Teachers from Warsaw came out to the ranch for Professional Development activities (pictured below). The Challenge Course is excellent for adults to come together and learn how to communicate better with one another and build trust within their group. Besides, it is a great stress reliever.  A classroom teacher for 24 years who facilitates groups at the course, also shares teambuilding strategies that can be taken back to the classroom and used with students.

Our challenge course is appropriate for ages Kindergarten through senior citizens, as most challenges can be adapted to the age and abilities of the participants.  So, not only will children and youth develop these important life skills, but our challenge course is a great way to get young people outside, away from TV and video games and explore/enjoy outdoor activities.  Our motto is ‘No Child Left Inside’!!

In case you are not familiar with challenge courses, the purpose is to lead participants through a series of physical challenges that require communicating with their team to come up with a plan, listen to one another’s ideas, persevere as they try different methods and techniques, and encourage and celebrate with each other once they have accomplished their goal.  Perhaps it is in walking a cable two feet off the ground as their team spots them, or getting everyone over a 10 foot wall with no ladder or steps.  Maybe it is in 10-12 people on a giant teeter totter balancing themselves for the time it takes to sing Mary Had a Little Lamb.  Sound challenging? fun? rewarding?  educational?  It’s all of these plus more!  Download a registration form.

Wiggle Wire – build trust between participants as team takes turns walking across the cable	Wild Woozy – with a partner you must travel across the v-shaped cable
Nitro Crossing – can your team figure out how to get the ‘nitro’ from one side of the abyss to the other without spilling it?	Spider Web – how well do you trust your team? Enough to pick you up and pass you through the web?
Tire Traverse – make your way across the set of 5 tires without getting stuck in the middle	A-Frame – move a team member standing on the A-frame from point A to point B
Whale Watch – balance your team on the giant teeter totter long enough to sing a silly song	The Wall – your job is to get all the people on your team up and over the wall
The Maze – rock and roll with your team as you move the pool ball through the maze and it drops into the bucket
Charlotte’s Web – Working together you have to pull on ropes to pick up a block of wood and set it on top of a stump	Land Skis – 4x4 skis that ten people have to move – all at the same time

Great for your next family or church function!
Various other games and initiatives are used to introduce the challenge course and get your teamed warmed up.  Some of the elements are portable and can be set up at schools or churches during events like carnivals or vacation Bible school!