open space in the room.
8. Start calling out instructions: “Simon says make a budget,” “Simon says celebrate a business opening,” etc.
9. As people are unable to join a group, ask them to sit down.
When there are a few people left, declare game over and have participants sit down.
American Idol—Money Songs Edition15
(see Tool #2)
Materials Needed: American Idol Money Songs Edition Worksheet (can be found in tools section of this document); a couple of toy microphones are optional.
About the Energizer: In teams, participants try to come up with as many songs relating to money as they can. After a brief brainstorming period, they compete with each other to see who is standing after a few rounds of singing.
1. Organize participants into teams. Try to have no more than four or five teams.
2. Give the teams 1–2 minutes to brainstorm lists of songs about money.
3. Instruct the teams to keep their brainstorming to a whisper because they don’t want the other teams to hear them. Instruct them to use the worksheet to document their ideas.
4. Using the round robin technique, go around the room asking each team to sing a part of one of the songs it has listed. Tell participants that if another team has already performed a song on their list, they cannot use it UNLESS they sang it incorrectly—words or tune.
5. The winning group is the last group singing. (Note: If after four times around there is still more than one group standing, have them share their lists and the group with the most remaining songs wins.)
Last Revised: January 2010
For more information, please contact the Assets for Independence Resource Center
Telephone: 1-866-778-6037 Email: email@example.com
1 Your Values, Your Choices, Your Money: Facilitator’s Guide, by Inger Giuffrida and Rita Bowen for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans®, 2006.
3 Adapted from Finding Paths to Prosperity: Facilitator Guide Session 1, by Inger Giuffrida and Peter Genuardi, 2001.
4 Adapted from Finding Paths to Prosperity: Facilitator Guide Training Appendix, by Inger Giuffrida and Peter Genuardi, 2001.
5 Marooned—Who Would You Take With You? Deb Peterson, About.com
6 Adapted from Finding Paths to Prosperity: Facilitator Guide Training Appendix, by Inger Giuffrida and Peter Genuardi, 2001.
9 Adapted from Finding Paths to Prosperity: Facilitator Guide Training Session 1, by Inger Giuffrida and Peter Genuardi, 2001.
10 Developed by Inger Giuffrida for the IDA Training Institute. The Assets Alliance. 2004.
11 Adapted from Finding Paths to Prosperity: Facilitator Guide Training Session 7, by Inger Giuffrida and Peter Genuardi, 2001.
12 Developed by Inger Giuffrida for the IDA Training Institute. The Assets Alliance. 2004.
13 Adapted by Inger Giuffrida from exercise created by Vickie Oldman John.
14 Adapted by Inger Giuffrida from exercise outlined in Building Native Communities Appendix.
15 Developed by Inger Giuffrida for Making Financial Education Effective and Engaging: A Training for Facilitators. The Assets Alliance, 2006.