Day Camp. Day Camps Continue to Expand DAY CAMP. InsideOut: 261

Transcription

1

2 Day Camp Day Camps Continue to Expand Welcome to the resources for day camp. Many camps are expanding their program to include weeklong day camp alongside of their traditional camping model. Churches, too, are reaching out to families by providing day camp to their communities. This ministry provides a much-needed service to parents and families. But providing many weeks of Vacation Bible School-type activities can be taxing and expensive. Therefore, we have adapted our daily camp resources into a format that can be used in a longer term environment. In these materials, you will find each scripture is broken down to provide five days of materials. Each week corresponds to one day from the Daily Guide materials. You can use each week s chart to help you shape your day, or you can use your own format. The guide will help you develop your day to include welcoming games, Bible story time, quiet time, a morning and afternoon activity and a weeklong project. As with all of our resources you can adapt these materials to the exact specifications of your ministry. InsideOut: 261

3 Week 1 Together, the Courage to Show Up Plan Your Week Use the grid below as an example to help you create a visual plan for your week. (You will want to list your own schedule and write in your choices.) Select activities from the various listings below; feel free to add others of your own creation, as well. Event Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Welcome (p.263) Captain Courage Step-By-Step The Journey Ahead We Are Connected One Body Race Bible Story (p.264) Scripture: Genesis 12:1-8 Story Cards The Great Family by Jerome Berryman The Dot by Peter Reynolds Marvin K. Mooney Would You Please Go Now? by Dr. Seuss Abram Trusts God, Children of God Storybook, by D. Tutu Early Activity (p.265) Create our Journals Painted Stones The Dot Activity We will Go! What s My Job on the Journey Quiet Time (p.267) Table Talk & Journal time Rest, Read & Journal time Table Talk & Journal Time Rest, Read& Journal Time Table Talk & Journal Time Late Activity (p.267) Fears In Hand Walk the Walk Ripples of Blessing Trust Charms Bottle Weaving Closing Devotions (p.269) Hand Pile Prayer Walk and Talk with God Blessings Use your favorite from We Will Go We Are Connected Weeklong Project (p.271) Begin Chalkboard Craft Continue Chalkboard Craft Continue Chalkboard Craft Continue Chalkboard Craft Continue Chalkboard Craft Daily Song Father Abraham I Will Call Upon the Lord You ve got a Friend in Me Randy Newman We Are Standing On Holy Ground Children, Go Where I Send Thee Leader Notes To prepare, read through the Biblical and Theological Overview for Day 1. The Abram story is about a community that was called by God to leave a comfortable place and go to an unknown place so that a new community could come into being. They did as God asked and, when they did, God showed up and blessed them. This is what is happening at camp this week, as well. Individuals are called to leave their comfortable lives and become a new community. Trust that God will show up and bless those involved. 262 InsideOut:

4 Welcome Use these activities during get-to-know-you time. Be aware that you may need to be flexible as campers arrive. Advise your staff to introduce campers to each other and to use this time to watch for group interactions, gauge energy levels and encourage those who may need it. Captain COURAGE #Play #Create Why: By being silly, we can talk more openly about our fears and how we might find the courage to face them. How: Divide into groups. Tell the groups you are going to give each group a task to accomplish, but their goal is not to accomplish the tasks it s simply to lay out a step-by-step process that someone could follow to complete that task. Examples could be: build a table, clean a pool, play a game of Monopoly. After the groups finish writing their instructions, have them share with each other, and give other groups a chance to see if they can find any flaws in the processes. (For instance: If building a table began with sawing lumber, another group might ask, How did you get the lumber? ) Do a few rounds until they get the hang of it. Supplies: lots of fabric (yards and yards), scissors, toilet paper tubes, markers, construction paper, glue, duct tape, paint, brushes, markers, and any other appropriate art supplies. (If fabric is costprohibitive, you can substitute garbage bags. Remind campers not to sleep in their capes.) How: Ahead of time, cut fabric in large rectangles for capes, with the short ends wide enough that the two corners can wrap around the neck and be tied, and cut toilet paper tubes lengthwise so they can be placed on wrists. Invite campers to discuss what abilities or powers God has given them, or what they would need from God to face their fears. Invite them to create a superhero costume to share their powers or the powers they would need from God. Give each camper a cape and two cut toilet paper tubes. Provide scissors, construction paper, glue, paint, duct tape, and other craft supplies. After they are finished creating their costumes, invite them to dress up and share their work. Discuss how God empowers us to meet the challenges before us. BTW: Invite campers to wear their costumes all day long. This could be a great photo op. If time allows, invite campers to create a comic book style story of Abram s journey. Step-by-STEP #LEARN #Create Why: This activity moves your campers beyond thinking about why to forgive to begin thinking about how to forgive by looking at the process of how things are accomplished. Supplies: pens, paper Then challenge the groups to come up with a step-by-step process for forgiving someone. Tell them to think about the example of Joseph (and Nelson Mandela if you used that activity) and all that would need to happen for them to forgive. Have each group share and then, as one community, put together a final plan from all that they come up with. BTW: You could play the step-by-step group part by having the groups bid on how many steps it would take them to do the activity. Let the one with the lowest bid name their steps. If you do it this way, just make sure they do not limit their steps when thinking about forgiveness. Finally, have your campers name the steps that Joseph took to forgiveness. The Journey AHEAD #LEARN #Play Why: This activity may help campers identify with Abram and Sarai and realize how much courage it would have taken for them to go where God was calling them. This is also a way for campers to work together and get to know one another. Supplies: Bible, 2 3 small duffel bags, various practical objects (food items, bandages, flashlights, Bibles, bottles of water, ropes, etc.) How: In this activity, campers will engage with the story and imagine what it might have been like to be Abram and Sarai. Read the story from Genesis 12:1 8. Then, put the campers in groups of 3 5 and give each group a bag. Ask them to pack their bags based on what would be most useful for a journey to the unknown. After the bags are InsideOut: 263

5 packed, imagine a scenario that could have taken place during Abram and Sarai s journey. Narrate the scenario, giving the campers challenges to overcome. Make some challenges simple, such as fixing a hole in a pail. Make others more challenging, such as a sick child or a lost sheep. Give each group an opportunity to work together to imagine a way to overcome the challenge, using the items in their backpacks. And then come back to the larger group to explain their solution. BTW: To get the giggles going, you can add some ridiculous items to stretch their imagination: kitchen utensils, a flower, swim trunks, a kazoo It may be preferable to use Berryman s The Great Family instead of simply reading from the biblical passage. We Are Connected! #Play Why: This activity will help campers get to know one another and make the point that they are all connected to one another. Supplies: play dough of various colors (enough for each camper to have a good bit), sealable plastic bag for each camper How: In this activity, campers will introduce themselves and understand that they are connected to one another. Give each camper some play dough. Ask the campers to mold their dough into things that represent them. Invite each camper to share about what he or she has made. Then, explain that each of them is unique and special, but they all came together at camp to make a new group. Invite the campers to come forward one at a time and give their play dough back to you. As they do so, clump all of it together (taking care not to mix the colors together too much), creating a new, big, colorful ball. Then, explain that just as each camper contributes something to the group, each one also receives something from the group. Give each camper a piece of the big ball. Allow the campers to put the play dough in a container or plastic bag and take it with them as a reminder of their connection to one another. BTW: Recipes for homemade play dough are available online or you may want to use clay. One Body Race Why: Give the campers an experience of working together in a fun way. Supplies: Paper and pencil How: Divide campers into teams of three, with two acting as the legs, and one acting as the eyes. Choose a distance or destination for the race. This can also be done as a simple obstacle course. Line the teams up with the legs carrying the eyes between them. Blindfold the legs, then share the destination with the eyes by writing it on a piece of paper so the legs can t overhear it. Finally, say go! Afterward, spend some time debriefing and ask the campers what different parts make up the body of the Church and how they can best work together. BTW: You can make the obstacles more complicated by including activities that involve moving or stacking items, then add more blindfolded team members to be hands. This might even include a community meal time, sitting as a body and making sure each person gets fed (by the hands, guided by the eyes). Bible Story At the beginning of the week, gather the campers together and read the week s scripture from the Bible. As the week goes on, you can reinforce the Bible story by reading from different suggested story Bibles. The activities and resources listed below will offer you some alternative ways of telling the Bible story. Story Cards #LEARN Why: This is a short story to tell, but a long story to have lived through. Moving around the table will help the campers get a sense of the movement of this story. They know what it is like to have a warm, cozy home with everything they need. Most of them have not lived long-term out of a tent. They will begin to understand that Abram and Sarai must have trusted God with their whole hearts to have followed God away from such a wonderful home. Making the link to the campers courage to leave their homes this week and to live in a new place will help to make the link that God is with them too! 264 InsideOut:

6 Supplies: deck of cards, Bible story How: Sit at a table large enough for all the campers to join around you. Begin to build a house of cards. You may make several small houses. If they fall over, just calmly rebuild. Don t say what you are doing until everyone is seated and listening. Explain that you are recreating Abram and Sarai s home. Point out places for animals, spots for guests to stay rooms that are important. State that it is a great place to live because it has everything one would need, and family and friends are near. Then tell the story of God s call to Abram. Slowly take down the card buildings and pack them into the card box. Wonder aloud how Abram and Sarai would have felt to leave behind so comfortable a home. Wonder aloud just how much they must have trusted God to move away. Let the campers respond as they will, helping to answer your ponderings. Then get up and move to another place at the table and take out just a few cards and build a small tent. Talk about Abram and Sarai traveling, and what it must have been like to live in a small tent. Wonder if the tent they lived in was like the cabin/tent the campers are staying in for the week. Then pack up the cards again and move to another place at the table. Build the small tent again. Then tell about the time that Abram and Sarai traveled following God. Wonder aloud how it must be to trust someone you cannot see. Then stop, listen intently, and then tell of the changing of Abraham and Sarah s names and the huge promise God made to them. BTW: If you are doing something interesting like building card houses, campers will always be drawn to you! If you do not have cards for this, you can use sticks or stones to outline home spaces. Other Story Resources The Dot, Reynolds Marvin K. Mooney, Seuss Children of God Storybook Bible, Tutu Family Story Bible, Milton The Great Family, Berryman Complete Guide to Godly Play, Berryman Early Activity Use your morning activity time to reinforce the Bible story. It is a good time to get campers engaged in a project or game. Create Our Journals Each day, campers will be allowed time to record their thoughts, hopes, drawings and such in their journals. You can choose to make these easily by folding five to ten sheets of paper together with a sheet of construction paper on the bottom and stapling them in the middle. Allow campers to put their name on the front cover and decorate them however they like. To make the journals more elaborate you can punch holes in the edges and weave a ribbon through them or use brads. For multi-week use, add more paper. Painted Stones #Create #LEARN Why: This activity gives campers the opportunity to share how they see themselves and to make a mark on the camp. It gives campers time to listen and talk to each other and begin to trust that they will be liked in this new place. Supplies: hand-size stones (one for each camper), acrylic or latex paint, brushes (optional: glitter, glue, google eyes, yarn) How: Have each camper choose and decorate one stone to represent him- or herself. While campers are working, encourage casual conversations. Tell them about how Abram and Sarai left their home because God asked them to move to a new place. Mention that they were probably scared. Tell the campers that Abram and Sarai placed stones in a pile as an altar, a place to worship God. Explain that the stones helped them to remember that God was with them and that they were safe in God s love. BTW: Once the stones are finished, you can place them as markers along the path to your cabin or gathering place. This will claim the space for the campers. Your campers may wish to move them from place to place through the week as they feel more at home at camp. Say a prayer of thanks that God is with you all and that you are a part of God s promise, just like Abram and Sarai. InsideOut: 265

7 The DOT #LEARN #Create Why: This activity may give campers the courage to be present and take risks. The nonthreatening art project may help campers feel included and capable. This is also an opportunity to acknowledge fears. Supplies: The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, paper, paint, paintbrushes How: In this activity, campers will discover what it means to have the courage to show up. Invite campers to look and listen as you read The Dot. Then, debrief: Why do you think that Vashti did not want to participate in art class at first? What finally gave Vashti the courage to make her art? Do you have any fears about being at camp? What are they? Vashti was afraid of making art because she thought that she was not a good artist. But, when she got the courage to take one small step, she bloomed into a great artist. Discuss with the campers the importance of them having the courage to show up at camp and seeing where it takes them. Allow the campers to create their own Vashti-style art. They may want to make dots, squiggles, lines, spirals, etc. Be sure that the campers sign their artwork. Put it on display. BTW: Instead of paint, you can use markers, crayons, or colored pencils. We Will Go Split campers into groups so that each group has an adult leader, and ask campers to make a list of activities that God might call them to. They can list serious or fun statements. To help get them thinking, ask them to name the hardest good things for them to do. Have leaders record the list for campers who are non-writers. When groups are finished listing (10-20 items) invite each group to shout out one of their statements, and everyone will respond to each statement with WE WILL GO! Go from group to group until you have read all the statements. Feel free to switch back and forth from serious to fun statements. Ex.: When we are asked to travel to a new land..., When someone is in need of food..., When it is time to eat breakfast..., When it is difficult or scary..., When someone needs a friend..., Even if it s raining..., For the people who are hard to love..., etc. It is important for the groups to deliver this with the proper spirit. This should be a call and response of excitement and energy, motivating the group. Include statements unique to your camp experience (for example, When it s biscuits and gravy for breakfast...! What s My Job on the Journey #Play #LEARN Why: This activity will help campers imagine what it must have been like for Abram and his family to set out from their home to an unknown land. It will also give a picture of what is require to set out on a trip like that, and that showing up as the church then usually gives us an important purpose. They will also get to know each other s gifts and strengths. Supplies: cards with list of jobs (see suggestions below) How: Ask groups to imagine they will be taking a journey together on foot as Abram and Sarai did. Either frame it as if they are in the Abram story, or map out an actual geographical location that is miles from you (the estimated distance Abram traveled), and inform the group they will be traveling there. Pass out an index card with a job for the journey to each camper. Have the campers discuss how they would feel about being responsible for that task throughout the 900-mile trip. Then allow campers to swap cards to designate roles more appropriate to each group member s skills and interests. Discuss how campers would feel about taking such a leap of faith, leaving their homes to go to a new place they may not know, and what they thought about in the activity they may not have thought about before. Suggested jobs: shepherd, tailor, tent builder, cook, butcher, camel keeper, childcare provider, cobbler, 266 InsideOut:

8 guard, nurse, altar builder, scribe, navigator, teacher, launderer, and imagine your own! BTW: To add to the activity, display a map of the route. Decorate the area with props such as tents, pots, pans, etc. Quiet Time Every day, allow your campers some quiet downtime. You may want to provide campers with books, craft supplies, paper, or manipulatives such as clay or action-figures. Encourage your campers to reflect upon and connect with the weekly story and theme. You may allow some quiet cooperative games like mancala or cards, but encourage discussion between campers by using the Table Talk questions. Be sure to allow campers ample time to clean up their work before moving on to the afternoon activities. Table Talk Use these questions to invite campers into conversation about the theme. Use them over one or more of the meals or create a conversation station during one of the activity rotations Consider using this for one or more of the days in the week. Younger Campers: Share about a time when you had to do something that you did not want to do, but it turned out okay in the end. If Jesus were here right now, what would you like to ask or tell him? What is the best group (team, club, etc.) of which you have been a part? What made it special? After sharing, choose who will share next. Start with the camper who traveled the farthest to get to camp. If you could rename yourself, what would you like to be called? Why? Older Campers: Ask the person to your left to share about a time when he or she was afraid or nervous to show up for something. How did it turn out? Would they do it again? You must choose to be at one of the following places. Which do you choose and why? A) a quiet, personal retreat, B) a large, rowdy youth group gathering, C) a small group Bible study What is one of your greatest fears? What might be necessary to help you conquer your fear? Name the thing that you like most about yourself. Journal Time 1. Why would Abram build a rock tower to God wherever God spoke to him? 2. Tell about a time that you ve been lost or wandering and how you found your way to safety 3. What would you do if God told you to leave your friends for a place you ve never been? Why? 4. When have you had to try something new you thought you wouldn t like but you wound up liking it? 5. If God told you, I m going to turn your family into an entire nation, what would you expect to happen? 6. Draw what it would look like if you packed up all your possessions and family and set out across the desert. Rest and Read Here are storybooks to read aloud for quiet time, perhaps after lunch. Or use them during worship time: Swimmy, Leoni, Marvin K. Mooney, Seuss The Dot, Reynolds Oh the Places You ll Go, Seuss Once Upon a Time, Daly Fears in HAND Late Activity #Play #LEARN Why: Use this sensory activity to dig into the power of fears and confront some of the bigger ones people face. This will also help campers think about the courage of Abram s decisions. Supplies: coffee can with lid, scissors, various small items, marker How: Ahead of time, cut slits in the middle of the coffee can from the middle, outward, so a person InsideOut: 267

9 can reach a hand inside while being unable to see what is inside. Write the following words about fears on some small items and place the items in the can: lost, poor, death, humiliated, hurt feelings, alone, failure. Invite campers to reach into the can, one at a time, and grab an item. Before pulling it out, ask them to share what they can tell about that item just by sense of touch. Based on what they know from touching it, ask them the best thing and worst thing it could be. Invite them to pull out the item and read what is written on it. For each item, ask campers, How might Abram and his family have faced this fear? and, When do people in our world today face this fear? Finally, ask the campers to reflect on how God supports us when we face this fear. BTW: Be creative with your choice of items. You can also do this activity with the addition of a series of cans each with different textured items in them, such as pasta, Jell-O, etc. Campers can reach into each of these before grabbing for an item in the final can. Walk the WALK #Play #LEARN Why: Help build trust in your group by playing a game that will allow them to compare and discuss the different ways we help each other. Some friends may give advice to solve problems, while others show up to help you face problems. Supplies: blindfolds (one per every two campers, pool noodles, hazard cones, boxes, other safe obstacles How: Set up a simple obstacle course using items that cannot hurt anyone. Pair campers and ask one in each duo to wear a blindfold. The camper who can see will guide his or her partner through the course by yelling directions to him or her. You can let campers go one pair at a time, or allow all the sighted campers to yell directions at the same time as their partners navigate the course. If time allows, the campers may trade spots so both get a chance to try the course. However, if you are tight on time, move on to the second part of the activity. Move the course around so that it is a little different, then invite the campers to navigate the course again. This time, instead of yelling directions, ask the campers who do not have blindfolds to walk along with and guide their partners through the course. After everyone has completed the course, spend some time talking about the difference between being told what to do and having someone walk through a difficult task with you. Discuss how bad directions or guidance can impact trust between partners. BTW: If you can build an obstacle course in several sites across the camp grounds, this is a great way to help campers get more familiar with the facility. By using different colors of noodles, boxes, and cones, multiple groups could go through different obstacle courses at the same time, passing each other on trails or walkways. Connect the community by having groups design courses for others to navigate. Ripples of BLESSING #centering Supplies: small rock or pebble for each camper, body of water (optional: words to the song Perfect World ) Give each camper a small stone, and explain that this will be the campers one time to throw a rock during camp. If you have a body of water, gather around that space, or you may use a large basin or portable pool. Invite campers to think about ways they could be blessings to the camp community. When they are ready, invite them to, one at a time, toss their rocks into the water and watch the ripples caused. Observe what happens when ripples collide with others. Other components of worship might include personal testimonials on the ripple-effect others have had in their lives by just showing up. Stories of people having the courage to be present in difficult times or in unknown circumstances would be great. You might use the words to the song Perfect World (Indigo Girls, 2004), which talk about ripples made by decisions made and those we choose not to make. Trust Charms #Create #Pray Why: A visual and recognizable (like BFF charms) way to get to know one another. Supplies: Craft foam, markers, yarn or jute, hole punch 268 InsideOut:

10 How: Brainstorm things people do to build trust or other emotions connected to trust (sharing, risk, helping, truth telling, time together, etc.). Write these words or phrases related to building trust on pieces of craft foam. Cut each piece into two or more pieces, using creative cutting so the pieces end up looking like puzzle pieces. Make sure they can be matched up later. Put holes in the pieces and divide them up evenly so everyone has the same number but no one has matching pieces in his or her possession. Give each camper a piece of yarn or jute to string his or her pieces onto. Help the campers tie these as necklaces, leaving enough length so the campers can easily look at the pieces on their necklaces. Once all have their pieces, allow time for the campers to walk around and see who has the other parts to match their pieces. Spend some time discussing how time at camp helps campers trust each other and what can be done to deepen that trust. Close in prayer, giving each person a chance to pray for everyone who shares a match to the pieces on his or her necklace. It can be as simple as, God, I pray for,, and. BTW: These prayers could be the beginning of prayer partners for the week of camp. Campers might try to find a way to experience each word they have a piece of with those they have prayed for. If a camper has the word sharing, then maybe he or she could share a snack with someone who has another piece of that word. You could reunite these words later in the week to celebrate the courage to trust that has been displayed. Bottle Weaving Why: Ruth must have used something to gather the grain into when she gleaned in the fields. Your campers will need something to gather their found treasures into as well! Supplies: Clean two-liter bottles, scissors, yarn, ribbon, or even long grasses How: Ahead of time, cut the two-liter bottles (or have each camper cut his or her own, if the campers are old enough to safely do so). The bottles should be cut in the following way: Cut off cap end so that what is left is a cylinder with a bottom. Then cut the sides in strips down to the point where the bottle begins to curve in to the bottom. Cut an odd number of strips about ½ an inch wide (still attached to the bottom). This is your weaving base. Have the campers each select a yarn color to start. Instruct them: Tie the yarn onto one of the strips and push it down to the bottom base, as close as possible. Weave the yarn in and out around the bottle. Colors may be changed by cutting off one color and tying on another color. When the weaving gets within 2 inches of the top tie off the yarn. Then either you or the campers can cut the ends of the strips into points and fold them over the highest level of yarn and tuck them into the yarn lower down. BTW: Most any recyclable plastic container can be used in this way, and the shape can be changed by pushing out as you weave or pulling in tighter, or by modifying the shape of the strips. Consider using a shaped cola bottle just for fun and see what happens and what shape it takes. Closing Devotions Every day, wrap up your day with a short time of devotion. In addition to the resources listed here, you may want to turn to the Daily Guides Worship Practices for suggested prayers and songs. Though time sometimes runs out and devotions can slip off your radar, at least give the campers a moment to thank God for the day. You could use a repeated phrase to signal that your time has come to a close by shouting in one voice, Together, we have the courage to Show Up! Amen! Hand Pile Prayer #Pray Why: This prayer reinforces name recognition and gives everyone time to think of something he or she is thankful for. Supplies: non-permanent marker How: Write the name of each child on the back of his or her right hand. Ask the campers to form a circle Either standing or sitting works. Then begin the prayer, asking God to bless the people whose names appear in the circle. As each one places his or her hand, have the group prayerfully say the name written on the hand. Place your hand in the middle with your name visible, and InsideOut: 269

11 invite the others, one by one, to place their right hands on top of yours. Then after all are in the pile, have each remove his or her hand, one at a time, as they each state something he or she was thankful for during the day. BTW: Some children will not want to say anything Give them permission to say pass if they cannot think of something to say. Remember: prayer is not a test of mental quickness or courage to speak up when one is uncomfortable. It is an opportunity for conversation with God. Walk and Talk with GOD Supplies: blindfolds for all campers #celebrate Invite campers to gather away from the worship space. Place everyone in a line, with hands on the shoulders of the person in front of each. Have adults at the beginning and end of the line, with extra spotters in the middle if needed. The adult in the back will start passing on the words to a prayer, one line at a time, up the line of campers, with each camper repeating them to the person in front of him or her. The adult in the front will guide the campers toward worship. Each camper follows the person in front of him or her while sharing the words to the prayer with that person he or she is following. Invite the first blindfolded person in line to shout out the prayer as loud as he or she can as he or she receives the lines. This is not a game of telephone, so campers may ask for clarification before passing on the words of the prayer. Lord, you are worthy of our trust. When your people cried in the wilderness, You heard them and responded. Even though we walk in darkness, We will not live in fear. We will trust you like a shepherd. Guide us and comfort us. Lead us to serve others. Lead us to care for others. May we be worthy, Lord, Of the trust you grant us. Amen. BLESSINGS Supplies: sand, anointing oil #centering In this activity, the campers will be blessed for their week at camp. Take the campers to an area with sand (beach, sand pit, etc.). (If there is limited sand access, consider doing an adjusted version of this activity at night under the stars, so that they can be used instead.) Explain that God promised Abram he would have as many descendants as there were grains of sand on the beach, and that he would be blessed in order to be a blessing. God kept that promise, and now the campers are also blessed to be a blessing. Invite the campers to touch the sand and think about this promise. During this quiet time, ask each camper if you may bless him/her. Then, take some anointing oil, place a bit on the camper s forehead or on the back of the hand and say, You, [name], are blessed to be a blessing. We Will Go Use your favorite phrases from We Will Go in the Early Activities We Are Connected! #Play Why: This activity will help campers get to know one another and make the point that they are all connected to one another. Supplies: play dough of various colors (enough for each camper to have a good bit), sealable plastic bag for each camper How: In this activity, campers will introduce themselves and understand that they are connected to one another. Give each camper some play dough. Ask the campers to mold their dough into things that represent them. Invite each camper to share about what he or she has made. Then, explain that each of them is unique and special, but they all came together at camp to make a new group. Invite the campers to come forward one at a time and give their play dough back to you. As they do so, clump all of it together (taking care not to mix the colors together too much), creating a new, big, colorful ball. Then, explain that just as each camper contributes something to the group, each one also receives something from the group. Give each camper a piece of the big ball. Allow the campers to put the 270 InsideOut:

