Red Wagon Brigade

Close your eyes and picture the look of excitement on a child who has just received a brand-new toy. Now picture a second child, one who has never received a new toy…or a toy at all. Now, imagine what it would be like to put that same look of excitement on that second child’s face, all by participating in this team-building activity.

Teams will assemble a red wagon at their table and decorate it with items such as streamers, balloons, pipe cleaners, construction paper, etc. The team that is judged to have the best decorations wins a toy to place in their wagon.

Didn’t win a toy for best decorations? No problem! There are lots of other opportunities to win toys in a round of challenges that are played around team tables. Sample challenges may include:

• Toy Trivia – Teams answer questions about their favorite toys. For instance, how many feet of wire does it take to make a toy Slinky? Is it 23, 63, or 103 feet? Teams answering 5 or more questions right win a toy for their wagon.
• Name That Tune – For instance, what #1 hit by Martika in 1989 sang about a type of toy? If they guess Toy Soldiers they’re on their way to winning a toy for their wagon.
• Banana-grams – Teams see how many words they can make out of letter cards. If they get a certain number in the time allowed, they win a toy for their wagon.
• Close-Up Pictures – Teams try to identify classic toys or games from the extreme close-up images shown.
• Balloon Bounce – Music plays while participants be-bop balloons around the room. When the music stops, everyone holding a certain colored balloon wins a toy for their wagon.

The team with the most toys in their wagon at the end of the event wins award medals. But, everyone will have an award-winning feeling in the pit of his or her stomach when they turn the toy-laden wagons over to the charity to pass along to the kids!