Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: cf98ded3441545e2c2a9f602beb1a59b1af21476ae92f1f3c42b31af2063b45a

# Polar Bears and Ice Holes

Participants inspect three rolled dice each round and try to deduce the hidden rule that determines the count of polar bears and ice holes.

**Time:** 15 minutes. Playmeo lists 10 to 15 minutes; 15 minutes fits introduction, multiple rolls, and a brief discussion.
**People:** 4 to 24. Whole group observing a central surface or screen.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Test observation, hypothesis testing, and pattern recognition without giving away the solution to peers who have not solved it yet.
**Use it when:** Use as a light focus reset or problem-solving energizer when a group needs to practice testing hypotheses through observation.
**Skip it when:** Skip if the group finds number puzzles frustrating or when a fully transparent, cooperative task is required without secret rules.

## Materials and tools

- Three standard six-sided dice with dot pips
- Flat rolling tray or table clearly visible to all participants
- One whiteboard, flipchart, or shared screen to log roll results
- One dry-erase marker

## Before participants arrive

1. Set a rolling tray on a central table visible to the entire group.
2. Draw two columns on the whiteboard labeled 'Ice Holes' and 'Polar Bears'.
3. Review the secret rule: only odd faces (1, 3, 5) have a center pip (an ice hole). Dots surrounding that center pip are polar bears (3 has 2 bears, 5 has 4 bears, 1 has 0 bears). Even faces (2, 4, 6) have no center dot, so in the traditional variant they have 0 ice holes, while this specific source clarifies that a 6 provides 6 bears and 0 ice holes, and 2 or 4 have 0 ice holes.

## Say this to open

I will roll these three dice. After each roll, I will announce how many ice holes and how many polar bears appear. Your job is to observe the pattern and deduce the rule. If you figure out the rule, do not shout it out. Instead, test your hypothesis by predicting the counts on the next roll.

## How to run it

### 1. Introduce the puzzle (2 minutes)

Explain the goal and the silence rule. Participants must observe each roll and try to deduce how the counts are calculated. Emphasize that anyone who cracks the code must keep the secret so others can experience the deduction.

### 2. Roll and reveal counts (4 minutes)

Roll the three dice in the central tray. Announce the dice faces, then state the correct number of ice holes and polar bears according to the rule. For example, if you roll 3, 5, and 2, announce: 'Two ice holes and six polar bears.' Record the dice values and counts on the whiteboard. Repeat for three to four rolls without asking for guesses yet.

### 3. Invite participant predictions (6 minutes)

Roll the dice again. Before giving the official counts, ask anyone who thinks they know the rule to state their prediction for ice holes and polar bears. Confirm whether the prediction is correct or incorrect. Continue rolling and testing predictions until most participants can correctly state the numbers.

### 4. Reveal the logic and debrief (3 minutes)

Ask a participant who solved the puzzle early to explain the visual metaphor. Confirm the full rule so no one leaves confused. Ask two selected debrief questions about how people tested and revised their assumptions.


## Debrief questions

- What initial assumptions did you make that turned out to be false?
- What specific roll or piece of evidence helped you shift your thinking?
- How did holding back the answer help or challenge the group dynamic?

**Finished output:** The entire group uncovers the geometric rule behind the dice puzzle.

## Remote

Roll three physical dice on a clear document camera or use an online three-dice roller visible via screen share. Record each roll and the official counts in the shared chat or on a digital whiteboard. Have participants submit predictions via private chat to the facilitator to prevent spoiling the puzzle for others.

## Hybrid

Position a webcam directly over the dice tray so remote participants see the faces simultaneously with in-person participants. In-person participants speak predictions aloud while remote participants type them into the chat. The facilitator alternates calling on in-person and online participants.

## Access and participation choices

- Announce the numeric face values and pip layouts aloud on each roll for participants with visual impairments.
- Allow participants to observe passively or submit guesses privately without being required to speak aloud.

## If the session gets stuck

**A participant blurts out the explanation immediately after guessing it.**

Remind the room that the game is about testing hypotheses, thank them, and ask the remaining participants to describe how the rule applies to the next fresh roll.

**The group gets stuck after several rolls and shows signs of frustration.**

Offer a subtle visual hint such as, 'Look at the center of each die face,' or point out why a 1 has an ice hole but no bears.


## Terms used here

- Pip: A dot on the face of a standard playing die.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Playmeo Activity Database, posted by Mark Collard. The activity is a classic folk brain teaser traditionally known as 'Petals Around the Rose' or 'Polar Bears Around the Ice Hole'.

Retained the traditional dice puzzle mechanic and specific scoring rules cited in Playmeo's documentation (including the author's note that 6 counts as 6 bears and 0 ice holes, while 1, 3, and 5 contain ice holes). Added structured facilitator timing, debrief prompts, private-chat remote protocols, and accessibility accommodations.

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/fun-team-building-puzzles/polar-bears-ice-holes/)

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/fun-team-building-puzzles/polar-bears-ice-holes)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/fun-brain-teaser-game-challenges-logic-polar-bears-ice-holes/