Performing Activities

In the Performing stage, teams are functioning at a high level with a focus on accomplishing shared goals. Activities during this stage focus on optimizing team performance and solving complex problems efficiently. Teams have established trust, defined roles, and can work with minimal supervision.

LEGO Robot Factory

Runtime: 10 minutes

Preptime: Minimal

Materials: LEGO

Description: 2 or more teams are given a box of legos and asked to build as many of the same robot build as they can, the team who has the most accurate robots wins.o move the sharpie.

Reason for Doing It: Helps the team learn how to manage themselves and know how to work with each other.

Modifications: One hand, limited supply of legos.

Paper Chains

Runtime: 5-10 minutes

Preptime: 5 minutes

Materials: Paper, scissors, and tape

Description: Students are split into groups and are tasked to create the longest paper chain using paper, tape, and scissors. Chains are created by looping strips of paper through one another. Teams are given 2 minutes to plan out a strategy, followed by three minutes to follow through with the plan.

Reason for Doing It: Helps students learn how to work together and plan together.

Modifications:
Everyone can only use 1 hand: Provides an additional challenge to really stress teamwork and communications skills

No Talking: Stresses teamwork and strategy development

Paper Parachutes

Runtime: 9 minutes

Preptime: 5 minutes

Materials: Paper, paper clips, tape

Description: Given a couple of pieces, paper clips, and tape. Objective is to create something using those objects within 7 minutes that stays the longest amount of time in the air. Teams can create whatever object they want, big or small, however it can not stick to the ceiling.

Reason for Doing It: Helps build inclusion, teamwork and voices. Using everyday objects to innovate a way to have the longest time spent in the air.

Modifications: Increase height of drop and less materials (no tape/no scissors). No talking while creating.

Brick and Bonds

Runtime: 10-15 minutes

Preptime: 10 minutes

Materials: Legos, make a couple of trays with a similar assortment of parts to give to each group.

Description: Pair participants into groups of 2 and then ask them to build something they have in common over 5 minutes. Then combine groups to make groups of 4. Repeat the cycle until everyone is working together to make something..

Reason for Doing It: This gives participants experience working together and finding common groups with which to base relationships on. This is especially effective at giving groups that think they don't have anything in common a start to recognize each other's backgrounds.

Modifications: Like all teambuilders it may be more effective if time is split into a planning and a building phase.

Mirror Match

Runtime: 10 minutes

Preptime: 5 minutes

Materials: None needed

Description: Each person chooses another person and copies their movements until everyone stops moving. Everyone doesn't tell who they chose.

Reason for Doing It: Effective tool to strengthen teamwork, enhance communication, promote observation skills, foster camaraderie, and create an inclusive and positive team dynamic.

Modifications: Reverse Reflection: Instead of copying the movements exactly, teams must mirror their partner's movements in reverse.

Machine Charades

Runtime: Varies

Preptime: Minimal

Materials: Paper, other materials if wanted

Description: Cards are labeled with different machines and are randomly handed out to groups of 3-5. Groups must work together to find a way to describe what is on the card, like in charades. This can be done with or without props for different ways of engagement. At the end, groups present what they have made up and the audience attempts to guess the machine.

Questions about how well the team worked together are then asked, like:

"Process for deciding what to do"
"If everyone had a voice in the group"
"If everyone was happy with the outcome"
"If everyone was able to describe the solution"

Reason for Doing It: Makes multiple members work together to act out a scenario that is in relation to STEAM, as well as forming good habits for future team working.

Modifications: Restrict each group to a certain area to work with what they have.

LEGO Robot Factory

Paper Chains

Paper Parachutes

Brick and Bonds

Mirror Match

Machine Charades

Performing Activities

LEGO Robot Factory

Runtime: 10 minutes

Preptime: Minimal

Materials: LEGO

Description: 2 or more teams are given a box of legos and asked to build as many of the same robot build as they can, the team who has the most accurate robots wins.o move the sharpie.​

Reason for Doing It: Helps the team learn how to manage themselves and know how to work with each other.​

Modifications: One hand, limited supply of legos.

