Building trust and forming a team isn’t easy, but it’s important in the first weeks of school to do so with your journalism staffs. One way to get your staffs acclimated to one another is with time-tested, physics confuzzling, oxygen-depleting “Minute to Win it” games. These games, based on the old television series, are played with regular household items.

First Break your staff into teams.
Second Decide one player game OR relay race. If relay race, no need to time for one minute. The first team done wins.
Third Select your games.

Last year, my editors selected the following games to play:
1. Junk in the Trunk. What you’ll need: a belt, ping-pong balls, and a rectangle Kleenex box.
How to play: Make two holes in the ends of the Kleenex Box. String the box onto the belt. Place seven ping-pong balls in the box. Strap on the belt! The first one to empty the box (by jumping up and down ridiculously) under a minute wins.

2. Greasy nose. What you’ll need: Vaseline, cotton balls, a cup, and a paper plate. Can play on a table or the floor.
How to play: Vaseline the player’s nose. Then start. The player must get as many cotton balls into the cup as possible in one minute by ONLY using his/her nose. NO hands allowed.

3. Full of Hot Air. What you’ll need: four plastic cups per player, straws. Can play on a table or the floor.
How to play: Line four cups in front of each player. The first player who moves all four cups to a designated line within one minute by blowing through the straw, wins.

4. Cookie Monster. What you’ll need: Oreo cookies.
How to play: Place the Oreo on the player’s forehead. The first one to get the Oreo from their forehead and into their mouth WITHOUT using their hands within a minute wins. If it falls, the player must pick it up and start over again back on the forehead.

5. Orange you Glad. What you’ll need: Several oranges, hula-hoops
How to play: Pick up oranges with either chin/neck or knees. NO HANDS. Take oranges to designated hula-hoop and drop oranges. Oranges must stay inside the hula-hoop to count. Most oranges in hula-hoop after one minute wins.

AFTER THE GAMES: Celebrate! Food is one of the keys to staff happiness. Eat those oranges or Oreos from the games, or perhaps your staff will want to celebrate with pizza! Games like these are great for creating lasting memories, building trust, and capturing some great staff pics.