Two Truths, One Lie (Ice Breaker)
Age and Number of campers: Explorers or Mavericks, small to large groups
Requirements:
• No equipment necessary
How to play:
1. Tell your partner three things about yourself - two of which are true and one of which is a lie. For example, you might tell your partner about your hobbies, your work, where you live, your family or where you have travelled. Afterwards, your partner tries to guess which was the lie. You might choose to tell three everyday facts or three more unusual things - but remember - only one of them should be a lie. Make sure each person listens carefully to what their partner says!
2. Now introduce your partner to the rest of the group and see if they can guess which was the lie.
3. Alternatively, tell your partner three true things about yourself and then swap over. Now the whole group makes a circle. Each partner introduces their friend to the group - they tell the group two of the true things and make up one lie about their partner.
Rules:
1. No outstanding rules
What can we do next:
• After learning everyone’s name and a few facts about each other, continue to a warm-up game to generate a closeness in the group.
Bill and Ben (Warm Up)
Age and Number of campers: Explorers or Mavericks, small to large groups
Requirements:
• No equipment is required
How to play:
1. Everyone stands in a circle. First of all, repeat the words as a group. The words should be said rhythmically. The words are not too complicated:
2. Bill and Ben, Bill and Ben,
Bill and Ben, Bill and Ben,
Flowerpot Men.
3. When everyone is confident of the words, the game begins. One person starts by saying the first word from the song. The person on their left says the next word, and so on - a little like telling a one word at a time story. Try to keep the tempo smooth. 'Flowerpot' can be sung as one or two words - it's up to you!
4. Once this has been mastered, the next rule is that the person singing 'Bill' must bend their knees at the same time as singing the word - just that person. When that is working, add the next rule - everybody bends their knees when anyone sings 'Ben'. This usually results in much laughter, with people bending their knees at the wrong times. If you lose the flow of the tune, start again.
Rules:
1. No outstanding rules
What can we do next:
• Continue onto storytelling games to start imaginations flowing
Random Sound Stories (Storytelling)
Age and Number of campers: Explorers or Mavericks, small to large groups
Requirements:
• No equipment is necessary.
How to play:
1. Work in small groups of 4 - 6. The groups are asked to come up with a selection of random sounds - with each member making one vocalised sound. Next, the group decides on a sequence in which these sounds are made and practices it. Each group performs its sound sequence in turn to the whole class. Now the groups are asked to make up a story in which these sounds occur - in the sequence already decided upon. The story can be narrated or acted.
Rules:
1. No outstanding rules
What can we do next:
• After starting the imaginative process and giving the campers the power to change stories, continue onto Improvisation games
Status Pictures (Improvisation)
Age and Number of campers: Explorers or Mavericks, small to large groups
Requirements:
• None
How to play:
1. In pairs, create a still image where one of you has a higher status than the other. It can be a real situation, or something abstract. Show your image to the others and let them guess who is "high" and who is "low". Discuss why there may be areas of disagreement.
2. Make another image showing high and low status in a different way. Finally, try to make an image where you have equal status and see if the onlookers agree!
Rules:
1. No outstanding rules
What can we do next:
• Campers are having more opportunities to create things using their own imagination. To continue this, move onto Miming games.
Essence Machines (Miming)
Age and Number of campers: Explorers or Mavericks, small to large groups
Requirements:
• None
How to play:
1. This activity provides a useful technique for generating physical and aural ideas around a theme. Explain that the group is going to create a "machine" out of themselves. Name a topic and give the participants a few moments to think of a repeating sound and action linked to that theme.
a. For example, if the theme was "shopping" a participant could mime taking money out of a purse to give to a shopkeeper, whilst saying "I'll have two of those, please."
2. As soon as someone has an idea, ask them to step into the centre of a circle to begin their repeating sound and movement. Ask if somebody else can think of a suitable way to add in their own idea. Gradually, more and more people join in the activity. Some may be linked to existing parts of the "machine", whilst others may be separate.
a. To continue the example above, someone could join the action by becoming the shopkeeper and saying "Shall I wrap them for you?", whilst somebody else could be a cleaner in the shopping mall.
3. You may find that everybody wants to join in the activity, although be careful not to let it go on for too long or get too unwieldy. Once it is set up, the machine can be frozen, then played back at twice or half the "normal" speed. Themes could include: a football match, a meal in a restaurant, folk tales, Halloween. You could have a machine that actually makes something, like chocolate biscuits, school dinners or weather conditions.
Rules:
1. No outstanding rules
What can we do next:
• After allowing campers to build on each other’s stories and create something new, Mime Whispers will test listening skills.
Mime Whispers (Miming)
Age and Number of campers: Explorers or Mavericks, small to large groups
Requirements:
• None
How to play:
1. Each person chooses an everyday task, such as making a cup of tea, washing-up, writing a letter, drawing a picture and so on. Everyone practices miming that activity on their own – broken down into exactly six movements. It’s important that this is practiced so it can be remembered later.
a. In pairs, show each other the mime you were doing, without talking or explaining. Show the mime once only.
b. Everybody move on to find a new partner.
c. Try to show your partner the last mime you observed – of course it will not be easy.
2. Again the partners separate and move on to find yet new partners. After three or four swaps, it is time to observe the results. Individuals are asked to show the final mime they observed. The teacher can then ask if anyone recognises it as their own original mime. If they do, they can show the original mime alongside the final version. Some of the mimes may stay fairly intact, while others will be unrecognisable!
Rules:
1. No outstanding rules
What can we do next:
• Many other games will highlight the skills learnt through Drama Games. The group will generally feel much closer and will feel much more self-confident.
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