Once I have all of these items ready, I fill every two eggs with exactly the same items. At the first class, I pass out the eggs and then tell the class to meet the person with the egg that has the same item as their own. Even in the most fearful and shy class, things get going when they look for their match. They are also instructed to sit with their match and find out their name, where they are from, and something interesting about them. Students usually shake their eggs, decide what it sounds like and then listen to other eggs to find the same sound.
Most students find their mates.
Those who do not lend much comic relief when the eggs are opened to find, for instance, that a nail and a penny are matched. Gives students the right to talk to each other in the class. Alleviates the professor's job of getting students to meet each other. Turns into a creative thinking game in a discussion of how they knew what was in their egg. Gets students listening instead of using the visual medium.