SOURCE: /mnt/d/GoogleDrive/Cercetasi/carti-camp-jocuri/101 Ways to Create an Unforgettable Camp Experience.pdf
CONVERTED: 2025-01-11
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Special Places 1

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
SPECIAL PLACES
1. CREATING A MEMORABLE CAMP .......................................... 2
2. POOH’S CORNER .......................................................... 4
3. MYSTERY TRIP ............................................................ 5
4. THE TWILIGHT CAFE ...................................................... 6
5. SECRET STONES ........................................................... 7
6. LETTING GO .............................................................. 8
7. FAIRY VILLAGE ........................................................... 9
8. WISHING AREA .......................................................... 10
DECORATIONS
9. STAFF LANTERNS ........................................................ 12
10. LUMINARIA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
11. BALLOONS .............................................................. 14
12. DECORATING YOUR SPACE ............................................... 15
13. PICTURES AROUND CAMP ................................................ 16
14. CAMP PLAQUES .......................................................... 17
CEREMONIES
15. A SPECIAL CEREMONY ................................................... 19
16. CREATING A FRATERNITY ................................................ 20
17. GRADUATION FROM CAMP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
18. LIT PROGRAM ‘GRADUATION’ ............................................ 23
19. LAST NIGHT CEREMONY ................................................. 24
20. WATERBUGS and DRAGONFLIES .......................................... 25
21. INDIAN TRADITION ...................................................... 27
22. A BIRTHDAY CHOICE ..................................................... 28
23. SAYING GOODBYE ....................................................... 29
24. BURNING PHOENIX ...................................................... 30
25. R.I.P. MEAN WORDS ...................................................... 31
MEALS
26. THEME MEALS ........................................................... 33
27. EXCLUSIVE CLUB ........................................................ 34
28. FORMAL DINNERS ....................................................... 35
29. ETIQUETTE DINNER ...................................................... 36
EVENTS AND CAMP WIDE GAMES
30. PIRATE’S GROG .......................................................... 38
31. LUAU AT THE POOL ...................................................... 39
32. A NIGHT AT THE OSCARS ................................................. 40
33. WALK THE PLANK ....................................................... 41

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34. HAUNTED HOUSE ........................................................ 42
35. PIRATE HUNT ............................................................ 43
36. GLOW IN THE DARK CAPTURE THE FLAG ................................. 44
37. STALK THE LANTERN .................................................... 45
38. INTERNATIONAL EVENT ................................................. 46
39. HUMANS vs. ZOMBIES .................................................... 47
40. CAMPER SNEAK ......................................................... 48
41. GLOW IN THE DARK EGG HUNT .......................................... 49
42. LETTER TO MYSELF ...................................................... 50
43. CELEBRATING HP ........................................................ 51
44. FULL MOON MADNESS ................................................... 52
45. A MEMORABLE CAPTURE THE FLAG VARIATION .......................... 53
46. CHAOS VS. CONTROL .................................................... 55
47. HUMAN CLUE ........................................................... 56
48. MUD DAY EVENT ......................................................... 58
49. TAKESHI’S CHALLENGE .................................................. 59
50. STAFF vs. STAFF PLAY-OFF ................................................ 60
51. CHRISTMAS IN JULY ...................................................... 61
52. FOOD NETWORK COMPETITION DAY ..................................... 62
ONGOING COMPETITIONS AND CHALLENGES
53. CAMP CHALLENGES ..................................................... 64
54. SUMMER LONG CAPTURE THE FLAG ...................................... 65
55. BOOK OF RECORDS ....................................................... 66
56. GAME SHOW WEEK ...................................................... 67
57. CAMP SPIRIT ............................................................. 71
58. COLOR WAR ............................................................. 72
59. THE BEAN CUP ........................................................... 73
60. GOLDEN ................................................................. 74
61. WHO COULD IT BE? ...................................................... 75
62. STAFF SURVIVOR ......................................................... 76
JUST FOR STAFF
63. PIE MAFIA ............................................................... 79
64. STAFF “FIRST AID SUPPLIES” .............................................. 80
65. STAFF APPRECIATION .................................................... 81
66. THE STAFF ENCOURAGEMENT GNOME ................................... 82
67. STAFF BOOSTERS ......................................................... 83
68. POCKET PATCH .......................................................... 84
69. CAMP NAMES and CEREMONY ............................................ 85
OTHER
70. POLAR BEAR SWIM ....................................................... 88
71. TELL ME ABOUT YOU ..................................................... 89
72. THEMED TRAILS ......................................................... 90
73. MAKE UP YOUR OWN (MUYO) ............................................ 92
74. MILESTONE AWARDS AT CAMP ........................................... 93
75. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................... 94
76. CAMPER RECOGNITION .................................................. 95
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77. TRADING POST COINS .................................................... 96
78. SHARING STORIES OF THE IMPACT OF CAMP .............................. 97
79. GO GET THE SHERIFF ..................................................... 98
80. COMMUNITY HELP ....................................................... 99
81. KITCHEN RAIDS ......................................................... 100
82. FAIRY TALE NIGHT ...................................................... 101
83. TIME CAPSULE .......................................................... 102
84. MAIL NINJAS ........................................................... 103
85. CAMP BUDDIES ......................................................... 104
86. BUTTON TRADING ...................................................... 105
87. MAGICAL MOMENTS .................................................... 107
88. CAMPER ROUNDTABLE ................................................. 108
89. ULTIMATES ............................................................. 109
90. MAJORS and MINORS .................................................... 111
91. THE BIG BOARD ......................................................... 112
92. GETTIN’ ‘EM ON THE DANCE FLOOR ..................................... 113
93. GOAL BRACELETS ....................................................... 114
94. THE CAMP MONSTER ................................................... 115
95. CHOICES and CHALLENGES ............................................. 117
96. BOX FORTS .............................................................. 118
97. CABIN AND ME TIME .................................................... 119
98. WHAT EVERY BOY AND GIRL SHOULD KNOW ............................ 120
99. CAMP DVD ............................................................. 121
100. CAMP PODCAST .................................................... 122
101. THE PROGRAM TEAM ............................................... 123

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P1ART
SPECIAL PLACES
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CREATING A MEMORABLE CAMP
Creating a memorable and magical place can happen in many ways at camp. While much of this
can happen spontaneously in relational moments with staff and other campers, there is some
director control in order to help create an environment that fosters that sense of wonder and
excitement.
The things that can be controlled breakdown into four parts:
1. Create amazing programs, activities and experiences that are developed in such a way
so that they are unique and fun, not a generic, cookie-cutter experience
2. Provide opportunities to grow and develop physically, mentally and spiritually
3. Using your facility and services to create special moments
4. Putting together a team of staff that are committed to making it all happen.
You are limited only by your imagination and creativity. The internet is a wonderful resource,
but try to draw on past experiences and programs, books and the library as well, as they also
house some awesome resources.
For planning an amazing event, there are two things that need to be worked out:
1. A detailed plan, including all components and how it is to be executed (Think Big! and
include as many little details (i.e. costumes, theme, etc.) as possible)
2. Ensure that staff are provided full details on running the program and that you have
enough staff to ensure the event is run properly and safely
THEMES
Following a theme is always a great thought, but when you take the theme to the extreme, it
makes it all the more fun. For example, with a pirate theme you could create a theme meal
around pirate food, build and race cardboard and duct tape boats between cabins (trust me I’ve
done this and it always goes over well), design a treasure hunt etc.
These things are good and all tie into the theme, but what about having staff dress up in costume
and make-up to bring real life character to the theme, create props and scenery that bring a cer-
tain amount of reality to it?
It’s when you look at the details and try to bring them to life that really bring the sense of mak-
ing a camp experience magical.
