The Popsicle Stick Activity

The purpose of this activity is to engage your audience in critical thinking, have them work as a team, and to highlight specific elements of the Earth Force process.

1. Take a handful of colored popsicle sticks and place in the middle of a table of 4-6 people.
2. Tell your participants that there are 3 rules to this activity:
   1. Everyone has to help to accomplish the goal
   2. They can only use the popsicle sticks to accomplish the goal
   3. They can not alter the popsicle sticks in any way
3. Then give them 2 minutes to create a picture with their popsicle sticks.
4. Stick to the time limit and let them know when they are running out of time. This lets them know that they have to stay on task and that you are serious about the length of time you have allotted.
5. Ask the group to stand up and view the pictures created. Have each table describe what they created.
6. Have them sit back down and clear away their picture. Tell them that they have two minutes to depict an environmental issue.
7. Again stick to the time limits, but this time move very quickly onto the third round without letting them enjoy their picture or share it with others.
8. Tell them that they have 2 minutes to recreate the picture you have created. You can put it on a transparency or on chart paper. I use a simple picture of a house with a sun and a tree. But you can use anything.
9. I then ask them which round they liked the best and why.

• Some like round one because they had creative control and were able to design anything they wanted, they also like that they were able to show off what they created. I point out that this is why Earth Force allows the participants to design their own project; we recognize that most people prefer this over doing a project that they are told to do.
• Some like round two because there was a little more structure. The same with round three, so I point out that that is why there is a process with specific steps to follow. We won’t just throw them out there without any direction. Most groups are really funny about not being able to share their creation in round two. I remind them this is healthy and natural. This is one reason we have a Youth Summit to provide a forum for them to show their community all they have accomplished throughout the year. I also mention that they could look for ways to share their project with their school and parents.

** The popsicle sticks can be purchased at a craft store **