Below is one of the program ideas that I really like. I just may give it a try this summer. Again this is from the Jan/Feb edition of Camp Business magazine. Check it out and grab your free subscription.

You Sunk My Battleship!

Our Leaders in Training (LITs) create a new evening activity each year. Three summers ago, the all-camp activity was Water Balloon Battleship, and campers have loved to participate in it ever since. They hang black plastic about 6 feet high down the middle of a sports field.

Camper-sized grids are placed on the ground with string so that each camper can stand in a separate box. Five 5′ x 5′ boxes are on each side so all 10 cabins can play at the same time. The campers are lined up in battle groups of three, four or five—like the ships in the board game in their cabin grid. The idea is the same—trying to eliminate the other side’s ships/campers, but by splashing them with water balloons. The opposing sides cannot see each other’s grid so on a specific count, everyone throws their water balloon over, with the sides taking turns. One is eliminated by catching or touching a water balloon, or the balloon hitting inside a square. Everyone has to pay attention, and campers make some crazy “matrix” moves not to get hit by the balloon. Once a team is eliminated, it waits for the other teams to finish and then everyone on one side of the tarp rotates to the left, giving them the opportunity to play another round with a different opponent.We usually play three to four rounds, depending on the number of balloons and the daylight available. The LITs spend about a week prepping about 3,500 water balloons for game night.

THE RULES
Every camper and cabin leader need to be inside their grid square and cannot move out of it once the game has started. One side of the tarp throws balloons, and once it is done throwing, the opposite side gets to throw. Teams take turns until one team is eliminated.When throwing the water balloon,
a camper must throw from where he or she is standing in the square on the grid. A camper needs to dodge the balloon without moving from the square in the grid. Balloons are thrown on a count from the leader. After a round is over, pieces of the balloons are thrown in the trash. Another round begins.

SET-UP REQUIREMENTS
30 water balloons per camper (10 water balloons per round) 10 5-gallon buckets to hold the balloons in front of cabin grids and as many containers to hold the number of balloons needed (We use clean trash cans, ice chests and anything else that can hold water and balloons.) Plastic tarps and lots of string 12 LITs lead the activity, making sure each cabin has balloons and trash buckets nearby. (We end up using the 5-gallon water balloon buckets, and keeping everyone engaged.)

OBJECTIVE
Get wet! Have fun!

Lesa Ward, Camp Director
YMCA Camp Indian Springs
Crawfordville, Fla.
www.ultimatecampresource.com/
site/camp-activities/november-2005
.page-1.html

A few weeks ago we started an after school program based around fitness. If you have ever tried to plan a fitness program for kids you know that it’s not as easy as having the kids run and do sit-ups. You want the kids to enjoy themselves so that they will continue to be active throughout their childhood.

So when we started planning the class I suggested we purchase FitDeck Junior. My staff asked me the same question I’m sure your thinking. What in the world is a FitDeck?

FitDeck is a special deck of playing cards. Each card has either a movement, stretch or exercise on it with illustrations and instructions. The movements, stretches and exercises require no equipment. They require only a person’s bodyweight to perform.

While there are a variety of decks (I personally have the bodyweight deck and love it) I’ll be focusing on the Junior version here.

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS

Here are some ideas taken from the Fit Deck website:

• Obstacle course – set up a mini obstacle course inside or outside; set up stations that require children to run around, over, through, or inside. At each obstacle, children must perform a FitDeck Jr. card that is assigned.
• Scavenger Hunt – place cards around house, playground, classroom, daycare, or hallways; children split into two groups; teams are challenged to find cards, return to home base, perform exercise, and return to find rest of cards.
• Color Stations – set up four exercise stations that represent the four FitDeck Jr. colors (blue, red, orange, green); children rotate from station to station and perform that station’s cards.
• Relay Races – using relay race-friendly FitDeck Junior cards (duck walk, knee taps, bear crawl, crab crawl), administer a relay race with two teams. Cards are selected by the teams at random.

You’ll want to get the FitDeck Junior Games and Activities Booklet which has over 70 games and activities for kids. FitDeck Junior is also a perfect indoor fitness solution when outdoor activities are cancelled due to inclement weather.

CAMP PROGRAMS

While all of the activities you see above can be used with great success in a camp environment, below are a couple of other suggestions. You may want to use FitDeck Bodyweight for these.

• Sunrise Movement – as the kids wake-up (resident camp) or arrive at camp (day camp) have each camper in the group choose a card randomly. Then have the kids perform each card.
• Tough Stuff – set-up a “Ranger” or “SEAL” program where (resident camp) campers are invited to get up before everyone else for morning PT (physical training). I did this one summer at camp and had around 30 kids take part. They felt like they were part of something that other campers were not. They felt great about themselves. We included running with our bodyweight work, I wish I had the FitDeck at the time. It would have made the program 100x better.
• Warm-ups – sports are a big part of many, if not most, camps (day or resident). Have the campers randomly choose a few FitDeck cards to perform as a warm-up.

FUNDRAISER

Selling FitDecks can be a wonderful and appropriate fundraiser these days. Instead of selling cookies and candy at the next bake sale, try selling fitness. Children can sell FitDecks to parents, coaches, neighbors, and to the public.