Getting to know each other

• Students form pairs and stand in two parallel lines, side by side with their partner.
• One line (e.g., left) remains stationary, while the other (e.g., right) rotates.
• The leader explains the importance of active listening without interruptions.

1. The leader announces a discussion question for pairs to talk about.
2. Pairs walk and discuss the given question.
3. After 2 minutes (or adjusted time based on engagement), the leader signals to switch partners.
   • The stationary line stays in place, while the moving line steps forward to pair with the next person.
   • The first student in the moving line moves to the back to join a new partner.
4. Optional structured version:
   • The leader assigns speaking roles (e.g., left side speaks first, right side listens).
   • Two signals: The first signals a role switch, the second signals a partner switch.
5. The process repeats with a new question.

Students stand facing their partners in two lines, following the same rotation pattern as in the walking version.

1. If you could eat only one dish for the rest of your life, what would it be?
2. If you had to keep only one season, which one would it be and why?
3. If you could remove one school subject, which one would it be and why?
4. If you could add a new school subject, what would it be and why?
5. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live and why?
6. If you had to choose one place in your country to live, where would it be and why?
7. What profession interests you and seems exciting? Why?
8. If you became the school principal, what changes would you implement?
9. If you became the President of your country, what two things would you like to achieve?
10. Name three things you like about this class.
11. Recall and share at least one fun moment that happened at school.
12. Find three similarities and one difference with your partner.
13. Recall a moment when you truly felt like part of this group. What was that moment?
14. Recall a time when you felt uncomfortable with your classmates—maybe lonely, upset, or frustrated. What happened, and why did you feel that way?
15. What could everyone do to strengthen relationships in the class even more?

• Provide each participant with one A5 sheet of paper and a pen or pencil.
• Each participant draws a clock on their paper and marks all 12 hours.

Part I: Setting up the meetings

• At each hour mark on the clock, participants write the name of another participant they will meet at that time. Meetings can be in pairs or groups of three.

Part II: Discussion rounds

• The facilitator announces a specific hour (e.g., “It’s 3 o’clock”) and gives a discussion topic or question.
• Topics can range from simple icebreakers to deeper conversations.
• Each conversation lasts 2 minutes (or longer if needed).
• After time is up, the next meeting hour is announced with a new question.
• This continues until all 12 “meetings” have taken place, covering 12 different topics.

Gather participants in a circle and discuss:

• What did you learn about each other?
• What common topics or interests did you discover?

Divide the group into pairs, with participants sitting facing each other.

One participant mimes various movements (e.g., dancing, eating, playing), while the other acts as a “mirror,” carefully reproducing the movements in real-time.

Creating the Cards

Prepare Bingo cards with a 5×5 grid, each square featuring an item, location, or situation to be photographed. Examples include:

• A tree
• A park bench
• A street art mural
• A pet
• A fountain
• A monument
• A flower, etc.

Each group has a set time (e.g., 1 to 2 hours) to explore the surroundings and take photos of the items on their card. As they capture an item, they mark the corresponding square on their Bingo card.

When a group completes a row (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) with photos, they return to the meeting point and shout “Bingo!”

• The first team to complete a row and confirm their photos wins a prize (optional).
• Other participants can continue until additional winners are found or time runs out.

To make the activity more engaging, consider adding challenges or themes, such as:

• “Most creative photo”
• “Best group photo”
• “Funniest caption”

Encourage participants to share their photos on social media using a specific hashtag, fostering interaction and community engagement.

• Bingo cards (5×5 grid with images or descriptions of locations/objects)
• Camera or smartphone for taking photos
• Pen or marker to mark completed squares
• Small prizes for winners (optional)

1. Pairing Up – Participants are divided into pairs and sit back-to-back to prevent visual communication.
2. Drawing Phase – One participant draws a simple picture (e.g., a house, tree, or animal) on their paper.
3. Verbal Description – The drawer describes their drawing in detail to their partner without revealing the object’s identity. For example: “I drew a circle, and inside the circle, there are two small dots.”
4. Recreation – The listener tries to recreate the drawing based only on verbal instructions, without seeing the original.
5. Comparison & Reflection – Once both are finished, they compare their drawings, often leading to funny and creative differences.
6. Partner Rotation – To encourage social interaction, participants switch partners and repeat the activity.

• Paper
• Colored pencils
• Pencils

Divide participants into teams of 3 to 5 members. Each team will create their own shelter using the provided materials and select the best location within the designated area. Before starting, participants will take a few minutes to observe and interact with their surroundings, considering how natural elements like trees and rocks can aid in construction.

Teams will have 15 minutes to complete the task. They are encouraged to incorporate naturally found materials, such as fallen branches, leaves, or stones, while being mindful not to disturb the environment.

Once time is up, each group will present their shelter and explain its features.

The difficulty can be adjusted by introducing handicaps, such as prohibiting talking. Individual handicaps can also be assigned—half the group may be blindfolded and allowed to interact with materials, while the other half can see but not touch. To enhance the challenge and connection to nature, teams can be required to use only naturally found materials alongside the provided tarp and rope.

• Tarp (1 per group)
• Jute rope (at least 6 pieces of varying sizes per group)
• Extra materials: Walking sticks, tent pegs, and any naturally collected materials like fallen branches, stones, or leaves.

Create three concentric circles on the ground, big enough for all students to fit. You can also use chalk to draw them. Each circle will represent a zone. Explain the different zones to the students by having them first stand outside the circles. Then, invite them to enter and envision (in silence) how they feel as you explain each zone. After each explanation, have them step outside again. Do the final zone (panic zone) quickly, as it may be triggering for some students.

• Comfort Zone: This is where a person feels most at ease and relaxed. It typically includes activities that are familiar and routine, such as spending time with close friends or playing video games. In this zone, we can breathe easily, and our heart rate remains slow or normal.
• Challenge Zone: This is where learning and growth happen through new experiences. The person is alert – not entirely at ease or relaxed, but the challenge is manageable. Examples may include speaking in front of a class, practicing a new sport, or taking an exam. In this zone, we might have sweaty palms, breathe a little faster, and experience an elevated heart rate.
• Panic Zone: This is where a person is completely out of their comfort zone and unable to manage the situation or their emotions. Rational thinking becomes difficult, leading to emotional escalation or complete shutdown (immobilization). The person experiences distress, and it can become a traumatic experience. An example might be climbing in an outdoor area while having a strong fear of heights.

Then we ask them, starting all outside the circle to step into the zone they feel represents tyhem in different situations. We start with day to day activities: for example, eating ice cream (everyone will be in the smaller circle), going to the cinema, watching horror movies (slowly we will say things that some people enjoy and others don’t). Repeat 12 or 15 questions, having students step outside the circles before each one.

Then we will talk about outdoor situations like sleeping in a tent, being without my phone, using a compass, hiking, whatever we think of. If the group is mature enough, you can also have them say some situations. After some rounds, we will ask them to reflect on how different situations can be challenging or not to different people, and how we should support each other these days.