• Different size empty boxes (cereal box, cracker box, cake mix box, etc.)
• A roll of plain wrapping paper
• Rice or another material to fill the empty boxes
• Tape and scissors, including left-handed scissors

• Fill the boxes so they rattle when shaken.
• Seal the boxes with tape and then cover them with plain wrapping paper.

Set out the wrapped boxes on a table or in the center of the circle of participants. Invite volunteers to take a box and examine it in order to determine what is inside-without opening it.

After several participants guess what a box holds, ask them explain how they determined what was inside the box:

• What senses did you use to come up with your answer?
• Without actually experiencing what is inside, how did you make this determination?

Open the boxes, or invite participants to do so. Compare the real contents with the guesses. Encourage reflection with questions such as:

• How close were you to the truth? Why or why not?
• What does this exercise tell us about making assumptions?
• How do we know what is inside a person when we are guessing based upon their appearance or what we may hear?
• How can we get others to open up to us so that we may discover what inside them?

If one or more participants cannot lift and shake a box, select one person to be the designated examiner. If any participants are visually impaired, you might have someone announce the findings inside the box or allow the participant to stick a hand inside the box in order to discover what is inside.