CAMP OLYMPICS
Throughout the campers’ stay, build up the excitement to a finale camp event: Camp Olympics. Include events such as swimming (free style, breast stroke, back stroke, or even doggie paddle), sprinting, canon ball splashing (play this two ways: one winner for biggest splash and one for smallest), and jumping rope. There are so many options for the events, and you can even have a medal for freeze tag or Simon Says games. On top of the physical benefits of the activity, this event also allows for creative benefits. Let the kids design the medals out of things like aluminum foil, gold and bronze colored glitter or puff paint, or shiny fabrics. Let them help to prepare some foods and decorations for the event. You could also give the campers the opportunity to pick a theme for the event, such as beach party or disco inferno.
INSTRUMENT INVENTIONS
Children love music, so they will love creating their own musical instruments. This is a great project to undertake with children because they get to work with their hands and let their imaginations run free. Supply the campers with various materials to construct their instrument from, such as plastic tubes, tin cans, foam, cloth, wood, sticks, and bells. You might want to preface their inventing with a tutorial on how some basic instruments work. Bring in instruments from each family: brass, woodwind, drums and percussion, and strings. If you are not familiar with how to play them, ask local musicians to stop in for a quick demonstration, or ask local high school band students if they would be willing to perform for the campers. Once the kids get the basics down, let them have plenty of time to mix and match the materials to create various sounds and designs. After the kids have spent a few days working on their inventions, give them the opportunity to present it to the camp. Tell them to come up with a name for their invention – you will hear some funny new instrument names for sure!
A DRAMATIC PERFORMANCE
Let your campers put on a play at the end of their camp experience. They can be the writers, actors, set designers, and crew members of their very own production. The first step is having them brainstorm to come up with a few ideas for the story they want to perform. Once you have about ten ideas or so (depending on how many campers you have), take a vote on which play idea you will work on. Once you have decided on the play, they have to get busy writing it. To make this easier, divide the campers into groups of about four kids each. The first group will write the first scene. The second will then read the first scene, and come up with the second. The third will read the first two scenes, and then come up with a third scene, and so on until the play is done. Next comes choosing roles. To make it fair, you might have the kids put their names in hats, each hat representing a role they would be interested in playing. Pull names out of the hats so that nobody is left with hurt feelings. Everyone can help to build the set. Big pieces of cardboard and colorful paints really go a long way. Costumes can also be creatively made out of loose fabrics and materials. They will be so proud of the play because they have designed it every step of the way.
DANCE INSTRUCTION
To keep physical exercise fun, teach your campers some fun dances. The Chicken Dance is a real hoot to kids, and they will be hysterical watching the camp counselors partake in the wing-flapping fun. You can also teach them the Conga, which is very simple and enjoyable. The Macarena is a newer dance that has gained popularity in recent years. You can barely ever make it through a wedding nowadays without doing this crazy dance. Other possibilities are the Electric Slide, YMCA, or the Hokey Pokey. The campers will have a great time dancing, and they will get a great workout too. Plus, you have taught them classic party dances that they will definitely get to show off in their future. The dances will be one of the greatest memories and lessons that they take home with them.