12 play dough in a container or plastic bag and take it with them as a reminder of their connection to one another. BTW: Recipes for homemade play dough are available online or you may want to use clay. Weeklong Project Chalkboard Craft Why: Joseph forgave his brothers. It was, in a way, like washing off a blackboard. As with any chalkboard paint, you will need to prep the surface once it is completely dry by rubbing a piece of chalk across the entire board (easiest if you turn the chalk on its side). Then erase completely, and it s ready to go. BTW: If you want to make this a several day project you can do the chalkboard paint on one day and then decorate or paint on a frame the second day. It is easier to purchase blackboard paint but it is more expensive and it does not allow for the creative choices of your campers, as well. Supplies: 1/8 inch or 1/4 inch medium-density fiberboard (MDF board, available at home improvement stores), one for each camper (You can choose the size somewhere between 8 x 10 and 11 x 14), primer, acrylic paint in various colors, stick. Small paintbrush, dry, non-sanded grout, measuring spoons (1 tsp. and ½ tsp.), cups, sponge brushes, stirring stick, permanent marker, ribbon, scissors, chalk, plastic wrap. How: Precut the MDF and drill two holes at the top for a hanging ribbon. Prime the MDF so it is ready to paint. Premark cuts at 1/3 cup level. This is the maximum amount of paint campers should need. Measure 1 1/2 teaspoons of the non-sanded grout and put in each mixing cup. It is very fine and will make a mess, so do it where there is good ventilation. Pour 1/4 cup of paint into the cup of the color of the camper s choice. They can mix colors but suggest that they mix only two colors. After that the color gets really muddy. Stir. The consistency will be slightly lumpy still. The grout is very fine, so when it is brushed on, it spreads out and isn t noticeable at all. Apply with a sponge brush. You will need between one and three coats. Plan to paint one coat, play a game, paint another coat, play another game and then put on a final coat. You can cover the cups of paint and the brushes with plastic wrap between coats. Have the campers choose a ribbon and tie it as a hanger. InsideOut: 271

13 Week 2 Together, the Courage to TRUST Plan Your Week Use the grid below as an example to help you create a visual plan for your week. (You will want to list your own schedule and write in your choices.) Select activities from the various listings below; feel free to add others of your own creation, as well. Event Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Welcome (p.273) Bible Story (p.274) Early Activity (p.276) Quiet Time (p.278) Late Activity (p.279) Closing Devotions (p.281) Weeklong Project (p.283) Trust Walk Trust Run Reverse Shock Walk Scripture: Ruth Whom Do You Trust? Table Talk & Journal time Sharing the Harvest Community Hand Wash Begin Style-a-Dial Journeying with Ruth Prized Possession Show & Tell Rest, Read & Journal time Build a Church Together Follow the (Worship) Leader Continue Stylea-Dial No Rules! Circle of Influence Story Summary Naomi Monologue Ruth Monologue Magnetic Personalities Table Talk & Journal Time Friendship Bracelets Rest, Read & Journal Time Who Has Your Back? Table Talk & Journal Time To Trust or Not I Doubt It Trusted Friends Balloon Journey Wheat Meditation Naomi, Ruth & Boaz Skit That Goes Viral Continue Stylea-Dial Continue Stylea-Dial Continue Style-a-Dial Daily Song Make New Friends I Will Follow You (Chris Tomlin) I m Gonna Sing So Servant Song I am the Church! You are the Church! (Avery and Marsh) Leader Notes Our ability to trust is a reflection of our experience in family systems. Camp is essentially an experimental family system. Trustworthiness is central. Make sure you say what you will do and then do it. If you need to make a change, explain the change and then follow through. Watch for teasing. It is an easy pattern to fall into at camp. Some campers will have had a loving experience with ribbing, while others will have had a painful experience. It is best to just not engage and to explain that here at camp we treat each other with love and respect, and we say what we mean clearly. This means that teasing is not a part of our vocabulary. Campers on the autism spectrum may have a very difficult time understanding jokes and the twists of teasing. Watch for those moments and be prepared to explain. 272 InsideOut:

14 Welcome Use these activities during get-to-know-you time. Be aware that you may need to be flexible as campers arrive. Advise your staff to introduce campers to each other and to use this time to watch for group interactions, gauge energy levels and encourage those who may need it. Trust WALK #Play Why: This activity will build trust among the group. It may also help the campers connect with Ruth and see how her deep trust was what sparked this great story. Supplies: blindfolds, various objects How: In this activity, campers will explore the concept of trust through a trust walk. Blindfold all of the campers and have them stand in a single file line, placing their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them. Lead them over, under, and around different objects. Be sure that other leaders are around to ensure campers safety. Debrief together: How did you feel during this activity? Why? How would someone who really didn t have sight learn to trust others? When Ruth followed Naomi, she was following her into an unknown place with unknown people and an unknown God. How do you think that she felt? Why do you think that she chose to go with Naomi anyway? BTW: There are many variations of trust walks. Campers can be paired up and one camper blindfolded while the other camper gives directions (sometimes using no words, just hand pressure). Use whatever trust walk activity that would work best with your particular group. Trust RUN #Play indicate that he or she is about to go by saying something like, I am going to run now. I trust my friends to move away. The campers answer back in unison, You can trust us. As the camper runs, the other campers must jump out of the runner s way. The runner should slow down or stop as needed until he or she has moved past the entire line. Take turns until all of the campers have had a chance to be the runner. Debrief the activity with the group: Was it easy or hard to trust your fellow campers? Why? What would have happened if someone had purposely not moved when someone was running? How would that have changed how we feel about each other and deal with each other this week? What do you do when you need to trust someone but find that it is difficult? Why do you think that Ruth trusted Naomi, Naomi s people, and Naomi s God so much? What are the risks involved in trusting someone? BTW: During the debriefing time, spend some time exploring the risks of trusting. Acknowledge and affirm fears of being betrayed. This activity may be done inside or outside, provided that there is enough space that is free of obstacles. Reverse Shock Walk #Play #LEARN #Serve Why: Trusting someone you just met is hard! Many trust games involve blindfolds, but for younger children blindfolds can be really scary! This activity is easy to get out of if you are feeling unsafe. It is not a race! It is a walk. Everyone who makes it to the other side wins. Supplies: items for an obstacle course: chairs, tables, etc. Why: This activity is high energy and campers can run off some of their energy. It also helps develop trust among the group, which is important during this stage of the week. How: Have the campers stand in a single-file line in a wide open space, all facing in the same direction. Pick one camper to be the runner. The runner must stand a few feet in front of the line, facing the first person in line. The runner must How: Put the campers into pairs. One will be the walker, and the other will give directions. Set up an obstacle course with a variety of obstacles that the campers must avoid. Pretend the objects are electric, and if a camper touches them, they buzz. The walkers must walk backwards through the course without stepping on or bumping into anything. They must also avoid bumping into other campers walking through the course. InsideOut: 273

15 They must trust their partners to guide them safely through the course by telling the backward walkers how many steps and in which direction. If a walker gets nervous and turns around, the pair has to start over. When a team successfully makes it through, have them switch places and repeat the exercise. When you do an activity that pushes trust boundaries, it is important to be clear about the boundaries before the game begins and to talk about it afterward so that the campers can communicate their experiences and so that you can adjust what happens to accommodate any special needs that may arise. Why do you think that rules are often part of our lives, and especially part of our lives together at camp? How are rules good? How are rules bad? How are rules related to trust? BTW: To make it a more physical game, give each group of campers a ball instead of dice and tell them to play ball. If the campers enjoy playing cards, consider using the card game Fluxx instead of this activity. In Fluxx, the rules, goals, and objectives constantly change. Consider using this activity to go over the camp rules again and possibly come up with additional rules for each small group to follow. BTW: If your campers master this, try having the guide use only body movement to instruct the walker. To make this more challenging, you can make blinders out of sunglasses with construction paper taped on the sides. No Rules! #Play Why: This activity helps campers understand the importance of rules. It also allows the leadership to reinforce the camp rules early in the week and explain that rules are there for everyone s protection and to ensure that everyone can be safe and have the most fun possible. Supplies: two dice per each small group of campers (3 5 people) How: Tell the campers that are going to play a dice game. Divide them into small groups of 3 5 and then give each group a set of two dice. Then, tell them to begin playing. Give no further instructions. If the campers ask for more guidelines or information, just tell them to start playing. Give the groups some time to figure things out for themselves and come up with a game to play. After some time, call everyone back together and debrief using the following questions: How did you feel when you were told to begin playing without being given any directions? Without directions, how did you play the game? What was the first rule that you came up with? How did your group agree/disagree on what the rules would be? If there was conflict, how did you resolve it? Circle of Influence Why: This is a great way to get to know your group without asking a single question. Observe group dynamics and tendencies among campers to lead, follow, etc. Supplies: None How: Ask the campers to stand in a circle, connected palm to palm with the person on either side of them. Instruct them to maintain contact with the person on either side at all times and to not speak. Once everyone has these ground rules, invite them to imagine a place they might take the group. Do not instruct them to go anywhere. Simply give them a moment to imagine. Now, tell the campers they have 5 minutes. Give no further direction. You may remind them of the ground rules, but give them no direction or clarification. Let the group negotiate the gray area in their own way. If you have time, debrief the experience. Ask the campers about things they noticed about their dynamics, then add some of your own. BTW: After doing this activity with a small group of campers, you could create an obstacle course for groups to compete against each other with a time penalty for breaking contact or talking. Bible Story At the beginning of the week, gather the campers together and read the week s scripture from the Bible. As the week goes on, you can reinforce the Bible story 274 InsideOut:

16 by reading from different suggested story Bibles. The activities and resources listed below will offer you some alternative ways of telling the Bible story. Journeying with RUTH #LEARN let her come to Bethlehem with her. Ruth loved Naomi so much, and she trusted that even though they had no family in Bethlehem, if she stayed loyal to Naomi, they would find a family and that Naomi s God would accept them as people of God. Why: This activity will help campers visualize the journey that Ruth and Naomi were on. Supplies: Godly Play, Volume 6 How: Using the Godly Play story found in volume 6 (the words for the story begin on page 69), tell the story of Ruth. However, instead of telling the story in a circle using materials, invite the campers to act as the people of God and walk all over camp. If there is a body of water with a bridge over it, use that as the Jordan River. (If not, create a river using some rope.) Have campers play the roles of Naomi, her husband, her sons, Orpah, Ruth, and Boaz (and Jesse and David, if you have enough campers). Designate a building on campus to be Bethlehem. Choose an open space to be the fields. Have some stray pieces of wheat (perhaps strips of paper) in the fields and encourage the campers to practice gleaning. Be sure to ask the wondering questions found at the end of the story. BTW: Instead of acting the story out, it may be preferable to tell the story as it is written in the Godly Play volume, using a felt underlay and telling the story in a circle. You could use rocks, sticks, or other items from nature as the characters and places. Story Summary This story is about how Ruth and her motherin-law Naomi found a new community for themselves when Naomi s husband and sons died. Ruth was married to one of Naomi s sons, and Orpah was married to the other. Ruth and Orpah were in their own country of Moab, but Naomi had moved there with her husband and sons from Bethlehem. Naomi was without any family in Moab at all. All three women were without children. All three women were left as widows, and widows needed to be cared for. Naomi tells her daughters-in-law to go back to their own tribes; maybe they could find someone else to marry them and help them have children. Orpah stays in Moab, but Ruth begs her mother-in-law to Naomi and Ruth traveled to Bethlehem, and Ruth found the field of a gracious landowner who allowed widows, orphans, and the very poor to gather his leftover wheat. When Naomi found out that the landowner s name was Boaz, she was thrilled. Boaz was related to Naomi and had a right to marry Ruth. Ruth didn t know about many customs and laws of the Hebrews, so she trusted Naomi when she told her what to do next. Ruth gleaned in Boaz s field and got to know Boaz. All of Boaz s household saw that Ruth was a caring and devoted person. Ruth bravely asked Boaz to marry her (through which he would also gain the right to buy her father-in-law s land) and be the father of her children. Boaz told Ruth he was willing to do that, but that a younger and closer relative had first right to marry Ruth. When the closer relative found out that the purchase of the land came with two childless widows, he decided not to claim it. He didn t trust that his current wives and children could get along with these two women. But Boaz married Ruth and made sure that her father-in-law s name remained in the record book. They had a son together and named him Obed. The family tree and community of Naomi was restored, and Obed had a son named Jesse. Jesse had a son named David, who became king of Israel. Centuries later, another king of the line of David would be born in Bethlehem. His parents, Mary and Joseph, would name him Jesus. Naomi Monologue #LEARN #Pray Why: In emphasizing the trust and connection between Ruth and Naomi, and later Ruth and Boaz, we skip the pain that sets up this story. However, understanding the hardships helps us understand how great the acts of trust are. That these characters are mourning and unsure of their next meal adds urgency. In praying together, campers connect the Ruth story to contemporary stories of famine and loss. Supplies: biblical-looking costume for Naomi InsideOut: 275

17 How: Launch the camp into the story of Ruth and the theme of trust. Naomi tells part of her story. She will ask the group to pray with her, opening the session. Use the script found on page 284. BTW: Use Naomi again for the #centering worship skit. Ruth MONOLOGUE #LEARN #Pray Why: Ruth s monologue offers another angle on trust. Naomi demonstrated how trust is difficult to enter into. Ruth s monologue shows how it is difficult to trust in the midst of troubles, and how it is natural to struggle with trusting others, especially as hard times persist. Supplies: costume for Ruth How: Ruth offers a monologue and prayer the way Naomi did. Find the script for Ruth s monologue on page 284. BTW: Use the same Ruth in the #celebrate worship idea Other Story Resources Children of God Storybook Bible, D. Tutu Family Story Bible, Milton Early Activity Use your morning activity time to reinforce the Bible story. It is a good time to get campers engaged in a project or game. Whom Do You Trust? #Create #LEARN Why: This activity encourages campers to examine who they trust and don t trust and asks them to envision worlds where there is less trust or more trust, and where trust is rewarded. Campers may also discover reasons they have for trusting or distrusting. It might be a uniform, a person s looks, or common cultural stigmas offering insight into the fair and unfair ways we trust. Supplies: cardstock, magazine cut-outs, or printed pictures of famous people and common occupations, glue, tape or Velcro strips, scissors, paper, marker How: Have pictures of easily identifiable people from common occupations whom people interact with daily. Include some pictures of famous people. From the non-famous people, choose some who look trustworthy and some who may not. Distribute the pictures among campers and have them choose people they trust and people they don t. Have them cut out the pictures and glue them to card stock, then cut around the outline of the person s picture. Attach tape to the back of each character. Have two sections on the wall, indicated by signs reading: We Trust and We Don t Trust. Campers then attach figures to the section of their choosing. Lead discussion on why campers chose as they did and what would happen if their opinions changed. Switch the pictures to the opposite section and discuss what would happen if you couldn t trust the characters you trust. Also discuss what would happen if you trusted the ones you don t, and how life might be different if you could trust them. Prized Possession Show and Tell #LEARN #Create Why: This activity illustrates the difficulty of trust, especially with important parts of our lives. It also is bonding to share these important things with each other. Supplies: enough modeling clay or play dough for all campers to share How: Begin by asking each camper to visualize his or her most prized possession. Of the things he or she has, what has the most value? Continue by having each camper use the clay to make a model of his or her most prized possession. It may be miniature or life-sized (if the actual possession is small). Ask campers to tell about their prized possessions and why they are important. Ask campers to imagine having to give those objects to others to care for. They have no idea if the objects would be safe from harm. End by asking if one camper would try to choose someone in the group to trust with his or her prized possession. That person accepts the model, then chooses a person to trust with his or her prized possession, until everyone has someone else s treasure. 276 InsideOut:

18 BTW: Remember that this may be the first time campers are meeting some members of the group. It s okay for people to be timid about trusting strangers. This activity may very well help campers take the first step in developing new close friendships. Magnetic personalities #Play #LEARN Why: This activity gives campers something solid to start talking about before they move to the much harder abstract thinking about love and loyalty. Supplies: scissors, pipe cleaners, various metal objects, a dollar bill, an old CD, other items to test, variety of magnets: refrigerator magnets, ceramic magnets, and one neodymium magnet How: Lay out the magnets and let the campers test them on different objects. Help the campers discover the strongest magnets and the most attractable objects. You can do a mini-experiment with the pipe cleaners by cutting some short lengths and some longer lengths and figuring out which is easier to move with a magnet. Send campers out in pairs into the environment, one magnet per pair, and ask them to find and return with things that their magnets are attracted to. Have a conversation with the campers about why some magnets are stronger than others. Introduce the idea that Naomi and Ruth acted like magnets in that they held on to each other even when it was hard for them. Wonder with the campers about what makes some friendships strong and others not as strong. Have them explore the idea of which people are the strongest magnets in their lives, the people who will never let them go. BTW: Magnetic singing stones are a wonderful way to imagine Ruth and Naomi. These are sometimes sold in the dollar stores or on Amazon. com as Magnetic Rattle Snake Eggs. If you describe the sound they make as singing, you can have the children imagine Ruth and Naomi singing as they worked and traveled together. Friendship Bracelets #Create #Serve Why: When we find a friend, it is important for us to show how much we care. Friendship bracelets are an easy way to say you like your friend and that you belong. Supplies: cotton embroidery floss or cotton yarn in two different colors, scissors, yardsticks, safety pins, tape How: There are many ways to make friendship bracelets! Here is just one Instruct the campers as follows as you show them how to make a bracelet: Cut six pieces of string or embroidery floss; cut three of one color and three of the other color. Using a yardstick, make each thread inches long for a bracelet; add length for an anklet or necklace. Lay out all threads evenly. Tie them in a knot about 2 inches down from the top of the threads. You should have a 2 inch fringe of thread above the knot, and six threads coming down from the knot. Use masking tape to attach the small threads coming out of the knot to the table or put a safety pin through the knot and attach it to the knee of your jeans (while sitting down). A secured knot will help you maintain consistent tension. Start tying your bracelet. Separate your threads into two even groups, with three threads on each side. Take the threads on the right (we will call them pink) and loop them over and under the threads on the left (call them blue). Then put the pink threads through the loop you just created around the blue threads. Pull horizontal pink string and blue string keeping them parallel to your knee or the table, and vertically on the pink threads, keeping them perpendicular to your knee or the table. As you do so, the pink knot should move up to your large knot at the top. This is called a cross knot. Repeat the knot with the blue threads. Loop them over and under the pink threads, then pull them through the loop. InsideOut: 277

19 Alternate tying knots on each side until your bracelet is finished. Braid to the finish. Leave about 2 inches of untied thread at the bottom of your bracelet, keeping each tail one color. For each color, make a threestrand braid until you have about 1/2 inch of free thread left. Tie a knot at the end of each braid. Then undo the large knot on the other end and to the same thing to finish the threads. Give your bracelet to a friend and help him or her tie it on! You can draw names to ensure that the sharing is fair. As the group works on more and more bracelets, make sure that every camper is included in the giving and receiving of bracelets BTW: Those campers who cannot manage the dexterity or concentration required for this craft can make beaded bracelets instead. This is a great anywhere craft. Extra supplies can easily go in a backpack or a pocket. It will give the campers something to do while they are waiting for meals, for other groups, or for you! Who Has Your Back? #LEARN #Serve Why: This activity will help campers identify specific people they trust. Youth who can name people to whom they can turn are significantly more likely to do so in times of need. Supplies: paper, envelopes, pens (stamps if needed) How: Read Ruth 1:1 18 together, then use the Story Summary to share the rest of the story. Read Ruth 1:16 18 again and ask the group to identify people in the story that had to trust each other. Who would you trust if someone was hurting you? Who would you trust if you were lost? Who would you trust if you had questions about God? Go back through the questions and invite campers to share their answers. Talk about what makes those people trustworthy. Reflect on how their experiences are similar to those they read about in Ruth. Ask how are their experiences different? Give each camper a second sheet of paper and invite each to write a thank you note to someone from their answers. You can collect these and mail them for the campers, or allow them to seal the envelopes to take home and deliver. BTW: If you allow your campers a period of time with their cell phones, encourage them to make sure their trusted contacts are in their favorites or starred tab. The letters could be great worship offerings for those who are willing to share their personal notes. Quiet Time Every day, allow your campers some quiet downtime. You may want to provide campers with books, craft supplies, paper, or manipulatives such as clay or action-figures. Encourage your campers to reflect upon and connect with the weekly story and theme. You may allow some quiet cooperative games like mancala or cards, but encourage discussion between campers by using the Table Talk questions. Be sure to allow campers ample time to clean up their work before moving on to the afternoon activities. Give each camper a piece of paper and ask each of them to write one to three names or professions on his or her paper for each question you ask. Ask these questions (allowing enough time after each to the campers to write their answers): Who would you trust if you were in an accident? Who would you trust if you had a crush on someone? Who would you trust if you made a big mistake? Who would you trust if you had to try something new and scary? Table Talk Use these questions to invite campers into conversation about the theme. Use them over one or more of the meals or create a conversation station during one of the activity rotations Consider using this for one or more of the days in the week. Younger Campers: How do you know when you can trust someone? What characteristics do trustworthy people have? 278 InsideOut:

20 If you could travel to any place in the world, where would you go? Whom would you take with you? What would you do there? Name a place where you feel close to God. Go in alphabetical order by middle name. If you could make one rule that everyone in the world had to follow, what rule would you make? Why? Older Campers: Has God ever answered one of your prayers? Share about that time. If you could make one rule that everyone in the world had to follow, what rule would you make? Why? If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why? Who would you want to go with you? After sharing, choose who will share next. Start with the camper who traveled the farthest to get to camp. Imagine that God just sat down at the table and invited you to ask one question. What would you ask? Then, God asks you one question. What would God ask? Create Our Journals Each day, campers will be allowed time to record their thoughts, hopes, drawings and such in their journals. You can choose to make these easily by folding five to ten sheets of paper together with a sheet of construction paper on the bottom and stapling them in the middle. Allow campers to put their name on the front cover and decorate them however they like. To make the journals more elaborate you can punch holes in the edges and weave a ribbon through them or use brads. For multi-week use, add more paper. Journal Time 1. Have you ever had a family member tell you to go away? What was it like? How did you respond? 2. Whom do you trust in your life? Why? 3. Why would someone change their name if they had a bad experience? Would you ever change your name? 4. What would it look like if you were a stranger in a foreign land? Rest and Read Here are storybooks to read aloud for quiet time, perhaps after lunch. Or use them during worship time: Wherever You Are, My Love Will Find You, Nancy Tillman Love You Forever by Robert Munsch The Missing Piece by Shel Silverstein Granite by Susan Butcher and David Monson. Late Activity Sharing the Harvest #Serve #Create Why: This activity helps campers connect the Ruth story with real people who live in their communities and are in need. It also gives them an additional opportunity to reflect on Ruth s profound trust in Naomi, Naomi s community, and Naomi s God. Supplies: art supplies; plastic tableware; napkins; large self-sealing plastic bags or paper sacks; individually packed food items, such as: small bags of chips, packaged cookies, apples and bananas, fruit snacks, granola/protein bars, juice boxes, packets of food like tuna or crackers How: In this activity, campers will recall the Ruth story and aim to serve others who might be in need of food. Ruth and Naomi were allowed to glean because they were widows in need. This means that they were allowed to take what was left over after the harvest. Explain to the campers that there are many people who do not have enough to eat. Invite the campers to put together sack lunches for those in need. They may wish to decorate the bags or include notes to the recipients. After the lunches have been put together, deliver them to a local food pantry. Tell the campers something about the food pantry s ministry and the people it serves. BTW: This activity could be done after lunch or dinner, during which campers could be encouraged to take one bag of chips (or another packaged item) for themselves and one for a food pantry. If possible, consider traveling to a food pantry, soup kitchen, community garden, or other local food ministry and volunteering there. Alternatively, invite someone from one of those InsideOut: 279

