1.
Buddy Ropes
Ever had a hard time getting a group to hold hands for a game or Initiative problem? Maybe not.
After all, developing a sense of unselfconscious touch is one of the “group” goals that we work
toward in an Adventure curriculum approach, but try Buddy Ropes if the squeals, yucks and
sweaty palms are too hard to handle on a Monday morning.
Set-Up
Cut a series of rope lengths that measure about 5” long, and tie an overhand knot in each end.
Give each student one length just before the chosen activity begins. Don’t give group members
the ropes too soon or they could use them for everything that your instinct says not to use them
for.
Play
Ask 8 – 10 players to stand in a cluster, face-to-face. Each person is assigned one rope and
asked to grasp the end of it. Each person then reaches across the circle and grabs the end of
someone else’s rope (someone other than the person standing next to them). Make sure that you
don’t grab two ropes coming from the same person; otherwise this face-to-face close encounter
will severely limit your group involvement.
Notice how the tangled ropes allow a better view of what needs to be accomplished. The ropes
also allow more people to be involved. Fifteen participants sharing tangled ropes is no problem.
Some Other Ideas
Ask a line of “roped” (Buddy Ropes held hand-in-hand) participants to tie an overhand knot,
thinking of themselves as a single rope length. When finished, the knot will appear in one of the
centrally held ropes. Considering the shortness of the ropes, substitute one longer rope (8 ft.) in
the center of the line of people. The overhand knot will be easier to establish in this longer rope.
This simple sounding Initiative problem will often confound the most together group.
Off The Wall? Moonball? Circle the Circle? Sherpa Walk? Any of these activities and more
can be varied by the use of Buddy Ropes.
Consideration
A caveat. Don’t use Buddy Ropes for a game if there is a chance, because of rapid pairs
movements, that someone will get “clothes lined” with a rope.