Leadership Resource Library
Located at Hub in the Cub on the second floor of the Carlton Union Building, the Leadership Resource Library is a collection of materials for students, faculty and staff members to use as they work to develop leadership skills or find ideas for ice breakers and team building exercises. Please fill out the Leadership Resource Library Reservation Form to reserve your activity materials!
Available Activities
Bull Ring
Description: The team will use the bull ring to transfer the tennis ball from one side of the room to the other side of the room and place it on a cup.
Time Required: 45 minutes
Number of participants required: No more than 20 people
Learning Outcomes
- Exposes team dynamics
- Develops creative problem-solving skills
- Inspires better conflict-resolution skills and communication
Character Cards
Description: Participants will match character cards in a race against the other team. After completing the race, the participants will identify which character is most important to them individually and as a team.
Time Required: 20 minutes
Number of participants required: 8-10 people per group
Learning Outcomes
- Exposes existing team dynamics, issues, and behaviors
- Illustrates advantages of cooperation over competition
- Develops open communication between team members
Group Juggle
Description: The team will juggle a ball between the members of the team until the ball has been passed to every member of the team. The activity becomes more challenging when the group is instructed to go faster and more balls are added to the mix.
Time Required: 20 minutes
Number of participants required: No more than 20 people
Learning Outcomes
- Promotes team bonding
- Promotes group growth with fun experiences
Gutter Ball
Description: The object of this activity is to move a marble using lengths of guttering from point A to point B without dropping them.
Time Required: 5-20 minutes
Number of participants required: 4 or more
Learning Outcomes
- Team building
- Communication
- Develops problem-solving skills
Helium Pole
Description: Use teamwork and problem-solving skills to lower the helium pole to the ground.
Time Required: 10 minutes
Number of participants required: 5-8 people
Learning Outcomes
- Illustrates advantages of cooperation over competition
- Exposes existing team dynamics, issues, and behaviors
- Inspires better conflict-resolution skills and communication
- Replaces limiting beliefs with possibility thinking
Human Shapes
Description: Working together as a team, the group has to use their bodies to form letters and words.
Time Required: 20-30 minutes
Number of participants required: 8-15 people
Learning Outcomes
- Creative thinking
- Cooperation
- Support and trust
- Planning
Ice Breaker Ball
Description: Participants will answer ice breaker questions about themselves using a beach ball while also learning about others.
Time Required: 15-20 minutes
Number of participants required: There is no limit
Learning Outcomes
- Improves group moral
- Promotes team bonding
- Inspires an appreciation of individual differences
Ice Breaker Jenga
Description: Participants will answer ice breaker questions about themselves through playing Jenga while also learning about others.
Time Required: 15-20 minutes
Number of participants required: 10-15 people
Learning Outcomes
- Improves group moral
- Promotes team bonding
- Inspires an appreciation of individual differences
Lava River
Description: The team will need to think of options, communicate ideas, and successfully get the entire group from one side of the “lava river” to the other, with only 2 “stepping stones”.
Time Required: 10-15 minutes
Number of participants required: There is no limit
Learning Outcomes
- Exposes team dynamics
- Develops creative problem-solving skills
- Inspires conflict-resolution skills and communication
Magic Carpet
Description: The object of this activity is to have everyone stand on a tarp and flip the tarp over while everyone is still standing on it.
Time Required: 10-30 minutes
Number of participants required: 10-15 people
Learning Outcomes
- Exposes team dynamics
- Develops creative problem-solving skills
- Inspires better conflict-resolution skills and communication
Mine Field
Description: Participants will work together to successfully navigate the minefield without touching any of the mines.
Time Required: 45-60 minutes
Number of participants required: 2-30 people. Needs to be an even number of participants.
Learning Outcomes
- Illustrates advantages of cooperation over competition
- Enhances communal support and encouragement
- Increases confidence in the team as a whole and in members on the team
- Replaces limiting beliefs with possibility thinking
Mousetrap Towers
Description: Stack balanced pairs of loaded mousetraps on edge as high as you can.
Time Required: 5-10 minutes per person
Number of participants required: As many as you want
Learning Outcomes
- Develops creative problem-solving skills
- Enhances communal support and encouragement
- Replaces limiting beliefs with possibility thinking
Mousetrap Trust
Description: Learn about trust, support, and coaching by setting and unsetting mousetraps
Time Required: 30
Number of participants required: As many as you want but there needs to be an even number
Learning Outcomes
- Illustrates advantages of cooperation over competition
- Enhances communal support and encouragement
- Increases self-confidence and problem-solving skills
The Puzzle Cube
Description: Use teamwork and problem-solving skills to get every member of your team through the puzzle cube without knocking it over.
Time Required: 30-45 minutes
Number of participants required: No more than 30
Learning Outcomes
- Illustrates advantages of cooperation over competition
- Enhances communal support and encouragement
- Increases self-confidence and problem-solving skills
- Replaces limiting beliefs with possibility thinking
PVC Construction Project
Description: Participants will work together and compete against other groups to build different types of structures out of PVC tubes.
Time Required: 30-40 minutes
Number of participants required: 4-7 people per group
Learning Outcomes
- Exposes existing team dynamics, issues, and behaviors
- Illustrates advantages of cooperation over competition
- Inspires better conflict-resolution skills and communication
Spider Web
Description: Use team work and problem-solving skills to get every member of your team through the spider web without touching it.
Time Required: 30-45 minutes
Number of participants required: As many as holes that are in the spider web
Learning Outcomes
- Illustrates advantages of cooperation over competition
- Enhances communal support and encouragement
- Increases self-confidence and problem-solving skills
- Replaces limiting beliefs with possibility thinking
Sunny Side Up
Description: Participants will throw a tennis ball in the air, flip the tarp, and try to catch the tennis ball
Time Required: 20 minutes
Number of participants required: 6-8 people per group
Learning Outcomes
- Exposes existing team dynamics, issues, and behaviors
- Illustrates advantages of cooperation over competition
- Inspires better conflict-resolution skills and communication
Toxic Waste
Description: The team will need to work together to move the toxic waste from the radiation zone to the safe zone.
Time Required: 30-40 minutes
Number of participants required: 8-12 members
Learning Outcomes
- Exposes team dynamics
- Develops creative problem-solving skills
- Inspires conflict-resolution skills and communication