Indian Rock Numbers
Objectives
To have a group of people guess what number you are making with some rocks.
Group Size
Materials
- 4 to 6 rocks (see Alternatives)
- Table
Set Up
Directions
Tell the group that you recently took a trip to Wyoming and met a friendly tribe of Native Americans (or Indians). Say they taught you their number system. Randomly mix up the rocks in a strange pattern, and say "Watch everything I am doing...." When you are done mixing them up, show a number on your fingers, and put those fingers on the edge of a the table, but make it seem casual so no one notices. If you have to, repeat saying "Watch everything I am doing....". The group will guess the number, and may guess the trick of having the number on your fingers. Once the number is guessed correctly a few times, or someone says they know the trick, then ask them for it, and if they say, "You are showing the number on your fingers," they are correct. That person "Watched everything that you were doing." At the end, tell the group that you never went to Wyoming and met a tribe of Native Americans, all that you did was show the numbers on your fingers.
Debrief
I learned this trick at a team building camp.
Alternatives
You can also use: *pebbles, *crumpled/balled up paper, *(etc.)