78)Connections*

Supplies:
* none

Goal:
The challenge is to create a giant blob of interconnected players- or see how close you can get.

Note:
Instructions are confusing; read twice- worth the effort.

How to Play:
Have all participants gather in the playing area. Explain the rules below. Instruct them to move around within the group, shaking hands with and introducing themselves to as many people as possible. Tell them to be ready for your instructions.
At random, call out instructions. As soon as you begin to shout out instructions, everyone should listen.
Begin with easy instructions, and make it more complicated as the game goes on. The facilitator will call out a number and a body part (ie: 3 hands). Immediately, the participants should form groups, connecting themselves according to the number and body part (ie: three players with one hand touching, or two player, one with one hand and the other with two). When the groups are formed, have them leave, and move around the room again, this time, tipping hats/ nodding in greeting, and telling each other their favorite hobby. Call out a new command, this time with two different body parts affected (ie: 20 fingers and 8 feet). The trick is, the fingers that a player uses for the game must be connected to one group, while the feet must be used in another group. In other words, if you call out 2 types of body parts, the players will be part of two groups simultaneously. If you call out 3, they'll need to arrange themselves so that they fit into three groups. Because others will be surrounding them, many won't be able to make the connections. You can call those players out (after a few practice rounds), or challenge the group as a whole to see if they can make it work so that everyone is interconnected in one giant blob.

If this is too hard, change the rules so that there only needs to be one person different for each group (ie: for 5 hands, 3 feet, you can have 4 people placing a total of 5 hands together, and even though you have enough feet among you, call someone from the group next to you to help out by sticking a foot in while his hands remain with his other group).

Team Dynamics
As a team dynamics activity, cut out the initial "Mingling," and give them only one set of instructions (4 arms, 8 feet, 2 ears, 6 legs). Tell them to see how fast they can form a blob. It might take several minutes for them to arrange themselves, calling to other groups for help. You may call in a team of "doctors" from the group to move around and make suggestions- "you go there and do this." Not every combination of instructions will work perfectly, so the first attempt will be your chance to adapt it. See how close they can get, until you know what will work. Have them form a circle. Have them discuss what worked and what didn't, and make adaptations. Ask them if they can beat their time by making these changes. Have them try again a couple more times to until time runs out, or they feel successful at making the connections quickly.

* [My Invention] - inspired by "Mingle"