Group Juggling Activity

one soft ball (Nerf) for each participant

This activity builds team cooperation.

Have team form a standing circle.
Explain that the group will juggle a ball around the circle with these rules:

1. Must throw it to someone that has not caught it yet.
2. Must throw it to someone that is not directly next to you.
3. Last scout throws it back to the first scout.

Give the ball to the patrol leader to start.

Once the ball has gone around, ask them to repeat the same pattern, throwing to the exact same scout from the first time.

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Now, explain that the pattern is set - all you have to do is remember who you throw to. We are now going to see how many balls we can successfully juggle.

Stand by the patrol leader with your bucket of balls, ready to hand them out as fast as requested. See how many balls they can get going before it breaks down.

Now, give the group 1 minute to discuss strategy and improve their ball count. Do not give suggestions, but answer if you are asked if an idea is legal. For example, they may want to change places or roll the balls.

Try again to see how well the team gets.

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Reflect on how well the team started and how much they improved.
What caused the most improvement?
Was there verbal communication during the juggling?
Do you feel you could do even better? How?

(teams tend to try and go fast, but that is not a goal. Tossing the balls in lock-step with a verbal command from the patrol leader gets a ball in the air for every participant.)