DAILY PROGRAM
With regards to daily program, the sense of magic can always be created as well. For example,
in archery, kids will learn to shoot and have a good time, but what about having a staff member
dress up as Robin Hood to teach it? Or during a high ropes activity, create a purpose, a reason for
completing the challenge. Sometimes it’s all too easy to placate ourselves and fall into running
program that is rigid and repetitive.
Create, explore and imagine everything to be bigger and better.
STAFF
Most importantly, no amount of planning or creation will create wonder if you don’t have the
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right staff to run the program and help create the experience for a camper. Staff will often make
or break the success of an activity or program.
Over the years of working in various programs in a variety of roles, I’ve worked with staff that
are incredibly committed and passionate to making camp an amazing place and staff that are
there for the paycheck. Whenever possible, try to find staff that share a passion for making camp
a magical place to be.
Easier said than done, though. I think the best way would be through your recruiting process.
You could ask applicants something to the effect of, “If you were to come to camp in a staff po-
sition this summer, how would you make Camp ______ a more magical place to be?”, either as
perhaps an essay question on the application or as an interview question.
You could also work this into staff training by engaging staff in opportunities to run mock pro-
grams and role play.
These are all just suggestions, but really at the end of the day, camp is a memorable place all on
it’s own. The moments shared, the activities played, on their own create a sense of the magical.
I’ve had campers and staff walk away changed, and I’ve walked away changed at the end of a
session, and that is really what motivates me most.
To see kids be kids, to connect with other kids and staff in community and to see them achieve
what they thought couldn’t be done, and to grow as individuals. I still carry many fond mem-
ories from my years as camper, counselor and director, and wouldn’t trade any of those experi-
ences for the world.
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POOH’S CORNER
We have a small hike along the lake our camp is on. We tell the youngest campers they are going
to Pooh’s house. Along the way they get to stop at Piglet’s house and go inside (it’s a tree that
a neighbor hollowed out and put a latter in so you could see out the top). When they get to the
end of the hike there is a table made out of rocks and a few seats. Pooh, though is always busy,
but he leaves a note explaining his absence along with some snacks.
Instead of Pooh’s Corner you could set up areas, or scenes, from other books:
• Tea Time with Alice in Wonderland
• The Giving Tree
• Dr Seuss’ Secret Hideaway
• The New Order of the Phoenix Hideout
• The Magic Tree
• Where the Wild Things Are
• Where the Moose makes his muffins
• The cabin of the Three Bears that Goldilocks visited
• The Bridge to Terabithia
• The Shire
• Grandma’s Cabin that Red-Riding Hood visits
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MYSTERY TRIP
Our camp is a traveling summer camp, which means we take a field trip every day. While that
sounds exciting, the campers (and staff) begin to get a little bit jaded towards the end of the
summer after visiting the same places again and again.
A while back we instituted a Mystery Trip. The trip is towards the end of the week, which en-
ables me to give out clues in the days leading up to the trip.
For example, the older group’s Mystery Trip was going to this really cool movie theater / restau-
rant. Their first clue was a chicken (I had pre-ordered chicken fingers and French fries for ev-
eryone). The second clue had something to do with a couch potato. You could also have them
complete a daily challenge to get their clue.
No one in the entire camp knew where the Mystery Trips were to. The campers and counselors
had all sorts of crazy ideas and theories, even going as far as to predict what their next clue
would be, and what it could mean.
By mid-week, everyone was very excited about the clues, their guesses and the whole mystery
idea. Parents were even stopping me in the hallway to ask questions and were shocked when I
wouldn’t tell them!
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THE TWILIGHT CAFE
At the end of each evening of our daily summer “Twilight Camp”, the staff and campers sit and
enjoy The Twilight Café; a circle of friends enjoying their choices of (and inventions of) a variety
of hot drinks and reviewing their time together that day.
The campers are invited to bring along their own favorite cup/mug while the counselors heat
water for the drink mixes. Drink mixes include the usual, as well as all colors of Jello, herbal teas,
and occasionally whipped cream and sprinkles.
It’s a calming end to what may have been a sweaty beach hike or intense game of forest cap-
ture-the-flag, and it brings the group together to reflect on their camp experience before parents
arrive for pick up.
This age group (11-13) really enjoys the “grown up-ness” of the café after being loud and goofy
at camp.
If you want to create your own Twilight Cafe Here are some suggestions:
• Find a spot that is comfortable and away from the rest of camp.
• Create some comfortable seating using a combination of things like couches, oversized
chairs, cushions, a rug, coffee tables, etc. Of course, just some regular chairs and tables
will do the trick as well.
• Put on some calming music at a low volume.
• Have hot water available.
• Provide a variety of teas and hot cocoa.
• Consider have light snacks or fruit available.
• Each day you could have a special juice or smoothie available. If so, have a blender or
two ready.
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SECRET STONES
At one camp there is a tradition that the last week of each session, all campers are lead to Skull
Rock by the Site Director (no one knows how it got its name, it’s a large rock in the middle of a
large wooded area in camp). The kids love this, as it is the only time they are taken to the rock
and they really look forward to going.
At another camp there is a huge rock that has a flat surface on top. The surface is large enough
to seat 20 campers. It’s called Storybook Rock. Counselors take their groups to the rock and tell,
or read, a story of their choosing. Stories range from camp lore to Native American parables.
At yet another camp, there is a place that looks like a bunch of boulders had been stacked togeth-
er. It’s a wonderful place for kids to climb around and on top of. Counselors take their groups
to this special spot for devotions and serious talks about life. Groups get to visit only once per
session.
Is there a huge rock or boulder around your camp that can be a special place for groups to visit?
If so, create a story around it. Take group pictures there. Create a box that houses a binder where
campers who visit can leave their names and thoughts in. Hide a toy or action figure somewhere
in the cracks for a camper to discover. you can do all sorts of neat things at a place like this.
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LETTING GO
Nearly everyone has a burden of some sort. It could be big or it could be small. Some are good
and some are not. The burden of motherhood can be a wonderful thing. The burden of friend-
ship as well. However, the burden of keeping a dark secret or the burden of jealousy are not
things we want in our life. The burden of living up to our parent’s expectations or the guilt of
wronging someone in our life are other examples of burdens we don’t want.
One way to unburden our lives is by sharing that problem with someone else. Camp is a place
where a camper or staff person might be able to do that. If you speak to your group of campers
about what a burden is and how we can cope with burdens you could be changing lives.
But sometimes we just cannot bring ourselves to share our burdens with others. That’s where
the following idea comes in. It’s an idea that comes from a very special camp in California.
Away from camp a fair distance, an old tree has been made into a monument by older campers.
It is decorated with branches and flowers the first day. It has a poem on it that says “our lives are
filled with joy and pain. Our share of sun our share of rain” and goes on to invite them to leave
a stone representing a burden that they are ready to let go of.
If you had the campers and counselors carry a decent sized rock from a good distance over to the
tree it would be a great metaphor for the burdens we carry and how we want to get rid of them
because they can be too heavy for us over time.
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FAIRY VILLAGE
At my camp there is a place in the woods (still on camp property but hard to find) that is off the
trail. It’s a fairy village that is 5 summers in the making.
Currently there are 32 fairy houses. They all look different and are made from different materi-
als. Each one has a story, though. Every summer the camp staff is given the opportunity to create
a fairy house and add it to the village. Obviously, not everyone is going to participate in building
this fairy community we have going. However, those that do really seem to get into it.
Counselors love to take their groups to see the village. We ask any staff that want to visit the vil-
lage with their group to take a special route, instead of a direct route, so that the campers cannot
find the village on their own. Once they are at the village the counselors talk about how the fair-
ies are out exploring during the day, which is why we don’t see any, or perhaps it’s because they
can hear us coming and they choose to hide. Nobody really knows. The campers, especially the
younger ones, are usually in awe. Each week we get campers begging to visit the fairy village.
