Games Plan
General Information
Activity objective: Let campers get the wiggles out and hopefully learn a little teamwork.
Activity will be 30 minutes with a 5 minute transition time.
Support & Technology Needs
One to two extra adults are helpful since activities are typically outside – corralling balls, equipment, and kids is an ongoing task. It is helpful if there can be one adult by the water cooler/trashcan to make sure kids only use one cup and to refill cooler as needed.
Activity Set up &Take Down
Sunday afternoon setup:
Review training plan and talking points;
Look ahead at the weather forecast to see if there is a forecast need to have games inside on any particular day(s). Consider rain (particularly thunderstorms), heat, heat index, etc. Talk with the TD or CD to identify space that can be used. Plan the activities accordingly – FFEACH is easy to play inside, castle ball not so much. There is no requirement that the games be played in the specific order listed here.
Ensure all necessary supplies are available;
Prepare the room or space if activity will occur on Monday;
Take photographs of the areas that you will use, to ensure we return it to the same setup when we leave.
Daily (Monday through Thursday):
Be sure area is left as required daily. Most, if not all, games activities will take place outside, so this mainly consists of making sure trash is picked up and thrown into dumpster, equipment is put away, chalk drawings washed off, etc.
If any games activities take place inside due to weather or other restrictions, make sure area is left clean and neat daily; reset thermostat (if applicable); turn off lights; make sure garbage is taken out daily if it contains any food waste.
At the end of every camp, be sure location is left clean and neat (garbage taken out if needed, area swept, painter’s tape, signs, and labels removed and thrown away, etc.). If thermostat was reset, turn it back to original setting. Turn off lights, put away tables that were set up, etc. Please take particular care to return any items that may have been moved to their original location. If any items were borrowed from the church, make sure they are returned to their original location.
At the end of the week, file a supply request form to replace any necessary supplies. Please submit this form even if no supplies are needed, for documentation purposes.
Activity Supplies (for the week)
Supplies for individual games are listed with each game.
Large water cooler
Plastic garbage bags or garbage can
5-oz disposable cups
Lesson Plan
As described above, you may modify the order of games depending on weather or other site restrictions. Rules for specific games are provided after the everyday setup, cleanup, and equipment requirements.
Monday: FFEACH
Tuesday: Capture the Flag
Wednesday: Gaga Ball
Thursday: Air Raid or Castle Ball (can be either one for most weeks – weeks with 2 camps will need to divide supplies and have one game at 1 camp, other game at the other camp)
Everyday setup:
Water cooler needs to be filled with some ice and water before the first session of the day. Have a trash bag or trash can right next to the cooler. (You can tie the bag to the cooler if that helps prevent it from blowing away.) ONE CUP PER CHILD!!! They can reuse their cup but make sure they only use one cup. Have someone monitor this. It helps to hand them the cup and then take all the cups away or fill up just one cup for each child ahead of time.
get equipment needed for game
setup game as necessary (only necessary for air raid)
Everyday cleanup:
dump out water in cooler and pick up any trash – take trash bag to dumpster
put cooler, cups, and cart back in the area designated for equipment storage for the next day – DO NOT LEAVE THE COOLER IN ANY PLACE THAT IS NOT A DESIGNATED AREA FOR OUR CAMP EQUIPMENT – for example, don’t leave it in a host parish’s kitchen
put any other supplies used for games back in the equipment storage area being used by the camp
Other equipment needed:
FFEACH: list of words to act out
Capture the Flag: 2 white PVC pipes (about a foot long and an inch in diameter), orange cones to mark boundaries, bandanas or scrunchies to designate who is on which team
Gaga Ball: gaga pit & two playground balls (at St. Theresa’s, there is a gaga pit onsite in the playground area)
Air Raid: 2 large gator buckets (one blue and one orange), soft water balls (should be in one of the gator buckets), grey buckets (3 or 4), water guns (I believe there are 4 guns but more is fine), benches, big orange cones
Castle Ball: 20 or more hula hoops, 6 6” foam balls, orange cones to mark boundaries
FFEACH:
This is a charades race/relay and the categories are fast food, electronic appliances, and cartoon heroes. There is a list for the bigger kids and a somewhat modified list for the little kids (5 & 6 year olds). The two groups will compete against each other to see who can get through their list first or whoever can get through the most as time allows. All charade rules apply.
