What's in My Kit? 2023

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(About a 12-minute read – and lots of exploring when you have the time.) 

My OnTeamBuilding year-end post is inspired by Matt Mullenweg (with a heads up from Tim Farriss) who shares “What’s in My Bag, 2023” – his travel tech and personal comforts. Matt is a founding developer of WordPress. 
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This is the teambuilding gear (kit) I used for most of my programs in 2023. I worked out of my onsite housing in Ohio, programming with this equipment, then putting the kit on my back and walking out the door to programs (sometimes a quick car trip to our second site). During the last part of the year this kit stayed in my car traveling with me to the handful of programs I did in Colorado.
 
Karl Rohnke often recommended to his training groups (I witnessed this more than a dozen times), “Find ten good [teambuilding] activities that you can use with any group and you’re good to go.” Early on in my career I didn’t buy into this idea – I loved my 100+ list of activities I curated over the years. However, year after year I’m finding myself programming with fewer activities – I’ve found activities I can adjust for almost any group to practice the most popular ‘concepts’ (outcomes) requested by them (e.g., teamwork, leadership, trust, collaboration and problem-solving). To be fully transparent, I have at least 20 activities at the top of my ‘versatile’ list currently. Maybe it will get to ten at some point.

One final piece of transparency. The gear in my kit can cover about 80% of what I program with up to 24 participants of middle school age and older. I still love the ‘one-off’ activities that help me spice things up or the ones that are ‘perfect’ for the program outcomes. After the numbered list, I’ve added some of my favorite gear off the shelf.
 
This gear works for me at this time. Sixteen pounds of ‘stuff’ (actual weight) can go a long way done the teambuilding road! What gear works for your top 20? Let us know in the Comments. Our 2024 kits might include some changes!

This list includes links to gear resources and some activities found on the FUNdoing and OnTeamBuilding blog sites. Let me know if you have any questions. (Please let me know if a link is broken. I've checked them all, but you never know. Thanks.)

1. Eagle Creek Cargo Hauler 60L. Updated look, still the same size and features – my favorites: U-shaped zipper opening to main compartment, two end compartments, and removable backpack straps.

2. Two 50-foot activity ropes. Use for boundary lines and activities like Rope Shapes and Group Jump.

3. Activity Spots (in a zipper bag). I use ‘Shelf Cabinet Liner’ cut into 12 by 12-inch circles or squares – light weight and non-skid. (FYI: I learned in my 50s, ‘spots’ don’t have to be round! Life is short, cut squares.) I also carry six vinal spots I picked up years ago. They are made from scrap vinyl awning material (gifted to me by Jim Cain). There are times when I need a different color to signify specific places in an activity, for example, Corner-to-Corner (One of my Top 20 found in Portable Teambuilding Activities) or the ‘Question’ spot in Have You Ever. Any ‘other’ colored spot works – there are a few Shelf Liner colors to choose from.

4. Qwirkle Pieces or Cards This is a ‘one-off’ the shelf that stayed in my kit all year. The square game pieces are my favorite for What’s Missing? and I use the Qwirkle Rummy cards (HERE at Mindware) with the ‘dots’ if there is color-blind diversity in the group. What’s Missing is a great communication, mental model activity I use with almost every program to warm up the problem-solving parts of the brain.

5. Trango Rope Tarp from REI. Protects my gear from the dirt and rain. When I take stuff out of my kit to prep for use, I love a good tarp. And when it start to rain I can quickly cover up the gear for short-term protection.

6. 24 Buddy Ropes, each 5-feet long, ¼-inch diameter from Atwood Rope. For years I carried around 5-foot lengths of P-Cord (and I still do in my light-weight kit), but when I found this ¼-inch rope I switched. It’s a bit bulkier, but the feel of it for activity use and for knot tying is worth it. (NOTE: I did invest in a hot knife to cut rope since I cut a lot of rope. P-Cord is easier to cut by hand and burn with a lighter. The ¼-inch rope takes more time to cut and burn by hand.)

Lots to do with Buddy Ropes, especially teaching knots – don’t forget that learning a new skill is all about problem-solving. Add Buddy Ropes to the Human Knot with larger groups and to ‘open’ things up a bit. Then try Objectable Human Knot for an advanced challenge.

7. Tossables – I carry 10 soft lightweight tossables for all sorts of activities. Every Other Group Juggle was my favorite variation in 2023 (the post includes links to other Group Juggles). Years ago, I was able to find the red, yellow, and green tossables (HERE) to use for the Traffic Light Colors (a.k.a., Stop 'N Go from Brain Brolin) norm-setting and processing activities.

8. Image Cards – I carry Chiji Cards and Climer Cards (I’m excited to add the Climer Cards 2 deck in 2024). Most of the activities I lead with image cards come from The Chiji Guidebook. The new ones I’ve developed over the years can be found at the FUNdoing Blog – just search Image Cards. Some favorites: That Person Over There Stories and Image Perspectives highlighting diversity.

9. Webbing (Raccoon) Circles – I carry four 15-foot lengths of 1-inch tubular webbing. The Revised Book of Raccoon Circles is my go-to collection. Grand Prix Racing is a fun energizer to open an engaging session with webbing circles. Check out Jim Cain’s free Raccoon Circle Handout for a great collection of activities.

