Cards

I first learned this idea at an OCA Camp Counselors Conference.

Take a deck of cards and randomly attach a card to each player's forehead with the number facing outwards. It is important that the girls not know what their own number is. Once everyone is 'carded', instruct the girls that they are to mingle with each other and treat each other according to the rank of their card. Aces are the highest ranking card, then kings, queens, jacks, tens, etc. etc. etc... all the way down to twos. They are not to tell each other what their numbers are. Girls with high numbered cards are treated with the greatest respect; girls with low numbered cards are treated like dirt.

After about five minutes of mingling, call everyone to attention and ask them to try lining themselves up in order by their rank. You will be surprised at how easily most groups will be able to figure out what rank they were in the room. Once the rank order has been established, have everyone take off their cards and sit in a circle, and discuss whether it was really appropriate to treat each other the way they did based on something as silly as the numbers on their cards. This is a great activity for discussing the concepts of stereotypes and assumptions.

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