We are considering allowing our oldest campers (high school) and/or CITs the chance to create
a fairy house.
The houses are created with rocks, sticks, leaves, pine cones, brush, shells, acorns, and anything
else that can be found in nature. Glue is used to keep everything together if needed. We want
the houses to last a very long time. Some staff have created shops as well, like the “Wing Repair”
shop, “Pixie Dust” shop, grocery store, general store, and others.
Other materials, besides what nature provides, has been used in the creation of the houses and
shops as well, including mason jars, bird houses from a craft store, yarn, string, wire, fake moss,
spray paint, doll furniture, sequins, ghourds, Legos, and even a fake pumpkin.
We have a fairy village scrapbook. Each page has a picture of the fairy house (or shop) along side
a picture of the staff person who created it. We also write in the year it was created.
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WISHING AREA
Our camp used to have a working well many years ago. Well before I got here. After the origi-
nal owners stopped using it staff turned it into a “wishing well”. Campers and staff would toss
coins in the well and make a wish.
Years late the wishing well was removed by new owners of the camp. They hadn’t realized what
they’d done until the summer came around and staff and campers were outraged. This long
standing tradition had been destroyed.
The new owners got together with some of the staff to brainstorm a solution. They decided to
use an area where there was a little waterfall that fell into the beginning of a creek. It already had
the legend of being a magical place. So they decided to play on that lore and create a “whshing
area”.
That is not the story we tell the campers, of course. Only a few of the leadership staff know the
trued story above. Instead we have a long story about how the area became a magical place that
had the power to grant wishes to those who have a pure heart. The wishes cannot be self serving
and those wanting to make a wish must find the perfect stone to toss into the waterfall.
The story about how it became magical is a camp secret so I cannot share it here. However, any
camp can find there own “wishing area”. Find a spot that is secluded and has a magical feel to it.
Then create a legend for the area, a magical history. After that decided on a special way campers
must make their wish. We use rocks, but it can be just about anything.
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P2ART
DECORATIONS
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STAFF LANTERNS
Every Thursday night, we have a traditional all-camp campfire with inspirational stories, a few
of our beloved slow-paced campfire songs, (complete with guitar accompaniment) and a telling
of the history and legends specific to our camp.
During this night, we also have lanterns lit across the stage of the campfire area. Each staff
member makes a lantern at the beginning of the summer, and each Thursday night, they are
illuminated with a candle. At the end of the campfire, the entire staff comes on the main stage,
sings a song, and units are dismissed one at a time. The staff members who live in the dismissed
unit pick up their lanterns, gather their campers, and lead the way back to the unit by the light
of the lantern.
We introduce the idea of the lanterns with an all-staff campfire during staff training which mim-
ics the real thing. The leadership staff has their lanterns made and lined up around the stage,
and the campfire functions as if the leadership staff was the camp staff, and the camp staff was
the campers. The next day during staff training, we plan time for the rest of the staff to make
their lanterns.
Making the Lanterns
Several years ago, we built a greenhouse made of recycled 2-liter soda bottles, and we find piles
of leftover bottles everywhere. Our lanterns are made from the 2-liter soda bottles.
Supplies:
• 2-liter soda bottles
• Tissue paper
• Glue
• Exacto knife
• Whole punch
• Wire
Instructions:
1. Remove any labels on the bottles.
2. Cut off the top 1/3 off the two-liter soda bottle with the exacto knife, and set aside.
3. Hole-punch two holes at the top of the bottle across from each other (the holes are for
stringing a wire handle through later).
4. Pour some Elmer’s glue in a bowl and add some water (for a cup of glue add a little
less then 1/8 cup of water). The glue should be just a little thinner than normal.
5. Use this glue mixture to paste tissue paper (cut it, rip it, anything you want) on the
outside of the bottle to decorate.
6. When the glue dries, attach the wire through the holes to make a handle.
Optional: The top of the bottle can be placed inside the bottom, upside down. This creates a sort
of platform in the middle of the bottle to keep the candle from being on the very bottom of the
bottle. It also makes the lantern double-layered, and a little sturdier. The downside of this op-
tional adjustment: the curved surface of the top of the bottle can be difficult to place a candle on.
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LUMINARIA
On the last night of each session, we create a path to the campfire with paper lanterns made
of paper bags and tea lights. It is really beautiful and creates a really great energy because the
campers know that something special is happening.
Make sure that you add some pebbles or dirt to the bottom of each paper bag so it doesn’t blow
away.
As an example of what it can look like here is a photo from www.party-ideas-by-a-pro.com.
You can place the bags a foot apart or four feet apart. It all depends on the look you want and
how many you can make and place. fake tea lights are safe and can be used over and over. I find
that the best places to purchase them are at a dollar store, Target, WalMart, or Amazon.com.
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BALLOONS
A quick and easy way to create a festive and fun environment is with the use of balloons. Many
times we use a few balloons to highlight things like the registration table or a birthday. We can
do so much more than that with balloons.
We try to have balloons lining our road into camp at least 2x week. If we have a dress up day,
like for the Orioles, we’ll post Black and Orange balloons. Israel Day gets Blue and White ones.
Color war- well, that’s obvious. They just lend to a fun atmosphere. Instead of getting the small
helium tank from a party store, find out who in your area supply’s oxygen. It is worth it for the
festive atmosphere.
The more there are, or the bigger they are, the better. Check Google or Pinterest for some great
ideas on decorating with balloons. Here are a few ideas:
• Arches
• Dining room tables
• Tie into flowers and put in vases
• Tie into animals
• Make designs using chicken wire
• Match color to theme
• Balloon columns
• Combine with streamers
• Combine with glow sticks
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DECORATING YOUR SPACE
A day or two before camp begins, the counselors come to camp and decorate their space. This
can be their cabin, their room, their area of the gym, etc.
They pick a bunk/room/area name that corresponds with our theme and they decorate the
walls and door from top to bottom accordingly. (They pretty much make all of their decorations
with bulletin board paper, so it costs next to nothing.) When the campers walk in on the first day,
the decorations sweep them right into the camp spirit.
It’s nice to have the office staff decorate the office, the kitchen staff decorate the dining hall, the
specialty staff decorate their activity areas, etc. Decorations all over camp add to the magic of
camp. Don’t forget that there are other things that can be decorated, including the camp vans,
the campfire area, the front of camp, the maintenance shed, the Gaga Pit, the sailboats, the camp
store, etc.
You can use:
• bulletin board paper
• butcher paper
• poster board
• streamers
• balloons
• fabric
• shower curtains
• cardboard
• ribbon
• bows
• netting
• fake vines, etc.
Dollar stores and thrift shops are great places to find inexpensive decorating items.
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PICTURES AROUND CAMP
Something we found to be fun and memorable was posting different types of posters around
camp. The posters change pretty often and there is a variety of them. The campers and staff get
a kick out of them and often have suggestions for others. Here are some that we have done.
WANTED POSTERS
We’ll take pictures of a staff members in western clothes and create Wanted Posters. One may
say “Wanted Dead or Alive $1,000,000 bounty”, and another may say, “Wanted Dead or Alive
$.25 bounty”. The campers think it’s so funny that one of the staff members has a bounty of a
quarter out for them.
FOUND POSTERS
We saw a found poster of a velociraptor. It was very funny. So, we decided to play off that and
create found posters of other things from movies like:
• Buttercup - Prim’s cat from the Hunger Games
• Boo - the little girl from Monster’s Inc.
