This exercise is a variation of “Kim’s game,” the name of which is
derived from the Rudyard Kipling novel Kim, and from the phrase
“keep in memory.” In Kipling’s book , the hero, Kimball O’Hara,
trains to be a spy by playing this game. The game has been adopted
by the military for use in training snipers and sharpening their
observational and memory skills. The instructor should take 10 or
15 items (such as pens, cups, ribbons), spread them on a table or
large desk and cover them with a blanket or a sheet. The instructor
removes the sheet and gives the class a certain amount of time to
study the items but without writing anything down. The items are
then covered back up, and the students attempt to make a list of all
the items, describing their appearance (length, color, etc.), evaluating their condition (new, stained, dented, etc.) and identifying them
by name. An acceptable set of answers would describe one item as
a black, cylindrical object in good condition that is approximately
3 inches tall apparently made of ceramic with an open top and a
handle while also identifying it as a coffee mug. If your classroom
has a projector, this game can be played by showing slides either of
actual landscape scenes or of a collection of objects. Variations can
be introduced by changing the amount of time allowed for observation, introducing distractions or extending the time between observation and recording.