Building your team takes time and sometimes a little innovation. Here is a fun and effective team building activity that can be used at an event or retreat, especially if the overall theme involves food. You will love the interaction and laughter that this activity generates.

Objectives: Working together toward a common goal

Materials: Recipes that have been cut apart to separate the title, ingredients, instructions, etc.)

Procedure: Divide the women into small groups. Explain the following...

Your family (group) just inherited a successful restaurant from, Chef Charlie, a long lost relative. The only problem is that Charlie was very disorganized. All the recipes are mixed up and on bits of paper. Your task is to make sense of it all quickly! The restaurant is opening tonight and you have to prepare the food.

Then follow these steps:

• Each member of the group receives part of a recipe (an ingredient, instruction, etc.).
• The groups need to put themselves in order as quickly as possible. The goal is to create a recipe that makes sense.
  
• Each group announces, "Bon appetite” as they finish.
  

Allow 10-12 minutes for the groups to create their recipe. Once a team calls, “Bon appetite,” have them introduce themselves read their recipe in order.

Variation: For an added challenge, this game can be made considerably more difficult if groups are not pre-designated before the recipe pieces are distributed. Participants must then not only find the correct order but the correct recipe as well. (These groups can also be used to define prayer groups or small groups for a retreat).

WM Note: Find lots of recipes all typed up and ready to be cut into pieces at AllRecipes.com.