• Nemo - from Finding Nemo
• A pair of goggles that came from a Minion - from Despicable Me
• Ruby Slippers - from Wizard of Oz
• Captain America’s shield
• R2-D2 - from Star Wars
MISSING (LOST) POSTERS
We also put up missing posters. We saw a “Lost Ring” poster (Lord of the Rings) that inspired
us to make our own.
• Camp Mascot which is a stuffed animal
• Waldo - from Where’s Waldo
• Record player for the camp dance
• Invisible Jet - Wonder Woman
BULLETIN BOARD ADS
These are the posters that have the little strips of pa-
per you can pull off. Again, we got inspiration from
Pinterest and Google Images.
• FREE Compliments - each strip of paper
had a compliment
• FREE Strips of paper - nothing was on the
strips
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CAMP PLAQUES
I firmly believe in camp traditions. One of the many I started was after seeing this done at my
first camp. We created camp plaques. Each session, every cabin group was given a 4 in circle
or square to create a plaque decorated anyway they would like. It had to say year, session, and
cabin (i.e. 2014, A2, Session 2). We then attached them around the Dining Hall wall and rafters.
After I left 10 years later, the walls were covered with memories. Staff, campers and alumni were
always looking for theirs. Something so simple allowed people to leave their mark in a place
they care about.
There are other sizes and shapes of plaques that can be used for the same purpose.
Some camps use canoe paddles.
And, yet, other camps use t-shirts.
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P3ART
CEREMONIES
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A SPECIAL CEREMONY
This is a good one to do with staff or your oldest campers (CIT, Teen Leaders, or whatever you
call them at camp…). It does take a bit of preparation but it’s totally cool!
Set-up:
• Depending on the number of people you’ll need a handful of GLOW STICKS, any
color works.
• Being very, very careful, cut open the glow sticks. You don’t want to disrupt the glass
tube in the middle (yet).
• Pour the liquid from your open glow sticks into a container. WASH YOUR HANDS
• Now break open the glass tubes from the middle of the glow sticks.
• Pour the liquid into another container. WASH YOUR HANDS
• Be very careful not to contaminate either of the containers with the liquid, otherwise
they will start to glow too soon.
Activity:
Works best at night, but any dark space will work
• Have your staff/campers stand in a circle or make two lines facing a partner.
• With your two containers you want one partner to put a finger (or two) in one of the
solutions while the other person dips into the other (or every other person if standing
in a circle).
• Then give a special speech on the power of working together – there are many of
them out there, you pick which one works best for your camp. I always end with “that
by ourselves we can accomplish a lot… now touch your partner’s fingers (and they
should glow)…but together we can accomplish so much more”.
Adapt to fit your ceremony. It’s really neat and if they have never done it before they are blown
away by it. Do remind them to wash their hands and not to get it on clothes. It’ll stain clothes
and it’s probably not good to eat! A little does go a long ways. With a staff of 30 I used about 4
glow sticks.
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CREATING A FRATERNITY
One of the most moving things I have ever seen at camp, is a brotherhood through building a
Fraternity based on motivation, mutual respect and support for one another. The teens were ex-
tremely into the idea, and they were able to overcome fears and build friendships with the help
of this brotherhood.
On the first night, a ceremony was held inside a dark cabin, where the Fraternity expectations
were laid out by the counselors. At a table that was lit with only candles, the boys were asked
to sign a pact.
Every one was given a strip of a bandana, which was tied around the wrist to signify their mem-
bership. (Each person possessing a bandana piece signified being a part of something larger
than themselves.)
Throughout the week, the boys were reminded to live up to the pact. (Being a “Gentleman” was
also emphasized, if the boys were to impress the girls and ask them to the dance at the end of
the week!)
Every night before bed, the Fraternity met to review the day. A focus question was posed each
night; examples included “What is something you did today that you had not done before?” and
“Thank some one in the room for something they have helped you do this week.” During these
review sessions, the boys were very sincere and even started crying over the accomplishments
they had made in a week’s time.
At the last Cabin meeting, every one was give a cardboard paddle that had the Fraternity crest,
camp, year and Superlative Award that they earned (“Most Courageous,” etc.). A piece of the
bandana was also tied to the top.
The counselors did a great job of emphasizing that the Fraternity was built on strength, respect
and support, while also having fun. (There weren’t any pranks or hazing events.) Both the staff
and the counselors left the week with a different perspective about life.
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GRADUATION FROM CAMP
For the last 15 years, we have been celebrating our campers as they graduate from camp. We
assign the last day of sr. high camp to create a special grad day.
We start off with a sleep in and a fun breakfast theme, maybe breakfast in bed or cartoon break-
fast, and have a relaxed day of programming, more of a choice day. For lunch we have a special
outdoor BBQ with music, and then in the afternoon we transform our dining hall into a banquet
hall and our basement into a coffee house. We allow any campers that want to help set up and
decorate to do so.
Campers are told before they arrive that the grad is happening so they can bring special clothes
if they like. We start with appetizers out side and we take photos, then we move inside for the
banquet. After dinner we set up a coffee house and dessert buffet. Campers have time to change
before we start if they like. We serve special coffees, drinks and desserts before we start and at
intermission.
The entertainment is from the staff and campers who have signed up during the week. We pres-
ent grad certificates to our graduating campers and film the whole evening and make a special
coffee house DVD for purchase. We end with an amazing campfire time, just celebrating the
week.
Below is a bit of a checklist for the prep work:
FRIDAY, Sr High – Grad & Coffee House
Staff Meeting:
• Have staff each blow up 5-ish balloons
• Assign non-counseling staff roles (set up, serving, etc)
• Pick songs for chapel and campfire
• Remind activity instructors: some may opt out of last block to help with setup
8:30 Star Wars Breakfast
• Big Star Wars decorations
• Star Wars goodie bags
• Take volunteers for basement setup – sign up for afternoon activity block or free-time
9:00 Cabin Clean-up and BBQ setup
• BBQ’s ready to go - matches, firestarter
• Set up tables for food, with tablecloths
• Pop cooler – fill with ice & pop
• Sound System & good tunes
Dining Hall setup:
• Move tables, put out tablecloths & candles
10:30 Activity #1 and Start BBQ @ 11
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11:20 Activity #2 and Start BBQing @ 11:45
12:15 BBQ Lunch
1:00 Coffee house setup: (to be done during activity block & free-time, with camper help)
• Bring in tables and chairs, cushions and couches
• Set up sound system
• Get coffee house stuff together and ready to go (poster, cups, coffee machine, other
ingredients)
• Do coffee house beverage prep – syrups, grinding, etc
• Cover table
• Crayons on tables
• White lights
• Grad certificates and gifts
• Camp video: projector, screen, DVD player
1:45 Activity #3
2:30 Free-Time
4:20 Grad Prep
5:05 Hors D’oeuvres & Pictures
Servers:________________, ________________, ________________, ________________,
• Cabin Photos and other photos (take orders):
6:00 Grad Dinner Banquet
• Coffee house prep – start coffee and water, etc.
• Set up coffee and dessert station
Post-dinner:
• Send campers to change, get ready for entertainment
• Bring all desserts and beverage items down – support staff help
• Light candles
7:15 Coffee House
• Music on sound system when people come in
• Desserts and coffee (round 1)
• Entertainment
• Desserts and coffee (round 2)
• Entertainment
• Grad and LIGHT certificates
• Camp Video
9:30 Campfire
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LIT PROGRAM ‘GRADUATION’
At the end of the LIT program (which runs parallel to the camper program during the camper
week) we hold a little ceremony for our LIT’s who have completed their program.
On the last night of camp we have all of the campers and staff stand in two lines, facing each
other with the LIT’s standing in the middle (on the camper side, just in front of the younger
campers) with an unlit candle.
