Stones Unplugged

One of my greatest joys is working with professionals in science. Every year I work at a Science Camp for teachers and see some amazing ideas which I like to adapt.
One of the best ideas I got came from Jennifer Stonehouse of the Vancouver Aquarium.

Here is what we did:

Large group activity.
Everyone takes a small rock from a pile of rocks.
Instruct the group to "get to know their rock" Use all five senses.
Then have everyone say goodbye to their rock and put it back in a big pile.
Make a large circle around the pile of rocks.
Go and pick out any rock except the one that was yours.

(tip: there should be one rock for each person, no more, no less)

Now comes the good bit.
Instruct the group "We will pass these rocks around the circle until you come to yours.
If you can identify it, you can have it and step out of the circle."

(sounds easy enough, eh?)
But here is the catch.
Instruct everyone to place their hands behind their backs and pass the rocks behind their backs.
Pass them without seeing them until you find your rock.
The circle will get smaller and smaller.

How I Would Use This
When I played this game I thought I had it all figured out. I could spot my rock easily, it had a gold patch down one side that looked like a duck.
But when we were instructed to pass it behind our backs, like most people, I was dismayed.
AAAH! I didn't pay much attention to how it felt in the hand. I was busy looking at it so I could identify it later.

What this activity brings to mind is the idea that sometimes we are not as clear on the objectives as we need to be. So we focus on the wrong things, the wrong features or trivial details. In order to identify the rock, it would have been easier if I was concentrating on the way it felt.

I think this would be a great activity to try with a group of managers to introduce a discussion on setting goals clearly.

A Great Science Experiment Website

I get my ideas from a lot of places, but I really like this gentleman's site. He has great demonstrations and experiments and keeps his explanations simple. Try it and see if you can find any connections between your key learning points and these ideas. Think Big!

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiments/