Playdough Pictionary

Just recently I returned from a trip to Ontario where I had the honor of being this year’s guest speaker at the annual Adventureworks! Author’s Symposium.  I  appreciated the positive energy and enthusiasm of everyone who attended my  two workshops: The Art of Experiential Group Facilitation and Teachable Moments : Processing Tools  & Techniques. It was great to share two days with a talented and thoughtful group of experiential educators. Attendees shared  perspectives from a variety of professional backgrounds including therapeutic program practitioners, school teachers, cultural diversity program staff, camping programs to corporate trainers. To learn more about Adventureworks! and the annual Author’s Symposium contact Adventureworks! at http://www.adventureworks.org

A  Favorite  Activity

One activity from our workshop that many participants were especially enthusiastic about is “Playdough Pictionary”. Groups of all ages and backgrounds enjoy this game. It is a particular favorite of teachers- as it is an excellent way to integrate curricular content into a fun and interactive game!

Play dough Pictionary

This activity was adapted from a game listed in Quicksilver by Karl Rohnke and Steve Butler and created by Ann Driscoll of the University of New Hampshire Brown Center. This excerpt appears in Tips & Tools for the Art of Experiential Group Facilitation.

Directions:

• In classroom settings I like to divide participants into groupings of 5-6  my favorite partner “consensus” method to divide; I then have each group select a “team name” ; using a topic area such as “type of bug” or “type of car”  which is fun, practices consensus and gives students  a sense of ownership within a reasonable structure.
• Give each group a can of play dough.
• Each group selects a first sculptor.
• The teacher or facilitator either gives students a word such as bike, ice cream cone, whale, giraffe, etc. to the sculptors, or for curricular content review objects or concepts from a lesson.
• The sculptor students then hurry back to their group and sculpt the object out of the play dough.
• Whichever group guesses the word correctly first receives wins that round.
• Every group has an opportunity to show off their sculpture and receive appreciation from their classmates.
• A new sculptor from each group is chosen and the game continues till each player has had a turn to sculpt.
• The team switching method throughout this game is useful in increasing the cooperative aspects of this activity and maximizing the movement and social interaction.
• This activity can be used to review concepts in science or other subjects by using topical material.

Outcomes Processing Ideas:

This can be an opportunity for participants to get comfortable working with others in groups.

It is a wonderful way to spur reflection and conversations around creativity and its importance in solving everyday problems from math to a conflict with a peer.  A brief discussion can take place about using creativity to solve problems. It can be the impetus for a conversation on creating behavioral norms in the classroom, and addressing positive competition.