Activity - What's in the Backpack?

What is this thing?

The What's in the Backpack? activity template that walks people through discovering items in a backpack and craft a story around those.

Why do this activity?

➡️ To get into a creative and collaborative mindset through the process of weaving together a shared story.

Where do I use it?

⚡️ This can be a warm-up activity that helps put people in the right mindset at the beginning of a session.

🧠 You could also alter this activity to be longer and use it during a session — it's great for a session on storytelling, or even seeing different uses for items out in the world already.

How do I use it?

Make sure you select your objects/items for the backpack. This template has 4 selected in the template and then a variety more you can choose from to switch those out — or you can create your own.

1️⃣ (5 min) Reveal the items in the backpack, you can virtually pull them out one by one and then ask the group to individually think about:

• Describe its unique qualities (e.g., “A glowing compass that points to lost memories”).

• Who might have left this artifact in the backpack?

• What might happen if someone used it?

• How could it cause trouble—or help solve a mystery?

2️⃣ (5 min) Break into small groups and build the story on the story timeline, where do we want to place each item? One object per category below. Each breakout group has their own timeline.

• The Setting

• A Strange Event

• A Major Twist

• A Resolution

3️⃣ (5 min) Share around the campfire, have each group nominate a storyteller to share their tale back to the larger group.

Pro Tips!

⏰ This template is set up for a 15-minute runtime as a warm-up, but you can make it a bit longer if you like for a deeper activity!

⚙️ Customize for different numbers of participants. This template is currently set up for 4 small groups but you could do less or more groups.

🔒 Remember to lock everything on your board except the sticky notes and the dots! And don't forget to bring your dots to the front before voting.

💜 Want to learn more methods, activities, and approaches? Reach out to Rachel HERE 💜