The LIT director does a little speech about their years as campers, and all of the new skills and
experiences we hope they take away from the LIT program.
We then ask them to step over towards their counselor who light their candles. (All the counsel-
ors already had lit candles) once their candle was lit, we asked them to turn around and face the
other campers (they would now be on the counselor side of the line).
Then the LIT director tells them that even though they aren’t going to be campers anymore, they
will always be part of the camp family and hopefully they will use the skills and lessons they’ve
learned as campers and LIT’s to influence a younger generation of campers the way that their
counselors have influenced them, to “pass the torch” so to speak.
It’s a very emotional ceremony, and really solemn and beautiful if done right.
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LAST NIGHT CEREMONY
Our camp is held at a State Park group camping facility that was built by the CCC, so there is
a lot of history and magic just in our location. One of the traditions that campers remember for
years and years is the ceremony we do on the last night of camp at campfire time.
Each camper and counselor takes a stick, walks up on the hearth of our massive outdoor fire-
place, throws the stick on the fire and tells everyone the thing they liked best about camp. There
have been some truly touching thing shared, lots of funny stories, and some that were a little
awkward, but it is a memorable time.
After everyone, including counselors and staff, have shared their story, we walk around the
outside and stand until everyone is done. We then hold hands and sing the song, “Make new
friends and keep the old, one is silver and one is gold. A circle’s round and has no end, that’s
how long I want to be your friend.”
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WATERBUGS and DRAGONFLIES
We have several traditions and ceremonies at camp. We’re a children’s oncology camp, so we
try to focus on the survival/life side instead of the death portion of cancer, but it is necessary to
acknowledge both sides.
On Tuesday morning, we gather together at our campfire for a memorial ceremony to remember
our friends who have lost their battle by reading “Waterbugs and Dragonflies“ by Doris Stick-
ney. This is a story than can be told to any child who is struggling with the idea of death.
Waterbugs and Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Young Children
Down below the surface of a quiet pond lived a little colony of water bugs. They were a happy
colony, living far away from the sun. For many months they were very busy, scurrying over
the soft mud on the bottom of the pond. They did notice that every once in awhile one of their
colony seemed to lose interest in going about. Clinging to the stem of a pond lily it gradually
moved out of sight and was seen no more. “Look!” said one of the water bugs to another. “One
of our colony is climbing up the lily stalk. Where do you think she is going?” Up, up, up it slow-
ly went....Even as they watched, the water bug disappeared from sight. Its friends waited and
waited but it didn’t return...
“That’s funny!” said one water bug to another. “Wasn’t she happy here?” asked a second...
“Where do you suppose she went?” wondered a third. No one had an answer. They were greatly
puzzled. Finally one of the water bugs, a leader in the colony, gathered its friends together. “I
have an idea”. The next one of us who climbs up the lily stalk must promise to come back and
tell us where he or she went and why.”
“We promise”, they said solemnly.
One spring day, not long after, the very water bug who had suggested the plan found himself
climbing up the lily stalk. Up, up, up, he went. Before he knew what was happening, he had
broke through the surface of the water and fallen onto the broad, green lily pad above. When
he awoke, he looked about with surprise. He couldn’t believe what he saw. A startling change
had come to his old body. His movement revealed four silver wings and a long tail. Even as he
struggled, he felt an impulse to move his wings...The warmth of the sun soon dried the moisture
from the new body. He moved his wings again and suddenly found himself up above the water.
He had become a dragonfly!!
Swooping and dipping in great curves, he flew through the air. He felt exhilarated in the new
atmosphere. By and by the new dragonfly lighted happily on a lily pad to rest. Then it was that
he chanced to look below to the bottom of the pond. Why, he was right above his old friends,
the water bugs! There they were scurrying around, just as he had been doing some time before.
The dragonfly remembered the promise: “The next one of us who climbs up the lily stalk will
come back and tell where he or she went and why.” Without thinking, the dragonfly darted
down. Suddenly he hit the surface of the water and bounced away. Now that he was a dragonfly,
he could no longer go into the water...
“I can’t return!” he said in dismay. “At least, I tried. But I can’t keep my promise. Even if I could
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go back, not one of the water bugs would know me in my new body. I guess I’ll just have to
wait until they become dragonflies too. Then they’ll understand what has happened to me, and
where I went.”
And the dragonfly winged off happily into its wonderful new world of sun and air.......
From: “Waterbugs and Dragonflies : Explaining Death to Young Children” by Doris Stickney
After the story, we remind our campers what cancer cannot do with the following poem:
What Cancer Cannot Do
Cancer is so limited....
It cannot cripple love.
It cannot shatter hope.
It cannot corrode faith.
It cannot eat away peace.
It cannot destroy confidence.
It cannot kill friendship.
It cannot shut out memories.
It cannot silence courage.
It cannot reduce eternal life.
It cannot quench the Spirit.
We call out the names of our friends who have earned their wings and recite a poem: “We Re-
member Them”
We Remember Them
In the rising of the sun and its going down, We Remember Them.
In the bowing of the wind and in the chill of winter, We Remember Them.
In the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring. We Remember Them.
In the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer, We Remember Them.
In the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn, We Remember Them.
In the beginning of the year and when it ends, We Remember Them.
When we are weary and in need of strength, We Remember Them.
When we are lost and sick of heart, We Remember Them.
When we have joys and special celebrations we yearn to share, We Remember Them.
So long as we live, they too shall live, for they are part of us. We Remember Them.
-From the Jewish Book Of Prayer
On the way out of the ceremony, the campers and counselors hang ornaments that they have
made on our remembrance tree where they remain the rest of the week. After the memorial,
we usually send the kids straight off to an uplifting activity to move along with the real reason
we’re at camp: surviving and making the most out of life. Some campers (and counselors) need
some extra time and support, which is of course provided.
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INDIAN TRADITION
I am from India. Here is an activity that I do regularly.
We Indians are keen on traditions and rituals. On our birthday, we always bow to the elders and
they give us their blessings. However, this small gesture in the form of a ritual would add colour
and make the kids feel important.
If any of the kids have their birthday during the camp days, we arrange for some flower petals
the previous evening. (The birthday boy/girl wouldn’t know about it.) When that child enters
the class, or when he just steps in, we shower the petals on him, either from a height, like some-
one standing on a chair, or we hide behind the door, and when he steps in, the petals are show-
ered on him.
This makes the child feel very important, and he wears a happy smile the whole day long. The
smell and touch of flower petals gives a feeling of joy…this could also be done on the first day
to welcome the kids.
Cultural traditions can be an important part of camp. What do other cultures do for birthdays?
How can you incorporate those into your camp program?
Now that’s a lot of flower petals!
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A BIRTHDAY CHOICE
At our camp, we do something very memorable for campers celebrating their birthday with us.
The camper comes and stands on a seat, and then the counselors of the opposite gender come
and kneel down all around the camper like they are proposing. With outstretched arms each
of them lift an object of some sort as an offering to the camper while they sing a very heartfelt
rendition of Happy Birthday.
It looks hilarious and over the years the items have gone from weird to weirder, and bigger (like
a fake tree that sits in the dining hall). The campers love seeing what the counselors will choose
for their object to sing with, while the birthday camper is trying not to laugh at all the ridiculous
objects being held towards him/her.
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SAYING GOODBYE
The purpose of this ritual is to help the campers say goodbye to one another and to camp. One
version of this ritual follows.
The night has fallen and the camp is completely quiet. A small procession of leaders in robes
walks by each cabin/tent. If you have horses, they could be on horseback. As they do, the camp-
ers and counselors silently file in behind them. If the camp isn’t well lit, some people can carry
lanterns (preferably not flashlights) or torches.
