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The Toothpaste Activity (Bullying, Gossip, Icebreaker)
Brief Description/Purpose
A great fast, and laughter provoking activity that can be used for all ages, and to make points about communication, the damage that gossip causes, and/or the effects of bullying.
Makes a great icebreaker too, or to introduce a topic.
Type
Group demonstration
Age Appropriate
Any age
Ideal Group Size
Any size
Time For Exercise
2 minutes or so for the actual exercise, 5-10 minutes to debrief and pull out main points
Topic/Subject
Communication, gossip, bullying
Detailed Instructions If Needed
Put down a strip of masking tape on a table. As someone to volunteer, and come up to the front. Provide a tube of toothpaste, and ask the volunteer to spread it out along the strip of masking tape.
Then request that the person put the toothpast back in the tube. Laughter ensues.
Bring out the points you want to focus on; that once bad things are said about someone (or gossip), they can never be taken back or put back in the tootpaste tube.