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I hear, I know. I see, I remember. I do, I understand." - Confucious
2012 Workshops and Trainings
Creative Toolbox workshops are fast tempo and highly engaging. Through the use of interactive activities, exercises and tasks, participants are immersed in experiential education carefully designed to create professional learning experiences. Participants are required to use various skills such as communicating, decision-making, effective planning, problem solving and more.
Our workshop experiences and curriculum are conducted within an atmosphere of community, dignity, well-being and fun. If you are looking for a workshop that is fully lectured based, boring, super complex, superficial and most likely forgettable, Creative Toolbox is not your choice.
Our workshops can be facilitated indoors, outdoors and/or both while being custom designed as either a professional development workshop, team building event, playful adventure or a combination that suits your needs. We primarily serve community and non-profit based organizations; educational centres,corporate institutions, camps and child care centres across North America. We also offer playnote and keynote presentations for conferences, half and/or full day team building events and staff training, and consultation services.
What are your next steps? Easy, browse our detailed outline what we do and offer. Give us call or email and tell us what you want, need and are thinking. We’ll take your information and design an outline of what we can do, including a quote to fit within your budget. After the job is completed, attendees are sent a PDF version of the workshop and Creative Toolbox will continue to be available if you have any questions or need further information. We are here to serve you and your organization professionally, creatively and experientially as we have the tools and skills needed to make a difference.
We look forward to working with you and your organization in 2012!
2012 Professional Non-Profit and Corporate Training Workshops
New! A Mission Impossible in Cruise Control: Creating Action Plans and Developing Mission, Vision and Value Statements
Tom Cruise may be overrated, but having a solid plan linked with your organization’s core foundational pieces is definitely not something to pass over (Full Day)
Developing action plans to reflect an organization’s mission, vision and values are paramount to strategic planning; likewise a goal setting process is critical to building a stronger team and organizational foundation. This workshop is a great means and opportunity to set and understand the milestones ahead while making sure everyone is on the same page.
“You got to be careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there.” - Yogi Berra
What will you get out of the workshop? A framework to bring focus to visioning your organization’s future, clarity of your mission that defines your purposes, points of reflection on the values that shape your actions, strategies that zero in on your key success approaches, and a concrete action plan as a road map to move forward.
Attendees will examine how their own core ideals and objectives may interrelate with their employer and vice versa. Good organizations are made up of great people who all contribute to its success and to its overall direction.
New! Team Building Essentials: Finding The Groove in Team Work
A workshop full of innovative activities, challenge initiatives and team possibilities (Half/Full Day)
Staff teams need practical and effective tools to work with a diverse clientele who have a complexity of needs, wants and concerns. Staff teams also need essential time, skilled knowledge, and meaningful team-building experiences to boost productivity, increase employee self worth and build a stronger team identity. This is a custom designed and interactive training workshop for organizations and staff teams seeking easy-to-use tools and approaches for working with others.
Attendees will examine how Tuckman's 'Five Stages of Group Development' apply to building a strong foundation in functional teams and groups. Various experiential team-building games and activities, mini-lectures and open discussions are used to navigate attendees’ understanding, and developing knowledge base as each stage is presented and explored.
Finding The Groove in Team Work also introduces the 'Five Dysfunctions of a Team' and 'Five Assets of a Successful Team' curriculum. Participants will learn how to use various initiative-challenge activities when working and interacting with others within any type of work setting. We go beyond the basic trust and motivational techniques, as this workshop promotes the use of creativity and empowering measures to help a staff team build upon the essentials.
Updated! Developing the Learner and Facilitator Essentials: The Way of a Ninja Master Presenter/Facilitator
An action packed day of interactive learning and mastering experiential techniques of facilitating (Half/Full day)
People have different learning styles and they learn from different types of teachers, environments and experiences. Their success depends on their ability to adapt, and engage as well as their willingness to learn from their presenter/teacher/facilitator. Understanding the necessary and effective tools of facilitating is imperative especially in understanding how people can and/or want to learn from you. Attendees come to this workshop as learners and leave with the tools to be better facilitators/teachers. Learning goals include:
- Setting a positive climate for learning
- Clarifying the purposes and responsibilities of the learner(s)
- Organizing and making available valuable learning resources
- Balancing intellectual and emotional components of learning
- Sharing feelings and thoughts with learners without dominating the session
Carl Rogers (a Ninja Master Facilitator…just joking) once said, “Experience is, for me, the highest authority. The touchstone of validity is my own experience. No other person's ideas, and none of my own ideas, are as authoritative as my experience. It is to experience that I must return again and again, to discover a closer approximation to truth as it is in the process of becoming in me.”
