What's some good ideas for pre-campers at a kids camp?

Question

I help as a kids camp cousulor with kids 2-7. Last year we ran out of things to do during the week and they got antsy. any ideas?

Answer 1

at the summer camp i went to when i was young, we made gutter sundaes. You take a rain gutter and line it with foil and make sundaes. That was always my favorite thing to do.

Answer 2

I am not sure of what age your working with, but here is a few activities, that have come in very handy when entertaining children. I also found a rather good link which you can check out.

A nature/scavenger hunt

Equipment - Pen and paper, team of 5 or  more, each team leader has list of things to find, e.g a leaf from a particular tree, a feather, etc.

The first team with all objects return to camp. Obviously if you have asked them to find a particular animal, they don't bring it back, but they have to describe where it was found, and what it was doing etc.

Tangles

In a circle each person to put there right hand into the middle, and hold on to the hand of someone not next to them, repeating the same with the left hand.

Object of game is to untangle with out breaking the link of hands. It can be done.

Memory game

Each person has to say a word starting with a letter E or what ever letter you wish. Passing to there right, as they say a word, e.g ear, the next person, says ear and adds elephant, the next person ear, elephant, electricity going around the whole group.

Object of this is to remember what each person has said, and repeat every word said with out forgetting a word.

Whisper a variation on the above game

Team leader to whisper a sentence, and each person passes it on by whispering. When it reaches the end ask the last person to say what was told to them, usually not what it stated out as.

Shoe hunt (can be smelly do out side)

Equipment - shoes

Everyone take his/her shoes off, and place in a pile, mix around a little. On the word go everyone scrabbles to find their shoes, the first person to find and put their shoes on is the winner.

Crab soccer

Equipment - 1 soccer ball, team, goals (not to far apart). Everyone crawls on floor with using hands and feet with tummy facing towards the ceiling, no bum shuffling.

Team builders are fantastic as they get the children to work together to solve how to do certain activities, and how to support and encourage each other to participate. I have used a obstacle course, that has a few tricky things to do e.g ropes.

Camp fire skits are very good, and the children can come with some very imaginative skits.

I was involved with a teen camp a few years ago, and the kids wanted to do a skit, my fellow leaders and I were asked to do one too, we did a rather strange version of row row your boat, dressed up as pirates, changing some of the words and actions, kids thought it very funny.

Good luck with your next camp.

Answer 3

Bubbles

Sidewalk Chalk

Red Rover

Mother May I

Silly relay races

soaked sponge toss  (pending on weather)

squirt guns

Follow the Leader

hopscotch

big parachute games with balls and stuff

Answer 4

Keep their minds off the bathroom! I went through that last year...

Keep ALOT of coloring handy. I suggest a craft box filled with crayons and papers. When there's nothing to do announce coloring time!

Play the "dead lions" game. Everyone lays down (at a nap-ish time of the day) and the counselor tells a story. When they use the special word (dead lions, ice cream ect.) three times no one can move. Half the bunk will be asleep in four minutes.

Keep a CD player in the room and have dance parties every now and again. Just blast some kids music!

Sit everyone down in a circle and talk about stuff. How many siblings do you have? What's your favorite food? What's your favorite color? What did you do on the weekend?

Play ga-ga! Have the kids stand and roll the ball on the floor, trying to hit the other person's ankles or feet. Those who are "out" can cheer on the side!