21 organizations to come and speak to the campers about their ministry. Be mindful of food allergies. Build a Church Together #Play the situations and read them. Talk about what happened and whether or not they would be trusting of the person in the situation. Make up your own situations. Example: Why: This activity will serve as group bonding and a lesson on how members of the church must trust each other. Supplies: blindfolds; Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, Legos, Building Blocks, or other construction-type toy How: Divide into pairs (one group may have three). Give each pair materials to construct a building. Instruct them to build a church together. The only people allowed to touch the materials and assemble them are blindfolded. They will each have a partner who can see to instruct him or her on how to build the church, and each guide will coordinate with other guides on the design for their church. Have partners switch places midway through the activity, with the guides becoming the blindfolded workers and vice versa. When all the groups are finished building, spend time looking at all the churches, observing their similarities and differences. Discuss what is difficult about the activity and how it is like working together in real life. Also discuss the role trust plays, and how the challenge becomes more difficult if you can t trust each other. BTW: Be sure that everyone has a chance at both building and instructing. You could ask two pairs to join together and repeat the activity with more elaborate structures. To Trust or NOT #LEARN Why: Campers must decide every day to trust or not to trust. This will give them an opportunity to talk about these events that they struggle with each day and might give them some new solutions for their own behavior as they confront difficult moments. This game works best with readers. Supplies: jar, situations How: Prepare your trust jar ahead of time. Place in it descriptions of situations of trust at camp or at home. There should be at least one per camper in the jar. One by one, let the campers pull out Jordan cannot find his friendship bracelet. He thought he left it in the cabin before dinner. Now it is not on his bed. He remembers that Mike was in the cabin when he left for dinner. What does Jordan do if he trusts Mike? What does he do if he does not trust Mike? Play until campers begin to get restless. Remember: Laughter and silly solutions can get everyone involved and ready to go deeper as they discuss, so be prepared to be creative in your answers. BTW: You can divide the group into the trust and distrust groups and have them answer the situations from their assigned perspectives. If you do that, make sure you switch the designations halfway through so that the negative does not become ingrained in one group. Remember that one of today s camper goals is to acknowledge the fear of betrayal. Talk about safety with strangers and why sometimes the children s mistrust is okay. I Doubt IT Supplies: a deck of cards #Play Why: Every camper knows how to lie; it is human nature. But knowing when someone else is telling the truth or lying can be hard. After this game, you can have a great discussion about ways to figure out whether someone is telling the truth or lying to you. How: The aim of the game is to get rid of all your cards by playing them to a discard pile. Since cards are played face down, you are giving players the option to lie about the cards they are playing, but if a lie is exposed, the liar must pick up the pile. Deal all of the cards; some players might have one more card than others, but that is OK. A turn consists of discarding one or more cards face down on the pile, and calling out their rank. The first player must discard Aces, the second player discards Twos, the next player Threes, and so on. After Tens come Jacks, then Queens, then Kings, then back to Aces, etc. 280 InsideOut:

22 Since the cards are discarded face down, you do not in fact have to play the rank you are calling. For example, if it is your turn to discard Sevens, you may actually discard any card or mixture of cards, in particular if you don t have any Sevens and you want to discard a card, you will be forced to play some other card or cards. Players always have the option to pass if they don t have an honest play (the object of the activity is not to force children to be dishonest, after all), but every time a player passes, that player will likely fall further behind the others. Any player who suspects that the card(s) discarded by another player do not match the rank called can challenge the play by calling, I doubt it! Then any cards just played by the challenged player are exposed, and one of two things happens: 1. If the card(s) are all of the rank that was called, the challenge is false, and the challenger must pick up the whole discard pile; 2. If any of the played cards is different from the called rank, the challenge is correct, and the person who played the cards must pick up the whole discard pile. After the challenge is resolved, play continues in normal rotation: the player to the left of the one who was challenged plays and calls the next rank in sequence. The first player to get rid of all cards and survives any challenge resulting from his or her final play wins the game. But, say you play your last remaining card(s), and someone challenges you and the cards you played are not what you called; then, you pick up the pile and play continues. BTW: It is possible to play this game without lying. Remember, some campers will take game playing more seriously than others and will take being doubted more to heart than others. It will be your goal to set a tone that allows this to be a game filled with laughter. Supplies: various craft items: yarn, construction paper, wiggly eyes, etc.; socks or paper bags; glue How: In this activity, campers will be encouraged to name and pray for individuals whom they trust. Invite campers each to make a simple puppet that reminds him or her of someone whom he or she trusts. When campers have finished their puppets, have the campers sit in a circle. One by one, invite them to introduce to the group the person whom he or she trusts. When everyone has gone, use the following prayer to be the voice of the trusted friends. Have the puppets repeat after you: Dear God, thank you for [have them state the names of the people]. They are a part of our community even when they are far away. It is good that we know trustworthy people who love us and accept us as we are. Please bless each person named here today and help them know how grateful we are for them. Help us to be trustworthy, as well. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen. BTW: Instead of making puppets, you may wish for campers to use nature items to help describe their trusted friends or share stories about them. Closing Devotions Every day, wrap up your day with a short time of devotion. In addition to the resources listed here, you may want to turn to the Daily Guides Worship Practices for suggested prayers and songs. Though time sometimes runs out and devotions can slip off your radar, at least give the campers a moment to thank God for the day. You could use a repeated phrase to signal that your time has come to a close by shouting in one voice, Together, we have the courage to Trust! Amen! Trusted FRIENDS #Pray Why: This activity helps campers connect the theme of the day and the story with their own lives. The tangible objects may remind campers of these trustworthy role models throughout the week. The puppets become a way to voice fears they might not want to say themselves. Community Hand Washing #Pray Why: Usually the only people ever to wash our hands like this are people we implicitly trust a parent or a teacher. It is sort of an odd feeling to have a friend wash your hands. But forgiveness sort of feels odd too. This is a way to touch and InsideOut: 281

23 feel forgiveness. Campers of this age learn best when they can touch while they are learning. those. Take turns until everyone has had a chance to be the leader. Supplies: water supply, buckets, several clean towels, soap (optional: accessible sinks) How: Before a meal, have the whole group rub their hands in the dirt. Try to get their hands a dirty as possible. Then line the group up and explain: All of us make mistakes and hurt other people. Sometimes we are disloyal or untrustworthy. But if we ask for forgiveness, we have an opportunity to start out clean again, to be more trustworthy, and to be better friends! Then explain that the campers will be helping to wash each other s hands as a sign of forgiveness and grace. The first person in line will have his or her hands washed by you. First rinse the camper s hands in a bucket of water. Get as much of the dirt off there. Then go to the next bucket, or a sink, and soap up and wash his or her hands. Then move to the next bucket or sink and rinse off the soap. Do a final rinse in another bucket or under the tap. This camper will then turn back and wash the next person s hands, just like you showed them. As each camper finishes washing someone else s hands, he or she will towel dry his or her own hands. The last person will wash your hands. If your group is very large, or you do not have the time, split the group in half and do the hand washing in two lines. Say a prayer together at the end, all holding clean hands! BTW: This activity leads nicely into tomorrow s theme of forgive. Using buckets saves water, but you may wish to have the final rinse at a tap, or use a pump of antibacterial gel at the end. Follow the (Worship) Leader #celebrate Supplies: music, instruments In this worship activity, a camper will lead the other campers in worship actions. Explain that Ruth had to follow Naomi when she decided to go with her to Bethlehem. Invite one camper to start as the leader. Play some music and instruct the other campers to follow the actions of the leader. The leader might sing, do hand motions, dance, play an instrument, start a conga line, pray, etc. Ask campers if they have any favorite practices they do at church or home to worship, and do Balloon Journey This is an active storytelling activity. Supplies: several balloons #celebrate Have the campers be seated in a circle or in rows. As you begin to tell the story of Ruth, pull out a balloon and write the word Naomi on it. Ask the campers to gently keep the balloon off the ground by softly bouncing it in the air down the row or around the circle. Then, as the story continues, add two more balloons, one labeled Orpah and the other Ruth. Then, as the story of the choice to follow Naomi happens, have them pass the Orpah balloon back to you. Place it behind you. Then, as you describe the difficulties they faced as two women traveling without protection, ask the campers to hold hands while trying to keep both balloons in the air. When you have finished the story, take the balloons and place them where they can be seen, and take a moment to say a prayer of thanks for the faithfulness of friendships and the protection God provided for Ruth and Naomi. Wheat Meditation This is a guided meditation-type activity. #centering Supplies: either one wheat stalk for each camper, or a sack of wheat berries which can be found at your local grocery (this is not an activity for those with gluten-free diets; be sure to check!) How: Tell the part of Ruth and Naomi s story that comes in the chapter following today s reading. It is about harvesting leftover grain from the edges of the field by following the workers and collecting what they missed. This is called gleaning. Give each camper a stalk of wheat and ask them to look at their stalks very carefully. Have them note the way the grains of wheat are stacked so neatly in rows, snuggled in together. Ask the campers to think about their families and friends, those they trust, and to name silently in their heads one person they trust for each of the grains of wheat. Then show them how to harvest the wheat by rubbing the wheat seed heads in their hands. Have them carefully pick out all the wheat seeds and place them in one large bowl. As each person 282 InsideOut:

24 adds his or her wheat to the bowl, point out how the pile of wheat grows. Say, If each one of those grains is a person who is trusted and is loved, then imagine how many people in the world there are whom God loves and trusts. Then give thanks for those trusted people. BTW: It might be possible to add the wheat the campers harvest to the next meal they eat. It can be toasted and added as a topping to most anything. Or, you can cook the wheat berries and have the campers try them as a hot cereal. Ruth, Naomi, Boaz Skit That Goes VIRAL #celebrate Supplies: costumes for skit Put on a simple skit that will require just a little action and the same three-line dialogue throughout. If you did the Naomi Monologue, activity, bring back the same Naomi and Ruth, and designate a Boaz. Re-enact scenes from the Ruth story. Naomi is about to leave, but Ruth grabs her arm and says, Where you go, I will go. Where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Ruth goes to Boaz at the end of gathering grain and repeats those lines to him. Ruth and Boaz are getting married, and Boaz says the lines to Ruth. Naomi enters and repeats the lines to Ruth and Boaz. Then the characters look out to the congregation. They break the fourth wall, and walk out among the crowd and begin telling each of them the line, Where you go If you think the group will be comfortable enough, have the characters then encourage the congregation to get up and repeat those lines to each other as well. Weeklong Project Style-a-Dial: Make a Sundial This project will take 1 to 2 days. Why: Consider the movement of the characters from our stories this week. Abram and Sarai traveled from the eastern part of Babylonia to the Jordan River. Ruth and Naomi traveled from Moab to Bethlehem, Peter traveled from Joppa to Caesarea. Time and location relate to each other. There are lots of ways to make a sundial. You might want to put one in chalk on a basketball court or set one in stone in a garden. This would be a great project to start on Esther s story day (Day 5) and tie it to for such a time as this A sundial can also be made small out of paper and can be done as part of a unit of astronomy tied to Abram and Sarai s story (Day 1). Supplies: Depending on which style of sundial you choose to make, you will need measuring tape, magnetic compass (or phone equipped with GPS), a level plot of ground, sidewalk chalk, stones, dowels or straight sticks as a gnomon (serves as an hour hand). This website: analemmatic.sourceforge.net/ will allow you to calculate your sundial based on your zip code, season, and the desired size of your sundial. How: Decide if you are making a permanent sundial installation or a chalk one that will wash away. Determine the size of dial, and how you would like to read it. A couple of options include using a stick in the ground to cast a shadow over the hour (called a gnomon) or allow a camper to use his or her own shadow to determine the time. You will need to do some work ahead of time to get the measurements precise. Allow younger campers to paint stones with numbers on them, while older campers who enjoy math or measuring can help make calculations. Teach all campers a few ways to find out where North is, including using a traditional compass, a map, or the GPS on a phone and be sure to stop by the site at night and find the Polaris, the North Star, to confirm. Remind your campers that for thousands of years, the stars in the heavens have been the most reliable source to find your way around. You can find many online tutorials to help generate ideas for your sundial. BTW: Allow your campers to check several times each day to see if their sundial is working well. This activity can help campers truly experience the joys of living tech free for a period of time. Help them to realize that the things that they depend on technology to do for them have natural options as well. InsideOut: 283

25 Monologue NAOMI Monologue RUTH Nothing can bring you to your knees like hunger. My husband and I were born in Bethlehem. It was our home. But when there is no food, not even home feels good. My husband, Elimelech (eee-lym-uh-lek) was not rich enough to find food, so he took me and our boys to Moab, where we would have food. It is hard to go to a land that is not of your people. They do not speak like you. They do not worship the god you worship. Still, we made a life in Moab. My sons found wives. Our family grew. Then Elimelech died and we were very sad. But I had my sons. But sadness followed me. It has only been a few years since I lost my husband, and now both of my sons are dead too. I cannot earn wages because I am a woman. I will tell my sons wives to leave me, so they can start over and find new husbands. I will go back to Bethlehem, but there is still a famine. I know I must find someone to trust, but now when all news seems to be bad news, I feel like the only person I should trust is myself. I have felt so much hurt, I don t want it again. I wonder, could we pray? Prayer Oh, Lord, I pray for the hungry people of the world. I am hungry right now: hungry for food, hungry for the love that has left me. I am scared, Lord. I am scared that hungry people may not get the food they need. I am scared that if I trust anyone, I will hurt again. Lord, I pray I may trust you again. I pray I may trust your people. Lord, please, may the powerful show mercy, and those who call me friend not abandon me. Amen. When you first promise to trust someone, it is an exciting thing. It is easy to say you will always stand by someone. I want to be strong enough to stand by Naomi. At the time, I had nowhere else I had to go; I could not imagine leaving her. Have you ever promised to do something, then realized it would be harder than you thought? Naomi and I have traveled so far, and it is so hard for two widows to find work and food. Do you ever worry that your best might not be good enough for the ones you love? I wonder every night if it might be better for Naomi to trust someone else that I might not be good enough. I have met this man, Boaz, and he is a kind man, much wealthier than Naomi and me. I have gathered grain in his field that is left over and he has not run me off. I wonder if he might take care of us. But he could also hurt me if he wanted to, and no one would care. What if I lose another husband? I don t know, but Naomi says I should ask Boaz to take care of us, and I told her I would follow her. Boaz seems like a good man, and I know Naomi is a good woman. I will do this, and hope that God is with us. I wonder if we might pray together. Prayer Lord, I pray that I am strong and brave enough to keep my promises. I do not want the people I love to be hurt. I do not want us to be hungry anymore. Guide me to trust people who will work for good. I pray that everyone who is having difficult days will find someone they can trust. I pray that we all come together to help one another, to give food to the hungry, healing to the sick, mercy to the victims, peace to the hurting. God, it is scary to trust, but it is scary to be alone too. May my trust be rewarded with your goodness. Amen. Preschool adaptation Be sure to distinguish Ruth from Naomi by costume. 284 InsideOut:

26 Week 3 Together, the Courage to Forgive Plan Your Week Use the grid below as an example to help you create a visual plan for your week. (You will want to list your own schedule and write in your choices.) Select activities from the various listings below; feel free to add others of your own creation, as well. Event Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Welcome (p.286) Bible Story (p.287) Early Activity (p.289) Quiet Time (p.291) Late Activity (p.292) Closing Devotions (p.294) Weeklong Project (p.295) Daily Song Leader Notes Capture the Cup Towers of Courage That s Not Nice Covered Inside Out Scripture: Genesis 45:1-15 A Pack to Carry Table Talk & Journal time Complete Guide to Godly Play, Berryman Drama King of Egypt Rest, Read & Journal time Checkmate! Famished! Children of God Storybook Bible, Tutu Food For Others Table Talk & Journal Time Mission Possible First Aid Kits Carrying Grudge Boxes Bubbling Over Stop and Start Prayers of Forgiveness Begin Why just tie- when you can batik- dye? Joseph s All Natural Puppet Show (make puppets) Rest, Read & Journal Time Joseph s All Natural Puppet Show (cont) The Sounds of Forgiveness Forgiveness Billboards Table Talk & Journal Time Laying Down the Shield Let It Go Prayer Continue Batik Continue Batik Continue Batik Complete Batik Amazing Grace I Come With Joy The Forgiveness Song (Veggie Tales) O Happy Day No Way Out (Phil Collins) To prepare, read through the Biblical and Theological Overview for Day 3. The Joseph story is about an individual (Joseph) who forgives a community (his brothers). Throughout the week, there will be various opportunities for individual campers to think about other individuals, as well as groups, who are in need of forgiveness. However, they also need to see the role of the community in encouraging forgiveness. Joseph did not necessarily have that (or, if he did, it s not in the biblical account). Yet, campers need to understand that forgiveness is also something that the community does together. Look for ways to point this out. InsideOut: 285

27 Welcome Use these activities during get-to-know-you time. Be aware that you may need to be flexible as campers arrive. Advise your staff to introduce campers to each other and to use this time to watch for group interactions, gauge energy levels and encourage those who may need it. Capture the CUP #Play Why: This activity is a fun game that relates to the Joseph story through the use of the silver cup. It is reminiscent of a competition game, but there are no winners or losers, only teams working together to achieve a common goal. Supplies: two silver-colored cups, each marked differently in some way How: This game is similar to the traditional Capture the Flag game. Divide the campers into two teams. Each team has a silver-colored cup and one half of the playing area. One player from each team is responsible for the cup and must hide the cup somewhere on that team s side of the playing area. When the game begins, the teams must look for the other team s cup (which may be guarded, but not moved). When one team finds the other team s cup, the player who hid the cup must be put in prison (a designated place on each team s side). The player in prison must stay in prison until two or more of his or her teammates come to release him or her. They do so by touching hands with the person (who may be guarded but not touched). When the player is released from prison, another player form that team hides its cup, and the game continues. The game goes on until time is called. BTW: This activity may be done inside or outside, provided that the space is large enough. Be sure to set boundaries on the playing area and give each team the same amount of space. Towers of COURAGE #Play #Create Why: Introduce the theme of forgiveness through this fun activity that will cause the campers to bump into each other, making everyone s work more difficult. Living in community requires us to forgive others because we can t avoid hurting each other. Sometimes we will step on each other s toes. Supplies: playing cards, index cards, or dominos How: Invite campers to build their own towers. Encourage towers to be as tall as possible. Place the campers in a confined space with limited space to work and move. You want them to accidentally cause trouble for each other by bumping benches, tables, elbows, etc. Note how often someone apologizes or is forgiven. After working under these conditions, invite the campers to combine their efforts and ideas to build one group project. Make their work more difficult by bumping them or the work space. Pretend it is an accident. Debrief the experience by asking the campers how often they apologized during the game. Ask them to share anything they wanted an apology for but did not receive. Remind campers that living as a community requires us to be close to each other. Ask the campers how realistic it is to live in a community without forgiveness. BTW: This could become a great group-building exercise as the campers try to work together in a confined space. You can shrink or destabilize their base to make the task of building even more difficult. Invite an intentionally clumsy outside judge to join the activity and add to the chaos. That s Not Nice Why: The value of this game is pure silliness and good, clean fun. Enjoy! Supplies: None required, can use playing cards to select It How: Have campers sit in a circle with one person secretly designated as it. This can be done by drawing cards or by the leader selecting while everyone s eyes are closed. The goal of It is to eliminate everyone from the game. This is done by sticking their tongue out. If someone sticks their tongue out at you in this game, you must immediately stop talking and are out. For everyone else, the goal is to find and name the person who is It. If a camper sees It stick his or her tongue out, they say, That s not nice and say the camper s name. If a camper is in the middle of this and It sticks their tongue out at him or her, he or she must stop speaking. Another camper must then start the phrase over if he or 286 InsideOut:

28 she want to catch It. Campers may not close their eyes for this activity. The game ends when It is caught or everyone else is eliminated. BTW: Try playing with a larger group, beyond the confines of a circle. The game could go on all day. Campers could have a bandana or sticker on them which they remove when out. This way everyone knows who is still in the game. COVERED Why: This playful activity helps campers remember that the Old Testament word for forgive also means to cover up. Supplies: rolls of toilet paper #Play How: Tell the campers that in the original Old Testament language, the word translated as forgive also means to cover up. When Joseph forgave his brothers, he covered them up completely with his forgiveness. Encourage campers to get in groups of two to four. Choose one person in each group to be covered up, and the others will do the covering. Allow one minute for the teams to cover the person up with the toilet paper. Debrief with the following questions. Are there any spots where the covered person is not covered? If we do not forgive someone completely, what might happen? Have you ever tried to forgive someone completely and couldn t? Why not? What happened? BTW: After this activity, the toilet paper may be used to make clean mud for sensory play. Have the campers shred the toilet paper into small bits. Then take a bar of Ivory soap, grate it, add it to a cup of hot water, and stir. Put the shredded toilet paper into a basin and pour the water in. Let the campers mush it with their hands until it becomes a moldable dough. Inside OUT #LEARN #Play Why: This activity allows the campers to work together to solve a problem. Natural leaders, as well as those who are good at taking direction, will emerge in this scenario. The activity will also help them connect with the Joseph story and reinforce the importance of community. Supplies: Bible How: In this activity, campers will try to untangle themselves by working together. Be aware of campers with special needs or mobility issues. Invite campers to form a circle in which everyone is facing the outside. Have everyone join hands, and then instruct them that they must make it so that everyone is in a circle facing inside. However, they may not drop hands! They will need to work together to climb over, under, and around in order to achieve this goal. Encourage them, but do not take over. When they have successfully completed the task, give lots of praise. Gather everyone together and read the story of Joseph. Debrief together: What was it like to be so tangled up? How did you feel at various points during the activity (when first given the task, when you were most tangled up, when conflict arose, when you finally accomplished the goal)? What is good about being part of a community and working together to solve a problem? What is difficult about it? How was the relationship between Joseph and his brothers tangled up? What had to happen in order for everything to be made right again? BTW: The bigger the group is, the longer this activity will take, but the more meaningful it will be. If you have a relatively small group, consider joining with another group. Bible Story At the beginning of the week, gather the campers together and read the week s scripture from the Bible. As the week goes on, you can reinforce the Bible story by reading from different suggested story Bibles. The activities and resources listed below will offer you some alternative ways of telling the Bible story. Checkmate #LEARN Why: There is a lot of movement in this story, and it is hard to keep track of if it is not acted out. The verses we are using today tell only a part of the movement. Telling more of the story of Joseph s forgiveness will make more sense to the campers. Using wondering as a method of engaging the campers in conversation allows them to share more freely what they are discovering in the story. InsideOut: 287

29 It helps them to know there are no right or wrong answers, but that there is a lot to think about when they encounter the stories in the Bible. Supplies: pieces from a chess board (see below), chessboard or table, (and a hat or moustache!) How: Use the script found on page 297. Use chess pieces to tell the story. Jacob: King Joseph and Benjamin: Bishops Prison mates: 2 Rooks Dinah: Queen Brothers: 10 Pawns Slave traders: 2 Knights Pharaoh: King Prison: All 4 Rooks (reuse the 2 above) (And, you can always use other pieces as camels (Knights) and various characters. You may even wish to make them nametags!) Tell the story with the pieces, moving them around the board (or table) as the brothers travel. As you tell the story, look at the pieces, not at the campers. This helps them focus on the movement of the story. If they ask questions as you tell the story, let them, but do not answer them; just say, Hmmm, I wonder This allows the campers to seek their own answers. As you conclude the story, take time to wonder aloud (letting the campers answer your wonderings): I wonder how Joseph felt when his brothers sold him. I wonder how it felt to be so hungry that you would walk to another country to find food. I wonder what Joseph was feeling when he saw his brothers for the first time. I wonder if it was difficult for Jacob to be at home alone waiting for his sons to come back. I wonder what it was like for the brothers to discover that Joseph was alive. I wonder if I could forgive someone like Joseph did. BTW: You can tell this story with other items. Try it with stones, pencils, or other nonedible objects. Many times there are not enough people in a group to tell the story by acting it out, so this works well with small groups of campers. If you tell the story this way early in the day, you can ask the campers to tell it back to you later in the day using the chess pieces. Famished! #LEARN Why: This activity allows the campers to work together to solve a problem. It also helps them connect with the brothers in the story. Although it is important to focus on Joseph and his ability to forgive in order to move the community forward, there was transformation among the brothers as well, and this helped Joseph to forgive them. Supplies: snack of your choosing, the book Forgive, Joseph! How: Tell the campers that they are going to receive a special snack. However, the group must travel together to some predetermined location (the kitchen, camp offices, etc.) in order to receive the snack. Work it out ahead of time with a staff member so that when the campers arrive and ask for the snack, the staff member tells them that they cannot have a snack unless one camper stays with them for the day and works for them. Observe as the campers work this out. If the campers seem content to offer up one of the campers on their behalf (or if one camper volunteers on behalf of the others), be prepared to offer reasons why that would not be good for the group. Make sure that no sensitive camper is completely thrown under the bus. Without completely taking over, try to get the campers to the point where they all agree to stay and work together. Praise them for coming to this conclusion and then give them the promised snack. As everyone is eating together, read the story of Joseph from Forgive, Joseph! Discuss how Joseph s brothers changed during the course of the story, allowing Joseph to forgive them. Consider some of the following questions: Did anyone in our group act like Judah? In what way? How did that make you feel? Did anyone in our group protect someone in the way that the brothers protected Benjamin? How did that make you feel? How do you think that it made that person feel? Be sure to end by helping with the staff member s work. 288 InsideOut:

