Minefield Group Game

Suggested Learning Outcomes

• Improving Interaction
• Teamwork
• Finding solutions and solving problems
• Grouping information for short term memory
• Works on troubleshooting

Required Resources:

Minefield (8 x 8 squares) set out on a giant chess/checkers mat, tarpaulin (with taped squares) or carpet tiles and route card/s

Space Required:

Small Indoors or Outdoors.

Group Size:

Anything above 10 people. Works better with larger groups.

Total Time: 45 minutes

• 5 minutes to brief and setup
• 35 minutes to achieve outcome
• 5 minutes to review and debrief

In this Activity the group here come face to face with a ‘battlefield’ where mines have been placed. Each person in turn must try to pass over the battle zone, making sure not to set off a mine. As soon as a group member sets off a mine, they need to go back to the start and the following team member now must try to cross the battlefield.

Running the Minefield Activity

• Lay out your Minefield on a flat area with plenty of space.
• Organise the group and brief them on the task: The team has come to a battlefield that has been laid with mines. The entire team must cross the minefield without stepping on a mine.

Rules for the Minefield Activity

• Only one team member is permitted on the battlefield at a time.
• Each team member in turn must try to cross. If they fail, then they must return to the starting point and the next team member must attempt to cross.
• As soon as a member of the team starts to cross, all the remaining members must remain silent.
• When crossing, members of the team are only allowed to move one block at a time. You are permitted to move in any direction you choose.
• The organiser is the only one that is informed of which blocks are secure and can show them correctly (make use of the cards supplied).

Suggested Learning Outcomes

• Improving Interaction
• Teamwork
• Finding solutions and solving problems
• Grouping information for short term memory
• Works on troubleshooting

Activity Guidance and Notes

For this exercise there is no standard answer; all members of the team need to cooperate with each other. Teams must try to group all the information together, which helps their short-term memories. They need to analyse any difficulties in order to present them in a more helpful manner.

In this exercise, it would appear that each member of the team will be operating individually and not as a group. In so doing, each individual is attempting to remember the layout of the entire board. However, if you take the larger problem and break it down into smaller manageable portions (this means that apart from attempting to visualise the whole board, allow each member to only memorise one row), the mission just becomes a lot easier. As soon as a member of the team starts to cross the battlefield, the rest of the team must remain silent. They are still permitted to communicate in other forms, such as clap their hands, in order to avert a mistake happening again.

Variations of the Minefield Activity

Put a blindfold on the team member who is crossing the battlefield, the rest of the group assists them through the network without saying a word. For example, they can clap their hands or make different animals sounds. In order to be successful, the group needs to cooperate together and come up with some sort of code (e.g. 1 clap means one step forward; 2 claps mean turn at right angles to the right and so on).

DO you have a more experienced and mature team? Get them to concentrate on interaction and confine them to a space that is about 10 meters from the battlefield. This means they will be unable to have a clear view of the battlefield. Then, as soon as a member of the team completes a crossing of the battlefield, they must then attempt to convey the most effective path to follow for the next team member.

Coaching points

You are able to handle big problems a lot easier, when you can split things into smaller parts. If you are able to recognise the problem (in this situation you are able to remember the board and successfully converse with each team member), you can then put your heads together and come up with a plan. This plan will get you safely across the battlefield.

Debrief and Review of the Minefield Activity

Some questions you can ask to see how the group experienced the challenge:

• Did you find a problem? What did you do to solve it?
• What feelings did you have when you failed?
• Was failure of value in this exercise?
• Was there a lot of cooperation during this challenge? How did you manage it?
• Was cooperation with each other important?
• Did you have a plan to complete the exercise successfully?
• Was there any part of the challenge that astonished you?
• Did you learn anything from this challenge that will help you in the future?