Experience Toobeez
Corporations, Camps, Schools, Trainers, and Health / Therapy Institutions Rave About Our Team Games 
This is a $85. teambuilding activity kit that will help improve communication and cooperation.

   

Activity #17 of 315 - Robot Writer 
Imagine 8 people (any age) trying to write the word "TEAM"...all at the same time....while using only one pen!  
If your group can master this activity, then try writing it in cursive, or another one of our variations. 
Challenge your teams race through a maze in 45 seconds! Try something different. 

Click > play until you see "buffering".

The Result:  People pulling / working in the same direction.  
Not to mention plenty of broken ice through intrigue, inclusiveness and fun. 
Many other experiential group activities are possible with Toobeez.  

1. Objectives

• Collaborate with team members to write a message

• Communicate with others to synchronize movements

• Work cooperatively toward a common goal

• Participate in a group conversation to process and evaluate the experience  

2.  Character Focus

• Communication & Cooperation

3.  Preparation

• Time: 1 minute

• Materials:      1 Toobeez set  

• tape

• 1 marker

• 1 large piece of paper

• chart paper (optional)

• Setup:

• Build a “robot writer” (refer to photo). You may need masking tape to secure the marker.  

• Tape a piece of paper to the floor.

4.  Challenge

• The group must use the “robot writer” to write a word on a piece of paper.

5.  Helpful Hints

• Use a bigger piece of paper than you see in the photos. Bigger paper helps prevent the group from writing on the floor

• When working with a more sophisticated group, ask them to draw out the school logo. 

• Provide them with all the colored markers they need. 

• This logo becomes their “deliverable” and you become the customer. 

• Provide them with a short time frame to accomplish everything. 

• At the end of this time frame, they must deliver a presentation

6.  Activity Instructions

A. Circle up the group, and share the following storyline. 

You are a team of genetic engineers working to discover a new way to produce rice to help end world hunger. 
The rice must be easy to grow, insect resistant, organic (grown without pesticides), nutritious and totally healthy. 
To work on this new rice seed, you must operate mechanical arms while deciphering the genetic code of this new “super food” (to the average person it will look like you are writing words). By working together smoothly and efficiently, you will be able to end world hunger sooner.

B. Read aloud the following Activity Challenge to the group. 

The group must use the “robot writer” to write a word on a piece of paper. Follow the guidelines below:

• The robot must be held by the ball at the end of the tube 

• The robot writer may not be altered 

• If any guidelines are broken, the group must begin again 
  

C. Have the group create something with their Robot Writer:

• Write the word TEAM or Company Slogan

• Draw a smiley face

• Draw a figure eight

• Anything else 

7.  Activity Variations

A.      Increasing the difficulty.

To make this activity more challenging, create a robot writer with long arms, do not allow verbal 
communication or require use of the non-dominant hand.

B.     Follow the maze.  
Download our Toobeez Robot Writer Maze - pdf file 
Download this specific activity - pdf file

Create a maze on a piece of paper (like the kind in children’s books). 
Have the group make the robot writer marker follow the correct pathway through the maze. 

C.     Make geometric shapes.

Draw different shapes as a team, such as triangles, squares or a figure 8.

D.     The leader.

Everyone on the team closes their eyes except one. 
This person is allowed to keep their eyes open for one minute and will direct the team. 
At the end of one minute, they close their eyes and someone else on the team opens their eyes for one minute. 
Rotate this responsibility so everyone has a turn to direct the team. 

8.  Activity Discussion & Processing

Discussion Topic: Teamwork/Cooperation

In the storyline of this activity, the participants are a group of scientists working to create a food source to end world hunger. 
This is an excellent activity to talk about the world of science and the role teamwork plays in it. 

 Discussion Questions

A.  Individuals working alone can often solve small challenges. 
However, large challenges are usually solved by groups of people working together. Explain why this is true

B.  When a team finds a solution to a problem, who should take the credit?  Should it be the leader of the team?

C.  To successfully solve the “Robot Writer” challenge, your team had to work in harmony. 
The word “harmony” is usually used when talking about or describing music. How is a team that works well together like beautiful music?

 Motivator

In the storyline of this activity, the team works on deciphering a “genetic code.”  The word “genetic” is mentioned in the following quotes.

• What are these people saying? 
• What do their quotes have to do with your team?

“The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born - - that there is a genetic factor to leadership. 
This myth asserts that people simply either have certain charismatic qualities or not. 
That’s nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born.” - Warren G. Bennis

“The one process now going on that will take millions of years to correct is the loss of genetic and species diversity 
by the destruction of natural habitats. This is the folly our descendants are least likely to forgive us.” - Edward O. Wilson

Download our Toobeez Robot Writer Maze pdf File

Download this specific activity - pdf file

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