Building Bridges

This is an activity submitted by the Activity Therapists at Provo Canyon Behavioral Hospital.

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Materials:
Newspaper or Magazines (LOTS!!)
Tape
Something heavy (i.e. textbook)

Tell patients that they need to build a bridge taht will hold the heavy object.  The specifications for the bridge are that it needs to be at least 6 inches tall and 10 inches long.

The rec therapist can add variations as needed, for example:
   -If a person is bossy, tell him he can't talk anymore
   -Give a time limit to create tension
   -Tell someone she has to say "banana" in between each word she says

Processing:
Talk about the experience.  What went well?  What was frustrating?  Consider the following questions:
   -How do you react to stress?  Is that healthy or unhealthy?
   -How do you react to success?  Failure?
   -How do you treat people under pressure?  Is there anything you need to change?
   -How can you diffuse a stressful situation?

For a large group, you can also make it into a competition.  Which team can build the tallest bridge that holds the book?  The most aesthetically pleasing bridge?  Etc.