reuseyourgear

How are your knots? Keep up the practice. Having several retired (meaning no longer used for holding humans off the ground) lengths of rope around is a great way to add props and activities to your program. Some common ways to use rope in activities. Boundaries There are many time that a clear and defined area to play in helps the group. This may contain a group of kids or limit the area that a team operate in. Lay the rope out in the desired space and its like an instant wall. The fishermen's knot is extremely well suited for tying two ends together. Need to adjust? The fishermen's knot slides! Use one rope to tie the knot around the other. Repeat the process so the two knots will toward each other when the loose ends are pulled. Turn Style This is a great game to get a group to talk through brainstorming and implementing ideas. It usually follows the classic storming, forming, norming (performing) pattern. The rope is used as a large jump rope. The object is to...

Knowing knots is a great way to get a solid foundation. I recommend using your favorite way to learn. Whether it is watching someone on YouTube, or getting someone to talk you through some steps. You will want short piece of rope. About 6 feet. 72 inches, or 1.5 meters will be good. Practice till you can tie each knot with your eyes closed, with gloves on. Some basic knots. I like to teach in families of knots so that the learning builds on itself. Over hand. Double overhand or barrel knot Fishermen's or double barrel knot Figure eight Figure eight follow through Bowline Double Bowline {Images from google} These families all have different uses. Learning them all well, will build skills you will use in all phases of a team building day. Just a short list of uses would be climbing, joining ends together and some are crucial to finishing some group building initiatives. You can find rope all around you even if you are new ...

If you work in the team building, challenge course, or group facilitation industries you have, had, or will have a pile of rope. Whether you are building, beginning, in full swing, or part-time. There is rope everywhere and somewhere. We belay with it. Accessing heights and challenging fears. Warm up with Nascar circles or Everyone up We play with it. Learning with activities like the simple Tug-o-war, to Turn style, Spaghetti soup and many more.  It makes boundaries and pathways in any shape or form. Pass the knot helps us talk and debrief.  Rope can be the whole element. It can also be just a part of it. Sometimes it can even be used to make a whole new prop. Rope will be a strong assistant for you for as long as you have people to teach. Over the next few weeks I'll give out some activities and uses for rope that will help grow your programs and progressions. Let's call it Rope Month. ALWAYS FOLLOW MANUFACTURE RECOMMENDATIONS AND GUIDELINES FOR ...