Paper Chains

Runtime: 5-10 minutes

Preptime: 5 minutes

Materials: Paper, scissors, and tape

Reason for Doing It: Helps students learn how to work together and plan together.​

Modifications: Everyone can only use 1 hand: Provides an additional challenge to really stress teamwork and communications skills No Talking: Stresses teamwork and strategy development

Paper Parachutes

Runtime: 9 minutes

Preptime: 5 minutes

Materials: Paper, paper clips, tape

Description: Given a couple of pieces, paper clips, and tape. Objective is to create something using those objects within 7 minutes that stays the longest amount of time in the air. Teams can create whatever object they want, big or small, however it can not stick to the ceiling.​

Reason for Doing It: Helps build inclusion, teamwork and voices. Using everyday objects to innovate a way to have the longest time spent in the air.​

Modifications: Increase height of drop and less materials (no tape/no scissors). No talking while creating.

Brick and Bonds

Runtime: 10-15 minutes

Preptime: 10 minutes

Materials: Legos, make a couple of trays with a similar assortment of parts to give to each group.

Description: Pair participants into groups of 2 and then ask them to build something they have in common over 5 minutes. Then combine groups to make groups of 4. Repeat the cycle until everyone is working together to make something..​

Reason for Doing It: This gives participants experience working together and finding common groups with which to base relationships on. This is especially effective at giving groups that think they don't have anything in common a start to recognize each other's backgrounds.​

Modifications: Like all teambuilders it may be more effective if time is split into a planning and a building phase.​

Mirror Match

Runtime: 10 minutes

Preptime: 5 minutes

Materials: None needed

Description: Each person chooses another person and copies their movements until everyone stops moving. Everyone doesn't tell who they chose.​

Reason for Doing It: Effective tool to strengthen teamwork, enhance communication, promote observation skills, foster camaraderie, and create an inclusive and positive team dynamic.​

Modifications: Reverse Reflection: Instead of copying the movements exactly, teams must mirror their partner's movements in reverse.​

Machine Charades

Runtime: Varies

Preptime: Minimal

Materials: Paper, other materials if wanted

"Process for deciding what to do"

"If everyone had a voice in the group"

"If everyone was happy with the outcome"

"If everyone was able to describe the solution"​

Reason for Doing It: Makes multiple members work together to act out a scenario that is in relation to STEAM, as well as forming good habits for future team working.​

Modifications: Restrict each group to a certain area to work with what they have.​

Description: 2 or more teams are given a box of legos and asked to build as many of the same robot build as they can, the team who has the most accurate robots wins.o move the sharpie.

Reason for Doing It: Helps the team learn how to manage themselves and know how to work with each other.

Reason for Doing It: Helps students learn how to work together and plan together.

Modifications:
Everyone can only use 1 hand: Provides an additional challenge to really stress teamwork and communications skills

No Talking: Stresses teamwork and strategy development

Description: Given a couple of pieces, paper clips, and tape. Objective is to create something using those objects within 7 minutes that stays the longest amount of time in the air. Teams can create whatever object they want, big or small, however it can not stick to the ceiling.

Reason for Doing It: Helps build inclusion, teamwork and voices. Using everyday objects to innovate a way to have the longest time spent in the air.

Description: Pair participants into groups of 2 and then ask them to build something they have in common over 5 minutes. Then combine groups to make groups of 4. Repeat the cycle until everyone is working together to make something..

Reason for Doing It: This gives participants experience working together and finding common groups with which to base relationships on. This is especially effective at giving groups that think they don't have anything in common a start to recognize each other's backgrounds.

Modifications: Like all teambuilders it may be more effective if time is split into a planning and a building phase.

Description: Each person chooses another person and copies their movements until everyone stops moving. Everyone doesn't tell who they chose.

Reason for Doing It: Effective tool to strengthen teamwork, enhance communication, promote observation skills, foster camaraderie, and create an inclusive and positive team dynamic.

Modifications: Reverse Reflection: Instead of copying the movements exactly, teams must mirror their partner's movements in reverse.

"If everyone was able to describe the solution"

Reason for Doing It: Makes multiple members work together to act out a scenario that is in relation to STEAM, as well as forming good habits for future team working.

Modifications: Restrict each group to a certain area to work with what they have.