The groups should be their preassigned groups for camp.
Have the two groups spread out far away so they can’t overhear each other. The game coordinator will be standing in the middle of the two groups.
To start one member of each team will run over to the game coordinator to get the word they need to act out.
Whisper the word into their ear and send them back to their group so they can act it out.
They will act the word out for their group and when the word is guessed a different group member will run to the game coordinator.
The new child must tell the game coordinator the word their group just guessed so the game coordinator knows they got it correct. If they say the word and it is wrong or they can’t remember they must run back to their group and have someone tell them the word. The child is then given a new word to go back and act out.
Each child must go at least once, but after that it doesn’t matter who goes but they will keep playing until they finish the list or time runs out.
Tips for this game:
Have at least one other volunteer (group leader) at each group making sure they don’t cheat and helping them out if they get stuck. Have them take a picture on their phone so they can follow where you are on the list. First give them a hint of the category, then maybe another way to try and act it out, then try to say more verbally what the kid is acting out (“oh it looks like they’re putting something inside of something and then pushing some buttons……”)
The teen leaders should not help the bigger kids but may provide some assistance with the youngest ones.
With the youngest kids, make sure they know what the word is and help them think of ways they can act it out before sending them back to their group to act.
Tell kids to remember the categories and try to not guess words outside of those.
Capture the flag:
For this game, a large area will be needed. If at STM, use area behind, in front of, and on sides of PAC. More area can be used but try to avoid high traffic areas as to avoid kids getting hit by cars. The area used should have an “imaginary dividing line” to divide the area into two equal parts. Group leaders can play but they cannot be the one to take the flag.
The groups should be their preassigned groups for camp unless there is a big kid group and a little kid group. If that happens mix up the groups so it is even.
The groups will be assigned a side and given five minutes to hide their flag (PVC pipe) in their side. The flag cannot be hidden higher than knee level. If it is that team loses.
The teams also need to find an area for their jail on their side.
Once the time is up the game coordinator will yell “Go” signaling the start of the game.
The kids will run and try to find and capture the other team’s flag.
If someone on the other team tags you while you are on their side then you must go to their jail.
You can be freed from jail if someone on your team tags you while you are in the jail. There is no limit to the number of times you can go to jail.
Strategy: have some people go try to get the flag and have others stay back to guard and to try and get people to go to jail.
To win you must bring the flag back over your side.
You can play this game as many times as the game period allows.
Tips for this game:
Have at least one game volunteer (group leaders, one from each group ideally) on either side making sure they hide their flag in correctly.
Have that person walking around on that side during the game making sure everyone follows the rules) no escapees from jail).
If you have 2 or more groups assigned to game time with very different ages, make 2 teams with some kids from each group.
If you finish early the group leaders have a list of filler games they can play with the kids.
Gaga Ball:
All players start with one hand touching a wall of the pit.
The game begins with a referee throwing the ball into the center of the pit.
When the ball enters the pit, the players scream 'GA' for the first two bounces, and 'GO' on the third bounce, after which the ball is in action.
Once the ball is in play, any player can hit the ball with an open or closed hand.
If a ball touches a player below the knee (even if the player hits himself or herself) he or she is out and leaves the pit. If a player is hit above the knees, the play continues.
If a ball is caught on a fly, the player who hit the ball is out.
Using the walls of the octagon to aid in jumping is not allowed. (They call these “Superman” or “Humpty Dumpty.”)
They are not allowed to turtle. (This is when they are bent down and hunched over to try to make themselves smaller and avoid getting hit.)
Players cannot hold the ball. They also cannot scoop the ball so it goes flying into the air.
They are only allowed to do single touch until the last two people, they then can double touch.
If needed, a second ball can be thrown in the pit to expedite the end of the game. The last player standing is the winner of that round.
Group leaders can play but they are not allowed to win. If they are not out by the time there are three kids left have them hop out of the pit.
