Walking Across the Ice

Preparation

• Clear open space large enough for all players to move around.
• No props required; all objects are imagined.
• Facilitator prepares three imaginary items for each player’s backpack (see step 2 below).

Facilitation

1. Step One — Set the scene: Describe the situation: “It’s been a warm, sunny day in a cold winter month. Your home is at the edge of a small lake that was frozen solid this morning when you walked across to visit a friend. Now you need to get home before dark. You start to cross the lake.”
2. All players start out. The facilitator calls: “The ice is cracking — back to the shore!” Ask: “Why did it crack now, but not in the morning?” (Answer: the ice, warmed slightly by the sun, became thinner and cracked under their weight.)
3. Step Two — Equip players: Give each player an imaginary backpack with three items:
   • A very short rope.
   • A spoon.
   • An ice pick.
4. Players continue, trying to reach the other side. Ask them to think through and act out how they might use the items to spread weight or pull themselves safely across.
5. One possible solution: lie flat on the ice to spread out body weight; use the ice pick to pull forward. Explore other solutions players suggest — do they work? What adaptations are needed?
6. If players say “This can’t be done!” encourage small group discussion: “Not yet — what else might you try?”

Evaluation

• Were people able to define the problem clearly?
• Did any idea of “failure” shift to “Let’s try this instead”?
• Was there an assessment of the risk — all ideas and points of view explored — before a decision was made?
• How did participants solve the problem and reach the other side?