10. Noisy Rubber Chicken – What is a teambuilding kit without a noisy toy of some kind. And, as I was told when I first started in this field, “You gotta have a rubber chicken!” I mainly use it as a Group Juggle addition, it gets some good reactions. The chicken also serves as a group ‘mascot’ from time to time. It’s something the group is responsible for. And it does add some ‘Fun Factor’ to the adventures. I found my small RC at the Scheels in Colorado Springs (they have a ‘jumbo’ size online).

11. CrowdWord Cards – I like the versatility of large letter tiles. I was a big fan of Jumbo Bananagrams for years, but we can’t get them any longer. Thank goodness for CrowdWords. There are 26 activities in the manual, Doing A lot with a Little (at the link) and lots of ‘letter tile’ ideas at FUNdoing (search Jumbo Bananagrams and CrowdWords). Here are two of my favorites: Word Building and Take Two. NOTE: I have one of the original CrowdWord sets, unlaminated. They are now laminated. 

12. Index Cards and Markers – Lots to do with index cards and markers. I carry about 12 'Flip Chart' markers and a pack of 100 four-color index cards and about 50 white index cards. With just about every program I facilitate, I have my participants make ‘Name Cards.’ I can use them as activity props and I can use them to practice names after I collect them post-activity. One of my Top 20 is Name Card Exchange (this is a long-form post if you’re interested in a deep dive). Then there is Jim Cain's book Teambuilding with Index Cards I pull from. 

13. Numbered Spots – I carry three sets of numbered spots, from 1 to 25, in three different colors. Search ‘Livestock Tags’ for a variety of sizes and shapes. They are a bit pricey, but I’ve had them now for over 20 years, so they have earned their place in all my kits.
 
I like programming Key Punch with multiple groups playing at the same time (a Top 20 activity for me). I use the two ropes and three webbings tied together to make three boundary areas for the ‘keys’ and one webbing for the starting line. I use Key Pad Express and Thread the Needle with smaller groups and combine the numbered spots with cups for Cup Switch found in Cup It Up. (See Tube Switch for the original version).

14. Jumbo Playing Cards – Probably the most versatile prop in the teambuilding world. The best collection of activities is in Playing with a Full Deck by Michelle Cummings. And this year I was reintroduced to Michelle's Stack the Deck cards – a combination of standard playing cards on one side and Ice Breaker Questions, Debriefing Images and the activity '52 Card Pick Up' on the other side of the cards. This will be my 'playing card' deck of choice for 2024. 

Here are some go-tos from the FUNdoing blog: Pressure Play Too, Quad Team Flip and Find (new in 2023), and Quadistictions (along with Chiji Cards). Search 'Playing Cards' and the FUNdoing Blog for more. 

15. Weatherproof Notebook and ‘Space’ Pen – A few years ago I made this weatherproof notebook and ‘space’ pen part of my kit. I went through too many instances where the ‘old’ paper pocket spiral notebook and Bic pen failed me. After the change, never a problem. I like to jot notes about group observations, quick game Tweaks, and questions I want to ask the group. Sometimes I’ll need to diagram something for a visual aid (e.g., a five-pointed star). I also take self-reflection and (if I’m working with one) facilitation-team notes about programs. Caveat: I write out my program activity sequence on large index cards for quick access. I record my final program sequence in my Programs folder on my computer. I do this to save room in my weatherproof notebook for ‘in time’ information (these notebooks are an investment).

And the 'Space' pen? Worth every penny. It's compact design fits nicely in any pocket and it just writes ALL THE TIME, in any weather. Invest in a spare ink cartridge right away since it's not possible to see when the ink is getting low. 

Search: ‘Rite in the Rain Journal’ and ‘Space Pen’ for purchase site options.

16: We! Connect Cards – This is another 'one off' the shelf, but they are just the best, compact set of icebreaker question cards I’ve ever used. So, I keep them with me. (Transparency: I keep my kit WE Cards in a zipper pouch without the box. The box was just better for the picture.)  And Chad Littlefield's stuff is just GOOD! I plan to add Chad's We! Engage Cards to my kit in 2024 for something new to explore. 

17: Large Cow Bell – You know what they say, “You can never get enough Cow Bell!” (In truth, you actually can get enough.) I use my bell to get my group’s attention. I combine this ‘noise’ with a few other attention-getters to save my voice over a long program day. Again, I don’t use it all the time because it can be irritating when overutilized (a great metaphor to work with!)

Search ‘Livestock Bell’ for lots of choices.

Here are several resources I used on a regular basis in 2023 for the other 20% of my programming: 

• Numbered and Lettered Solo Cups for activities from Cup It Up!  Search 'Cups' at the FUNdoing Blog for our newer cup activities, like Team Tower Turning.
• Materials Move – a Pipeline Variation
• LOOPS: Toxic Waist Removal (renamed the "Almost Impossible Activity.")
• Bull Ring – LOTS of good learning with these. I plan to program more with the 3-D Bull Ring in 2024 for something new to explore.  

There you have it. What was I missing in 2023 that I need in 2024? I’m always up for something new to try. Share with us all in the Comments.
 
And thank you for all the important work you did in 2023. Keep it going, we need it more than ever.
 
I wish you all the best in 2024! Keep me posted….
 
Chris Cavert, Ed.D.