Welcome to Sticks and Stones!

To start, my name is Henry and I hope the book is as helpful to you, as it has been for me. I created the book for my senior capstone as I thought it would challenge me in a myriad of ways. The idea for the book came as I was contemplating how to represent my knowledge of psychology and adventure education, push my self-efficacy as a facilitator, and learn a new skill. So here it is, my first book! My guiding mission for the content was to create original games and activities that require little to no extra resources.

I wanted entirely new content as a challenge of my skills and ability to be creative. When you are working with a group, you don’t always have time to plan out the perfect activity to fill some empty time or meet some current struggle in the group. By designing my own games, I am proving to myself that I can think on my feet and that there is always more than one way to spin a game. With how many different books of games there are, I am sure some of my games closely resemble existing ones. That certainly is not my intent and these games are original to me. I don’t believe any person’s creativity should be stifled simply because someone had the a similar thought before you. Hence, why I’ve used a creative commons license. I want my games to embolden you to design your own.

The other driving goal for my games was that they would require no more materials than what you would normally carry. I am an avid hiker and canoer and sick of having to cram the books and binders in overflowing packs. Lastly, I included a section of how I might facilitate a game at the end of it’s chapter. But, those are only my thoughts and ideas. I want the book to be a launch pad for the ideas and strategies you develop. For me, Sticks and Stones is a bridge from college to the professional world. I am excited to put all I’ve learned to the test and appreciate you giving the book a shot.

Wandering in the woods,

Henry

November 11th, 2020