinking creatively just about anywhere, with no materials whatsoever. Riding in your car? Absolutely. See how many answers you can come up with for some simple questions like:

Name things that climb
Name things that roll
Name things that are cracked

Want a daily boost of creativity? Join me on Facebook where you can join together with more than 200 others to come up with creative solutions, thereby boosting YOUR creativity quotient!

Team Challenges for the Holidays!

2009-12-16T22:05:00.000-08:00

Via my Facebook page, Patti (of Candy Yum Yum fame) asks:

Dear Team Challenges, I'm having 11 people stay at my house over Christmas. What one or two events would you recommend for a group of people of all different ages?

While I linked her over to the Box Top Challenge and Use Your Noodle, I wanted to offer a little bit more in the way of holiday activities. How about these, that originally appeared in FamilyFun magazine? Have fun, Patti - and send pictures!

Roll Out the Marble

In this game, cooperation and finesse combine to create an action packed, human marble maze.

Players: 6 or more; ages 6 and up
Where to play: Anywhere

WHAT YOU NEED
Cardboard tubes (left over from Christmas wrapping or paper towel tubes)
A marble for each team

How to play: Give each person a trough made from a cardboard tube cut in half lengthwise. The players stand in line, two to three feet apart. The first person in line starts with a marble (and can touch it). Without touching the marble, players use the troughs to pass it down the line. As players pass the marble on, they move to the end of the line in time to catch the marble, keeping it in play. Continue in this manner until the team has completed a circuit, that is, once the person who started first in the line is first in line again. If the marble drops, it has to start at the current beginning of the line again.

Team play: Divide into teams of 4 or more and race to see which team can complete a circuit first.

Variation: Play an elimination version: if a person drops the marble, it starts at the beginning of the line again and that person is out – last one standing is the winner.

The 15-cent Write, Rip, Lace, Zip Championship

See if your family has what it takes to single-handedly complete some tasks that are –usually – a piece of cake.

Players: 3 or more; ages 7 and up
Where to play: Around a table

WHAT YOU NEED (for each team)
1 piece of paper per person
Pencil
1 shoe, with shoelaces tied
15 pennies
1 zip top plastic bag

How to play: Challenge the group (or each team) to complete the following tasks: Write one player's name on each piece of paper then rip all of the papers into four pieces. Untie the shoe, and then tie it back up with a bow. Put the pennies one by one into the zip top bag and seal it. The catch: players can only use one hand; they must work together cooperatively to accomplish each of these tasks. To make it more challenging, ask the group to complete the tasks in less than three minutes.

Team Play: Divide into teams of 3-6 players. Group players by age and have them compete against one another – see which age bracket wins! Have the winning teams compete against one another for top spot.

Variation: Instead of working together, each player must accomplish all of the tasks with only one hand (they can use their other elbow). Once one player finishes, it's the next person's turn, until all players have completed the tasks. Use a stopwatch to see how long it takes each player to finish and then compare times.

Want more fun challenges? Join me on Facebook for daily fun, or check out Team Challenges, the book, just in time for holiday gift giving.

Catch Phrase

2009-12-14T12:50:00.000-08:00

I'm listening to 6 teenagers work their way through a round of Catch Phrase. What a great game for building creative thinking! It's an electronic game that's passed from player to player. An electronic screen displays a word or phrase that the player must get his team to guess - without saying the word. The current word? Goosebumps. How would you get your team to say that word quickly??

Once the team guesses correctly, Catch Phrase is passed to the next player, who takes her turn. Of course, they have a limited time in which to convey the correct answer, so fast thinking is essential.

This would be an excellent addition to a Destination Imagination or Odyssey of the Mind team manager's arsenal of creativity boosting tricks - or to add to Santa's bag for a hard to buy for teen!

Silent Monks Singing Hallelujah

2009-12-09T19:21:00.000-08:00

How do you cope with a group of kids who want to present "Hallelujah" but can't sing? (Well, I don't know, really, why they chose not to actually sing, but it's a fun and creative presentation, nonetheless!).

Pick Your Nose!

2009-12-03T18:55:00.000-08:00

Clever, yes? Add a little funny to your holiday festivities!

Submerge a Balloon

2009-11-20T19:36:00.001-08:00

Jody Mace is working with a group of homeschoolers, doing a weekly "Team Challenges" class with a bunch of kids. This week, she shares pictures of the kids working to solve the Submerge a Balloon challenge from the book. Here, take a look:

Doesn't that look like fun?

The World's Deepest Bin

2009-10-17T16:33:00.000-07:00

Do You Know D.I.?

2009-08-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

So, how many of you know about Destination Imagination? It's a fabulous creative problem solving program. Visit them online at http://idodi.org. And go! Get your students or kids involved!

If you're involved already, take note! The program is looking for State Leaders for Destination... Imagination in Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Kansas and Nevada. Submit resumes to pmiddendorf@dihq.org.

An Invitation to Fun

2009-07-22T08:18:00.000-07:00

If you're on Facebook, come on over! Become a fan of the Team Challenges page. I'm posting daily challenges over there and as you'd expect, I'm getting LOTS of creative answers.