Re-imagine this
You’ll need
- A selection of everyday objects
Before you begin
Make sure there are enough objects around the room for each pair to choose one or two. If there aren’t enough objects (or if the objects are a bit boring), you may need to plant some. You could use things such as a saucepan, bicycle helmet, remote control, or a pair of wellies.
What’s it all about?
- The person leading the game should choose an everyday object and check everyone knows what it is. For example, a plastic jug is used for pouring and holding drinks.
- Everyone should think of other uses for the object. They should keep going until the group has thought of loads of ideas. For example, maybe the jug could be filled with pens and used as a pen pot, filled with soil and seeds, or filled with sweets so people can play a ‘guess the number of sweets in the jar’ game.
- Everyone should keep thinking of other uses for the object – the more imaginative, wild, and creative, the better! Maybe the jug could now become an alien’s space helmet, a bucket to bail out a leaking pirate ship, or a holiday home for a goldfish.
Just imagine!
- Everyone should split into pairs.
- Each pair should find an everyday object. They should spend a few minutes coming up with as many other uses for their object as they can. They should start with simple ideas, then get more creative – just like when everyone did it together.
Often, once people start letting go, they find they can imagine all sorts of things. All ideas are found in this activity, it’s about imagination.
- Everyone should gather back together to share their objects and ideas. It’s a great chance to enjoy hearing how creative other people have been!
- Everyone could repeat the challenge with different objects, or they may want to move on now their brains are warmed up and ready to go.
This activity is a great way to get ready for a problem-solving game or challenge, art and craft activities, or drama and storytelling.
Reflection
This activity was a chance for everyone to think in a different way and explore their creativity and imagination; perhaps they even found an imagination they didn’t know was there. Hopefully, this activity also boosted people’s confidence in their ability to tackle creative challenges and communicate with a group. Did people find this hard, easy, or both? Sometimes it’s easiest to think of real world ideas first and then go on to make wilder suggestions. Well done to everyone who challenged themselves and tried to come up with an imaginative, creative, or funny idea, and to everyone who shared their idea with the group.
Safety
All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.
You could give the group a set of objects to choose from. Start simpler (for example, a pencil, a ruler, and a ball) and then get more complicated when people start to feel more confident – you could then introduce things like a protractor, a metal bracket, or a cheese grater.
You can suggest ideas to help people get their thinking on the right track, and help pairs rehearse how they’d like to tell the rest of the group.
All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.
You could even hold a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style challenge where groups present their object to the ‘dragons’ (Young Leaders are great at playing this role). The ‘dragons’ could vote on which idea they like the best. You could also play a ‘Would I Lie to You’ style game, where pairs try and convince the group that their idea is correct.