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Camp Iwilligoway Hints and Tips
General Tips for Large Group Teachers and Administrators
Materials you might use for the pole of your flagpole include a 2-inch x 4-inch piece of wood, a PVC pipe, or a cardboard carpet roll. Base and Flagpole options
As you are putting up each week’s flag, you might take some time to review what was learned the past weeks before singing “The Song of the Animals.” You can do this simply by reminding kids of the Key Concepts learned each week.
Part of the flagpole portion of the program is to uncover the animal of the week. This should be a surprise as the “campers” attempt to guess the animal through hints given by Ranger Dax. Therefore, each week’s animal flag should be hidden until the animal is discovered. Then, when raising the flag, the animal’s name and picture should be visible as a reminder of the content that week.
You can purchase a $20-$40 “flame” to use as a Campfire prop at novelty shops such as Spencer Gifts and Oriental Trading Company. A more expensive, deluxe model can be found at lemaitrefx.com
Consider creating a night scene for your Campfire time:
Lower the lights and have glow-in-the-dark stars on the wall and/or hanging from the ceiling.
Pay attention to time each week. Come up with a plan beforehand in case you run short on time. For example, you might consider skipping the Camp Iwilligoway Drill or shortening the Campfire time by playing one song instead of two. If you are short every week, alternate cutting the Drill or Campfire. If you have more time, consider extending the Campfire by singing additional songs and/or allowing the kids to come up with their own situations on some of the Camp Iwilligoway Drills.
Pay close attention to the response of your 4th and 5th graders. If you find that they think the Camp theme is cheesy and babyish, adjust your approach. Speak to them with respect. Get feedback from them and your volunteers about how to improve.
Be sure to convey to volunteers who greet the children or interact with them before Large Group that the animal levels each week need to be kept a secret from the kids. For example, discourage volunteers from saying, “Welcome to Badger Week!”
Looking for a Ranger Hat? Try www.woodlandgifts.com and www.eparks.com
Lesson 1:
Team Time Leaders for Grades 3—5, for the activity in Lesson 1, you might use crumpled newspaper and/or recycled paper in addition to or in place of the plain white paper. Assign the newspaper as two points and the recycled paper as three points.
Lesson 2:
Large Group Teachers and Administrators, for Lesson 2, the teaching method involves pulling props out of a backpack. You can also use a different type of bag, box, or other type of container if you’d like.
Lesson 3:
Team Time Leaders, for Lesson 3, consider turning out the lights for the activity to add a fun element. Large Group Teachers, if you have time at the end of the Large Group Program in Lesson 4, you might have the kids go back to Campfire for a worship and music time.
Lesson 5:
Team Time Leaders, in Lesson 5 for the first Blue Popsicle Challenge, you might have kids give a “high five” to everyone on their team instead of only ten people.
Team Time Leaders, for the activity in Lesson 5, groups of about 15-20 kids work best for Grades 3—5. For Grades K—2, groups of less than 15 kids work best.
Lesson 7:
Team Time Leaders, for Lesson 7 Questions for Grades 3—5, the questions “Why would it be hard to say what was done wrong?” and “What would give you the courage to say what was done wrong?” could be confusing or hard for some kids to answer. If you find this to be the case, you might ask, “Would it be hard to say you are sorry (or to be honest)? What should you do to make it right?”
Team Time Leaders, for Lesson 7, if you have a large group of children, you may want to number them off in groups of ten. More kids will be able to play together and everyone can get more than one chance to play. Instead of numbering the kids, you could also just have someone tap the kids on the shoulder who will go out for that round.
Lesson 9:
Large Group Teachers, for Lesson 9, if you predict that you will be short on time, consider shortening the Pre-Teach.
Large Group Teachers, for Lesson 9, if you think you will be very short on time and unable to play Capture the Flag or Steal the Bacon, play a game where kids race to put the story in order. Play the game after you tell the story in Round-Up. Here is how to play: For Grades 3—5, create two sets of picture cards (pages 4-9 of Lesson 9 Large Group). Place each set in random order. Divide kids into two groups: Grades 3/4 and Grades 5. Pick seven kids from Grades 3/4 and seven kids from Grades 5. The object of the game is for the age groups to race against each other to see who can put the pictures in order first. To do this, have six of the seven kids from each age group hold up a picture card. Have the seventh child from each age group put the picture cards in the right order. (He/she will move the six kids around into the right order.) For Grades K—2, call up six kids to hold the picture cards and have the crowd yell out which picture goes first, second, and so on. After the pictures are in order, review the story briefly.
Team Time Leaders and Administrators, for the activity in Lesson 9, you might try using a dry-erase board. You may find that the Splat sticks much better to it than the paper.
Lesson 10:
Large Group Teachers, for Lesson 10, you might have kids bring the instruments they made in Activity Stations in Lesson 1. They can make a joyful noise unto the Lord!
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