30 BTW: This activity may also be done without using a snack as the reward. Perhaps the reward is a special activity that the campers enjoy. Perhaps the work that has to be done is a chore that everyone dislikes. Be creative and customize this activity appropriately. Other story resources Children of God Storybook Bible, Tutu Family Story Bible, Milton Godly Play, Berryman Early Activity Use your morning activity time to reinforce the Bible story. It is a good time to get campers engaged in a project or game. A Pack to Carry #Play #LEARN Why: Younger children have a hard time thinking in abstract terms. It is hard for them to imagine that they can be weighed down by anger, hurt, and unforgiveness. This experience is very physical. Every hurt has weight. Likewise, the campers can experience the responsibility of the community to carry burdens together, and their right to stop the community when it needs to forgive and let go. Supplies: empty backpack, masking tape, and permanent marker How: As you start your day, introduce your empty backpack as a place to put all the bad feelings in your group. Explain that as they go through the day everyone will take a turn carrying the group backpack. If there is something that happens during the day that makes one of the campers mad or frustrated, that camper should pick up a rock or a stick and place it in the backpack. They can write on the stone or stick what made them frustrated. You can start the activity by adding a rock and writing on it as an example. Either woke up too early or not enough hot water for a good shower will work. As you go through the day, stop several times and ask if anyone wishes to add to the pack. If they are shy about adding, you can add for them in ways such as this: It would have made me mad if someone had splashed me in the pool after I asked them not to, or, I would have been frustrated when someone cut in line in front of me at the water fountain. As the pack fills, make sure everyone has a turn to carry it. When it gets too heavy, ask the group to stop and pull out the items one by one, and ask the campers if they can forgive the grievances marked on the items Pronounce them forgiven and return the items to nature. At the end of the day, check the backpack for any leftover items. Ask the campers to help you think about the backpack activity. Have them consider what the easy parts were and what the difficult parts were. Ask, What makes our hearts heavy, and what makes our hearts lighter? Talk about what it means to live in Christian community and how that may be different when it comes to carrying each other s burdens and forgiving each other. Make sure you close in prayer. BTW: You can choose to collect twigs or other burnable items all day and use them as a part of a bonfire at the end of the day. Then you could pray around the campfire. If you collect stones all day, you could choose to pile them like an altar (also called an ebenezer). You could then pour water over them to symbolize forgiveness. You may need to set out objects along your path ahead of time, so that you are sure you have enough items available to be picked up to make the pack heavy. Drama King of Egypt #LEARN #Create Why: Joseph s story is a melodrama. Help campers claim the nature of the story and see, name, and claim the depth of emotion on display. Supplies: sheet of flip chart paper, plenty of construction paper, scissors, markers, glue, popsicle sticks or paint stirrers, Bible How: Remind campers that Joseph s story has lots of twists and turns. Share Story Synopsis or tell the earlier portion of the story in your own words. Then have someone read Genesis 45:1 15 aloud. On the flip chart paper, ask the campers to make a list of emotions they think characters might have felt. Invite campers to show their facial expressions for each emotion. (If surprise and fear are not on the list, make sure InsideOut: 289

31 to add them.) Provide campers the supplies to make masks out of construction paper displaying the different emotions listed. Make sure they make at least one mask for each emotion. Invite campers to make sound effects for the emotions ( ooh, ah, gasp, etc.). When they are done, read Genesis 45:1 15 again, and invite campers to hold up an appropriate mask when particular emotions appear in the text. After sharing the story together, discuss other times they feel these emotions. Ask, How do we respond to those who hurt or betray us? How do we respond to our own guilt or shame? BTW: The mask craft can be as simple or elaborate as you want it to be, from paper and markers to papier-mâché. You could share this activity in worship, or save the masks and use them with other stories as the week goes on. The masks might even be a way for campers to claim their own feelings in group discussions. Food for OTHERS #Serve #Pray Why: This activity helps campers connect the story with helping real people. The smell of the spices and the feeling that the campers get working together to create something real will help them make meaning. Supplies: measuring cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, large mixing bowls, mason jars, label stickers, funnels, potato flakes, powdered milk, chicken (or vegetable) bouillon, onion flakes, dried parsley, dried thyme, seasoning salt How: In the story, Joseph s brothers came to him in need of food. Despite what they had done to him in the past, Joseph forgave and provided for them. Explain to the campers that they are going to share the love that Joseph showed by making potato soup jars for those in need. Ahead of time, choose a local ministry to which the jars will be donated. As campers are working, tell them something about the place where the jars will go and the people who might be taking them home. Campers can work in teams of two to make the jars. RECIPE 2 cups potato flakes 1 ¾ cups powdered milk 2 tablespoons chicken or vegetable bouillon 2 teaspoons onion flakes 2 teaspoons dried parsley ¼ teaspoon dried thyme 1 ½ teaspoons seasoning salt Wash hands before beginning. Have each pair put their ingredients in a bowl and mix well, Then, using a funnel, fill a jar with the mixture. They can attach a note to the side of the jar that includes the instructions for making the potato soup: Add 1 cup of hot water to ½ cup of mix and stir. Salt and pepper to taste. The note should also include a written prayer from the campers. Pray over the jars when they are completed. BTW: Instead of donating the jars to a ministry, campers may choose to give them to the camp staff (kitchen staff, custodial staff, etc.). Campers may also enjoy decorating the jars beforehand. They can use tissue paper and Mod Podge to make the jars look like stained glass, put ribbons or stickers on them, paint them, etc. Joseph s All-Natural Puppet SHOW #Create #LEARN Why: Creating representations of the story s characters, campers will identify more with them. The story will be more memorable because each camper will have spent more time with one of the characters. Supplies: Small items found in nature, markers, popsicle sticks, scissors, hot glue gun, googly eyes, construction paper, other craft items (pipe cleaners, felt, etc.) How: Make a list of all the characters in Joseph s story. Use things found in nature (pinecones, acorns, rocks, fallen bark) to make stick puppets of the characters in the Joseph story. Write the character s name on a popsicle stick and hot glue it to the character. Help younger campers with hot glue. Decide which characters to include, depending on how much of the story you choose to tell. Read the story of Joseph s reconciliation with his brothers as campers, behind a table, act out the 290 InsideOut:

32 story as it is read. You might want to use Milton s Family Story Bible, or Spark Story Bible to tell the story. BTW: If nature items are not available, this activity could easily be done with other craft supplies. Keep these puppets for the Who Needs Forgiveness activity. Hang them in your meeting space and label them. Forgiveness Billboards #Pray #Serve Why: This activity will allow campers each to share a time he or she wanted forgiveness. Campers will then imagine how that feels for other people and offer messages of forgiveness to them. Campers may realize others feel the same way they do, and by sharing these messages, they can help someone else feel forgiven. Supplies: paper or blacktop, writing utensil or sidewalk chalk, tape (if using paper) How: Have campers share times they wanted forgiveness. Discuss what it felt like. After everyone in the group has shared, spend some time in prayer, asking God for forgiveness. After the prayer, ask campers to recall something they hoped people or God might say to them to feel forgiven. Write these messages on paper and tape them around camp, or use sidewalk chalk on camp blacktop. BTW: Some campers may have problems coming up with the right words, so have simple phrases ready to use, such as, You are forgiven, You are still loved, etc. or cards, but encourage discussion between campers by using the Table Talk questions. Be sure to allow campers ample time to clean up their work before moving on to the afternoon activities. Table Talk Use these questions to invite campers into conversation about the theme. Use them over one or more of the meals or create a conversation station during one of the activity rotations Consider using this for one or more of the days in the week. Younger Campers: What is your favorite family memory? Start with the camper who has the most siblings. How does your family know when you are in a bad mood? Imagine that you have broken something important and no one saw. What would you do? Recall a time when you saw someone you had not seen in a long time. What was it like? Older Campers: Has anyone ever made fun of you for your faith? How did it make you feel? What do you like most about your family? Why? Start with the camper who has the most siblings. Recall a time when you did something wrong. How did you feel? How did it make others feel? What, if anything, did you do to make it right? Imagine that your best friend hurt your feelings. What would it take for you to forgive him or her? Consider using these signs later during worship or bringing them in later in the week to remind campers of forgiveness. Quiet Time Every day, allow your campers some quiet downtime. You may want to provide campers with books, craft supplies, paper, or manipulatives such as clay or action-figures. Encourage your campers to reflect upon and connect with the weekly story and theme. You may allow some quiet cooperative games like mancala Create Our Journals Each day, campers will be allowed time to record their thoughts, hopes, drawings and such in their journals. You can choose to make these easily by folding five to ten sheets of paper together with a sheet of construction paper on the bottom and stapling them in the middle. Allow campers to put their name on the front cover and decorate them however they like. To make the journals more elaborate you can punch holes in the edges and weave a ribbon through them or use brads. For multi-week use, add more paper. InsideOut: 291

33 Journal Time Do you like to be alone when you are angry? Where would you go? How would you feel if your brother sold you to slave traders? What s the difference between being forgiven and forgiving others? Joseph found a tricky way to test his brothers before forgiving them. Make up a forgiveness check. What would someone need to do before you forgave them? What does famine look like? Rest and Read Here are storybooks to read aloud for quiet time, perhaps after lunch. Or use them during worship time: Where the Wild Things Are, Sendak Thidwick the Big Hearted Moose, Seuss Forgive, Joseph!, Nystrom The Tale of Despereaux, DiCamillo and Ering The First Strawberries, Bruchac and Vojtech Mission Possible Late Activity Why: This is a great way to get campers to practice the act of affirmation and naming of gifts. Encourage campers to make this a regular part of their life in community, at camp and at home. Supplies: Tokens (e.g., buttons, clothespins) How: This game is played throughout the day. In advance, give simple tokens (clothespin, button, etc.) to members of the camp community, campers and staff. Explain to the campers that their mission is to affirm the gifts they see in others. Tell participants they are to give a token to someone as they tell them what gift or gifts they see in them. Have them bring any collected tokens with them to a specific meeting time. You can either declare a winner, or debrief and continue playing. To extend the game, simply give out more tokens. At some point, stop and debrief the experience. BTW:You can adapt this game, requiring campers to give away collected tokens if someone affirms them or names their gifts. This can result in a community-wide outbreak of competitive complimenting. Note: You can create tokens as part of this activity First Aid Kits #Serve #Create Why: Thinking ahead and knowing where to find the right supplies helps young children feel more comfortable with change. This service project helps them to understand that they can make a difference if someone needs them to help. Supplies: permanent markers and stickers, labels with First Aid printed on them, list of items to be put in each camper s box, as noted below. Per Camper: 1 shoebox, 1 plastic soap dish or small plastic container, 2 large adhesive bandages, 2 medium adhesive bandages, 4 alcohol wipes, 2 single-use packets of antiseptic, 2 gauze pads, tissues, 4 single-pack wet wipes How: Have campers wash their hands, select a box, decorate it, and fill it with the listed supplies. BTW: The kit may be kept by the camper who made it, or it can be given to a shelter to be shared with those who live on the streets or are traveling unprepared. You may consider preparing two kits per camper, so one can go home with the camper and the other may be passed on to someone in need. As gathering the supplies can get more elaborate and expensive, you may wish to invite campers to bring specific supplies to donate to the cause as their offering for camp. Carrying Grudge Boxes #Create #Play Why: Ideally, participants will spend a lot of time decorating these boxes. It will be important to give the group plenty of time, so each camper feels ownership of his or her boxes. This illustrates how when we do not forgive, we harbor negative feelings throughout the rest of our lives. If they build up, they can slow us down from the other places we need to go. Those who spend a lot of time on their boxes may have more trouble getting rid of them, while those who don t take decorating seriously will 292 InsideOut:

34 have no trouble moving on. Note that the more time devoted to these boxes, the more difficult it will be to leave them behind. Supplies: cardboard boxes, markers/crayons, construction paper, glue, magazines, scissors How: Campers each get as many boxes as they can carry at once. Instruct campers to think of things that make them angry, hurt, or sad, and to decorate the boxes in ways that portrays those feelings. Each box represents a different time. If you re short on time, you might just have them write feeling words with markers on the boxes, but it s more effective to take time on this activity. After the campers have completed decorating the boxes, inform the group they are going somewhere at camp to do something new, and the group must carry all their boxes there too. During the trek, it may happen that campers accidentally drop boxes and have to stop to pick them up and restack them. Their arms may get tired, and they will likely have to adjust their loads frequently, or change the ways they walk. Explain how this relates to carrying grudges and resisting forgiveness. When you arrive at your destination, encourage campers to destroy their boxes. There might be a camp fire or a recycling bin to drop the boxes in, or they could be used to make pulp for homemade paper (instructions available online). Be creative. Discuss how campers felt carrying their boxes. Discuss the unique things that happened in each group and how those occurrences relate to how people forgive or don t forgive. BTW: Alternate Plan Note: If there is a large group, it may be difficult to get enough boxes for this exercise. If so, break into small groups and designate one person from each group to carry all the boxes for the group. Determine ahead of time the number of boxes one person would have difficulty carrying, and provide that number to each group. If the group is still too big, designate one person in the entire group to carry all the boxes, and have the small groups decorate one or more boxes each. With this method, require the whole group to stay together with whoever is carrying the boxes. This will slow the group down and cause frustration similar to each camper carrying boxes. It might also open up ideas about how a person in a group who cannot let go of something affects that whole group. Look for a specific reason for the travel besides just the illustration. If possible, plan for this activity just before the next scheduled camp event. It will also be important to discuss that forgiveness is normally not as easy as tossing a box in the fire, but it does start with deciding you can t hold onto the feeling anymore, and that means giving something up. Joseph s All-Natural Puppet SHOW #Create #LEARN Continue this project from Early Activity. Laying Down the SHIELD #Play Why: A great hot day activity. This activity demonstrates how difficult and confusing it can be to let go in the act of forgiveness. The blindfolded campers may rely on their shields to keep them dry. Once it is time to drop their shields, it may be difficult for them to let the shields go and trust the guides. This activity illustrates how withholding forgiveness seems to offer protection from emotional hurt, but also keeps you in defense mode. Though it may be scary and you risk getting hurt again, it allows you to see a bit more clearly and understand those around you a little better. Supplies: blindfolds, umbrellas, drop-off box (waste basket, box, etc.), several oscillating garden sprinklers How: Set up an obstacle course of sprinklers. Like a gauntlet, it should be difficult, but not impossible, to get from one side to the other without getting wet. Campers will be paired; one InsideOut: 293

35 wears a blindfold and carries an umbrella, the other is the coach who can only guide him or her using his or her voice. While the blindfolded camper tries to get to the drop-off box, the coach will advise him or her where to move. If the camper gets wet, he or she has to go back to the start line. The coach directs the blindfolded camper s steps as well as when, where, and how to drop the shield in the drop-off box. Once the camper has successfully dropped his or her shield in the drop-off box, he or she may take off the blindfold and use his or her own sight to navigate back through the gauntlet to the start line. After all the blindfolded campers have accomplished this, switch roles, moving sprinklers to make a new course for the new group. After everyone has had the chance to experience both roles, have campers discuss how difficult it was to be blindfolded, and how difficult it was to let go of the shield. Connect the act of forgiving someone who hurts us with dropping the shield. BTW: If you don t have sprinklers, this activity can be done with hoses, with campers oscillating them. Be careful on wet grass. Closing Devotions Every day, wrap up your day with a short time of devotion. In addition to the resources listed here, you may want to turn to the Daily Guides Worship Practices for suggested prayers and songs. Though time sometimes runs out and devotions can slip off your radar, at least give the campers a moment to thank God for the day. You could use a repeated phrase to signal that your time has come to a close by shouting in one voice, Together, we have the courage to Forgive! Amen! Bubbling OVER Supplies: soap bubbles, recording of upbeat music, battery-operated player #celebrate Create a fun worship atmosphere with a skit and staged bubble-blowing experience. One camper begins blowing bubbles until another camper starts popping the bubbles. The blower acts hurt, allowing the popper to apologize and receive forgiveness. The blower then states something he or she did to hurt another camper, walks to where that person is seated, and apologizes to that camper. The first camper blows more bubbles, then passes the bubble solution to the person he or she apologized to, who responds by blowing more. This is repeated multiple times, each sharing how he or she has offended another, apologizing, and then sharing bubbles together. Make sure to practice so everyone knows their parts. Then pass out more bubbles so everyone can share in the fun. Invite campers to join in the bubble blowing as you play some upbeat music. Ask campers to do their very best to not pop someone else s bubbles. If they accidently do, they should try to figure out whose bubble has been broken and ask forgiveness from that person. During this activity, tell the campers that this is also an opportunity to apologize and receive forgiveness for any real offenses they may have committed. Ask some campers to share their apologies or forgiveness statements out loud at this point to make it more comfortable for others to participate. Various sizes of bubbles could add to the fun and symbolize forgiveness between different communities. Stop and Start Supplies: three stop signs #celebrate Choose a simple song that can be done in a round like Row, Row, Row Your Boat or By the Waters of Babylon. Teach the song and have the group sing it in a round. Work on it until they know it well. Then explain that songs are like the stories of scripture. Every time God starts a story, God invites humans to join in. Unfortunately, humans tend to get a bit off track. Sometimes they get downright stubborn! They stop and start and the storyline can get hard to follow. But somehow God gets the story moving again. As an experiment, try stopping and starting the round with the stop signs. Assign each group a stop sign, and if their sign is up, they must stop singing; as soon as it goes down they can start singing again. This is hard to do and still keep with the natural rhythm of the song. 294 InsideOut:

36 Then tell the story of Joseph, marking the stops and starts of the relationships with the signs. Consider what would have happened if Joseph had not been willing to restart his relationship with his brothers through the action of forgiveness. Prayers of FORGIVENESS #centering Supplies: Sandy or dusty flat space (optional: sticks) Prepare for worship in a place that has sand or loose, dusty ground. Campers are going to use their fingers or a stick to trace words in the ground. Begin by reading the first part of the story in John 8:1 9. Ask campers to find places on the ground where they can trace words or pictures these can be things that they want to be forgiven for, or simply doodles that they make as they think about sins or things they want to let go of. Then tell them the end of the story from verses 10 and 11, saying, Jesus asks you, Has any one without sin condemned you? Allow them to answer if they wish. Then say, Jesus said, Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again. Tell them to brush away what they have traced in the dirt. Close with a prayer of thanksgiving. The Sounds of Forgiveness #centering Call the campers into a time of prayer and refection. Begin by reminding that we all sin and fall short, that we all do and say things that are hurtful and damaging to others. We make choices that fail to express the love God has for us. Invite the campers to make the shhh sign of a finger to their lips if they sometimes have made choices that have hurt others or themselves. As fingers are raised, quiet your voice and leave your finger on your lip. Say, These actions cause the story of God s love to be hard to hear. They can even stop the story from being heard at all. Let silence fall. Then explain that God is not willing to leave the world in silence, so God has provided a way to restore the flow of the story. God forgives and, in that forgiveness, we learn to forgive. Then invite the campers to ask God for forgiveness and to grant forgiveness to those who have hurt them. If they choose that action, they may lower their fingers. It is a relief to not feel hushed, just as it is a relief to let go of our sins into God s hands. Lower the stop signs and celebrate the good news that the story of God s love and forgiveness continues in the world. Let It Go PRAYER #Pray Why: This activity helps campers visualize letting go of their hurts and offering forgiveness. The feeling of the sand slipping through their fingers will remind them of the forgiveness they offered. Supplies: a handful of sand for each camper, Bible How: Ask campers to take a small handful of sand. Then invite them to close their eyes, form a fist, and hold it in front of them. Ask them to recall a time when someone hurt them, and they had a difficult time forgiving. Encourage them to imagine these hurts being held in their fists. Give a few moments of silence for reflection. Then, read today s scripture story (or another scripture passage), and invite the campers to loosen their fists slowly. At the end of the reading, encourage the campers to open their fists and let go of their hurts, offering forgiveness to whomever has hurt them. BTW: This activity should be done outside. If it s breezy, the sand should blow away. However, the activity may also be done indoors without the sand. Weeklong Project Why Just Tie When You Can Batik Dye? This project will take about 3 days. Why: Put a fun new spin on your tie-dye projects. This simple version of the ancient Indonesian art enables your campers to write phrases, names, or specific designs on their tie-dye. Make T-shirts, bandanas, prayer flags, and more. InsideOut: 295

37 Supplies: clean, white, pre-washed 100 percent cotton T-shirts, bandanas, kitchen towels, or fabric squares; Elmer s Blue Gel school glue, one per three campers (important for it to be blue gel); water; acrylic paints or fabric dye; baby food jars or small disposable bowls, paintbrushes; masking tape and permanent marker; clothes line; newspaper or cardboard, spray bottle filled with water. Fearless Faith; Courage in Community or the name of your camp and year. Note: for stranger safety, it s best not to print the names of campers on young children s clothing. How: Lay fabric flat. If a shirt, put newspaper or cardboard between the fabric layers. You can place a thick-lined pattern under the top layer to trace, or invite campers to make their own individual designs. Label the shirts with masking tape and have campers write their names on the tape with permanent marker. Using the glue right out of the bottle have them draw lines slowly on the fabric. Move the shirts to a place where they won t be disturbed for 18 hours to dry completely. If you are tie-dying the shirts, you can tie-dye them as you normally do now, being careful to not make any folds too tight and saturating them with color. To continue to batik dye, mix acrylic craft paints with equal parts water in small baby food jars or disposable bowls. Put several clean layers of newspaper between the layers of cloth, and have the campers paint in their designs as they would a coloring book. This is a very forgiving process, so even splatters and drips will come out looking good. To encourage colors to run together, spray fabric with water from a spray bottle. To keep colors pure, allow to dry between colors. Allow front painting to dry before painting the back. Cover the shirts with color. Move the shirts someplace to dry undisturbed for another hours. Hanging them on a clothesline will help the colors to diffuse if that s the look you want. Finally, allow the shirts to soak in warm water for a couple of hours or wash in small batches in a washing machine on hot. Dry on a clothesline. BTW: You could print scripture quotes from several of the Bible stories from the week for campers to trace on their shirts. Your people will be my people and your God my God, I am called for such a time as this, Remember, I am with you always, or Do not be afraid! Go! would make great quotes. Or use the theme, 296 InsideOut:

38 Checkmate Story Use this for the activity Checkmate on page You may simply read it to familiarize yourself with Jacob s story. This is Jacob. (Use a king) He had 12 sons (bring out each pawn and name them as you do, but use two bishops for Joseph and Benjamin) and one daughter, Dinah (use queen). The 10 older sons found Joseph very annoying! So they sold him to a group of slave traders who were traveling to Egypt (use two knights). What they did not know is that God had a plan for Joseph! (Separate Joseph from the other siblings.) Joseph was taken to Egypt, and at first had it rough there. He got thrown in jail even though he was innocent! There he met two of Pharaoh s servants (use two rooks). He told them what their dreams meant, and their dreams came true! Because he listened to God who helped him understand dreams, he was brought to the Pharaoh (other king) who ruled all Egypt. He put Joseph in charge of storing food for the country in case there was a famine. (Move Joseph far away from the others.) Then it happened! There was a famine. Jacob and all his other sons were starving! They needed food! So nine of the brothers went to Egypt because they heard that there was food there that they could purchase. Benjamin and Jacob stayed at home and waited. (Move the nine brothers, but not Benjamin, toward Joseph.) When they arrived in Egypt, they went to the person in charge of storing the food. It was Joseph, but they did not recognize him. (Put a hat or mustache on Joseph s head, or disguise him in some other way. Move the brothers in a circle around Joseph.) Joseph was still angry that his brothers had sold him as a slave, so he accused them of being spies. Joseph put his brother Simeon in jail and told them that he would release Simeon only if they brought back Benjamin. (Take Simeon and place him behind all the rooks). Then he sent the others home with some food. (Move the eight brothers back to Jacob.) When Jacob heard what had happened, he was frightened. He did not want to send Benjamin to Egypt! But he knew he had to. So the brothers left Jacob at home alone and went back to Egypt. (Move these nine brothers into a circle around Joseph.) When they arrived, Joseph released Simeon from jail and gave each brother a sack of grain. But he played a trick on them and hid a silver cup in Benjamin s grain. (Move Simeon from the rooks and into the circle around Joseph, then pretend to slip something under the Benjamin bishop.) He then called the guards and accused his brothers of stealing. Every brother had his grain searched. Of course, the cup was found in Benjamin s bag. (Turn over every brother pawn to look for the stolen cup. Look under the Benjamin bishop last, and discover the drawing there.) The brothers were terrified! Their father would die of sadness if they returned to Egypt without Benjamin! When they cried out before Joseph, his heart melted. Joseph began to cry, for he had finally forgiven his brothers. So he turned to them and told them, I am your brother Joseph who you sold as a slave. I forgive you and I have missed you all! (Remove Joseph s disguise. ) The brothers were shocked and a little afraid! But Joseph said, Don t be afraid! God had a plan and because I was here I could help make sure you, and the people of Egypt, did not starve. Then the brothers celebrated. Joseph invited the brothers to move to Egypt. (Move all the brothers back to Jacob.) They went home and told Jacob all the amazing things that had happened. Jacob could hardly believe it! Then the whole family moved to Egypt. (Move all the pieces back into one circle.) Joseph Is Sold into Slavery and Joseph Feeds and Forgives are the titles of the stories about Joseph in Children of God Storybook Bible, pp InsideOut: 297

