The Magic Carpet
A group movement challenge that requires players to collaborate with their team to solve the difficult question of keeping everyone off the floor, while flipping it.
The Magic Carpet is a co-op game that requires all of the players to collaboratively problem solve as they work together to flip the carpet over. In its simplest form, all of the players start standing on top of a large tarp (the ‘magic carpet’) and try to then to get everyone standing on the other side of the tarp without touching the real floor (lava). With variations, limits, and the incorporation of equipment, the game can grow to be an extremely complex game that pushes the limits of balance, strength, and partnership.
The basic form of the game is presented here with the focus on groundwork, and a few variations are provided to spice things up! It lends itself well to mix-ability and mix-age groups, but the instructor should make sure that the no one person ends up dictating to the rest of the group, which is most likely to happen when there are mixed ages.
Objective
Flip the carpet without any of your team members touching the lava!
Setting up
People
4+ Players, the more the better
Space
Need an open space that can accommodate the tarp and at least 5 feet around the edge of the tarp.
Equipment
- 1 ‘magic carpet’ aka a Tarp or Large Cloth that can be ruined
- Any additional equipment required by your variation
Set-up
- Spread tarp completely out over floor
- All the players should get into quadrupedal on top of the tarp
How to Play
On GO the players must work together while QM’ing to flip the ‘magic carpet’ over to the reverse side
- The real floor is lava., and thus no player may touch anything but the tarp.
- Players must remain in some form of QM for the entirety of the game
- If a player touches the floor, they are eliminated
- If a player touches another player, they are eliminated.
End Game
The game ends when one of the following happens:
- 5 minutes pass (or a time you designate)
- 3 people are eliminated
- The Tarp is successfully flipped
Variations
Variation One : All Levels : Balancework
During set up, on top of the tarp also place balance trainers. Every player must stay on a balance trainer for the duration of the game. Balance trainers may not touch the lava. Players must get both balance trainers and all the players to the other side. Players may share the same balance trainer.
Variation Ideas: All Levels
Consider incorporating other types of equipment, limiting players to types of movements, limiting players to limbs they can’t use, etc.