Ring and Chain Drop
The Ring and Chain effect that I use appears to have a long history which I intend to fully research if I ever find the time. I thought I'd start this blog with a description of this effect because I've found it incredibly useful and fascinating when working with young people.
Simple described you have a loop of chain made from about a metre of chain and a solid metal ring of around 2 -3 inch diameter. You hold out your hand and hang the chain from it. Next you hold the ring horizontal and lower the chain through it. When you drop the ring it doesn't drop off the end of the chain as expected but is attached to the chain.
This is a knack kinda thing which takes a little while to get right but isn't too frustrating partly because of the fun of dropping the metal ring on the floor. You can also use the chain for doing a one-handed knot tie where you can make a number of knots appear in the chain and have them move up and down the chain.
This has been one of the more effective effects for working with young people who are finding it hard to concentrate or who are viewing every activity simply as a challenge. It requires no acting (which makes some young people nervous), collaboration, or mirrorwork.
Working with John (10 year old boy) on a GPS treasure hunt, GPS drawing, and game design day, this effect was particularly useful. He admitted himself that he did not have the focus to work on one activity for very long (I suspect he had been told this many times from the way he preemptively volunteered the information) and got very bored when asked to do an activity that required sitting still. He was happy for a while designing plasticine figures for a board game but squashed them when he lost interest.
To stop him distracting the others I showed him how to do the ring drop move that I had been entertaining them with at lunch. He spent a good 90 mins trying to master it and thoroughly enjoyed the process.
This activity was more than just a way of keeping him occupied however. Once he mastered the move he then went and taught it to one of the other boys and brought the boy to me to demonstrate when he had done so. In all he spent just over 2 hours with the ring and chain.
One of the youth workers who had known John since he was 6 was amazed and said that he had never seen him focus for so long on anything before or see him so happy to master something.
I've been using this effect ever since in situations where the temperature of the workshop or atmosphere needs reducing.
Its a little more popular with boys than girls but not nearly as gender split as most card effects. There's also the fun of putting it around your neck as bling, but that's sure to date. In fact if its introduced as a necklace to begin with girls will engage more and have fun mocking you for wearing it.
Simple described you have a loop of chain made from about a metre of chain and a solid metal ring of around 2 -3 inch diameter. You hold out your hand and hang the chain from it. Next you hold the ring horizontal and lower the chain through it. When you drop the ring it doesn't drop off the end of the chain as expected but is attached to the chain.
This is a knack kinda thing which takes a little while to get right but isn't too frustrating partly because of the fun of dropping the metal ring on the floor. You can also use the chain for doing a one-handed knot tie where you can make a number of knots appear in the chain and have them move up and down the chain.
This has been one of the more effective effects for working with young people who are finding it hard to concentrate or who are viewing every activity simply as a challenge. It requires no acting (which makes some young people nervous), collaboration, or mirrorwork.
Working with John (10 year old boy) on a GPS treasure hunt, GPS drawing, and game design day, this effect was particularly useful. He admitted himself that he did not have the focus to work on one activity for very long (I suspect he had been told this many times from the way he preemptively volunteered the information) and got very bored when asked to do an activity that required sitting still. He was happy for a while designing plasticine figures for a board game but squashed them when he lost interest.
To stop him distracting the others I showed him how to do the ring drop move that I had been entertaining them with at lunch. He spent a good 90 mins trying to master it and thoroughly enjoyed the process.
This activity was more than just a way of keeping him occupied however. Once he mastered the move he then went and taught it to one of the other boys and brought the boy to me to demonstrate when he had done so. In all he spent just over 2 hours with the ring and chain.
One of the youth workers who had known John since he was 6 was amazed and said that he had never seen him focus for so long on anything before or see him so happy to master something.
I've been using this effect ever since in situations where the temperature of the workshop or atmosphere needs reducing.
Its a little more popular with boys than girls but not nearly as gender split as most card effects. There's also the fun of putting it around your neck as bling, but that's sure to date. In fact if its introduced as a necklace to begin with girls will engage more and have fun mocking you for wearing it.
posted by stuart nolan at 9:26 PM
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