Overview: Cool your team down this summer with a quick “ice-breaker” (no pun intended). Team Thaw is a quick activity that only requires some ice cubes and your teams will power. Teams compete against one another to see who can melt an ice cube the fastest using only their hands. To kick – off this activity have your teams line up in a single file line. The first person in line will be given an ice cube. That person will then rub their hands together around the ice cube until they get too cold. Once they have had enough, they pass the ice cube off to the next team member. The team repeats this process until the ice cube has totally melted. If a team member accidentally drops the ice cube, they must start again from the beginning. The team that melts the ice cube the fastest wins!
Equipment Required: Ice cubes. 1 buckets or bowl per team.
Space Required: Large, outdoor area. Preferably on a sand-covered beach or lakeshore. Can be adapted to be outside in a large grassy area.
Group Size: 8 to 80 people.
Total Time: 10-20 minutes.
- 5 minutes to brief the activity.
- 5-10 minutes to complete the activity.
- 5 minutes to debrief (optional).
Instructions:
- Divide the group into teams of 4 to 6 participants.
- Brief the activity. Let the group know that teams compete against one another to see who can melt an ice cube the fastest using only their hands. Teams line up in a single file line. The first person in line will be given an ice cube. That person will then rub their hands together around the ice cube until they get too cold and need to pass it off. They then pass the ice cube off to the next team member. The team repeats this process until the ice cube has totally melted. If a team member accidentally drops the ice cube, they must start again from the beginning. The team that melts the ice cube the fastest wins!
- Have each of the teams begin and pick up an ice cube from their bowl at the same time.
- To make the activity more challenging you can give the teams a specific amount of ice cubes to melt…. 2,3,4 cubes etc.
- Announce the winner.
- Debrief the activity (optional).
Learning Outcomes
- Communication
- Quick Thinking
- Cooperation
Suggested Review Questions
- What surprised you about this activity?
- How well did you work as a team?
- Did you encourage your teammates? What could you have done to make the activity more enjoyable or to keep moral up?
- What was most challenging about the activity?
- What is one thing that you can take away from this activity?