Schools (Professional Development Days), Camps (Pre-camp Training), Child Care Centres and After-School Programs
New! The Canadian Bacon of Play: Canadian Experiential Games, Activities and Initiatives
Canada is more than hockey, syrup, beavers and famous comedians….we are the biggest players on the planet (Half/Full Day)
Canada has an abundance of experiential games, activities, songs, and initiatives rooted in our First Nations, French and English heritage. Attendees will spend time engaging and learning the origins of Canadian play, from Inuit Tugging Games, the Iroquois Snow Snake Game, DIBS, Winter Tag, and Rounders to Birch Bark Containers, Métis-inspired Sash Bracelet, Log Cabin, Capture the Flag, "Je t'aime bien," "je t'aime beacoup," and many more! Since Canada is also founded by many other cultures from across the globe, attendees will learn variety of other cultural games that can be easily taught and played with children of all ages. Universal play and recreational activities are critical to a person’s healthy development. Canada is where traditional play is still thriving.
New! The Way of the Peaceful Leader: The Essentials to Moving Mountains
Learning to lead oneself before leading others is step one, step two is you will trip and fall along the way, step three….(Full Day)
The term and concept of leadership will either intrigue you, put you to sleep or scare the crap out of you. Why? Leadership in general has become so difficult to explain or interpret because it has become diluted with western pop culture, overly generalized and/or excessively business-focused.
The Way of the Peaceful Leader workshop is Creative Toolbox’s approach to simplifying the concept and getting back to the basics of leadership development.
Our leadership development strategy is centred on five foundational pillars: Individuality, Community, Knowledge, Experience and Vision. We believe individuals move mountains everyday - gently and methodically. Communities everywhere are continuously shaping an individual’s potential and future. Change is incessantly fuelled by experiences and knowledge that help bring clarity to what’s ahead. Creative Toolbox leadership curriculum is interlinked with teachings and knowledge of wise leaders and scholars such as Covey, Priest, Millman, Fox, Cashman, Maxwell, and Rohnke to name a few. This workshop is interactive, experiential, and lecture based. Handouts are provided.
New! Leading With Laughter Yoga – The Cure For Everything
From the Giggle to a Blown Laughter Explosion. (Half/Full Day)
Part One: In today’s modern society people are laughing less and less daily and quite often we have forgotten how to laugh with each other. So often as leaders we are put into positions where we believe we need to be stern and it is inappropriate to share a good fashion laugh with a co-worker. Leading with laughter breaks this belief and teaches that if you can laugh together you can work together. Through laughter yoga, a series of movement and breathing exercises designed to stimulate laughter and cultivate an inner spirit of joy, and simple and fun activities, leading with laughter teaches how to increase your laughter in your day to day life, improve the quality of your laugh, and most importantly laugh for no reason.
Sessions will include:
- Laughter yoga
- Games & activities aimed at bringing out your inner child
- Games to stimulate laughter and the mind
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Part Two: Laugh till it Hurts
Laugh till it Hurts will teach how to incorporate more laughter into your youth groups, classrooms, or afterschool groups. Participants will learn simple, fun and interactive games that creative the positive space for children and youth to nurture. Games and activities will range from individual, small and large group, from active
to passive. Participants will leave with a greater knowledge of games and games theory and will be able to take with them a new arsenal of games.
Updated! Balls, Duct Tape, and Rope – The Universal Team Fixer Upper and Tie Downer
Super cheap and easy games and activities that build healthy groups and provide a ton of fun (Half Day)
Duct tape, balls and rope really can do everything! This half/full day workshop is entirely about using duct tape, balls and rope as team building tools, learning device and a hilarious way to tape up any of your team’s loose ends. Participants will engage in:
- Duct Dodge Ball
- Rope Webs
- Duct Tug of War
- Rope Initiative Activities
- Duct Art (community art with duct tape)
- Ducting It and Much More!
The Outsiders: Going Beyond the Walls of Your Imagination
Take a learning experience outside despite what the weather channel says (Half/Full Day)
It’s rainy - what do you do? This is a super-fun workshop for attendees of all ages wanting to learn about small and large group games and activities that require outdoor participation are completely outside! It is proven that both adults and children are not outside as much as they need to be. Come and learn about the endless fun things kids and groups of all ages can do in sun, rain and snow throughout all year long. Typical sunny day games and activities can easily be modified for poor weather- all it takes creativity and willingness to get yourself outside!
