This is a creative, problem-solving activity where team members work together to build a structure out of the foil provided.
This exercise is best done in small groups of no more than three or four people.
Resources:
Aluminium tinfoil, Scissors
Space Required:
Minimal. Delivered either indoors or outdoors.
Group Size:
6 to 24 working in smaller groups of 3 – 4 people
Total Time:
25-30 minutes
- 2-5 minutes to brief and set up
- 15-20 minutes for Foil Fun exercise
- 5 minutes to review and debrief
Foil Fun Team Activity Instructions
Each group is given two sheets of tinfoil. Their challenge is to create a structure or object of your choice with the materials provided.
A good introductory exercise is to get the teams to create two animals with one animal being a horse, the other is up to them. The next exercise should be linked to your workshop such as creating something out of the foil that represents, ‘health and safety’ or ‘learning’ – just remember to add your own theme.
Give them about fifteen to twenty minutes to complete the task. Remember to adjust your timings to suit your group and their particular needs.
Here are some other simple ideas for foil fun exercises:
- Create an object that represents yourself.
- Build something which represents what is important to you.
- Make a tree.
- Make a tree with things hanging from the branches that represent you as a person.
- Make a garden with plants and tools that represent your family, team, organisation.
- Build a famous bridge or building.
- Create an object that represents learning.
- Build the highest tower or a bridge that can support a weighted object.
- Make a foil plane.
Be sure to select an object to build that matches your learning outcomes and ideas or themes you which to discuss and explore further. Some of the ideas are just for fun, whilst others are more useful in addressing and reaffirming training points, organisational challenges and discovering possible solutions.
A key point to remember is that you can learn as much from not meeting the challenge as from meeting it. If any groups fail to complete the exercise, use it as discussion point during the review.
Review and Discussion Points
Explore through discussion how the group achieved the challenge or why they didn’t. Use questions to prompt discussion and explore key learning points.
- What did you find most difficult about the task?
- Why did you choose to create that particular object?
- Did you use your time effectively?
- Is there anything you would have done differently?
- Was everyone involved and did everyone have some form of input?
- What surprised you most during the exercise?
- Did you manage your time effectively?
- Did you have a leader during the exercise? If yes, what did they do? If no, why not?
- What is one thing you can take away from the foil fun exercise?
Suggested Learning Outcomes
- Problem Solving
- Creative thinking
- Cooperation
- Time management
Foil Fun Hints and Tips
Tinfoil can be used and adapted for all sorts of activities and exercises, these include: ice-breakers and team development activities.
Aside from the ideas above, you can use tinfoil for any exercise that you might use newspapers for, especially other construction exercises such as scrap tower or bridge building etc.
Aluminium foil is an excellent material for making models. The benefits of using foil are it’s clean, looks great when on display, and is easy to clear up post workshop. It is also very inexpensive (most of us have some in the cupboard) and easy to prepare in advance.