Once everyone has been gathered at a special location, the camp walks in a circle and people sit
on benches or the ground in a circle – usually several nested circles. In the middle is something
resembling a large wedding cake – several tiers with a wide base and smaller, higher levels. The
structure is just wood planks, sometimes decorated.
All lights are put out and everyone sits in silence for a moment – sometimes with a thought to
think about. Then, one person lights a candle (everyone has a candle) and passes the flame along
until everyone’s candle is lit. By cabin groups, campers and counselors place their candles on the
structure. This usually makes for a very bright area.
Songs are sung and groups sometimes make short speeches. Remembrances are often spoken or
read. Then the campers are given time to say goodbye to one another. As that is taking place, the
candles are slowly being put out one by one.
When the last candle is out, everyone must be silent and go back to their cabin. The next morn-
ing everyone leaves to go home.
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BURNING PHOENIX
Our camp season ended with our directing staff (all three of us) constructing a giant wooden
and hay-filled phoenix which was burned to symbolize the end of the season and the wait for
its rebirth next season.
We allowed our top archers to fire flaming arrows at it after it was lightly sprayed with a flam-
mable fluid (which I assume was diesel gasoline) and it made for a great spectacle for the staff
and campers’ final night at the camp.
There was also a special ceremony before it was burned where we said a devotion while each
camper placed 2 sticks in the heart of the phoenix with wishes attached to them. One stick had a
selfless wish and the other was a wish for humanity (also selfless, but not stated).
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R.I.P. MEAN WORDS
Staff find a small cardboard box and write ‘Hate Casket’ and/or ‘RIP Mean Words’ etc., on it.
At our youth leadership camp, early in the second day, we gave each participant and staff a half
piece of paper and a pencil and asked them to write two types of ‘mean words’ (sentences) on
the page.
1. Words that they regret having said to someone else
2. Words that someone else has said to them that made them feel badly, hurt their feel-
ings, etc.
Once they are done, campers and staff are asked to fold the paper in half and place it in the cas-
ket. Staff ask the campers and their coworkers to think about what they wrote down, and reflect
during the rest of the day about what impact those mean words have had on them or the victim
of their own mean words.
In the early evening before it was too dark, we lit our campfire and brought the casket out. One
staff handed out the pages from the hate casket, giving one to each camper and staff.(randomly,
not the one they wrote).
Each person reads the page they are handed, and once they have completed the reading, puts
the refolded page back into the casket. (a staff stands beside campers when they read, in case
they need help, and to have the casket available for the pages to be placed in.)
After all of the mean words are read, staff conduct a debrief about some of the content of the
letters. The depth of the debrief would depend on the training/education/skill level of the staff.
After the debrief, staff place the hate casket in the fire and ask campers to commit to avoiding
using the mean words that have been burned.
For the rest of the week, we heard the campers make comments to each other like ‘We burned
those words’, when negative situations occurred. This is one of the most powerful exercises I
have witnessed at this camp over the years.
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P4ART
MEALS
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THEME MEALS
Theme meals are very memorable. It doesn’t have to be just for dinners, either.
Here are some camper favorites:
BREAKFAST
• Cartoon Breakfast - For this breakfast campers and staff can wear their PJs. We have a
contests for the best bed head, PJs, and one for the best cartoon impression. During the
meal we show clips of different cartoons on a projector.
• Cereal Mayhem - During this meal staff dress up as different cereal characters (Count
Chocula, Cap’n Crunch, the Trix Rabbit, etc. We have all the costumes in our storage.
We also have available just about every cereal you can imagine available.
LUNCH
• Super Hero Spread - Lunches get looked over much of the time when it comes to theme
meals. Not with us. In fact, many time lunches are the best theme meals we run. With
Super Hero Spread we decorate and dress the part. I think the decorations are the
main attraction since we go all out on this one. For food we have Sup-er Salad (Soup
or Salad). We set out a variety of soups and really go to town with the available salad
toppings. The tables all have super hero trivia that the counselors can ask to get con-
versations started. Each table has a couple of super hero action figures on them. There
is a raffle and a couple of skits. It’s Awesome!
• Pizza Delivery - In the morning each cabin is given an order form. They get to choose
up to 3 toppings for 3 pizzas and 3 activities. The pizzas are made and placed in a hot
box to keep warm. Then they are delivered via golf cart to the cabins along with salad,
3 salad dressings, drinks, cookies, napkins, paper plates, plastic utensils, a garbage
bag, and a box with their 3 chosen activities. The activity choices are a deck of cards,
a specific board game, conversation starter pack, Simon Says, 20Q, Electronic Catch
Phrase, Rubik’s Cube, Story Cubes, etc. Afterward, the garbage and all the extras are
picked up and returned to the kitchen by the activity staff.
DINNER
• Pirate Dinner - During this meal we decorate, wear pirate costumes and, because all
the silverware went overboard, everyone must eat with kitchen utensils like spatulas,
tongs, large wooden spoons, spaghetti servers, etc.
• Game Show Supper - We have different game shows each time we do this email. It
could be a Let’s Make a Deal, Minute To Win It, Deal or No Deal or something else.
The main thing is that we give one camper per table a chance to play. If they win, the
whole table gets a prize. The prize can be anything from a special dessert to camp store
bucks to special privileges.
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EXCLUSIVE CLUB
Our camp has a tradition of the “Order of the Fork.” It’s an exclusive club for campers and coun-
selors who have particularly excellent table manners or mealtime habits (like drinking plenty of
water or always finishing the salad).
During the week, every counselor nominates one camper from their table who deserves this
award and gives them a fun name like “Laura Hydration-is-my-middle-name Smith.” The di-
rectors also keep an eye on counselors and choose one to receive the award.
On our last day of the week, during lunch, there is a ceremony mid-mealtime. We have a HUGE
carved fork and a long, silly speech describing a secret society that had a meeting the night be-
fore to decide upon the new members. They are then announced and brought to the front of the
dining hall along with all pre-existing members to chant the secret code (please) getting louder
and louder.
Finally the entire group makes a cha-cha type line and circles the dining hall singing “We are we
are we are we are the order of the fork! (x2) And each and every one of us is sticking to the rest
of us! We are we are we are we are the order of the fork!“
What other crazy (or serious) exclusive clubs could you come up with?
• The Carabiner Club (Ropes)
• The Snorkel Society (Waterfront)
• The Archers Alliance
• The Campfire Crew
• The Skit Syndicate
• The Lanyard Legion
• The Foto Federation (Photography)
• The Clean Cabin Coalition
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FORMAL DINNERS
Most camps have some kind of a dress up or formal dinner for their Senior Teens Camp. We
have taken it one more step and randomly make selections from our STAFF to couple together
as a family to host a table for an elegant evening meal.
The campers are divided up to fill tables and participate willingly as they get to sit with and
meet new people from outside of their normal friends group. One male and one female staff are
chosen at random to be parents of this table and act accordingly for the meal time.
Where the twist and fun comes in is the PROPOSAL that needs to take place in order for the
two staff to become a couple to host the family. It is all done in fun. During the earlier part of the
week the male staff (alternates each year) must come up with a creative public proposal to ask
the chosen female staff to be their date for the formal dinner. This has resulted in giant candle lit
hearts with a piano serenade and a rented tux to “pop” the question.
Most of it is enhancing to the program and staff, but can cause undue pressure and shift the fo-
cus off the program if not carefully orchestrated.
_____
At our camp we have a “formal” dinner. None of the campers actually wear anything special,
but the staff try to dress up a bit in the spirit of the evening.
The staff are the “hoppers” - the ones to bring the food to the table. The main course, however,
is brought out by the head cook/chef. He rolls out on a cart the meat, which he carves at the
tables. One of the other cooks come out to help with another cart so campers aren’t waiting all
night to eat.
