Here is just one example of the many Team Building Activities found in the book Raptor©, by Sam Sikes:

KNOT EXCHANGE

PROPS: 1 Five foot rope or cord for each pair of people in the room.

OBJECTIVE:  Create the biggest tangle of rope in the middle of a team and then see how quickly another team can undo it.

PREPARATION: Figure out the group sizes that you want beforehand. Ideally, every team will have six or eight people in it. If there are an odd number of people, one person can grab two ends of the rope.

Lay three or four ropes on the ground in an asterisk formation for each group.

INSTRUCTIONS: Divide into groups of six and each group form a circle around an asterisk of ropes.

I would like everyone to grab one end of a rope, lift it off the ground, and hold on to it. Imagine that the rope is now super-glued to your hand. In other words, don't let go of it or break the bond holding in you hand.

When I say "Go!", I want you to take two minutes to make the biggest tangle of rope in the middle of your team. The more you weave it, the bigger, and more tangles it will be. GO!

(After approximately 2 minutes)

Carefully lay your rope ends back on the ground and let go of the ropes. Now everyone should move to a new area and pick up the ends of the ropes of another team. Wait until I give the signal before you begin untangling their mess. Who can do it the fastest? The rules about the super-glued hands are still in effect. GO!

FACILITATOR NOTE: Determining team size is the trickiest part o this activity for me. If you have eighteen people, it is no problem to split them into three teams of six and then rotate to untangle. But, let's say you have twenty-one participants. You could have four teams of five. Once they tangle, you will want to switch the teams with the same numbers so that it will be fair.

POTENTIAL DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Tell me about your teamwork. What was your reaction when we switched to a new tangle of rope?  What was it like making a mess compared to undoing someone else's mess?

"Raptor" Copyright by Sam Sikes