39 Week 4 Together, the Courage to Stand Plan Your Week Use the grid below as an example to help you create a visual plan for your week. (You will want to list your own schedule and write in your choices.) Select activities from the various listings below; feel free to add others of your own creation, as well. Event Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Welcome (p.299) Bible Story (p.300) Early Activity (p.302) Quiet Time (p.303) Late Activity (p.304) Closing Devotions (p.307) Weeklong Project (p.308) Daily Song Leader Notes Should You Rather Scripture: Daniel 3 Something We Do Table Talk & Journal time Fiery Furnace Foam Stand Together Graffiti Wall Family Story Bible, Milton Nebuchadnezzar s Air Guitar Band Rest, Read & Journal time Photo Scavenger Hunt Belonging Building the Story Traits and Tells Table Talk & Journal Time Portable Furnace Lanterns Fruit Basket Turn- Over Around the Campfire Fiery Furnace S mores Rest, Read & Journal Time Ice Candles Stand Together Standing Story Yes We Can! Table Talk & Journal Time Standing With Stand Up Prayer Big Band Stand Up For Us! Loud and Proud Filling The Gaps Begin A Garden of Delights We Are One in the Spirit Continue A Garden of Delights Won t Back Down (Tom Petty) Continue A Garden of Delights They ll Know We are Christians Continue A Garden of Delights This Little Light of Mine Complete A Garden of Delights Lift Every Voice and Sing You can help your campers be comfortable enough to be themselves in all their messy, wonderful and irritating ways. Standing with your community sometimes means standing with people who are maddening and amazing. Standing up for what is right is sometimes easier than standing up for someone s right to be different that we are. Watch for moments when you can point out to the campers what is most important to stand for and with instead of against. We live in a polarized society that tells us there are two ways to look at every issue, but the truth of the matter is that there are hundreds of ways to look at one issue and we should probably explore several before we settle graciously on one solution or another. Your way of being with campers who are different can teach the kind of graciousness we need to cultivate as part of being Christian community. 298 InsideOut:

40 Welcome Use these activities during get-to-know-you time. Be aware that you may need to be flexible as campers arrive. Advise your staff to introduce campers to each other and to use this time to watch for group interactions, gauge energy levels and encourage those who may need it. Should You Rather #Play #LEARN Why: The traditional version of this activity asks people to stand up for what they prefer in front of everyone and offer reasons. This version will make it more challenging, moving beyond preferences to things that faith requires of the campers. It is also a good way for group members to get to know each other better. How: Campers are asked if they would rather do X or Y, and the Xs all go to one side of the room, while the Ys go to the other. Prepare Would you rather? questions that will be divisive in different ways. For example: Would you rather go to the beach or mountains? Watch TV or go to a movie? After they get the hang of it, it s time to ask them, Should you rather...? You can base your questions on the biblical commandments, Christian beliefs, and your own denominational foundations. Example: Should you rather forgive someone once and only once, or offer forgiveness again and again? After finishing the activity, discuss when it was easy and when it was difficult to decide what to do. Discuss how peoples decisions were influenced. BTW: There are many Would you rather? resources on-line if you run into writer s block. People may have very different answers in the Should you rather? part. Allow people to express their understandings without judgment. Stand Together Graffiti Wall #Pray #Create Why: This activity allows campers to actually identify the specific issues in their lives for which they feel compelled to stand up and possibly seem different from the rest. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego s story may lack immediacy and seem unreal to the campers because they will likely not find themselves in a story like it. Here, campers can share contemporary stories more relatable to their culture and everyday life. Writing concerns and challenges on the graffiti wall could make them more resonant and lasting with each person and the group. It could help accountability and encouragement among members of the church to stand up and create solidarity together. Supplies: poster board or banner paper, tape, markers, crayons, paint, paintbrushes How: Have campers discuss things in their lives that they have felt called to take stands on. Discuss why it might be scary to do that, and the worry of being different than others. Hang on the wall of your meeting space a poster from floor to ceiling and write, in large bold letters, We Stand For After discussion, have campers write on this graffiti wall together those things they shared with each other, however they would like to represent them. (If using paint, be sure it will not bleed through onto the wall. Consider using cardboard.) When everyone has had a chance to write, gather together as a group in front of the wall, maybe sit or kneel together, and spend time in prayer for the strength to stand for these things together as the church. During the prayer, you may choose to read aloud each thing that has been written. BTW: Leave the graffiti wall up for the rest of the week and encourage campers to add as they are reminded of new ideas, or just to decorate the existing graffiti. Remind campers that there may be people who stand for things that they wouldn t. Teach them that, as a community, we must learn to live with differences and ask them to remember that in sharing these things, they are blessing a person, not condoning a belief. BELONGING #Play Why: This activity builds community by demonstrating all of the ways in which the campers are connected. It also encourages campers to think about the groups in which they are involved and how those groups help shape them. InsideOut: 299

41 How: This activity highlights many of the groups to which the campers belong and invites the campers to reflect on how those groups shape their identities. Have campers stand in a large circle in an open area. They will walk clockwise in the circle. Then say the names of different groups. If the campers are part of that group, they should run to the center of the circle and then back to their place in the circle. If they are not part of that group, they should just keep walking. Call several groups, one by one. Some of the groups should include all the campers (e.g., people who have attended camp), and some groups should be ones that involve fewer campers (e.g., people who walk to school, play on a team, are a sibling, play a musical instrument, attend Scouts, etc.). Try not to choose a group that will single anyone out completely. When you are done, debrief: What did you observe? In what ways do these groups tell you who you are? Are some groups more important than others? Are there any groups that you especially want people to know about? Are there any groups that you are embarrassed about? Why? Can someone tell what groups you belong to just by looking at you? Can someone tell what groups you belong to by what you do or don t do? How can our behavior let people know who we are? BTW: There are many other creative ways to discover the different groups to which the campers belong. Consider putting them into small groups and inviting them to figure out a number of things that they all have in common. Fruit Basket Turn Over #Play chair and sit on it. Whoever is left standing calls out another characteristic. If the caller cries out, Fruit Basket Turn Over, then everyone must leave his or her seat and find another. BTW: You can make the game a tie-in to telling the story by changing the rules and having everyone who doesn t fit the description jump up, while all who fit have to fall like ragdolls to the floor. (This works well if you notice campers being left out.) Then, make these the last two characteristics: Everyone who will stand up for what s right! (they should all fall); and, Everyone who stands alone! (They should all jump up). Stand Together #Play Why: This is a challenge game mental and physical. When we choose to stand together, we rely on each other for strength and compassion, give and take. This game can lead to a discussion on what it really means to stand with someone. How: Pair campers and have them sit on the floor, back to back, with arms linked at the elbows. Try to pair them via similar height and body type. See if they can work together to get themselves into a standing position. They ll need to push against each other in order to get to their feet. Then see if they can stay linked while walking around and trying to pick up items from the floor. BTW: Remember, some children are very conscious of their strengths and weaknesses. Any difference in body type (overweight or underweight, taller than most or shorter than most) can be a sensitive issue. Be careful as you pair campers to make sure that all have a sporting chance at accomplishing the task. Why: It is a fun standing and sitting game. There are no winners, but a lot of energy and movement are expended. It is a good game to get the wiggles out. Supplies: circle of chairs one per player (minus one) How: One person stands in the circle and calls out a characteristic (such as: those wearing blue, or all those who know how to swim). All those who fit that description must change seats. While they do, the person in the middle tries to find a Bible Story At the beginning of the week, gather the campers together and read the week s scripture from the Bible. As the week goes on, you can reinforce the Bible story by reading from different suggested story Bibles. The activities and resources listed below will offer you some alternative ways of telling the Bible story. 300 InsideOut:

42 Family Story Bible Read A King Learns About God, The Family Story Bible, Ralph Milton, page143. Building the STORY #LEARN Why: This activity is a hands-on way for the campers to work with the story. Questions or insights that otherwise wouldn t may come out through this activity. Supplies: The Message version of the Bible, pipe cleaners, straws, play dough, foil, stones, etc. How: In this activity, campers will each build something as the story is read. Provide a number of various supplies and materials. Invite campers to build anything that they would like (related to the story) as you read through the story. Read Daniel 3 from The Message. You may want to read slowly or more than once. After the story has been read, invite the campers to share what they made and why. BTW: Be creative with the supplies. If unique supplies are not available, encourage campers to draw or paint. Around the CAMPFIRE #LEARN Why: This multi-sensory story is perfect for the campfire. Campers can connect with the sight, smell, and sounds of the campfire and create lasting memories of this experience. Supplies: The Message version of the Bible, campfire How: Read Daniel 3 from The Message. Try reading it a couple of different times, in different ways. Read it slowly, pausing for silent reflection. Read it dramatically, with a great deal of emotion. Allow the campers to look into and smell the campfire, imagining the events of the story. Debrief as a group or in small groups using the following questions: What do you like best about this story? How does this story make you feel? Do you identify with anyone in the story? If so, who? Why? Tell about a time when you were given the chance to stand up for something. How did you respond? If you could do it all over again, would you do anything differently? What are the risks involved in standing up for something, even if it is the right thing to do? BTW: If a campfire is unavailable, use the same activity with candles or incense. Standing Story #LEARN Why: Talking about standing up for what you believe is the first step in being able to do it in real and scary situations. The campers may already have seen or experienced injustice. This time is a safe time and place to talk about how to act their way through those difficult moments with grace. Supplies: deck of cards, table, bowl or can How: Have the campers sit in a circle. Pull three aces from the deck and then choose enough cards to add to the three aces for each camper in the group to have one. Shuffle those cards and deal one card to each camper in the circle. Have the campers look at their cards, but not show them to anyone else. Tell them that if they are holding an ace they are a part of a very special community, one that loves God more than anything else. Name the men Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as a part of that community. Begin to tell the story: the creation of a gold statue and the command to the people to bow down. Then have the ace holders stand. Tell the rest of the story and invite the three with their aces to place their cards on the table and sit down. As you tell the part about the fiery furnace, take their cards and place them under a can or a bowl. As you do, secretly add the fourth ace. Talk about how hot the fire was, and then lift the can or bowl to show that now there are four aces. Finish telling the story. Ask the campers to consider what it would be like to stand up against a whole crowd of people and say, That is something we do not do. See if they can think of a time when they saw someone do just that. Think of times that history was changed because people stood up and said, No more! BTW: Think ahead about some current cultural references that the children probably have been exposed to that speak of injustice, and someone or a group of people standing up to the crowd. Even if it is a movie reference, it will help to get the discussion moving. InsideOut: 301

43 Early Activity Use your morning activity time to reinforce the Bible story. It is a good time to get campers engaged in a project or game. Something We Do #Play #LEARN Why: Group identity is important! By this time in the week your group should be functioning well together. This game allows them to risk more and to laugh more. If other groups are engaging in the same game, there is a bit of competitive flavor to see who can be the most creative or outrageous. Remember that Daniel s friends had a very strong group identity that allowed them to stand together. Make sure your group does too! How: As you are moving your group from one place to another, invite them to add in their walk a movement that the whole group will do (examples: make only left turns, stop and applaud as a group at every tree bigger than a foot wide, or walk sideways when in sight of other groups). You can change the thing you do if three or more in your group request and share an acceptable idea. Acceptable ideas must then have whole group approval before being implemented. After you have played with this for a while, invite the group to choose a group movement to do in the dining hall (examples: no one moves alone if someone needs to leave the table, another goes with them; or every time someone stands to leave the table, the rest of the group slaps the table and says, Go forth! ). Watch for other groups who may have chosen movements to do. BTW: The success of this game does not rely on the physical ability of the group. This allows the nonathletic kids to experience success and leadership they do not always receive. If you have several weeks of camp, note the best ideas from past camps to share as examples for current camps. Nebuchadnezzar s Air Guitar BAND #Play #LEARN Why: Share the story in a fun way that will get out some energy and help campers engage the story. Supplies: Bible How: Explain to the campers that they have two ways to participate in the reading of this scripture. The first is to respond to the listing of instruments (horn, pipe, lyre, trigon (a percussion triangle), harp, and drum) by pretending to play an instrument of any kind and making loud noise with their imaginary instrument till the reader holds up his or her hand. The second is responding to the king s request for their worship by saying, Um, we don t do that. This will come soon after the playing of music, and the reader will signify the moment by pointing at the campers. Read Daniel 3 for the campers, holding up your hand to stop the imaginary music as needed, and pointing at them to cue their response of, Um, we don t do that, after verses 5,7,14, 15, and 30 (end of text). BTW: This could be a fun campfire skit, or a way to present the scripture in worship. If time allows, you could expand the conversation by asking campers when in their lives the expression, Um, we don t do that, might be appropriate. Traits and Tells #LEARN #Play Why: Help each camper reflect on what makes up his or her personal identity or culture. How: This is an exercise in observation and reflection. Assign each camper one of the following words to act out without any props. (Depending on the size of your group, some campers may have to act out two words, or some words may need to be repeated.) Then, go back over each word and ask how the campers would know someone fit that job title without seeing the person do anything. Police officer Teacher Coach Parent Professional athlete Grandparent Priest 302 InsideOut:

44 Doctor Now ask them to share what characteristics someone who fits the following categories might have. American Teenager Australian Christian Invite them to think about their own identities and what someone might learn about them by observation. What if the person visited their homes? Their bedrooms? Ask, What things might that person see that would reveal who you are? What practices or behaviors might reveal who you are? BTW: This could be a fun role-play. Challenge campers to communicate an identity by describing only behaviors, rather than offering visual clues. Be careful not to get caught up in stereotypes. Name them and discuss them if they arise. Fiery Furnace S mores #Serve #Create Why: This is an easy way to change a normal treat into a storytelling treat! If a camper can remember the names of the men in the fiery furnace, that camper can have another S more! Supplies: bonfire; per camper: 2 graham cracker squares, 2 half chocolate bars, 2 marshmallows, at least 8 Teddy Grahams, 1 roasting stick How: Then, to make a Fiery Furnace S more, roast a marshmallow over the fire. Place a roasted marshmallow atop a chocolate bar, which is sitting on a graham cracker. Then, place all four teddy grahams, standing up, in the marshmallow. Now, it s time to eat! To make a lot of these s mores, everyone will need help from someone else to make it work smoothly. Try placing the campers in groups of three: one to roast, one to stack the cracker and chocolate, and the other to use the teddy grahams to move the marshmallow off the stick and onto the base. BTW: In case of rain, you can do these in the oven. Just build them on a sheet pan and place them in the oven at 350 degrees for several minutes (until the marshmallow melts and browns). Yes We CAN #Play Why: A great active game that can be done anywhere, even in the water. There are things that can make working together easier; holding on to each other makes this game easier. This might be a good discussion starter about what makes it easier to stand together, as Daniel s friends did. Supplies: any items needed to create the course ; beach balls or balloons one per camper maximum How: Pull out a beach ball (or a balloon). Stand two campers side by side and place the ball between their hips. Then have them walk a course and see if they can do it without dropping the ball. (Hint: It s easier if they link arms.) If they drop the ball, they have to pick it up and start over again. When they complete the course, you can add a third person and another ball and try it again. See how many people you can get, in a line, from one place to another. BTW: You can do this a couple of times during the day in progressively more difficult places. See if they can climb stairs, get in a canoe, or weave through trees. Quiet Time Every day, allow your campers some quiet downtime. You may want to provide campers with books, craft supplies, paper, or manipulatives such as clay or action-figures. Encourage your campers to reflect upon and connect with the weekly story and theme. You may allow some quiet cooperative games like mancala or cards, but encourage discussion between campers by using the Table Talk questions. Be sure to allow campers ample time to clean up their work before moving on to the afternoon activities. Table Talk Use these questions to invite campers into conversation about the theme. Use them over one or more of the meals or create a conversation station during one of the activity rotations Consider using this for one or more of the days in the week. InsideOut: 303

45 Younger Campers: What does it mean to be a hero? Name someone whom you view as a hero. Imagine that you see a friend crying. What do you do? If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it? Why? Name something that you would never, ever sell, no matter how much someone offered to pay you for it. What makes it so special? Older Campers: Name someone you truly admire. What makes this person so admirable? Tell about a time when you had the opportunity to help someone and didn t. What, if anything, would you do differently now? What is something that you truly treasure? What makes it so special? If you could have a superpower, what power would you choose? Why? Create Our Journals Each day, campers will be allowed time to record their thoughts, hopes, drawings and such in their journals. You can choose to make these easily by folding five to ten sheets of paper together with a sheet of construction paper on the bottom and stapling them in the middle. Allow campers to put their name on the front cover and decorate them however they like. To make the journals more elaborate you can punch holes in the edges and weave a ribbon through them or use brads. For multi-week use, add more paper. Journal Time If someone believed something different from you, would you try to hurt them? What else might you do? If there were a statue built of you, who would you invite to the unveiling? Why? Would you stand up for your beliefs even if the consequence was death? Why or why not? Who was the fourth person in the furnace? What did that person look like? Draw a picture of Nebuchadnezzar s statue. Do you play an instrument? If so, do you use it to express joy? If not, what would you like to play? Rest and Read Here are storybooks to read aloud for quiet time, perhaps after lunch. Or use them during worship time: Olivia books, Falconer The Cat in the Hat, Seuss Hidden: A Child s Story of the Holocaust, Dauvillier Greg Salsedo, Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family s Fight for Desegregation, Tonatiuh The Little Engine That Could, Piper Late Activity Fiery Furnace FOAM #Create #Play Why: This sensory activity connects campers with the story in a different way. The story is filled with sensory images, but since campers are unable to work directly with fire in a hands-on way, this activity is a good alternative. Supplies: measuring cups, 4 mixing bowls, shaving cream, cornstarch, baking soda, liquid watercolors or food coloring, vinegar, (optional: squeeze bottles) How: Make four batches of foam in fire colors (red, yellow, orange, and white). To make each batch of foam, take about 2 cups of shaving cream and add about ½ cup each of cornstarch and baking soda. Add color as desired. Use hands to mix to get the desired consistency. Then, add all of the colors together on a sidewalk or other concrete area outside in a way that looks like a large flame. Invite the campers to work with the foam. They may want to use tools or figurines as they do so. After some time, bring out the vinegar, preferably in squeeze bottles. Allow the campers to add the vinegar to the foam and watch it sizzle and fizz. Campers may continue to work with the foam, but make sure that they do not touch their eyes after the vinegar has been added. BTW: This activity is fun to do even without the vinegar. 304 InsideOut:

46 Photo Scavenger HUNT #Play How: Relay these instructions to the campers: Why: This fun activity helps build community as teams work together. Supplies: digital cameras (or phones) How: Divide the campers into teams of 5 or more and give each team a camera. Explain that they need to find the following things around camp (you may want to change this list as you see fit) and take a photo of themselves with the item. If they complete all the tasks, offer them a reward. When all of the teams return, talk about the items and how they relate to the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Photo scavenger hunt list: Fire pit. Four people need to be in the photo. Chapel. Three people need to be in the photo. Statue (or cross). Three people need to be in the photo. Musical instrument. The whole group needs to be in the photo. Room where furnace or boiler is located (just take photo of the door; do not go inside). Three people need to be in the photo. Something golden. One person needs to be in the photo. Take a photo with everyone in the group kneeling. Camp director s office (bonus point if he/she is in the photo with you). Two people need to be in the photo. BTW: Be sure to add locations that are specific to your camp. Consider adding some locations that are not obviously related to the story and see if campers can make a connection. Cut out flame shapes from the tissue paper. Mix 1 part glue with 2 parts water on a plate, dip your flames into the mix, and glue them to the outside of the jar. Start with red flames, glue orange ones over them, and then yellow ones on top. It may be easiest to put the glue mixture onto a shallow plate. Let them dry. Then, ask a counselor or leader to cut a piece of wire long enough to wrap around the rim of the jar twice, and then to pull up and twist for a handle. Finally, put in your tea light and enjoy. BTW: Some campers will have a hard time getting the flames on the jars smoothly. Remind them that the wrinkles and folds in their paper will make it look even more like flames once the tea light is in the jar. Later, if you have a campfire, look at the flames and their wrinkles. Ice Candles #Create Why: Making these candles teaches campers about things that are useful to know for a whole lifetime. It teaches the campers about safety, heat, flammability, and the planning that must go into making it safe for everyone. It is exciting to be a part of a craft that is a little dangerous. However, this is also a great time to work on patience, sharing skills, and listening skills. Supplies: wax from leftover candles (white, pink, red, or yellow) or new paraffin wax, orange and yellow crayons, stove and double boiler (or electric fry pan and #10 tin cans, plus electrical source), water, ice cubes, wooden spoon; clean pint or half-pint milk cartons(one per camper for one pour, two per for two pour);. small taper candles the height of the milk cartons (one per camper) Portable Furnace Lanterns #Create Why: These lanterns are more fun to carry than flashlights! This is an easy and beautiful craft exercise that can lead you into discussion about what it was like in the fiery furnace. Supplies: plastic jars with lids; wire for handle; wire cutter, scissors; tissue paper in orange, yellow and red; white glue; sponge paint brushes (you can use fingers), battery-operated tea lights; shallow plates How: Pull apart the top opening area of each milk carton so that it is completely open. Rinse out all remaining liquids. Allow to dry thoroughly by setting the cartons upside-down until dry or by wiping them dry with paper towels. Pour 1 or 2 inches of water into the bottom portion of a double boiler. Set the pan atop a burner on the stove, then place the top pan inside the water-filled double boiler bottom. Add hunks of wax or old candles to the top portion of the double boiler. Melt the wax over low heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. (If InsideOut: 305

47 using electric frying pan, put water into frying pan, place #10 cans with wax in pan and heat as above.) Using the wooden spoon, pour at least a quartersized pool of wax into the bottom of each milk carton candle mold. Press a taper candle into the wet wax in each carton to secure it in upright position. Allow wax to harden. Fill cartons with ice cubes until the ice nearly covers the taper candles, or the carton is 1/2 to 3/4 full. Pour the melted wax, after it has completely melted, into each milk carton, over and around the ice, using care not to cover the taper candle wick. Keep the wet wax height to at least 1/8 inch lower than the tip of the taper candle. Allow wax to set until it becomes firms and ice melts for an hour or so. Pour the water out of the cartons and into the sink. Tear away the carton from each hardened ice candle. Make sure to tell the campers to allow their candles to cure for several days before using. If you wish to, you can do a second pour. If you are doing a second pour, do not remove the candle from its carton after the ice melts and the wax hardens. Pour out the water. (If the carton seems weak, you can place the candle in a new carton for the second pour.) Prepare a different color wax from the first pour. Pour new wax to fill in areas left by ice. Allow to cool for an hour or two, and then remove carton. This works best if the colors contrast well. Orange and yellow or red and yellow will make the candle appear to be colored flames. BTW: Wax is highly flammable. Never melt it over direct heat. You can also use soy wax; it is sustainable! You can also melt it faster and safer in the microwave. It is more expensive, however. Standing WITH #Serve #Pray Why: This activity helps campers connect the story with their own lives. It helps them appreciate their communities and focus on how they can stand with others. Supplies: paper or notecards, writing utensils, art supplies How: Discuss with the campers the importance of having someone stand with them when they are going through difficult times. Refer to the fourth person in the fire in today s story. Share a personal story, if possible. Invite the campers to think about someone who has stood with them during a difficult time. Encourage them each to write a note to that person, thanking him or her for doing so. Then, ask each camper to think about a person who may need someone in his or her corner. Can the campers stand with these people? Encourage the campers each to write a note to this person, as well, promising to stand with him or her. After the notes have been written (campers should be encouraged to send the letters when they get home), pray the following prayer (or a similar one), leaving space and time for the campers to state the names of the individuals to whom they wrote. Dear God, thank you for standing with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire. We are so thankful that you have promised us that we will not have to stand alone, for we know that you are always with us. We also know that you send others to be with us, and we are so grateful for them. When we have gone through difficult times, these people have stood with us and made the journey easier. God, thank you for: [allow time for the campers to name those who stood with them]. Bless these people, God, and let them know how much we appreciate them. God, we also ask that you would be with those who need someone in their corner. We know that you might be calling us to stand with these people, and we thank you for that. Help us to be good friends, showing your love. And help these people during hard times: [allow time for the campers to name those with whom they intend to stand]. Bless these people, God, and let them know how much you love them. Through our friend, Jesus, we pray. Amen. 306 InsideOut:

48 BTW: Instead of writing notes, campers can create other gifts for these individuals. Closing Devotions Every day, wrap up your day with a short time of devotion. In addition to the resources listed here, you may want to turn to the Daily Guides Worship Practices for suggested prayers and songs. Though time sometimes runs out and devotions can slip off your radar, at least give the campers a moment to thank God for the day. You could use a repeated phrase to signal that your time has come to a close by shouting in one voice, Together, we have the courage to Stand! Amen! Stand Up Prayer #Pray Why: Corporate prayer can be powerful! However, it can also be something we do not fully engage in. It is difficult not to become an active part of this prayer. How: The leader begins the prayer by explaining, Jesus promised to be with us if two or more of us are gathered together in prayer. For this prayer, we will make that promise even stronger by standing up for the things we especially wish to pray for. Everyone will have an opportunity to stand and suggest something to pray for a thanks, a concern, or a sadness. Then, have the campers, one at a time, stand when they want to pray, and say, Stand if you want to pray The end of the sentence might be, a thanks to God for the good food we have been given, or, for all those who are afraid of the dark, or, for all the people who could not come to camp this week to have fun. (Model the prayer for them first a couple of times.) Then, if the other campers agree to pray for the statement, they stand and shout. May it be so! It is sort of like voting for the prayer. It will get loud, but who said prayers must be quiet? Let the campers stand up at random until all are finished, and then close the prayer. BTW: This works well as a cool down after Fruit Basket Turn Over. Big BAND Supplies: musical instruments of all kinds #celebrate In this activity, campers will praise God with music. Gather as many musical instruments as possible. If there is limited access to musical instruments, consider having the campers make some (simple maracas, drums, etc.). Invite each camper to choose an instrument. Talk about how the people in the story used music to praise their leaders and gods. Explain that the campers are going to make music for God. Try all different kinds of songs, tempos, etc. Consider having a parade. Talk about what it feels like to make music for God. Invite the campers to use their instruments as you read Daniel 3. When you mention instruments, they get to make a lot of noise. Stand Up for Us! #celebrate Young children often know more about the world than we wish they might. They worry about children who are hungry, homeless, or in places of war. Before worship, ask the campers who they are worried for. Then write up simple signs that name those people or things. Give one sign each to several of the campers. Ask them to help you with a prayer by standing and saying, I stand with [whatever that sign says]. Ask the other campers each to choose a sign holder to stand with. Then, as a group, have them write a two- or three-sentence prayer upon each sign for those mentioned on the sign. Gather the campers and pray the prayers they have written together, each group standing as their prayer is read. Loud and Proud #celebrate This experience is designed to be loud, which may not be typical for this time period. One at a time, ask each camper to say, My name is loudly. Repeat the process, this time adding, and my God is. Ask each camper to fill in the blank with a word that describes God. Campers are welcome to repeat what others have said, but each is encouraged to use a word that he or she truly believes. Repeat the activity again, but with everyone speaking in unison. Read Daniel 3:28 out loud. Blend the scripture with the group experience, using the names of the campers in the following sentence: Blessed be the God of,,,, the God of Abram and Sarai, Ruth InsideOut: 307

49 and Joseph; the Lord, our God, who will stand with us when we stand together. Filling the Gaps #centering Ask campers to close their eyes and each hold one hand high in the air. Invite each to spread fingers wide and try to remember a time he or she wanted to do the right thing, but felt too alone or weak to take a stand. Ask them each to raise his or her other hand and think about a time when someone supported him or her and helped him or her make the right decision. Invite campers to open their eyes and join hands with those on either side of them. Close in prayer: Make us one, Lord. When fear grabs hold, may the bonds of faith hold us closer. When fear makes us weak, may we find strength in those around us. When we feel your spirit around us, may we reach out and hold up those around us who are in need of community. Together, may we be the church Christ dreamed of. Amen. passage of time. Plant flowers that will attract butterflies (lilacs, milkweed). Hummingbirds offer delight and awe. Find a hummingbird feeder craft and allow campers to make one to take home and one to leave. Older campers may enjoy a sense of adventure building a water feature or fountain. Remember making mud pies? Giving campers young and old permission to play in the dirt can help foster a sense of freedom. Collect large rocks from around camp and let campers stack and build with them to offer a sense of accomplishment and patience. Plant lambs ears to touch, geraniums to smell, bamboo or tall grasses to listen to. BTW: You should expect your sensory garden to grow and change over time. Pick a less-used area of camp with room to expand. Invite volunteer adult groups to create a greenhouse for winter storage of plants or to make a prayer walk or labyrinth around the garden. Weeklong Project A Garden of Delights This project will work well on any day. Why: A sensory garden on your campground will be a great resource for all your campers. Instead of a vegetable garden, a sensory garden is a place to relax and enjoy creation and can be a go-to place for prayer and meditation, as well as play and even work! Supplies: Dirt, plants, birdhouses, bird feeders, water source, garden tools, etc., whiteboard and marker or paper and pen How: Consider all the senses God has gifted you with. Push yourself to think beyond the five senses we normally list. Consider your sense of time, adventure, joy, hunger, wonder, awe, anger, mystery, and humor. List those senses on whiteboard or paper and challenge your staff and your campers to think of a gardening activity that would help them explore a chosen sense. For example, butterflies are part of God s creation that help us to notice change and the 308 InsideOut:

50 Week 5 Together, the Courage to Do Justice Plan Your Week Use the grid below as an example to help you create a visual plan for your week. (You will want to list your own schedule and write in your choices.) Select activities from the various listings below; feel free to add others of your own creation, as well. Event Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Welcome (p.310) Bible Story (p.312) Early Activity (p.313) Quiet Time (p.315) Late Activity (p.316) Closing Devotions (p.318) Weeklong Project (p.319) Groggers Scripture: Esther Saving God s People Casting Call Challenge Superheroes Such a Time as This Whose Shoes? You Choose! What Can One Little Person DO? Table Talk & Journal time Bottle Weaving For Such a Time as This Begin Do For Others Rest, Read & Journal time World Class Window Hanging Table Talk & Journal Time Change Saving Boxes/Jars Purim Hamantashan Tell the Story with Public and Private Media Esther s Trail Mix Rest, Read & Journal Time Mishloach Manot Follow Me Orphan, Widow, Alien and Jesus Time is Running Out Table Talk & Journal Time Shaving Cream Seals Let Justice Reign! Just Us I Was Hungry Praying for God s People Continue Do For Others Continue Do For Others Continue Do For Others Continue Do For Others Daily Song Let There Be Peace on Earth Heal the World (Michael Jackson) What Can One Little Person Do? What does the Lord Require of You? If I Had a Hammer Leader Notes Young campers like getting to make choices for themselves. The more difficult part is getting them to think about how their choices will affect others. It is hard for any of us to make a decision that puts ourselves at risk in favor of creating a better situation for others. There may be a time during the day when you will be able to have the campers make a decision together. Take the time to stop and have every person state what their decision would be if they were alone, and then ask them to think what would be the best decision for the group. Exposing the behind the scenes part of decision-making is helpful for younger campers and makes your decisions as a leader more understandable to them. InsideOut: 309

51 Welcome Use these activities during get-to-know-you time. Be aware that you may need to be flexible as campers arrive. Advise your staff to introduce campers to each other and to use this time to watch for group interactions, gauge energy levels and encourage those who may need it. GROGGERS #Create #LEARN Why: This activity connects campers with Jewish friends and neighbors who celebrate this holiday today. It also engages them in the story by helping them focus on listening for Haman s name. Supplies: the storybook Courage, Esther!, craft supplies to make noisemakers (plastic soda bottles, empty toilet paper rolls, paper plates, beads, buttons, markers, feathers, glue, etc.) How: Using whatever supplies are available, invite the campers to create and decorate noisemakers to celebrate Purim. These noisemakers are called groggers. After all of the noisemakers have been made, read the Esther story using Courage, Esther! or another storybook about Esther. Instruct the campers to shake their noisemakers every time that the name Haman is read. They can even boo and hiss at Haman. Explain that every year, when the Jewish people celebrate Purim, they read the Esther story from a scroll and use their noisemakers to drown out Haman s name and show disdain for his deeds. BTW: When Jewish communities celebrate Purim, they also invite children to dress up in costumes. If costumes are available, consider making it part of the activity. Saving God s People #Play Why: This activity helps campers learn the names of the characters in the Esther story.. It is also a fun way to enact the story. How: Choose one camper to be Haman. Then, send Haman away for a moment, and choose two campers to be Esther and Mordecai. All other campers are God s people. Allow Haman to return. Explain that God s people are going to run around in the game area. The camper chosen as Haman is going to try to tag God s people, which will land them in jail (a designated area of your choosing). Esther and Mordecai are able to go to the jail and tag the imprisoned people, thus freeing them. However, Haman should not know who they are. Otherwise, he could put them in jail, which would inhibit God s people from being saved. So Esther and Mordecai need to try to free God s people without Haman seeing. They may need to work together with other people in order to accomplish this. Play until Esther and Mordecai are in jail, or for a set period of time, whichever comes first. Then choose others to be Haman, Esther, and Mordecai and start again. BTW: This activity may be done inside or outside, or even in a pool or lake, provided that there is enough space. Superheroes #Play #Create Why: This is a fun way to think about fighting injustice in a way that is familiar to anyone who enjoys pop culture. This activity can also prompt discussion about what is realistic in these scenarios and what isn t, offering a different perspective on the idea of justice and how it can be carried out by the church. Supplies: superhero costume materials (capes, masks, etc.), white T-shirts, poster board, crayons, markers How: Create camp superheroes to fight injustice. Begin by having groups revisit earlier conversations about injustice and choose one particular injustice that really resonated in their discussion. Instruct groups to pinpoint a superpower that would enable someone to really help with that injustice, and then create a superhero around it. Groups choose one person from their group to dress as that superhero. They will name the superhero, come up with a motto, and design a superhero costume. If you have enough time, encourage groups to be creative and come up with an origin story for the superhero s powers, show how the superpowers work, and even come up with an arch nemesis for the superhero. Then have groups show their superhero and the superhero story to the camp. BTW: This is a great photo opportunity, and anything created with this activity can be 310 InsideOut:

52 displayed for the rest of the week or used in camp role calls, etc. cookies with, or use them for the whole camp for lunch or dinner. Purim Hamantashen #Create #LEARN #Serve Why: When God saves God s people, we should remember and celebrate! Making these traditional Purim cookies makes those celebrations even sweeter. Supplies: table, plastic table covering, plastic gloves for everyone, measuring cups, oven, mixing bowl, egg beater, mixing spoon, brush, cutting board sprinkled with flour, rolling pin, cup, teaspoon, greased pan, ingredients (listed below) 4 eggs 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup oil 1 Tbsp. lemon juice and lemon rind from half a lemon 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 cups sifted flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 egg to brush jelly for the filling How: Basic Recipe: Pre-heat oven to 350. Beat eggs and sugar in mixing bowl. Add the next five ingredients and mix well. Divide the dough into four parts. Stretch and roll it out on a floured surface to about 1/2 cm in thickness, and cut out circles with a cup. Fill each one, putting a half a teaspoon of jelly in the center of the round dough. Fold the sides of the round over the jelly in three sections to form a triangle with the jelly in the center. They should look like tri-corner hats with jelly in the middle. Put them on a greased pan. Brush with beaten egg. Bake for 20 minutes. Yield: about 3 dozen cookies. Group set-up: Cover table in plastic or use a well-scrubbed and easily cleanable table. Assign campers one task each: cracking eggs, measuring sugar. Allow campers to take turns rolling, cutting, and shaping cookies. (Or, you can skip the rolling and cutting by spooning out small portions and having the campers shape the dough into rounds.) After the cookies are baked, have your campers pick another group of campers to share your As you bake, tell the campers about the celebration of Purim in honor and remembrance of the courage of Esther and the faithfulness of God. Find resources about the celebration online. BTW: If you are not doing the Trail Mix activity, plan to meet with a group that is and share your cookies with them as they share their mix with you! Follow ME #Play#LEARN Why: Call is a word used often in the Church, and it doesn t just apply to clergy. Discerning when we are called, and when to step up and lead, can be frightening and confusing. This activity creates an opportunity for one to step up, and for all campers to reflect on the experience. Supplies: blindfolds for each camper How: Blindfold each camper, then guide them one at a time into a line. Ask each camper to put his or her hands on the shoulders of the person in front of camper. Instruct the campers to stay connected this way. Quietly remove one camper s blindfold, then instruct the group to move to a different space in the camp. The camper without a blindfold is free to give direction and guide the group, but do not directly tell the camper this, and do not instruct him or her to do so unless the group is failing. At that point, if that camper does not step up to lead, tell the campers that one of them has been given a gift and is welcome to help. Once everyone is at the destination, discuss the experience. Pay attention to the different experience of the one called to help the rest. Invite the campers to reflect on times when they felt called to step up and help others in need, or ask for examples of people they have learned about who stepped up to help others. Ask the campers how people might know they are called to step up and lead. Spend some time reflecting on the role a leader plays in a community and how a community comes to trust (or distrust) someone who takes a stand for them. BTW: This could be done in varying sizes of groups. With a larger group, you might unblindfold a few people and see who speaks up, InsideOut: 311

53 and reflect on how those people work together or against each other. You can also tell the group that one of them has been given the destination and ask the group to trust that person s leadership. Bible Story At the beginning of the week, gather the campers together and read the week s scripture from the Bible. As the week goes on, you can reinforce the Bible story by reading from different suggested story Bibles. The activities and resources listed below will offer you some alternative ways of telling the Bible story. Casting Call Challenge #LEARN #Play #Create Why: Campers are likely to be very familiar with Disney characters and popular fairy tale stories. They will think of Esther and her people the next time they see these characters. Supplies: your imagination and why not costumes? (and a familiarity with the story) story on the fly to the tune of a song from the movie Watch and you ll see all the Jews free in this part of the world! Such a Time as THIS #LEARN #Pray Why: Help campers see the role of communal support, especially spiritual support, for those who lead and take stands on important issues. Supplies: Bible, two large pieces of paper, markers How: Read Esther 4 as a group and ask the campers to identify all the characters mentioned. This can be individuals or groups. Write the characters on a large sheet of paper. Next to each, write what they did to help save (or, as in Haman s case, not save) God s people. Ask the campers to reflect on the importance of each person or group s role. Pay attention to spiritual contributions such as prayer and fasting. On a second piece of paper, invite the campers to make a list of leaders in their communities and in the world who need their prayers. Take time to pray for these people by name or by position. How: The challenge is for you to tell the story of Queen Esther and her people using popular contemporary characters from shows and stories. Ask the campers for a suggestion of a favorite fairy tale or well-known movie. Together, name the characters from the popular story and decide which character will be playing which biblical figure. Then, tell the story, acting as all the characters with funny voices and all the flair of a fairy tale world! Example: The Little Mer-Queen! Now starring: Ariel as Queen Esther, Sebastian as her Uncle Mordecai, Prince Eric as King Ahasuerus, featuring Haman the Sea Witch and introducing Flounder as Flounder, the queen s fish. Of course Queen Esther had a fish. Duh. Challenge yourself to roll with all the wacky things the campers throw at you. Afterward, let them choose a different fairy tale and tell the story themselves. BTW: This activity is great for counselors and leaders who are spontaneous and silly. You may want to think through some other examples beforehand and be prepared. If you re using Disney characters, try making up a song about our BTW: A list of leaders to pray for could be collected and used in worship. Prayers could also be shared on-line or even mailed to people who work in corresponding jobs. Tell the Story with Public and Private MEDIA #Play #LEARN Why: This method will introduce the story through forms of communication people are familiar with, and tell it in a way that helps people see themselves within the story. Supplies: Esther skit (p. 320), way to display text conversation (projection screen or posters) How: Tell the story of Esther through vignettes in two parts, news reports in ancient Persia, and personal correspondences between Esther and Mordecai (like text messages). The news report could be done as a live skit, a taped report shown on screen, or a recorded radio report. Recruit someone to read the script in news style. The correspondence is texts between the two main characters. This can be done by paper letters, 312 InsideOut:

54 s, text messages, social media wall posts, voice messages, or any combination. The key is to illustrate a larger public view of these events, views of two people impacted by the events throughout, and how those forms of viewing the event inform one another. This could encourage conversation to view current events through different lenses. BTW: This skit comes in four parts, so it could be divided up and spread throughout a day or more setting up cliffhanger moments, encouraging curiosity. Orphan, Widow, Alien, and Jesus #LEARN #Pray Why: This activity will acquaint campers with those from scripture whom the church has historically been called to help. They are likely victims of injustice, and making these ancient connections to modern-day victims will help campers understand scriptural teachings in a practical way. The campers will use Christ s words to guide them on how to pray for comfort, which should offer appropriate attitudes with which to approach these issues. Supplies: index cards, writing utensils, strips of paper with quotes from Christ How: Campers will be introduced to the recurring scriptural theme of the orphan, widow, and alien, and will identify modern-day incarnations in contemporary life. Campers will use the words of Christ to pray for justice. Throughout Jewish law and Christ s teachings, the orphan, widow, and alien are mentioned as groups deserving special care and assistance from the people of a region. Have campers discuss why these groups are singled out. Discuss the needs of these groups, and have the campers expand their visions of them for modern-day interpretation. For instance, a child of parents who aren t equipped to support the child might have the same problems as an orphan, or someone who has been abandoned by his or her spouse could have the same problems as a widow. Have campers think of people in their lives who experience the lack of a strong parent, a partner to live with, or a stranger in a strange land. Have each camper write the name of such a person on an index card, and then write orphan, widow, or alien on the opposite side, depending on which applies. You may choose to do this activity with families sharing one card. When cards are complete, have campers place them on an altar or the floor in front of the worship space with the name facing down. Distribute strips of paper with quotes from Christ found on page 320. Have campers choose a particular quote they feel Christ might be saying about the person on the index card. Then campers bring up the strips of paper, pray for the persons on their cards, and place the strips of paper on top of the corresponding cards. BTW: Allow campers to add their own favorite quotes from Jesus if they have any that they think of. Early Activity Use your morning activity time to reinforce the Bible story. It is a good time to get campers engaged in a project or game. WhosE Shoes? Why: Compassion and empathy are learned responses. Having the campers practice what they might do makes it easier when they are confronted by the real situations. #LEARN Supplies: Six shoe boxes with shoes (total of three pairs of large boy s shoes, three pairs of large girl s) in them, scenario cards for each set of shoes on page 62. How: Place one pair of shoes in each shoebox, with a corresponding scenario card. Place the boxes around the camp to be found as you travel through the day. When you find a box, ask one camper to open the box and put on the shoes. Then, read the scenario card aloud. Based on the information given, campers should try to put themselves in that person s shoes, identifying how that person might feel. End each scenario by coming up with three ideas of ways to show compassion in that type of situation. InsideOut: 313

55 BTW: If other groups in camp are doing the same activity, you can share the shoes by letting everyone know ahead of time where they are placed around campus. You Choose #Play Why: Making decisions can affect the whole group. Esther knew she needed to make the best decision possible. This game gives the campers experience in how the decisions they make can affect the whole group. Campers will enjoy making the cootie catcher and teaching others to make one. Supplies: origami (square) paper to make cootie catcher (or origami fortune teller) How: Using square sheets of paper, make an origami cootie catcher. Instructions can be found on page 322. On each inside petal, allow campers to write ways for the group to move (examples: hop on one foot, walk backwards, walk two steps, spin around, repeat; sing Row, Row, Row Your Boat and step forward on every row ). As you lead your group in moving from place to place, use your paper cootie catcher (CC) to help you decide how you will move. Each time, stop, ask the CC twice to get two suggestions, then ask the group to decide which they like best. Then, after you have gone a distance doing the action, stop and ask if they thought they had made the best decision. Then ask the CC for two more suggestions. Soon it will become clear which actions work best for your group. BTW: Some campers may already know how to make cootie catchers. Give them a chance to shine and teach the others in the group. What Can One Little Person Do? #LEARN #Pray who made a difference for social justice: Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Discuss what each person did to help the world. Then, work with the campers to create a new verse or two for the song about Esther, or someone they admire, or something they want to achieve. When it is finished, sing some of the new verses together to the tune of the song. BTW: You can offer to sing the song and the new verses for the whole camp at worship! Esther s Trail Mix #Create #LEARN #Serve Why: When camper hands are busy, the campers are more able to think and talk about important things. Creating good things to give away is fun and it helps them make new friends. Supplies: recipe labels for each bag, Ziploc bags, bowls, Bugles, pretzels, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, Chex cereal, Teddy Grahams, Hershey s Kisses, cup measuring cups or large spoons How: Have campers wash hands. Together, lay out supplies, mix them in a large bowl, put labels on bags, and fill the bags with trail mix using measuring cups or large spoons. As you work, explain that the Jews fasted and prayed for Esther as she prepared to meet the king. Esther made dinner for the king and his friend as a way to open the difficult conversation about how the Jews were being threatened. Food is a great way to make strangers friends and to open the door to conversations that might be hard. Talk about who the campers would like to be able to talk with or be new friends with. Have them consider who they might give their bags of trail mix to as a way to say hello or let us be friends. Why: This song introduces some more modern heroes into the discussion. It is important to have good examples to follow in faith. Supplies: recording of What Can One Little Person Do? by Sally Rogers (see YouTube), player with batteries (or Internet access, computer, and external speakers), paper, pencils How: Listen to the song What Can One Little Person Do? The song refers to several individuals BTW: Check with your food service staff member to make sure you don t have campers with allergies before using these foods. Remember not everyone is excited about eating food products that children have had their hands all over. So you may wish to encourage the campers to give their trail mix to other campers, and to sit and talk right then as they enjoy the mix together. To do this, you may wish to invite another group in camp to join your group for snack. 314 InsideOut:

56 For the recipe label: Esther s Trail Mix BUGLES remind us to celebrate with music when God saves us. PRETZELS remind us to pray, thanking God for Esther s courage to speak. SUNFLOWER SEEDS remind us to bloom where we are planted so we can shine like the sun when God calls us to act. CRANBERRIES remind us listen carefully for the sweet voice of God. CHEX remind us that God s people are woven together into one nation. TEDDY GRAHAMS remind us to bear one another s burdens. HERSHEY S KISSES remind us of the love of God and God s Son, Jesus, which sweetens our lives Time Is Running Out! #Play #LEARN will have a set amount of time (perhaps five or ten minutes, depending on your location) to complete a set number of tasks. The tasks are listed on the handout. BTW: This activity may be done inside or outside, provided that the space is large enough. If inside, obviously some adjustments may need to be made to the handout (or you may what to make some, in order to be specific to your camp). Quiet Time Every day, allow your campers some quiet downtime. You may want to provide campers with books, craft supplies, paper, or manipulatives such as clay or action-figures. Encourage your campers to reflect upon and connect with the weekly story and theme. You may allow some quiet cooperative games like mancala or cards, but encourage discussion between campers by using the Table Talk questions. Be sure to allow campers ample time to clean up their work before moving on to the afternoon activities. Table Talk Use these questions to invite campers into conversation about the theme. Use them over one or more of the meals or create a conversation station during one of the activity rotations Consider using this for one or more of the days in the week. Why: This activity encourages campers to interact with others and with the Esther story. Supplies: copies of handout on page 323 (one per camper), writing utensils, Courage, Esther! or other Esther storybook How: Esther had a short amount of time in which to work to save her people. But there were a number of things that she had to do before she could complete her task. She needed to ask people to pray and fast, go to the king, touch the king s scepter, throw two parties, and reveal that she was one of God s people. In this game, the campers will participate in some timed activities that are reminiscent of the Esther story. First, read the story using one of the storybooks. Re-cap all of the things that Esther needed to do in order to save her people in time. Explain that the campers Younger Campers: Tell about a time when you or someone in your family helped someone else a friend, a neighbor, someone at church, or even a stranger. Imagine that you are a character from a Bible story. Have others guess who you are. You may act the character out or answer questions. After someone guesses correctly, share why you chose that person. Ask someone to go next. Share about a time when something good happened, even though you didn t expect it. How was God involved? If you could have any superhero power, what power would you have? Why? How would you use it to help others? InsideOut: 315

57 Older Campers: What does the phrase, Love thy neighbor mean to you? Name someone whom you view as a true leader. What makes him or her a good leader? Imagine that someone gives you $100,000, but they tell you that you must spend it all on others. How would you spend it? Why? Imagine that someone gives you $100,000, but they tell you that you must spend it all on others. How would you spend it? Why? Create Our Journals Each day, campers will be allowed time to record their thoughts, hopes, drawings and such in their journals. You can choose to make these easily by folding five to ten sheets of paper together with a sheet of construction paper on the bottom and stapling them in the middle. Allow campers to put their name on the front cover and decorate them however they like. To make the journals more elaborate you can punch holes in the edges and weave a ribbon through them or use brads. For multi-week use, add more paper. Journal Time Who will you do justice for in life? Has a family member ever asked you to do something for the rest of your family? When? Did you do it? Why or why not? If you had the power of a queen like Esther, what would you do with your power? Draw one of the feasts that Esther serves the king. What yummy foods are there? Fancy tableware? Rest and Read Here are storybooks to read aloud for quiet time, perhaps after lunch. Or use them during worship time: The Lorax, The Butter Battle Book, Yertle the Turtle, Seuss Courage, Esther!, Wolkstein The Story of Queen Esther, Koralek Hey, Little Ant, Hoose and Tilley Esther...the Girl Who Became Queen, Veggie Tales, (DVD) Bottle Weaving Late Activity Why: Ruth must have used something to gather the grain into when she gleaned in the fields. Your campers will need something to gather their found treasures into as well! Supplies: Clean two-liter bottles, scissors, yarn, ribbon, or even long grasses How: Ahead of time, cut the two-liter bottles (or have each camper cut his or her own, if the campers are old enough to safely do so). The bottles should be cut in the following way: Cut off cap end so that what is left is a cylinder with a bottom. Then cut the sides in strips down to the point where the bottle begins to curve in to the bottom. Cut an odd number of strips about ½ an inch wide (still attached to the bottom). This is your weaving base. Have the campers each select a yarn color to start. Instruct them: Tie the yarn onto one of the strips and push it down to the bottom base, as close as possible. Weave the yarn in and out around the bottle. Colors may be changed by cutting off one color and tying on another color. When the weaving gets within 2 inches of the top tie off the yarn. Then either you or the campers can cut the ends of the strips into points and fold them over the highest level of yarn and tuck them into the yarn lower down. BTW: Most any recyclable plastic container can be used in this way, and the shape can be changed by pushing out as you weave or pulling in tighter, or by modifying the shape of the strips. Consider using a shaped cola bottle just for fun and see what happens and what shape it takes. World Class Window Hanging Why: It is messy, creative, wild, and fun for all! It also serves as a prayer reminder. Just like the people of Israel prayed for Esther to have strength, other world leaders need our prayers for them to have the strength to do as God calls them to do for the people of the world. 316 InsideOut:

