30 Finger Puppets
Preparation time: Five minutes plus a shopping trip
Materials: A variety of duplicate finger puppets
Procedure:
(1) Participants are standing.
(2) Instruct participants to choose finger puppets that reflect their day so far.
(3) After participants have chosen a finger puppet ask them to find a person who has an identical or similar finger puppet.
(4) When they find their partner ask them to share why they chose that particular finger puppet.
Alternatives:
(1) Depending on the size of the group you can ask the group to do this in triads and then quads.
Notes
31 Healthy Family
Preparation time: Five minutes
Materials: none
(a) If my family was a feast it would be? What sort of feast would a healthy family prepare?
(b) A healthy family would look like? Give us a verbal picture of your family that is so detailed it's like we are all there personally.
(c) A healthy family would smell like? What smells come from the kitchen, the living room, individual people. Close your eyes and recall the smell of your favorite meal.
(d) What would be the texture of a healthy family? Rough, smooth, rippling,corrugated?
(e) What would be the rules of a healthy family?
Procedure:
Write the above questions on a white or chalk board. If this is not available write the above questions on a card that students can pass around and reference during their turn.
Alternatives:
Notes: This activity requires some imagination and a departure from concrete thinking.
32 Universal Symbols
Preparation time: 30 minutes to make cards
Materials: Either on cards or tangible objects
(1) Dove
(2) Olive Branch
(3) Spiral
(4) Quartered Circle
(5) All Seeing Eye: Seen on dollar bills
(6) Alchemy: the original junk science today a symbol for the quest of knowledge
(7) Egyptian Ankh: Once the symbol of the Ancient Egyptian religion, now a defunct peace symbol
(8) Angel: Protection, guidance
(9) Arrow(sometimes bow and arrow together): Symbolizes power swiftness the hunt knowledge
(10) Crystal Ball: Looking into the future, clarity
(11) Butterfly: Change Transformation
(12) Compass Rose
(13) Circle
(14) Infinity Symbol
(15) Circle with a dot in the center: Union of male and female
(16) Quartered Circle: Four directions, Four elements
(17) Masonic Compass: Balance between physical and spiritual
(18) Crescent Moon:
(19) Dragon
(20) Dream catcher
(21) Fleur di Lis: Used by boy scouts, mason, ancient symbol found on many shields
(22) Labyrinths
(23) Lightning Bolt
(24) Lion: Power ferocity bravery
(25) Mirror
(26) Mandela
(27) Owl: change death wisdom
(28) Peace Symbol
(29) Phoenix
(30) Snake: knowledge to some evil to others
(31) Spiral
(32) Triangle inside of circle
(33) Sphinx: guardian of mysteries
(34) Spiral
(35) Sun face
(36) Moon
(37) Yin-Yang or Tao: balance
(38) Triangle
(39) Trident
(40) Unicorn
(41) Wheel
(42) Wishbone
(43) Cupid
(44) Broken/split heart
(45) Bundle of sticks or arrows
(46) Tree of Life
Procedure:
(1) Lay out your cards or props in the center of your circle
(2) Ask participants to choose a symbol or two that has relevance for their present state
(3) Participants share one at a time or popcorn style.
Alternatives: Starting in a circle is a common perhaps overused way to begin processing. Think of other ways you can distribute your props. If you're outside spread them over a fairly large area and have participants pick one and return to the circle. The act of wandering with intention will often produce more clarity with some individuals.
Notes: This is a short list of symbols that I have found to register with most people. Universal symbols generally have ancient roots and seem to register instantly with most people. Some symbols like the snake have different meanings to different cultures. Christians will associate snakes with the fall of man. Another culture, noting the snake's ability to shed its skin each year, will associate the snake with the ability to change. Symbols such as the ubiquitous Yin-Yang in one culture but resonate with so many that they become universal
33 Magnetic Poetry
Preparation time: A shopping trip or patient time spent collecting magnets
Materials: Magnetic words. I prefer the original set designed by Dave Kapell but if you are patient you can obtain a complete set merely by collecting the ubiquitous promotional magnets offered by insurance salespeople, military recruiters, restaurants and purveyors of useless curriculum. When they ask if you want a magnet ask for two. With the extra sharp scissors you've liberated from the art department snip out the individual words and put them in the Altoids tins you've been saving for just this purpose.
Procedure:
(a) Give each student an Altoid or similarly sized tin with a small assortment of words.
(b) Instruct them to write a sentence or short poem that summarizes their morning.
(c) Students will most likely have to share or swap words
Alternatives: Have students
Notes: By design, even with the original set, you will have a limited number of words. Rather than be seen as limiting, this adds a challenge.
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