As soon as groups begin to finish their meal the chef brings out his cart again, this time with
dessert. The dessert usually involves a kitchen torch in order to get the campers to go oooohh
and aaaahh. The cooks love it. Sometimes, instead of pulling out the torch, the dessert cart has
a choice of 4 or 5 desserts that each camper can choose as it goes by. The campers (and staff) are
just as excited by that.
During the meal the staff are extra picky about table manners. They also give the campers some
tips on table etiquette, which they learned during staff training.
Adding candles, cloth napkins and table cloths
add to the atmosphere. One year we had a staff
member who could play the violin. He played
a bit for our special dinner. It was great.
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ETIQUETTE DINNER
With our teen kids we do a fancy dinner on the last night of camp. The campers like to dress up
(sometimes in costume, but usually they go for a snazzier look). Although the fancy dinner isn’t
so unusual, I think ours differs somewhat.
We make a point to teach our kids how to behave in these situations, how to dine out, how to
use manners. It is essentially training as much as anything else. They are welcome to use it as a
practice “date”, but they have to behave like people old enough to date. The rules for arranging
to sit with someone specific are: both people need to go to a Supervisor by lunch on the day of
the dinner, unaided, and request that be seated together without giggles, tears, etc. If they can do
that together, they can sit together. At our teen camp, there are many times throughout the week
that relationships, respect, self worth are talked about and explored. The dinner is a chance to
put these philosophies in action. They do remarkably well.
We begin the evening with some time to mingle and eat appetizers that are out on a serving ta-
ble. We usually have live acoustic music playing and it gives the campers time to get there since
the ladies always run late! It also gives them a chance to get the nervous giggles out and relax
once they have debuted!
Once it’s time to start officially, we have everyone go to their designated spot. Tables are set like
you would find at a nice banquet facility. As far as the kitchen goes, they prepare a 4 or 5 course
meal. It is served banquet style by the wait (program) staff. We usually have a soup course, a
salad course, the main course, and then dessert.
Throughout the dinner, our Director gives tips like which utensil to use and why, what foods
can be eaten with your fingers, how to place your silverware to indicate you are done eating,
etc. The campers are reminded to practice having conversations that would be appropriate in
mixed company. The wait staff is quite formal and the campers get a chance to practice asking
for things politely from servers. Although we don’t bill for the dinner, we go over what to expect
and how to calculate a tip.
The kitchen works a little later than usual, but enjoys getting to prepare food in this way. We
usually staff extra dishwashers, though, since we don’t have enough plates otherwise. We’ve
had to buy extra silverware, but everyone loves when they first walk in and sees the table set-
tings. What to do with all that stuff?! Also, program staff needs to eat either before or after since
they are busy bringing and clearing plates
during the meal.
The whole event is really popular and I
would like to point out at this camp, most
of our kids are poor and many live in foster
care. What we often hear is how it is not only
the best meal they have ever had, but that the
skills they learn are ones they go home and
teach their own families and parents. I think
that is soooo cool!
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P5ART
EVENTS AND
CAMP WIDE GAMES
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PIRATE’S GROG
A very special and magical ceremony we have is our annual Pirate’s Grog. We celebrate the end
of every week with a dress up themed Fiesta, and the Grog is the Fiesta ending our Pirate Week.
We try to keep the actual Grog ceremony as simple as possible (as we’ve learned and attempted
to do with most things), but it’s just one of those magical events that, no matter our intentions,
it just takes on a very HIGH SPIRITED life of its own once it begins.
We open the Grog ceremony with a little made up history of the Grog (we use the word Grog
VERY loosely to mean motley pirate party).
Our Grog is a big ugly bowl of mixed dark sodas and juices. The making of the Grog is a big part
of the ceremony. Each counselor brings a bottle of a drink re-labeled with names like Tarantula
Venom, Black Tar Tonic, and Old Fish Snot, and one by one dumps their bottle into the Grog
bowl with a short spooky story and lots of exaggerated drama.
Next, the Rules of the Mess are covered by the Pirate MC and everyone is told to never break the
Rules of the Mess or risk getting sent to the Grog!
The rules are:
• Every sentence must start with “Argh!”
• Only use pirate names
• Sing at the top of your lungs, and call all your friends Me Hearties!
Immediately our pirates start breaking the rules and the counselors send them TO THE GROG.
The campers love to get sent to the Grog! They fill their cup with the dark liquid, turn around to
the whole crowd and say TO THE MESS, and the crowd shouts back WHAT A MESS! The pirate
happily slurps down the liquid and returns to their seat to break the rules again! Pirate snacks
(crackers and Swedish Fish) are served and gobbled.
Finally, the singing starts and sword fights break out everywhere. (Swords are loosely rolled
up newspapers with duct tape - in fact, the whole week is called “Pirates Who Celebrate Duck
Tape”). As camp ends for the day, the line for the Grog never gets shorter, and the day is talked
about and relived the rest of summer.
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LUAU AT THE POOL
The core of this activity is a pool party, but we add some things to spruce it up.
Smoothies
Grab a mix of fruit and other ingredients. Decide on three concoctions and give them some fan-
cy names like Strawberry Sunset, Mango Magnific and Bodacious Berry. The kids really enjoy
these treats.
Grilled fruit
We bring down a small grill and throw on some fruit (usually sliced pineapple) but you can do
a few different fruits. If you really want to play it up, have staff walk around with serving trays
of the fruit and drinks.
Lei making:
Teach the kids how to make flowers out of tissue paper, and let them make leis. There are several
different ways to make tissue-paper flowers- you can find a lot online.
Music:
Music always makes an activity that much better. If you can find some luau music to mix in, it
makes the theme stronger. But be sure to play some hits, too!
Photos:
Anytime you have an event that will be remembered by the campers and staff, make sure you
take a lot of photos that you can add to an end of session slideshow.
Attire:
Staff (and campers) pull out the Hawaiian Shirts, Hawaiian dresses, and hula skirts.
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A NIGHT AT THE OSCARS
We go all out for this event to make it unforgettable!
• Staff dress up as celebs, while others provide security detail.
• We have a red carpet event complete with interviews, cameras flashing, and auto-
graphs.
• Inside the Oscars venue we decorate with movie posters that we have been collecting
for eons plus other film-related paraphernalia.
• We provide “movie” snacks -- popcorn, Junior Mints or Snowcaps, and a special Oscar
statue cookie (check out pinterest -- you’ll find one).
• As groups enter, they are assigned a celeb (counselor) with whom to sit and who will
serve as a team leader.
• The actual event involves watching clips from movies and answering trivia questions
(as a team) about obscure items from the clips. We might do 6 to 10 clips depending on
length of clips and interest -- so we show the clip, then ask a series of questions (3 to
5 depending on clip), then move on to the next clip. We’re not big on the competition
part because our kids just love the event but we do review the answers for those who
must know.
• We, of course, have “entertainment” as well as commercials during the event.
• We have also included camper-produced film debuts at this event.
• We’re thinking of creating an after-Oscars party for older groups.
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WALK THE PLANK
Last year we tried out an interesting new idea for an evening event. Generally our evening
events are held in our dining hall, our amphitheater where we have our campfires or in our big
sandy/dirt parking lot. We decided to try out a full camp event at the pool for a change. Our
theme for the day was “Under the Sea” and we were doing color wars for the week, so we creat-
ed a game called “Walk the Plank: Pirate Trivia” with the camp broken into its 4 teams.