58 Supplies: white glue, shallow bowls, skeins of green and blue yarn, scrap yarn of many colors, scissors, waxed paper, print-out of globe, tables, newspaper, easy access to water How: Cover tables with newspaper. Place one copy of the printed-out globe on paper for each camper, and cover it in waxed paper. Put glue in shallow bowls and dilute with water 1 part glue to 1 part water. One bowl of glue solution to every two or three campers. Cut a piece of blue or green yarn and dip in the glue mixture. Pull yarn through two fingers to scrape off excess glue. Use the yarn to outline the globe and the continents. Try to make sure that all the yarn is connected to the outside row of yarn so that when it dries it will all be connected. Reinforce the top edge with one or two extra pieces of yarn where the hanger will be. Then, using the other colors, the campers may add other designs, flowers, fish, hearts or just decorative squiggles to fill in the spaces. Once they have finished let the whole thing dry on a flat surface. Once dry, peel off the waxed paper, add a string to the top edge and hang in a window to remind the campers to pray for all the people of the world, not just the ones they know. BTW: You may choose to skip the world map part and just let them make designs on their own that help them remember the story of Esther. However, there will be some children who will need a starter idea. So make sure you have suggestions and even outlines for them. You may have a child who has an aversion to sticky stuff on their hands. Encourage them to try or partner them with a helper. Change Savings Boxes/Jars #Create #Serve Why: This activity encourages support of justiceseeking agencies. It reminds campers that these organizations need support and empowers them to make a difference with what they have left over, as Boaz did allowing Ruth to gather his leftover grain. This activity fosters a connection among campers, specific areas, and relief organizations on an intellectual and artistic level. Supplies: glass jars or wooden craft boxes, scissors, craft glue, pictures/maps from countries where aid-workers are fighting injustice, magazine/newspaper clippings that illustrate these areas How: Campers decorate jars or boxes for change collection for relief organizations. Campers choose photos or maps of areas experiencing injustice that they would like to help. If using glass jars, have them cut out pictures, apply a thin layer of craft glue to the fronts of the pictures, and glue them to the inside of their jars, facing out. Have them create collages of pictures. If using craft boxes, have them follow the similar steps, only gluing the pictures backs to the outside of the boxes. When the glue has dried, campers can use them store change for whichever causes they choose. BTW: Have a list of relief organizations with a range of justice issues available for campers who may not be sure what injustice they want to help eradicate. Offer descriptions and information on how to donate. Mishloach MANOT #Serve #Create Why: This activity helps demonstrate the importance of community. In the Esther story, the Jewish people are not unified. Today, the Jewish people practice mishloach manot in order to demonstrate unity, friendship, love, and the importance of community. Supplies: chocolate bars, graham crackers, large marshmallows, containers for two s mores ingredients, craft supplies How: In this activity, campers will learn about the tradition of mishloach manot, which is when Jews give gifts of food to friends on Purim. Invite campers to decorate the containers in a fun way (one or two per camper). Then have campers wash their hands and instruct them to package the s more supplies in the containers. Each container should include enough supplies to make at least two s mores. When the campers are done, tell them that they each are to choose someone at camp (or two people, if they ve made two) to whom to give their s mores prep packages. Keeping in line with Jewish custom, they will then each ask someone else from the group to deliver their s more kits to their designated recipients. InsideOut: 317

59 BTW: Instead of s mores, consider making trail mix or some other appropriate, ready-to-eat food. As always, keep in mind campers allergies. Shaving Cream Seals #Create #Play Why: This sensory activity allows campers some time to work as individuals. It gives them the freedom to make, and remake, their symbols as many times as they d like. Supplies: flat surface (enough room for each camper to have his or her own space), shaving cream, popsicle sticks, paint brushes How: In this activity, campers will create symbols for their own signet rings. In the story, Haman used King Ahasuerus s signet ring to further his plan for destroying the Jewish people. In those days, leaders wore rings that acted like their signatures. They might have symbols or letters on them. Each camper will have his or her own space. Squirt some shaving cream into the area. Allow campers to use their hands, popsicle sticks, paint brushes, etc., to create their own symbols. They may try out as many symbols as they d like. Suggest that they can try whatever symbols, letters, or pictures they can think of. When finished, make sure that everyone helps clean up. BTW: This activity can be done inside or outside. Food coloring can be added to the shaving cream for some additional fun. Be sure that it is okay if the flat surface gets stained. Otherwise, protect it with wax paper. In a prayerful time, offer up all of the places and groups of people mentioned during the day s lessons. Then, repeat the phrase, quoted from Esther, Who knows,? Maybe you were put here for just such a time as this. With each repetition, say the name of one of the campers in the blank after Who knows, as if Mordecai is imploring each camper specifically to use his or her gifts to bring about justice for those in need. Repeat the phrase until you have used each camper s name with the quote. Let Justice Reign! #celebrate Supplies: food and drinks, party supplies (noisemakers, hats, decorations, music, etc.), art supplies In this celebration, campers will praise God for an act of justice. Choose one or more stories from history or from recent news when someone stood up for justice. Tell the story of this situation and then allow the campers to celebrate in whatever way they deem appropriate. Campers may want to create their own artwork commemorating this event and decorate their cabin. Remember to spend some time thanking God for giving this person the courage to do what was right. Just Us #Pray #Serve #Create Why: Children worry about the world problems adults worry about. This allows them to speak their concerns and to speak solutions only they can dream. The word justice can be too abstract, and this activity can help give it meaning. Closing Devotions Every day, wrap up your day with a short time of devotion. In addition to the resources listed here, you may want to turn to the Daily Guides Worship Practices for suggested prayers and songs. Though time sometimes runs out and devotions can slip off your radar, at least give the campers a moment to thank God for the day. You could use a repeated phrase to signal that your time has come to a close by shouting in one voice, Together, we have the courage to DO Justice! Amen! For a Time Such as This Supplies: list of names of all campers #centering Supplies: paper, markers or crayons How: Have the group divide into pairs. Give each pair paper and something to draw with. Instruct them to consider where the world needs help, and pretend that the only people available to help are them. Have them choose a problem they see in the world and draw a solution to the problem that the group might make happen. They can imagine that they have all the supplies they need to make it happen. What you are looking for is the plan. When all have finished their drawings, have all the campers get into a circle. Begin your prayer by explaining, God is here with us, and every word we speak and every problem we say, God will hear. Then go around the circle, having the 318 InsideOut:

60 campers share their drawings the problems and the solutions. After each time, have the group say, Lord, hear our prayer. Close with a summary of what you have heard. Then remind them that just us is what God has in the world to be of service. Justice can come from just us. After the prayer, talk to them about what just us might actually do to serve. BTW: Some campers will be slow to identify a problem. Make sure you have several you can whisper to them as ideas. I Was Hungry #celebrate Supplies: recording of inspirational music, portable battery-operated player, cardboard signs, thick markers the U.S. and/or the regional area surrounding the camp. Share these stories briefly with campers. Share at least one story for each camper in your group. After you have shared about all of the situations, allow each camper to choose one for which to pray. Stand in a circle and hold hands, placing the map, unlit candles, and a lighter in the middle. Open with a general prayer and then go around the circle, inviting each camper to pray out loud for his or her situation. When done praying, campers may each light a candle in the center and place it on the map in the appropriate place. If campers are unsure of what to say, tell them that they may pray something like, Dear God, please be with your people in [location name]. Help them, encourage them, and let your justice be done. Amen. Act out scenes of justice based around the actions of the sheep in Christ s parable of the sheep (Mt. 26:35 36). Actors act out feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, taking care of the sick, clothing the naked, welcoming the stranger, and visiting the prisoner. Play an inspirational song in the background. After all the scenes have been acted, the actors return to the stage and reveal cardboards signs that say, I was hungry and you fed me, etc., as applicable to the scene those actors portrayed. The actors turn, smiling to each other and the crowd, and leave the stage, walking into the congregation to the back, and then the front, of the room, showing the sign to each person and smiling with the joy of one who has received justice. Praying for God s People #Pray Why: This activity connects the Esther story to today and also encourages campers to begin to think about places around the world where injustice is occurring. Supplies: large map of the world, notes on the conflicts (made ahead of time), sticky notes, marker, candles (one per camper), lighter or matches How: Ahead of time, take a large map of the world and mark (with sticky notes or a marker) some places in the world where God s people are being oppressed. Check international news sources for information and to gain a basic understanding of each conflict. Be sure to include stories from BTW: The campers might not yet be comfortable using a lighter or striking a match. If that is the case, you could use pieces of clay or play-doh to place on the map. Weeklong Project Do For Others Brainstorm with campers times when they see injustice being done. Encourage them to think about their hometowns, churches, schools. Then ask them to think about what kinds of injustices are done to the earth and its people. Then spend some time thinking of ways you could speak or do on their behalf. Commit time every day to do some of these tasks. Some suggestions are: Monday: Litter go out onto the property and work together to pick up litter Tuesday: Path deterioration When humans don t stay on pathways in the woods, young trees get destroyed and erosion can set in. Tend to the camp s pathways, creating stone or fallen tree borders where practical. Wednesday: Caretakers Often, people who do maintenance are taken for granted. Ask the caretakers at your camp if there are projects you can do to make their lives a little easier. Spend time with the caretaker and learn the things that they do behind the scenes: pool maintenance, plumbing, repairs, etc. InsideOut: 319

61 Thursday: Food Justice Invite campers to notice when food is going to waste. Find some ways that they can take only what they need, share what s leftover, etc. You could bake something and do the math to make sure you create the exact right number and portions of muffins, cookies or cupcakes. Friday: Childhood Justice This often overlooked segment of the population rarely has a voice or say in issues of justice- yet it is the group campers are all a part of. Brainstorm things that kids get left out of, or decisions that are solely made by adults that effect children such as public elections, school curriculum, or consequences for their behavior. Roll play these situations both the way they are, and the way they could be. Ex. Talking with teachers about what students want to learn. Books: The Lorax, The Butter Battle Book, Yertle the Turtle, Seuss Courage, Esther!, Wolkstein The Story of Queen Esther, Koralek Hey, Little Ant, Hoose and Tilley Esther...the Girl Who Became Queen, Veggie Tales, (DVD) Quotes from Christ Telling Esther s Story Newscast 1: Hello, this is for Channel 3 Eyewitness Persia: Today s top story: A Queen has been deposed. Palace sources report that King Xerxes ordered Queen Vashti to come to his banquet hall so she could, quote display her beauty to the people and nobles. It seems Queen Vashti refused his majesty s request. After consulting the wise men, Xerxes issued a decree that Vashti is quote never again to enter the presence of King Xerxes. A search is underway to fill the royal position. Many have speculated who Vashti s replacement will be, but our sources tell us Xerxes will name Esther his new queen in a press conference tomorrow from the palace balcony. Little is known about the new queen, but we will bring updates as the story unfolds. IM/Text conversation 1: Esther: UNCLE MORDECAI! STOP WHAT YOU RE DOING RIGHT NOW! THIS IS HUGE!!!!!!!! Mordecai: What is it, little one? Are you hurt? Are you in trouble? Esther: I M GONNA BE QUEEN! I M GONNA BE QUEEN! I M GONNA BE QUEEN! Let the one without sin cast the first stone. Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. Do not judge, so you will not be judged. Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Let the children come to me and do not stop them. I am with you always, until the end of the age. The last shall be first, and the first shall be last. Your sins are forgiven. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Mordecai: I always said you were pretty enough to be a queen. Are they being nice to you? Esther: It s gr8! I get beauty treatments every day and the king says he likes me better than anyone else. Mordecai: You didn t tell them you were Jewish, did you? Esther: Of course not. I promised. Mordecai: Good. I ll let you get back to the palace. I ll come visit soon. Esther: K Newscast 2: Breaking News from Channel 3 Eyewitness Persia: Tonight, the plot to overthrow a king. We have just received news of a thwarted plot to kill our great king Xerxes. Sources say two of the king s eunuchs were overheard at the king s gate 320 InsideOut:

62 planning the assassination. The two men were turned in by a bystander who happened to be sitting near the gate as they plotted. We have just received word the man s name is Mordecai, but we cannot confirm his ethnic origin or if he has any family. In unrelated news, King Xerxes has promoted Haman the Agagite above all officials. We ll have more from his palace reception at 10 o clock. IM/Text Conversation 2: Mordecai: Esther can you talk? Esther: How are you still awake? Mordecai: I don t have time esther. Is anyone in the room with you? Esther: No what s going on? Mordecai: I think i m in trouble. Haman wanted me to bow down to him. Esther: Please tell me you bowed down. You don t want him angry. Mordecai: How could I bow down? It is wrong. I cannot bow down to any man. Esther: You are so stubborn. Do you want to get killed? The guard is coming. gtg. Newscast 3: Tonight on Channel 3 Eyewitness Persia: A new law that aims to kill an entire people. Today Haman placed the king s seal on a law that will quote destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jewish people. The law will go into effect on the 13 th of the month of Adar. On that day, all are called to be ready to kill anyone of Jewish heritage and plunder their goods. When Hamar was reached for comment, he declined to mention a specific instance that caused such a swift and brutal enactment, except that quote, their laws are different, and they do not respect the king s laws. Our sources tell us that Haman is funding this mass execution with his own money. With this proclamation, all Jewish people in Babylon are praying for a miracle. Back to you. IM/Text Conversation 3: Mordecai: Esther you have to help us! Esther: What can I do besides get myself killed along with you? Mordecai: Do you think doing nothing will save you? Esther: If I speak to the king when I have not been called to come, i could be killed. Mordecai: What if you were put here just for this time to save your people? Esther: I must be crazy. K. I ll help. But you better get everyone you know and start fasting and praying now. I need all the help i can get. Mordecai: Thank you child. Thank you so much. Newscast 4: We re back with Channel 3 Eyewitness Persia. Tonight, a royal law reversed. In a rare change of heart, King Xerxes has called off the destruction of all Jewish people scheduled for the 13th of Adar. Palace officials say the King s choice was prompted when Esther, who many believe is the king s favorite, revealed that she in fact is a Jew, begging the king to spare her people. And in an ironic turn of events, top palace official Haman was executed today on the very gallows he had fashioned for assassination whistleblower Mordecai. Sources within the palace report that Mordecai angered Haman, inciting Haman s plan to wipe out all of his people. Mordecai, meanwhile, has recently been honored by King Xerxes for saving his life and has now been given the king s signet ring that once belonged to Haman. Optional, if you want to address the Jewish retaliation More violence has ensued in the province due to the king s latest letter sent by courier to every city allowing the Jewish people to quote take revenge on their enemies. It seems that though the Jewish people will not be wiped out, peace will have to wait to come to Persia just a little longer. I m for Channel 3 Eyewitness Persia. InsideOut: 321

63 Make your own Cootie Catcher Blank side up InsideOut:

64 Time is Running Out! Esther had to complete a number of tasks in order to save her people before time ran out. In this activity, you must complete the following tasks in this order before time runs out. When you are done, return this form to your counselor to see if you succeeded in saving your people in time! 1. First, Esther needed to ask her people to pray and fast for her. Find three different people and ask them to say a prayer for you. After they have prayed, have them sign their names here: 2. Esther needed to humble herself and go before the king. Find your counselor. Bow down in front of him/her to show respect. Then, ask your counselor to sign here: 3. esther also needed to touch the king s scepter in order to show respect for the government. Run to the flagpole and touch it. Then sign your name here: 4. Esther had to throw two parties in order for her plan to be carried out. Find three people. All four of you need to dance together for 30 seconds. Have all three people sign their names here: 5. Finally, Esther had to tell the king that she was one of God s people, a Jew. Run to your counselor and announce your name. Find out if you have saved your people in time! InsideOut: 323

65 Week 6 Together, the Courage to change Plan Your Week Use the grid below as an example to help you create a visual plan for your week. (You will want to list your own schedule and write in your choices.) Select activities from the various listings below; feel free to add others of your own creation, as well. Event Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Welcome (p.325) Bible Story (p.326) Early Activity (p.328) Quiet Time (p.330) Late Activity (p.331) Closing Devotions (p.333) Weeklong Project (p.334) Reverse and Repeat All Aboard Body Parts Bingo Speaking Jesus That s Not Nice! Scripture: Acts 10 Pantomime Story In Cards Setting the Table Casting Call Challenge Emoticons Table Talk & Journal time Make an Impression Necklace Parachute Popcorn Rest, Read & Journal time Tell the Story in Homemade Pictures Bowling For Change Table Talk& Journal Time Changed! Rest, Read & Journal Time Good Changes Table Talk & Journal Time Labyrinth PSA Play Change the Rules Kickball Up in the Air The Right Way Back in My Day Butterflies Oh, How We ve Changed! Begin Make Rock Candy Continue Make Rock Candy Continue Make Rock Candy Continue Make Rock Candy Continue Make Rock Candy Daily Song Lord, I Want to be a Christian Waiting On the World to Change (John Mayer) Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God Man in the Mirror (Michael Jackson) Spirit of the Living God Leader Notes Following a pattern or a routine makes us all feel safe. Just being at camp this week and taking on a new schedule, new living space, new food, and new friends is a huge change for your young campers. Acknowledge their courage today, and point out how they have done well at navigating the changes. Have them share how the camp experience is different from their daily routine. Talk about how, before camp started, you might have been a bit nervous about meeting them, and about how you wondered how you were going to manage the changes the week would bring to you. It may be that the campers have some coping skills to share! Share ways of coping with change and the need to find a safe and stable ground to stand on in the middle of what they perceive as chaos. It is part of your task to help them find the stable ground and, in some cases, to be that safe place. 324 InsideOut:

66 Welcome Use these activities during get-to-know-you time. Be aware that you may need to be flexible as campers arrive. Advise your staff to introduce campers to each other and to use this time to watch for group interactions, gauge energy levels and encourage those who may need it. REVERSE AND REPEAT #Play Why: Change is often a personal preference, and that preference is rarely consistent. Help campers begin exploring their own feelings about change. How: Play an old game with revered rules. Red light, Green light is an easy choice because it requires no planning or set-up. Also, it is easy to flip the rules. Simply have campers line up across an open space with one volunteer as the traffic director at the far end. When they say red light people run toward them. When campers hear, green light, they must stop. Those who do not stop must start over. After playing, spend some time talking about how hard it can be to do things in a different way. Ask campers to share things they like to stay the same and things they like to change. BTW: A reverse game day could happen campwide. Running the bases backward in kickball, or shooting a basketball through the bottom of the hoop, could be a fun challenge. Beyond games, campers could line up backward, or even eat dessert first at dinner. Mix things up. All Aboard #Play #LEARN Why: It is difficult for a group to rethink a solution that used to work and is no longer working. The early Christians had to be agile in their thinking as the church grew from just those who were Jews believing in Jesus to Jews and Gentiles believing and living out their faith together. Supplies: sheet of flip chart paper, half-sheet of flip chart paper, legal-size sheet of paper, and a letter-size sheet of paper How: Lay the flip chart paper on the ground and explain that this is the size of the campers platform. They need to get their whole group on the platform and sing one whole verse of This Little Light of Mine to be considered for the next challenge. There should be no part of any group member touching the ground. All should be balanced on the paper. Once they do that, congratulate them and lay out the halfsheet of flip chart paper, explaining that it is the platform for the next challenge. Have them figure out how to stand on that and sing. Then introduce the legal-size paper, and then the lettersize paper. Talk about what it was like to have to change. Discuss what changes they made and what worked and what did not. Ask them to name times that they had to change. BTW: This activity can be spread out over the day and be done on the way to somewhere else. Just carry the progressively smaller pieces of paper with you, or plant them around the camp along the path to where you will be going during the day. Make sure campers maintain healthy physical boundaries. This game stops when people get uncomfortable. Body Parts Bingo #Play Why: We are talking about change and the courage to do things we normally would not have thought about doing. This game does just that. You have not lived until you find your nose in a stranger s armpit! How: You will be the leader. This game is a cross between Tag and Simon Says and can be played inside or outside, or even in the water. A leader shouts out, Body Parts Bingo! which means find a partner. Each pair will then touch together the body parts that the leader shouts out (for example: knee to knee, elbow to elbow, nose to elbow, hand to head, head to knee, foot to elbow, etc.). The pairs must move fast to make the pairings, and then, when the leader shouts, Body Parts Bingo! again, they must change to other partners. Laughter ensues. BTW: Be kind. Young children have a full range of comfort levels with personal space. Be aware that some have no boundaries, and others have very firm boundaries. Watch for campers who might be really uncomfortable, and choose only the easiest body part pairings to accomplish. You do not know what a child has had to endure, and you will quite possibly have a child in your group who has experienced some form of abuse. If a child s InsideOut: 325

67 reactions make you think he or she has been abused, mention your concern to your supervisor and discuss possible next steps. Campers could have a bandana or sticker on them which they remove when out. This way everyone knows who is still in the game. Speaking JESUS #LEARN Why: Part of the story of Peter is about the different languages the Spirit gave him to speak the truth to the world. We can speak the most important truth to the world too. This activity helps the campers learn how to do that. Supplies: world map, marker, cards with Jesus loves You printed in different languages on them (p. 336) How: Teach the campers five different ways to say Jesus loves you and draw different symbols on the map on the countries where people speak that language (for example: a star for Spanish, a cross for French, a circle for Swahili, etc.). BTW: You may have campers in your group who already speak another language. Let them teach you! That s Not Nice Why: The value of this game is pure silliness and good, clean fun. Enjoy! Supplies: None required, can use playing cards to select It How: Have campers sit in a circle with one person secretly designated as it. This can be done by drawing cards or by the leader selecting while everyone s eyes are closed. The goal of It is to eliminate everyone from the game. This is done by sticking their tongue out. If someone sticks their tongue out at you in this game, you must immediately stop talking and are out. For everyone else, the goal is to find and name the person who is It. If a camper sees It stick his or her tongue out, they say, That s not nice and say the camper s name. If a camper is in the middle of this and It sticks their tongue out at him or her, he or she must stop speaking. Another camper must then start the phrase over if he or she want to catch It. Campers may not close their eyes for this activity. The game ends when It is caught or everyone else is eliminated. BTW: Try playing with a larger group, beyond the confines of a circle. The game could go on all day. Bible Story At the beginning of the week, gather the campers together and read the week s scripture from the Bible. As the week goes on, you can reinforce the Bible story by reading from different suggested story Bibles. The activities and resources listed below will offer you some alternative ways of telling the Bible story. PANTOMIME #Play #LEARN Why: This pantomiming activity will help campers visualize the story. By entering into the story, campers can identify with various characters. Supplies: The Message version of the Bible, costumes, props (leather items, workbench, stuffed animals, sheet, chairs, soldier s items, pillow, blankets), nametags How: Before beginning, set up three separate areas for the two scenes in the story. When the campers are present, read the story from The Message. Ask campers if they have any questions about the story. Explain the distinction between clean and unclean foods and why the Jewish people did not eat unclean foods. Then discuss the two scenes in the story: the home of Simon the Tanner and the home of Cornelius. Point out the two areas that you have created. Allow campers to choose the characters whom they would like to play. Give nametags to the campers (Simon, Peter, two messengers, Cornelius, family members of Cornelius, disciples, narrator). Read through the story again (or choose a camper to do so), pausing to allow the campers to act out the story silently. Debrief: How did the characters in each scene break a previous rule or challenge an authority? Why is it difficult when rules or guidelines change? Think about a time when something changed and it was very difficult. What did you do to get through it? BTW: Instead of a pantomime activity that uses a lot of action, try this activity as a freeze frame, 326 InsideOut:

