We think up a group story. Someone begins a story with a sentence, for example. "It was a beautiful and sunny morning..." He/she throws the ball to somebody else who continues the story, and then throws it on to a third person in the circle, and so on in turn, until the teacher decides the story is finished.

Feedback: How did you like creating a group story? Think of the name you could give to this story and tell us.

Guided drawing. We divide up into groups of 4. Each group gathers around one large piece of paper and a box of crayons. Each child selects the colour they like best and then raises their hand above the paper in a position in which their arm feels comfortable. The teacher says: "Let your hand come down on the paper slowly, as if it were a feather or leaf falling. Slowly touch the crayon onto the paper. Imagine that it is a little insect egg swaying in the threads of a spider's web. Let your hand follow the rhythm of the following story, drawing as is appropriate in connection with the story. Here is the sun, a ray falls on the insect and from it slowly emerges an unusual shape, strange, now prettier ... But look, it is only the cocoon from which a real butterfly jumps out with big brown wings with blue spots. It begins to stretch out by the branch where the spider web was, then flies away, at first awkwardly, then with more vitality. The butterfly flies up, then down, in circles around a white sheet on a balcony, then lands on the sheet. Then the wind blows and it flies further away toward a shaking tree and then from flower to flower. It sees another butterfly and starts to play with it. Flies off high, then lands, and then behind him comes a little yellow butterfly." While the teacher is talking, the children draw with their eyes closed, or - if they wish - with their eyes open, changing colours if they like. The children finish the drawing and remove their hand from the paper. "The butterflies have all at once disappeared because a man came with a butterfly net."

Then the children turn the paper in all directions, looking at the jointly created drawing. Each child finds an area which is interesting for him/her to develop further. The area which seems to him/her most attractive is not necessarily the one he/she drew. Everyone finishes an image which can be seen inside the picture. He/she can use various colours to complete the image. Everyone finds a name for her/his image, and then the group collectively gives a name to their picture.

Choosing a drawing that somebody else began, creates a foundation for communication and mutual trust. The technique of drawing where imagination transfers into rhythmical movements is a very well known technique of art therapy for children. This unique use of drawing is based on the idea of the child's natural rhythm and emotional range.

Tower building. Pupils form groups of five. Each group is given the same amount of old newspapers and adhesive tape. They have three minutes to build the highest tower possible. Before that they are given three minutes to discuss the task (how are they going to build it, whose idea is the best, whose executive plan etc.). They all start at the leader's signal. If there are some pupils who can not fit into any group (because the number of group members should be five) they are declared to be monitors for all groups.

Feedback discussion: How did you feel working in a team? How did you feel during preparations and how about the building process itself? Did anyone start acting like the leader? Did anyone insist on his/her idea or did he/she take initiative? Did anyone encourage the whole group? Did you feel it more like a competition or like co-operation? What experience did you have?

Person No1. We ask for 7 volunteers to be actors. They are given (outside the classroom) instructions about what they must do. Instruc-tions are also given to the observers who remain sitting in the room. The actors divide the roles among themselves as they wish: the point is that the seven people are on a jury to name the "Person of the Year." The roles can be: an editor of the main daily and/or weekly newspapers, a TV director, a Minister of Culture, the most well known actress, a world champion in some sport, etc. They must decide who will be the person of the year in 5 minutes. They sit in the middle of the circle and discuss the criteria for selection and who they will name. Then they announce their decision to the observers. If a quarrel develops the teacher intervenes with a signal to STOP.

The observers are directed to watch: who speaks the most often, who steals the floor, who takes over the leadership, what was the atmosphere like while the group was making its decision, did a conflict break out, how much collaboration did there seem to be?

Discussion after the activity: How did you feel as a member of the jury? Did you feel that someone was exerting pressure on you? Who decided on the result? Was there any friction or conflict between the jury? What did the observers notice? Who imposed his/her will? How was the collaboration?

Statues.Divide pupils in two groups. Let each group decide (secretly) what animal they are going to represent using their own bodies as the creative material (someone will be the tail, someone the head, etc.). Give them two minutes for discussion and then two minutes for the first group to present its animal. The other group should guess out what the animal is. In the next two minutes the groups swap roles - the first group should guess what animal the second group presents. Be careful that during their preparatory pupils keep their voices down.

Make a show. Divide pupils in two groups (be careful that the groups do not stay the same as in the previous action). Group A is given the text "Learning from the goose" to read and to mime for the other group. Group B is given the text "Interbeing" with the similar task: to make a public speech. They can choose one or more speakers to tell in their own words the meaning of interbeing to the imagined people of the square. Give both groups some time to discuss how they will perform using all members of the group. After both shows are over, the groups exchange the texts to see what exactly they were about.