Back to Activity Guides : Get the Acrobat Version

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Introduction

Congratulations on your TeamBalanceBoard purchase. The TeamBalanceBoard provides great team-building activities. It also helps students actively learn about the relationship between weight and distance. This guide is designed to help your students get the most out of your TeamBalanceBoard in a safe and successful manner.

The Basic Challenge

Get everyone in the group to stand on the TeamBalanceBoard. Note: For a 5-foot board, you can generally squeeze 8-10 students on the board.

Rules And Safety

1. Neither end of the board may touch the ground.

2. If the end of the board touches the ground, a penalty must be served. (Start over, the last person starts over, blindfold one person for each touch of the board, no verbal communication for one minute, etc.)

3. Nothing may be placed underneath the board.

4. Everyone must be touching the board with at least one foot.

5. The group must remain balanced on the board with no one touching the ground for the length of time it takes them to sing one round of the song, �Row, Row, Row Your Boat.�

Safety Note: Make sure that no one places a foot or hand under the board.

Variations/Levels Of Difficulty

1. To change the level of difficulty of this activity, move the fulcrums away from each other to make it easier, or closer to make it harder.

2 Lay a rope on the ground in the shape of the letter �V� with the point directed at the center of board. The ropes �point� should be about 2 feet from the board. The group must enter onto the board from within the �V.� No one may touch the ground outside the �V� but if they do, give the group a penalty (see rule #2 above).

3. Place an egg or squeaky toy under each end of the board. This will help the group determine whether the end of the board touched the ground. Doing this with the egg will usually cause a group to plan first, then take action slowly and methodically.

4. Take 1, 2, or 3 TeamBalanceBoards and line them up. Place a rope at either end of the line of TeamBalanceBoards, which will mark an imaginary river bank. The task for the group is to travel from one side of the river to the other using the boards as a bridge. If the end of a board touches the ground, a penalty is served (see rule #2 in the �Basic Challenge� above). You can also have two groups working on this challenge. Place group #1 on one side of the river and group #2 on the other side of the river. The task is for the groups to switch sides as quickly as possible.