Pandora’s Box

Purpose: In discussing the effects that a certain drug will have on the body, many times we focus on 1 or 2 of the most pronounced effects; such as lung cancer with tobacco and hallucinations with LSD. In having a narrow focus, we sometimes forget about the many of the other effects that each drug may pose on the body. Some effects may be more noticeable than others, but when you start putting them together they have a tremendous overall effect on the body. Since each person reacts differently to certain drugs, we can’t predict for sure which effect will be most prominent in an individual. This activity will simulate the cumulative effects drugs may have on an individual’s capacity to perform specific tasks.

Materials:

1. 1 spoon for each team

2. 2 tennis balls for each team

3. 1 book for each team

4. Masking tape

Activity: Place masking tape on the floor to identify the starting point and the turn around line. The distance between the 2 lines should be about 15 feet. Divide group participants into teams of 5. Have group participants line up in a single line behind the starting point. This activity will run as a relay race. The round is not over until every team has completely finished. There are 4 rounds to the race. Have the teams stop after each round and you will give them further instructions. If someone drops an object during the race, they must return to the masking tape line they just left and start again.

· Round 1: Have them race with a book balanced on top of their head.

· Round 2: Have them race with a tennis ball between their knees.

· Round 3: Have them race while holding a tennis ball balanced on a spoon.

· Round 4: Have them race while doing all 3 actions at the same time. In this round each person will have a book on their head, a tennis ball between their knees, and be holding a tennis ball on a spoon.

Page 2 Pandora’s Box

Processing:

1. How hard was it to race with the book on your head?

2. How hard was it to race with the tennis ball between your knees?

3. How hard was it to race with the tennis ball on the spoon?

4. How hard was it to race with all 3 things at once?

5. Which one was the hardest one for you to do?

6. Was it the same for each person?

7. Do drugs have just one effect on our body? Explain.

8. Are all effects equal on our bodies? Explain.

9. Does everyone have the same effect from a drug? Why or why not?

10. Can we predict what effect a drug will have on each person? Why or why not?

11. What can this activity tell us about drugs and our bodies?

12. What message can this activity give us about why we should avoid drug use?

13. If the use of a single drug is harmful to us, what would using two or more drugs at once do to us?

Resource: More Activities that Teach, Tom Jackson