Backup Plans (Get With the Program)
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Creative indoor fun for when weather and program clash
When I was the program director at a camp in Wisconsin, I remember
greeting a guest group one March. (March weather in Wisconsin is about as
predictable as the stock market.) Earlier that week, all of the snow–two feet
of it–had melted and the grounds were muddy and soupy.
I overheard the group leader talking with his counselors in the dining hall;
they had been planning to cross-country ski and sled all weekend.
"Okay. Let's figure out the schedule for the weekend," he said.
"Um...it's not going to be great weather," I interjected. "Looks like more rain
is coming."
"Oh, that's okay," the leader said. "I brought 10 videos along, just in case."
So that was their plan for the weekend—watch 10 movies.
We can do better than that. Here are six great indoor game ideas to prepare
you to help guest groups–or your own staff–deal with the unexpected.
1. Improv and theater games: You'll be amazed at how skilled some young
people are at making up skits on the spot. To learn about hilarious activities
that will be loads of fun for your staff to perform and your guests to watch,
check out www.learnimprov.com/ or www.humanpingpongball.com/gm.html
2. Skit in a bag: Gather bizarre props and put them in bags or boxes. You'll
need one set for each group of six to nine campers. Then, assign each group
a Bible story or parable. Give the kids four to six minutes to prepare their
retelling of the story, using all the props.
Groups can either act out the entire story, or have one of the members tell
the story while the others dramatize it.
3. Bunco: This game is an old favorite that's coming back. It's a great mixer
for large groups and a fun, active indoor game. Plus, it's cheap to play and
easy to teach. If you've never played or can't recall the rules, check out
www.worldbunco.com/rules.html or www.buncorules.com/rules.html
4. Nontalent show: Divide your guests into groups of 8 to 10. Recruit staff to
sit on stage and serve as judges. Then announce the first category and have
each group send up a participant to vie for points. Here are some
suggestions: weirdest stupid human trick, best modern art imitation, best
staff imitation, dumbest clean joke, weirdest laugh, hairiest feet, or shortest
name.
5. Crazy scavenger hunts: Have a human scavenger hunt (getting signatures
of people who have different characteristics, skills, or experiences), a photo
scavenger hunt (snapping pictures of unusual items and people doing
strange things), or a smell scavenger hunt (gathering items–such as mint
toothpaste, pine cones, or mothballs–that smell like certain things). You may
also want to try a sound scavenger hunt. Hand out tape recorders and have
campers collect sound effects for one of Jesus' stories. Then have the
groups retell the account with sound effects.
6. Variety night: Play board games, have an unplugged worship set, hold a
sing-a-long and listen to storytelling around an indoor campfire, host a
mystery dinner theater, or play shuffle your buns, a wild indoor game that
works best with 9 to 15 players. One version of the game's instructions can
be found at www.youthpastor.com/games (this site lists hundreds of cool
games). For a more in-depth description, see tinyurl.com/3xj4a
Enjoy!
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By Steven James
Steven is an author and speaker from Tennessee. If you have your own
favorite indoor game, he'd love to hear from you. He can be reached at
storyguy@stevenjames.net.
This article first appeared in the Christian Camp & Conference Journal,
March/April 2004, Vol. 8, No. 2
Copyright © 2004, Christian Camping International/USA |
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