The Book of Raccoon Circles

The 2007 Revised and Expanded Book of Raccoon Circles
by Dr. Jim Cain and Dr. Tom Smith, introduction by Karl Rohnke.

You may have heard of Raccoon Circles before. This is "The Book" that contains the official information. It is complete with pictures, illustrations, processing information, history, references, and even success stories using the circles.

What is a Raccoon Circle?
It is a loop of one-inch nylon webbing often used for rock climbing and rapelling. Fifteen feet of webbing forms a loop large enough to accommodate 12 adults or 15 children. The webbing comes in a wide variety of colors and patterns. It is strong, light-weight, and durable.

The book contains hundreds of ways to use the webbing in settings such as education, teambuilding, and leadership development. The 2007 edition added over 75 new activities. Published by ©Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.

From the Inside Flap
Dr. Jim Cain and Dr. Tom Smith have collectively been active in the adventure-based learning field for nearly 75 years. Here for the first time, in an inclusive collection, is their definitive resource for one of the simplest tools ever devised for creating community, building a unified team, and actively learning together. When you view the contents of this book, and see the usefulness, simplicity and wealth of information and activities within, you'll wonder how you ever managed without a Raccoon Circle in your collection of resources.

Paperback: 269 pages
Publisher: Kendall Hunt Pub Co; Rev Exp edition (November 30, 2006) Language: English
ISBN-10: 0757532659
ISBN-13: 978-0757532658
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.2 x 0.5 inches

Table of Contents
Forward to the New Edition¿by Jim Cain and Tom Smith v
Introduction¿by Karl Rohnke vii
The History of Raccoon Circles ix

Section I Raccoon Circle Activities 1
Icebreakers, Introductions and Get-Acquainted Activities 2
Team Challenges, Active Learning and Adventure-Based Activities 20
Exploring the Stages of Group Development with Raccoon Circle Activities 89
Processing, Debriefing, Reviewing, Reflection and Closing Activities 101

Section II The Ritual, Ceremony, Theory and Philosophy of Raccoon Circles 129
The First Raccoon Circle Document 130
Why Raccoon Circles? 148
Ritual and Ceremony of the Circle 156
A Raccoon Circle Creation Ritual 173
Talking Circles, Talking Sticks and Talking Knots 180
Raccoon Circles and the Transformation of Humankind 189
Some Thoughts on Connectedness 191
What¿s Next in Adventure-Based Learning? 195
Raccoon Circles in the Design of a Professional Training Conference 198
A Little Research 207

Section III Stories of Raccoon Circles in Interesting Places 211

Section IV Technical Information, References, Resources, Quotes, Thoughts and Photographs from the World of Raccoon Circles 243
About Dr. Jim Cain and Dr. Tom Smith 263
Index 267
Recent Additions to the World of Raccoon Circle Stories and Activities 271