Have a Crazy Day at Camp!

by Nancy Conway

Creating an enriching summer camp program is a necessary challenge. After all, the summer camp experience is just as important for youngsters as school. If you think about it, what kids do over summer vacation needs to be a life experience. They write about it during their first days back to school. Camps provide the basis for learning group and team-building activities that kids use for the rest of their lives.

Kids learn new games, try new activities and expand their social horizons while growing like weeds in summer. Great camps provide a safe and secure environment for our children while giving them space and freedom to make new friends and interact with different people in a recreational setting. Kids can be loud, are encouraged to run instead of walk, eat worms (candy ones), color outside the lines and enjoy.

Here is an idea to lose the hazy, lazy and accentuate the crazy days of summer by holding a Crazy Days event for your campers. Similar to a field day activity, divide campers into teams that will compete in each game and accumulate points.

• Set up a figure eight path three feet wide for campers to try and manipulate on Stilts. Team members will compete one at a time. Each child gets 10 points for competing without stepping off the stilts and lose a point each time they do. Players are also required to stay within the path boundaries. The trick is to start each team about 30 seconds apart, so that they have to pass each other along the way. The team that finishes first also gets bonus points.

• The Crazy Feet game is loads of fun. Participants try to "follow" the footsteps on the roll out game and compete for the fastest time. This can be an equalizer among teams, since some kids can easily follow the steps, while others will have more fun trying to keep from tripping themselves.
• Play a game of Crazy Glue Tag. First draw a circle to play in and then choose "It." When someone is tagged, they have to put their right hand on their head and keep it there as they run. If they get tagged again they have to put their left hand on their stomach. A third tag and they are, "It."
• The Z-Ball really puts the Z in crazy. This seven-sided ball takes surprising bounces and can be used to play a lot of games. The Z-Ball video is the best source for games to play. There are 21 games on the video and campers will probably come up with a bunch more on their own. Buy in sets of four balls for fun and active skill-building games.
• Campers will want to practice using the Rocket Launch. Play can either be a process of elimination or teams my opt to pick one or two team members for the "finals." Players take turns stepping on the launch to send bean bags or balls into the air. Rotate play starting with one bag or ball and keep adding more until someone misses catching all of the launched bags or balls. The trick is to launch as many as possible and catch them.
• Set up a Crazy Eight card game tournament in a shady spot where campers can take turns throughout the afternoon playing crazy eights, winning points and catching their breath between more active games. Games will be timed and the winner will be the person with the least cards when time is up. Winners of each round will compete for their team after all teams have had a chance to play.
• How about some Crazy croquet? Instead of using the wickets, Set up a course on a playground and have the course include hitting the ball under a slide or around legs of a swing set. Let players come up with silly ways to whack the ball (through their legs, backwards, etc). Or combine some Mother May I with croquet and let the opposing team come up with either a bana split or baby steps before hitting the ball.

We hope we've provided you with the makings of a Crazy Day that's fun and memorable for all your campers. Add some crazy refreshments and more games your campers love to play and you are set for a fun time.

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