Tips for this game:
-If there is a big kid group and little kids then have each group take turns playing a round in the gaga pit. If they are close enough in age then both groups can play together. (If this is the case, have another volunteer play a different game with them. ( i.e. ninja, freeze tag, telephone, toilet tag, statues in the park).
-Someone needs to be a referee the entire time making sure kids follow the rules and making sure kids get out of the pit when they get out in the game.
- The bigger kids like to play with two balls at a time.
Air Raid: must be played on side of PAC
1. First begin by marking out a starting line and a finishing line approximately 50 feet apart.
2. Find 5 or 6 obstacles that are large enough to be hidden behind, use the benches behind the PAC. Place the obstacles approx. 10 feet apart in a zig-zag pattern between the start and finish. Place the large cones along path so the kids know they have to stay between the bench and the cone.
3.Fill all the buckets with water and put half the water balls in one bucket and half in the other. The other buckets are for water gun refill.
(use the hose on the right-hand side when looking at the back fence)
4. Place all the buckets on the right hand of the course but spread them out. Have them about ten feet away from the course. Make they aren’t too close to the course since this is where the other team will be standing and throwing things from. They cannot go closer than this or they are penalized!! Alternate the guns and ball buckets.
5.The groups will go against each other. They should be in their preassigned groups. For this game, the same number of people needs to go so if the group numbers are uneven some kids may go twice. Otherwise, each child should only run through the course once.
6. One group will start by running through the course while the other with be trying to hit them. Assign which group will do what first.
7. Have the kids throwing first go over to the balls and guns. Multiple kids can throw the balls so everyone is involved. The kids must stay at their station and cannot move from it while someone is running through the course.
7. The kids will try to get hit the least amount of times by the balls only, the guns are just for distraction and to get the kids wet. Count the times they got hit by the balls for each kid who goes through. The team score will be the total number of times the kids got hit by all the kids in that group. The lowest score wins.
8.Once everyone on the first team has gone through, have the teams switch roles.
9. In between each runner, the throwing team needs to retrieve all the balls to throw at the next person. Have them do this quickly as this take a while. Have the group leaders help pick up the balls to reset for the next runner.
Tips for this game:
Have someone demonstrate the path they must go so they can see how it should be done.
Add point to their score if they do not do the course correctly.
This game can take a long time so you may have to have a couple kids run through at the same time so keep an eye on the time.
Refill and replace the water after each game session
Have a couple people assigned to counting how many times the kids get hit with the balls.
Encourage the team running to cheer loud
No group leader participation
Make sure kids aren’t getting too close to the course, if they do add points to their score.
If it is a little kid group and a big kid group, have the little kids stand closer to throw and shoot and the big kids further back.
Castle Ball
Use cones to mark clear boundaries for play--a large rectangle that is split in the middle, such as a basketball court.
Create 2 teams, one team on each half of the playing area. Players can never leave their own side.
Spend some time practicing building castles made of hula hoops.
To build a castle, it requires 6 hula hoops: 1 for the base at the bottom, 4 for the sides, and 1 for the top. Tell players that Castle Ball is like building a “house of cards” out of four to six hula hoops. The structure will stand on its own but will fall when a ball strikes any part of it.
Begin by showing the players how to build a castle. Teams can place one hula hoop on the floor and use four hula hoops to form the sides, adding another one on the top.
It also takes some patience and teamwork to build a sturdy castle.
After practicing building castles and getting the hang of it, it is time to set-up for the game.
Demonstrate safe throws–low to the ground so that it can hit the castle and avoids other players’ faces.
Each team builds 2 castles towards the back of their playing area.
Once castles are built, add in the gator balls.
On signal, players attempt to throw balls at other team’s castles to topple them over.
One point is awarded each time a castle is knocked down, even if a player bumps into his/her own castle.
When a castle is down, players simply rebuild it while the game continues. Castles that are knocked down should be set up as quickly as possible so players can continue playing. The other team may not throw at a castle while it is being built.
The game is separated by a center line, which players cannot cross to retrieve a ball.
Play for as long as desired. Add in any modifications as desired.