Updated! Programming on a Shoe String Budget
Learning to stretch a buck while raising the bar on experiential and recreational programming (Half Day)
Do you have zero to a few "bucks" to do programming? This workshop shows you how to dig deep into your own creativity, con
nect to free resources and to stretch a buck. It is all about learning to be resourceful and where to find the deals. This is a workshop about learning and having fun without the funds to program for various types of clientele. 70% interactive, 10% co-create, and 20% lecture.
Updated! Tools for Tough Times: Taming Tigers and Slowing Down Tasmanian Devils
The Secrets of Working With Struggling Children and Teens With Aggressive and Oppositional Behaviours (Half/Full Day)
Struggling children and teens are typically challenged to follow directions, behave with others and stay within the lines of a planned activity. Childcare workers and camp staff can be found exhausted, unsure of what to do next and disgruntled by their efforts at the end of the workday. Taming a room full of tigers and settling down Tasmanian Devils is no circus act and is definitely not an easy task.
Learn about utilizing the basic tools and ways of moving forward with a new skill set while bringing more balance to a shared environment. Topics covered will include:
- Effective communication tools and agreements
- Principles and practices for establishing an inclusive and cooperative environment
- Thinking out of the box about barriers and boundaries
- Understanding the differences between independence, dependence, co-dependence and inter-dependence
- Games that teach while being inclusive to all
- The Big R Words – routines, responsibilities, rights, rules, and roles
- Basic behavioural assessment tools, and approaches
Updated! Fundamentals of Leadership and Mentorship: A Jedi Boot Camp
Kick starting the force of leadership potential while integrating in-house mentorship (Half/Full Day)
What is the true identity of a professional Jedi staff member? How does leadership and mentorship impact our workplace and the clients we serve? Leadership can be defined in how we approach challenges, solve problems, connect with others, and follow our guiding principles. Learn the fundamentals of leadership and mentorship such as leadership styles and attitudes, roles of followers and crafting mentorship within the work place. Learn to use meaningful mentoring and leadership techniques to direct, inspire and lead staff and clients. 60% interactive, 20% lecture, and 20% discussion.
The Green Gorilla Workshop: Going Ape for Green
Going green is easier than turning a blind eye to the elephant in the room (Half/Full Day)
An interactive and hands-on workshop for those interested in modifying and incorporating “green” activities, initiatives and ideas into their workplace and programs. We offer several eco-educational team-building games and activities that promote sustainability and easy ways to “green” your existing location and programs. Our Green Gorilla facilitators provide informative and interactive presentations to engage participants in the latest green methods. We believe everyone wants to learn about their community’s guiding “green” principles, and with this workshop, you will be able to show your community what your organization is doing to promote sustainability and environmental stewardship.
Some Green Gorilla Initiatives/Topics/Activities include:
- Compost Worm (Office) Farms – create cool compost bins placed in an office or outdoor setting
- Gorilla Gardening – learn how to seed bomb to re-introduce organic and natural vegetation
- Build a community herb and vegetable garden at your workplace as an ongoing green classroom, program and/or office
- Incorporate the three R's at home and at work
- Eco-audit your workplace and home for energy waste and to save money
- Informed Consumption - shopping with a conscience
- Urban Harvesting – understand and implement food security into your workplace, home and/or program
Implementing and Creating Themes and Clubs for Child Care Settings/After-School/Camp Programs
Learning to install “Where the Wild Things Go”, “Fame Academy” and “Dr. Seuss in Tibet” in your established program (Half/Full Day)
We are offering an interactive and innovative workshop for staff wanting to implement creative themes and/or specific club formats into their existing children’s programs. The workshop session supports staff teams with building and incorporating thematic programming to elevate children’s level of interest and to expand the potential of the program while meeting children’s developmental needs.
Implementing Jedi Leadership Training or Super Hero Challenges or Goonie thematic program days/weeks are great ways to teach experientially and support children in learning through an imaginative play curriculum. This is an activity and discussion-based workshop which allows participants to come away with a better understanding of current program themes, while at the same time building collaborative partnerships with resources in the community and developing better connections with others. Creating themed programs and children's theme clubs are major contributing factors to improving fundraising potential and increasing the ability to build community within your work environment.
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