We had all the campers and counselors sitting in their teams at the shallow end of the pool. We
had a projector and Jeopardy style PowerPoint on with our sound system and the host for the
evening, a real live pirate! (All electrical was covered and well out of the splash zone)
At the deep end of the pool we set up 4 planks leading into the water. Each team selected one
of their counselors to “walk the plank” and act as a game piece. The game plays round robin
(buzzers would be preferred, but were too complicated for the pool). Get the question right, and
your game piece steps backwards towards safety. Get the question wrong and you step forward
toward the shark-infested pool. too many wrong answers and your player “walks the plank” (as
the entire camp cheers their demise) and that team is out of the round. Last team standing wins
the round (or first team to back off the plank with correct answers wins)
But wait, there’s more! The questions get more difficult as you progress through each topic (our
topics ranged from Pirates, shark knowledge, sea life, local sports team trivia, camp history, etc).
Scoring was based on the round instead of by the question (made things a lot easier) and the kids
were competing for our host’s treasure chest full of color war points.
Instead of a daily double, we interspersed the game with “physical challenge” games, similar
to “Double Dare”. Each team would select 2 participants to compete in the physical challenge.
A few of our challenges were “splash attack” where one wears goggles and holds a cup on a
stick in their mouth while player 2 splashes them in the face. Player 1 tries to be the first to col-
lect water up to the line on the cup. One oth-
er challenge was “David Hasselhoff’s Muscle
Beach Flex-off” where participants (preferably
a group of overzealous scrawny 6 year olds)
were selected by their team to flex their best
muscle pose and be judged by a panel of non
biased nurses. It was absolutely hilarious.
We wrapped up a few rounds of walk the plank
trivia with a full-camp night-swim. Note, there
are many considerations to take into account
before attempting a full camp event at the pool:
camp size, pool size, lifeguards, insurance,
area capacity, and medical considerations, just
to name a few. For our camp, it worked well.
The trivia game and night swim were a success
(as well as a learning experience) and everyone
had a great time.
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HAUNTED HOUSE
Once a summer (because it’s quite a bit of work to pull off) we set up an optional haunted house
for teen campers.
We have decor specifically for this event, Halloween items we’ve gotten on sale through the
years such as hanging skeletons, masks, and a fog machine.
We set up probably 8 ‘stations’ around camp, and campers go on a hike/tour that walks through
all 8. A staff member or two are at each station, pretending to be dead, being a ghost, with a scary
mask on, popping out and scaring people, etc.
A tour guide goes with each group and tells the tale/story of “The haunted…at Camp ______”
whatever!
To make it scarier, make details have to do with your specific camp or camp locations. We warn
them ahead of time that this is an optional activity, and if they’re going to be too scared and stay
up all night, they need to make a responsible choice (to not do the haunted house) and go play
cards or have an alternate program!
It really is quite a hit, and something they definitely remember.
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PIRATE HUNT
At my camp, once a summer we have a pirate hunt which is one of the campers’ favorite things
of the summer. Here is what we do..
• The whole camp comes together, and are split into groups of 8-10, and one staff mem-
ber is assigned to this group.
• Meanwhile, the rest of the staff are dressed as pirates, and are given an area to hide in
camp.
• The pirates hide a sword near where they are hiding, then they themselves hide.
• The children have 80 minutes to find as many pirates as they can.
• When the children find the pirates, they have to bring them down to jail (we use the
swimming changing rooms), and this is decorated with pirate flags on the inside and
signs such as ‘Pirates ye be warned’.
• The pirates can try and escape jail, and the staff usually do this when the children are
close so that the children get the fun of stealing them again!
• There is also a treasure chest hidden somewhere around camp, and if this is found it
has to be given to a staff member who is guarding the jail.
• After the 80 minutes is up, the bell rings and everyone goes down to the beach by the
lake.
• After all the children are back, the pirates are then brought from jail by the 2 guards.
The guards then take them out and throw then into the lake, but only if their sword
was found. Pirates who were not found are not thrown into the lake.
• The treasure is always found, as it is usually hidden somewhere noticeable, and all the
children get a reward from what is inside, usually something small like a pirate tattoo,
and the group that found it gets an eye patch, or something pirate-ish like this. It is
always really fun, and the kids love seeing their favorite staff members thrown into
the lake.
STAFF
• There is 1 staff member per group. The number of groups depends on amount of chil-
dren. You don’t want groups that are huge, otherwise not all children will have a part
to play in the capturing.
• There are 2 guards at the jail.
• All other staff members are pirates (more pirates the better).
PROPS
• 1 map per group - this shows boundaries where pirates are hiding. this is usually
stained with tea and has burn marks on it, just to make it look old.
• Pirate flags
• Signs for decorating treasure chest (can be made from old cardboard box)
• Small prizes (e.g. tattoos, eye patches)
• Enough pirate swords for all pirates with staff members name on them (need to know
what pirates have been found)
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GLOW IN THE DARK CAPTURE THE FLAG
One of my favorite evening activities would have to be glow in the dark capture the flag. The
standard rules of capture the flag are used but teams set out to hide their “flag” or other object
in the dark of the woods somewhere.
Have campers during the day create their team “idol” for hiding in the woods. We used stuffed
animals that were taped to sticks which worked well. “Flags” had to be surrounded by glow
sticks so that they were at least visible for the teams when searching for them.
Flashlights are recommended as walking around in the woods can be difficult at night and glow
sticks add another cool dimension to the game. Prisoners must freeze where they are when
tagged, until they are found and released by another team mate. (Honor system must come into
play here.... and yes people will cheat.)
This is best done at camps where there are established trails to follow. You will want to be sure
to establish clear boundaries with the campers about how much you will allow them to leave the
trail. For example, do they have to stay directly on the trail, can they venture into the woods for
5-10 feet to avoid being “captured”, etc.
It is extremely important if you choose to play this that you have some type of bullhorn, camp
wide PA system or other way of calling campers back in when the game is over.
There’s also a new system that uses LED lights specifically designed for Capture the Flag games
in the dark. It’s called Capture the Flag Redux. Whole this system will cost more than just buy-
ing glow sticks, most of it runs on batteries making a better environmental choice.
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STALK THE LANTERN
Our favorite evening activity is called Stalk the Lantern...it originates from South Africa and we
put a few variations on it to make it safe for camp!
We use it as one of our color competition events, but it can easily be changed to be a cabin activ-
ity too. It is played on a dark night- preferably no moon!
• There is a center ‘lantern’ that is made up of 3 people (either the directors or senior staff
members). Each of these people has a flashlight.
• The staff are in concentric circles going out from the lantern...and are assigned point
values. The lantern is worth 100 points, the next circle 20, the next 10, the next 5 etc.
You can make the points whatever number you wish, and as many circles as you like
too. Just ensure that the staff are not too spread out, as they provide the supervision to
the game.
• The campers are assigned starting points outside the last staff circle and have to crawl
or creep as quietly as possible and try to ‘stalk’ the lantern.
• The people in the middle with the flashlights try to spot the campers as they crawl. If
they see movement or hear noise they shine their flashlight (briefly) and if it is a camp-
er they are instructed to go to the nearest counselor in front of them.
• The point value is written on the camper’s hand, and they then go to a specified build-
ing to record their points and to sit quietly until the game is over.
• The campers wear black, and there are safety rules that we have for our own camp.
Each camp will have to make their own set of rules, applicable to their facilities.
• The last circle, before reaching the lantern, is worth 50 points. The campers have to
actually touch the lantern in order to score 100.
It is extremely popular among our kids!!! They get completely into it!! We also announce it in
fun, surprise ways and pretend it is far later than it actually is! Also, we only play for 15 minutes,
although the campers will all tell you it is at least an hour! It is such a lot of fun and every camp
should play it!!! All the counselors should have flashlights and washable markers...and it is a
good idea to check comfortable places for campers who have fallen asleep. We had an 8-year old
sleeping in a tube!!
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