68 where campers hold their positions in each scene. Snap photos and display them later. Story in Cards #LEARN meet his little sister. As he held her for the first time, he smiled. Odd is good! he thought. From that day on, Pedro liked numbers, all of them, both even and odd. Why: Most campers do not live in homes with food restrictions, and so do not easily understand the need for, or religious value of, the kosher dietary rules that Peter lived with. But they can understand the Pedro story below, even in its silly form. Partnering a silly story with the Peter story will help them to understand the pattern of the thinking in Peter s story. The use of the cards helps hold their attention and focus, and helps make the connection between the stories. Supplies: deck of cards with all the face cards removed (use one Joker) How: Tell this story with the cards: There once was a man named Pedro. He loved even numbers (turn over several cards, noting with delight the evennumbered ones and tossing the odd-numbered ones into a pile). His twin brother, his father and mother, his grandfather and grandmother, and all of his family only used even numbers (sort through several more cards). When Pedro ate breakfast, he ate two eggs and two muffins; when he went to school, he walked two miles and ran up 10 steps and sat in the sixth chair on the fourth row. If he was given the options of taking out three, four, or five books from the library, he always took four. For Pedro, even numbers were just right, and odd numbers were very bad (sort out several more cards). Then one day his mother told him that their family was going to have a new little sister. Pedro was happy at first, but then he realized that if he had a baby sister that his family would have an odd number of people in it! That would be horrid! So he asked his mother if they could have two baby sisters. She smiled and said that they would have to start with one and see if they wanted another one later. Pedro was very upset. He explained the problem to his mother and father. He said, If we have a baby sister our family will no longer be even! We will be odd! His parents fell silent as they considered the problem. Finally, his father spoke: Maybe, my dear son, odd is good. So Pedro struggled with that. He went back and looked at his numbers. Odd is good, he thought (sort out more cards, but this time just lay them all out on the table). Then, one day, several months later Pedro got to Pause, gather all the cards, and tell the story of Peter and the rules about kosher food and nonkosher food as you use the same movements with the cards as you tell Peters story. BTW: Some campers may have families who practice food restrictions, such as being vegan, kosher, or vegetarian, or who live with food allergies. They can share what it is like to eat with strangers who have different food rules. SETTING THE TABLE #LEARN Why: Allow campers to claim the ways change has shaped their personal experience of church while reflecting on what challenges those changes may have created. Supplies: paper, pencils, flat sheet or large square of cloth (4 feet or larger), markers How: Have campers make a list of things that distinguish their church tradition from others. Encourage them to think about how baptism, communion, and other sacramental moments are celebrated. Who leads worship and what are they called? Help them name things that are special or unique to their tradition. Read the Day 6 Story Summary, then invite different campers to take turns reading Acts 10 out loud. Offer a time for campers to share their thoughts on the story. Remind the campers that our understanding of church and Christian community has changed a lot since this story took place, but it was one of the first big changes. Invite campers to write distinguishing things about their churches on a large piece of cloth. Encourage them to write big so their words can be easily seen, even from a distance. Now, invite them to add other things that are part of church today that could not have been imagined by the ancient church (microphones, projectors, modern instruments, air conditioning, etc.). Invite campers to surround the cloth once everything is written. Together, lift it into the air and bring it back down. Pick one item written InsideOut: 327

69 on the sheet and discuss how that change might have happened in the church and what concerns people might have had at the time. Repeat this process, raising and lowering the sheet and then discussing a new topic. BTW: You could lead this into a discussion about what makes us separate ourselves by denomination or congregation. Challenge campers to affirm the oneness of the Church Universal. Consider using the sheets or fabric to decorate in worship or as tablecloths at a meal. This could be a great conversation starter for campers at mealtime. Casting Call Challenge #Play #LEARN Why: Campers are likely to be very familiar with Disney characters and popular fairy tale stories. They will think of Peter and Cornelius story the next time they see these characters. How: The challenge is for you to tell the story of Peter and Cornelius using popular contemporary characters from shows and stories. Ask the campers for a suggestion of a favorite fairy tale or wellknown movie. Together, name the characters from the popular story and decide which character will be playing which biblical figure. Then tell the story with funny voices and all the flair of a cartoon! Example: Now starring: Jasmine as Peter, Aladdin as Cornelius, Genie as the Angel of God, and Abu as Simon. Let the flying carpet take the role of the blanket of food and call Joppa, Arabia. Afterward, let them choose another fairy tale and tell the story themselves. BTW: This activity is great for counselors and leaders who are spontaneous and silly. You may want to think through some other examples beforehand and be prepared. If you use characters from a Disney movie, try making up a song about the Bible story on the fly to the tune of a song from it. Early Activity Use your morning activity time to reinforce the Bible story. It is a good time to get campers engaged in a project or game. EMOTICONS #LEARN Why: This activity invites campers to connect with the emotions of the characters in the story. It may also help them to acknowledge fears. Supplies: The Message version of the Bible, large drawings of a wide variety of emoticons (one per standard sheet of paper, with multiple copies of each enough so that there is one kind of each per camper) How: Have the emoticon drawings spread out in front of the campers. Explain that as the story is read, the campers should choose an emoticon that represents the emotions of the characters at that moment in the story. If they cannot find an emoticon that fits perfectly, they can use their own faces to express the appropriate emotion. Read the story using The Message. Pause frequently to allow campers to choose their emoticons. Discuss along the way, particularly if campers are struggling to discern the emotions. After the story is over, ask campers to choose an emoticon that captures their feelings about this story. Invite them to share. BTW: For a snack activity, prebake cookie pops. Use ready-to-bake cookies, but put a popsicle stick in them before baking. Provide campers with lots of yellow icing or melted yellow candy chips, black icing in a piping bag, and Runts candies or dried fruit to add features. Campers can decorate one or two cookies, and use them as above as you read the story. Parachute POPCORN #Play Why: The scene in the story with the animals coming down on the sheet will likely be the most memorable part for campers. This activity allows them to put their imaginations into action, while also encouraging them to participate in a classic pastime. Supplies: large parachute, stuffed animals of all kinds 328 InsideOut:

70 How: In the story, Peter saw a sheet coming down from the sky. The sheet was filled with animals. Take the parachute and spread the campers around the edges of it. Have them experiment with the parachute for a while. Then slowly add stuffed animals. Challenge them to keep all of the animals on the parachute! Campers can reenact the story by lowering the animals to the ground on the parachute and then raising it up again. BTW: This activity can be done inside or outside. If stuffed animals are not available, balls or bean bags will also work. Experiment with other parachute activities. If you don t have a parachute, use a king-sized bed sheet per 4 campers (one at each corner). Make it challenging by having them pop specific animals off (for example, instruct them to Keep only bears! ). Bowling for Change Why: Sometimes the best serious conversations start with play. If the conversation doesn t go far, you still had fun. Supplies: Bottles, cans or other items that could serves as bowling pins, a ball, sticky notes, something to write with How: Set up an outdoor bowling alley by collecting bottles, cans, or other items that could serve as bowling pins. Stand up 10 of these items as pins in a triangle shape on the ground. Choose a ball to use for the activity. The smaller the ball, the harder the activity. You could change balls along the way. Ask the campers to name problems that the Church hopes to solve in the world and write these on sticky notes and place them on the pins. Ask the campers to brainstorm gifts the Church possesses to help make a difference. Write these on the ball (or just list them if you can t really write on the ball). Have fun bowling, letting campers take turns trying to knock down the pins. If you have time, play a full 10 frames, keeping score, and letting campers take turns resetting the pins. Try to find some time to talk about how different splits might be similar to Church life. For example, what happens when (like a split in bowling) we see two problems and can t solve both? BTW: Groups of campers could make their own bowling sets, then trade with other groups. An allcamp bowling alley could be set up with multiple sets and lanes going at the same time. Let campers award one another superlative bowling trophies, The Great Gutter Guru Award, etc. Changed! #Play #Serve Why: A lot of senses will be used in this activity! It is a great way to discuss just how much things can change. Supplies: a bar of Ivory soap (must be Ivory), microwave-safe plate, microwave, cookie cutters or molds, water, mixer or food processor or spoon, paper plates, sandwich-sized plastic bags (optional: food coloring) How: In this sensory activity, campers will see how a bar of Ivory soap is changed and then spend some time exploring this change. Take the bar of soap and show it to the campers. Have them pass it around. They can see it, touch it, smell it, and make lots of observations. It might be a good idea to take an extra bar of Ivory soap (one that will not be used in this experiment), place it in water, and allow the campers to make further observations. Then place the dry soap on a microwave-safe plate and put it in the microwave. Run the microwave on high for about a minute and thirty seconds. Make sure that the campers can see what s going on inside the microwave. The soap will expand and move around. When the microwave stops, remove the soap carefully and let the campers examine it. It may be slightly hot, so do not let them touch it until it has cooled down. Once it has cooled, put it in plastic bowl where the campers can investigate it some more. You may want to do the same with another bar of Ivory to see how the two compare. Debrief: How has the soap changed? How is it better? How is it worse? How is it the same? Peter was very concerned about remaining clean. Yet, he discovered that God was going to make all things clean. This was a difficult change for Peter. How was this change better? How was it worse? How was it the same? Now that the soap has (likely) been smashed to smithereens by the campers, invite them to make soaps to give away. Take the soap shavings and add a bit of warm water to them. Mix (with a spoon or InsideOut: 329

71 a mixer or a food processor) just until the substance comes together, and has the consistency of pie crust and can be formed into a ball. Add food coloring, if desired. Let the campers press it into the cookie cutters or molds. After the soaps are molded (but still wet), you can gently push them out of the molds. Put them on paper plates and have the campers each add his or her name to his or her soap shape. Allow the soaps to sit in a cool, dry place until the campers are ready to go home. Then place them in plastic bags and encourage the campers to give them to someone special when they get home. BTW: The smell of the soap in the microwave shouldn t be too strong and won t last long, but those with asthma or other respiratory problems may want to be farther away. If only a small microwave is available, cut the bar of Ivory in half before putting it in the microwave. Good CHANGES Supplies: paper, writing utensils #celebrate In this activity, invite campers to sit in a circle with their eyes closed. Choose two or three campers at a time to move around the circle. Remind campers how important the things they say are, and to be kind and loving. Ask the moving campers to gently touch the friends who tried a new thing this week or gently touch the friends who helped you change. Make sure to use phrases so that everyone gets several touches. Campers will note positive changes in themselves and in each other. After everyone has gone, give campers writing tools and paper, and let them each make a list of the great things about himor herself, starting with what he or she was just recognized for in the circle. Have them write, Great things about [their name] at the tops of their papers, and then write all the taps they received in the game. Then allow them some time to write their own statements about how they have changed. As a litany, allow each child to stand and read their list (for example: I am brave; I am silly, I try new things! ). When all have shared their lists, tell them to write one more thing on their lists: I am changed by Christ s community! Then, everyone shouts the last phrase together. Quiet Time Every day, allow your campers some quiet downtime. You may want to provide campers with books, craft supplies, paper, or manipulatives such as clay or action-figures. Encourage your campers to reflect upon and connect with the weekly story and theme. You may allow some quiet cooperative games like mancala or cards, but encourage discussion between campers by using the Table Talk questions. Be sure to allow campers ample time to clean up their work before moving on to the afternoon activities. Table Talk Use these questions to invite campers into conversation about the theme. Use them over one or more of the meals or create a conversation station during one of the activity rotations Consider using this for one or more of the days in the week. Younger Campers: Take a look at your surroundings. If you could change anything about them, what would you change and why? Name something that you wish you had more time to do. Who is the bravest person you know? How do you know that he or she is brave? Have you ever learned something from someone who was different from you? Maybe you learned about a new food or tradition. Share what you learned. Older Campers: If you could personally witness any event in history, which event would you choose? Why? Imagine that you could live in another country for one year for the purpose of learning about that country, its people, traditions, faith stories, etc. Which country would you choose? Why? Has there ever been a rule that you felt needed to be broken or challenged? Did you break it? If you could change one thing about your camp experience, what would you change? Why? 330 InsideOut:

72 Create Our Journals Each day, campers will be allowed time to record their thoughts, hopes, drawings and such in their journals. You can choose to make these easily by folding five to ten sheets of paper together with a sheet of construction paper on the bottom and stapling them in the middle. Allow campers to put their name on the front cover and decorate them however they like. To make the journals more elaborate you can punch holes in the edges and weave a ribbon through them or use brads. For multi-week use, add more paper. Journal Time Do you believe anyone can be a Christian? Why or why not? When in your life have you changed what you believe in? Tell what that was like. Has God ever taught you something new? What was it? If not, imagine what that would be like. Do you think the Holy Spirit looks like something? Can you draw it? Rest and Read Here are storybooks to read aloud for quiet time, perhaps after lunch. Or use them during worship time: King Bidgood s in the Bathtub, Wood Very Hungry Caterpillar, Carle, Mama Says, Walker and Dillon How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Seuss Late Activity Make an Impression Necklace Why: When Jesus asks us to go out into the world to tell the Good News, we are to leave an impression. The impression in this activity is one that the campers can keep or give away as a gift of their week at camp. Supplies: Polymer clay (any color will do); acrylic paint; small circle, square, rectangle or triangle cutters (look in cake decorating supplies); rolling pin or smooth cylindrical water glasses; paper towels; water; waxed paper; cookie sheet; access to an oven; round coffee stirrers How: Have the campers collect small leaves or flowers they think are interesting. Give each camper a small piece of clay about the size of a gumball. Have them roll out the clay on waxed paper. When it is almost as thin as a quarter, place a leaf or flower on top of the clay and roll over it to make an impression. Peel off the object and use one of the cutters to cut out the favorite part of the print to make a pendant. Punch a hole in the clay with a coffee stirrer to create hole for a chain or string to make the necklace. Ball up the excess clay to make another print. Place on the cookie sheet and bake as per instructions on the clay packaging. Once the clay has cooled choose a color of acrylic paint and paint over the printed side of the pendent. Then, with a damp paper towel, gently wipe off the excess paint, leaving the color in the ridges of the print impression. When it is dry, hang on a string or chain as a necklace. BTW: This is another craft that can be done over two days. It can be paired with another craft or a game or other activity. Tell the Story with Homemade PICTURES #LEARN Why: Visual aids help this story resonate more clearly. It can be a difficult story to comprehend or realize the importance of. Seeing still shots will allow campers to picture it more clearly. Supplies: computer with PowerPoint, template of a PowerPoint slide show, computer projector, screen, props/costumes for actors in slides, digital or instant camera How: With leadership or camp staff, take staged pictures of the story of Peter and Cornelius to accompany the reading. Make the pictures overdramatized and funny. Use the list in Story Summary to design the image for each slide. After telling the story using the slide show, discuss the times of Peter and Cornelius and the cultural rules in place. Help campers realize how remarkable it was for Peter to associate with a Gentile, and how the rules about eating and cleanliness factored into Jewish culture. Discuss contemporary practices that may compare. BTW: This slide show would make a great feature of worship. You can allow the groups to recreate the scenes themselves. InsideOut: 331

73 LABYRINTH #Pray #Create PSA Play #Play #Create Why: Sometimes people believe that prayer is all about them talking to God, but often God talks to them, and they just need to listen. A labyrinth can help them listen. This activity is a good one for campers that process internally or need some alone time with God. Walking the labyrinth by themselves will encourage campers to reflect on all that God has been teaching them at camp. The finger labyrinth can be a powerful reminder of that experience. Supplies: printouts of page 337, supplies to create a large labyrinth (see below), large colorful paper plates, writing paint, fine paintbrushes, pencils (optional: soothing music to play in background) How: In this activity, campers will be encouraged to listen to God while using a labyrinth for prayer. Ahead of time, create a labyrinth for campers to walk through. Many different designs are available online, but you can use the seed patterns on page 337. Create the labyrinth using rope or clothesline, sidewalk chalk, or tracing it in the sand on the beach or in the volleyball pit. Explain to the campers that Peter listened to God while he was praying. So campers will be making their own finger labyrinths to take home. During this time, they will also each get the opportunity, one at a time, to walk the big labyrinth. To make the finger labyrinths, campers should choose a paper plate and the design of the labyrinth that they want to use. Then, they should copy (or trace) the labyrinth design onto the paper plate lightly with a pencil. After that, they can trace their pencil marks with writing paint. This makes the labyrinth more threedimensional and easier to use for prayer. BTW: You may want to experiment with all different kinds of labyrinths that the campers can walk through. They can be inside or outside, during the day or at night. You can even plan a glow-in-the-dark labyrinth or one that can be done in the lake or pool. Instead of the writing paint, campers can use rolled-up foil and glue to make the finger Why: Help campers think about making changes in their home congregation and equip them with some simple wisdom to guide the process. Supplies: Video camera (optional), paper, pencil How: Invite the campers to brainstorm advice they would give the congregation when it comes to making changes. How do you make change while paying attention to everyone s feelings? Challenge the campers to take their advice and form it into a Public Service Announcement (PSA). These can be acted out or recorded with a camera. It is best to plan out the full PSA, write down anything that will be spoken, and then practice it a couple of times before recording or performing. Remember, a PSA is brief and simple. Taking complicated ideas and making them into simple statements can be difficult. If you make a video, it can be shared easily with the larger camp community. It can also be shared with local congregations as a voice from youth about the importance and complexity of change. BTW: Multiple groups of campers could act out their PSAs for worship. Another option is to let other adults or campers watch the PSA, then make suggestions on ways to change it. If you have a budding artist, you could use a whiteboard to make an info-graphic. Allow campers time to decide if they like the change suggested, or to reject that change. Change the Rules Kickball #Play Why: This activity demonstrates how change can be frustrating. Those used to a specific set of rules may have issues playing under new ones. Some may blame lack of success on rule changes. Campers can look at how changes, whether they make sense or not, are often uncomfortable because they break us out of routines and comfort zones. Supplies: kickball, bases, playing space How: Play kickball, but periodically pause the game to change the rules. Change in ways that reverse the standard rules or add absurdity and chaos to the game. 332 InsideOut:

74 Suggestions: Run the bases backward (third-second-firsthome). Instead of running, players hop. Swap players from teams. Change the number of outs per inning. Outfielders must dance between plays, or the other team gets a run. The roller (pitcher) must sing as he or she rolls, or the other team gets a run. Swap scores periodically. Make foul balls fair/fair balls foul. Base runners can run anywhere they want while the ball is in play, out of the base path. Switch the kick ball for another type of ball (football, Nerf, giant inflatable). Base runners must prance, waving their arms like birds. BTW: You could allow each kicker on their turn at bat to change one rule. This might be a good activity to do early in the day. Closing Devotions Every day, wrap up your day with a short time of devotion. In addition to the resources listed here, you may want to turn to the Daily Guides Worship Practices for suggested prayers and songs. Though time sometimes runs out and devotions can slip off your radar, at least give the campers a moment to thank God for the day. You could use a repeated phrase to signal that your time has come to a close by shouting in one voice, Together, we have the courage to Change! Amen! Up in the Air (Use this as an affirmation of faith for worship.) #celebrate Supplies: large white sheet or parachute, beach balls (or balloons) with writing on them we do not like; God may call us to take a risk, etc.). Using a white sheet or a parachute, gather the campers around and ask them to hold on to the edges. If the group is too big, you can assign some to hold the sheet/chute, while the other campers hold the beach balls (or balloons). Start the affirmation by asking the group to repeat after you: We believe that God is with us. Instruct them to say it back to you every time they hear you say it. Then have one of the campers read aloud what is on a ball, and then toss it onto the sheet/chute. Those holding the sheet/chute should gently ripple the cloth to keep the ball bouncing, but not tossed off. You say: but that is okay, because we believe that God is with us. The group responds. Then the next ball is read and tossed. You say your line, and the group responds. When all the balls are moving on the sheet/ chute, shout Amen! and instruct the sheet/chute holders to bounce all the balls off. Let the campers gather the balls and place them in a significant place such as under a cross or on the altar. The Right Way #celebrate Invite two groups of campers to sing the same song but with different words or motions. Stage an argument between the two groups as each tells the other it needs to be more comfortable with change. Invite two campers to read the same scripture from different translations. Stage an argument between the two campers as each tells the other they need to be more open to change. Invite two campers to lead the Lord s Prayer. Stage an argument between the two over debts and debtors or trespasses. A third voice could argue for sins or more modern language. Read Acts 10: between each portion, or save it for the end. Write on the balls things that God calls us to do that call us to change (examples: God may call us to serve in a foreign country; God may call us to change; God may call us to be kind to someone Close with a prayer of thanksgiving for the different ways Christians worship and offer praise to God. InsideOut: 333

75 BACK IN MY DAY #LEARN #Pray Oh, How We ve Changed #celebrate Why: Change is not a new thing. Help campers reflect on what changes in the past have created the reality they live in today and how those changes came about. Supplies: large sheet of paper, markers How: Ask the campers to brainstorm a list of things that are different in the world from when their grandparents were youth. Help campers think about what was going on in the world 40 to 70 years ago. Write the differences on a large sheet of paper, forming a list. Once the list is complete, reflect on each item, asking campers to discuss how the change happened. What people, groups, or other influences made the change possible? Which changes are good? Which are bad? Invite campers to discuss whether all change has to be good or bad. Can change just be neutral? Close with a time of prayer for those whose courage to show up, risk, forgive, stand together, and do justice has shaped our world today. Invite campers to each pray for a different item on the list, or just go in a circle and invite each person to offer a prayer of thanks for one thing on the list. BTW: You could role-play some of the changes. For example, segregation ended thanks in part to Rosa Parks. Campers could act out that moment of change. These could be shared in worship or in a campfire setting. BUTTERFLIES #centering Supplies: origami paper, string, recording of soft music, battery-operated player In this activity, the campers will make origami butterflies. Using the printable pattern on page 338, demonstrate for the campers how to make the butterflies. Explain that the butterfly is often a symbol of change because it changes from a plain caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly. Play soft music while the campers make the butterflies. To encourage them to stay calm and meditative, ask them to be as loud as butterflies. When they are done, attach string to the butterflies and use them to decorate the worship space. Supplies: computer, computer projector, screen, Internet connection, recording of appropriate music Find a slideshow on YouTube in which a parent has made a video of pictures taken every day of a child s life, charting how he or she grew. Play a song during the show that has to do with growing or changing. After showing the video, invite the campers to consider how they have grown up and changed over the years. Ask campers to stand as they feel led, and share changes that they are thankful to God that have happened. BTW: In lieu of technology, you could ask campers to bring with them to worship pictures of themselves as babies or young children, and share how they have grown and changed. Weeklong Project Make Rock Candy This project will take 5 or more days. Start early in week. Why: This several-day activity can tie in to our theme several ways. Use each day to notice what is happening with the candy and tie it to the lesson. Courage to Show Up: Mixing the water and the sugar seems like all it will produce is syrup, but the process has to start somewhere! Courage to Trust: The first day of observation, you may not see much crystal growth and you ll have to trust that the candy will grow. Courage to Forgive: The slow growth of the crystals can be a bit disappointing, and some may break when you are checking them. Courage to Stand: Notice that the crystals need other crystals to form onto. The more there are growing, the more they are able to grow! Courage to Do Justice: Notice that not everyone s crystals are growing at the same rate. Some may have no crystals at all. Others have many. Help campers think of ways to change the experiment that will produce more consistent results. 334 InsideOut:

76 Courage to Change: When growing on a string or stick isn t working, you may have to take the crystals out to help them grow another way. Courage to Connect: Before going home, allow campers to trade their crystals with one another, so each will have a bag full of different colored crystals. Supplies: (per 3 campers) 3 cups granulated sugar, 1 cup water, saucepan, spoon, 3 tall narrow glasses, 3 kebob skewers, clothespins, food color, flavors (vanilla, peppermint, coconut, citrus extracts work well), paper napkins, trays How: Dampen skewers and roll them in a bit of dry sugar. Set aside skewers to dry. Mix 3 cups of sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until solution begins to boil and becomes clear. Remove solution from heat. Suspend skewer over glass using a clothespin. Balance the clothespin across the top of the glass so that the stick doesn t touch the bottom. Slowly pour the solution into the glass. Allow campers to choose a flavor and a color, place a couple drops of each into the glass. Cover with a paper towel or coffee filter and place in an area that won t be disturbed. You can check growth every day, but be careful not to disturb the crystals too much. If ants or bugs may be a problem, place the glasses in trays with a half-inch of water and replace the water every other day. If, after the second day, you see NO crystal growth, you may want to empty the glass, reboil the solution and add a few tablespoons more sugar. By the fifth or sixth day, you may want to take the sticks out of the glasses and lay them flat on trays lined with wax paper. Use a fork to fish out any larger crystals, and pour them on top of the crystals on the stick. Let your campers taste some of the crystals. Allow the stick to dry for a day. In the end, put each camper s crystals in a plastic ziptop bag with their name on it. BTW: Remind the campers that they started with many small grains of sugar, like each of them showing up on the first day of camp, but that camp has changed them day by day, and made them into a new thing: a community! InsideOut: 335

77 JESUS LOVES YOU Jesus liebt dich (YAY-soos leebt deesh) German (Germany, Austria) Cristo te ama (KREES-tow tay AH-ma) Spanish (Latin America, all of South America except for Brazil, Spain) Jésus t aime (ZHEH-zoo tem) Ye Su ai ni (yea soo eye knee) Chinese (China, Taiwan) French (France, parts of Canada, many countries in northern Africa including Madagascar, Rwanda and Chad Haiti) Yesu anakupenda (YAY-soo ah-nah-koo-pen-dah) Swahili (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Congo) 336 InsideOut:

78 Labyrinth Seed Patterns Drawing the Classical Seven Circuit Labyrinth Step 1: Seed Pattern Step 2: Loop 1 Step 3: Loop 2 Step 4: Loop 3 Step 5: Loop 4 Step 6: Loop 5 Step 7: Loop 6 Step 8: Loop 7 Step 9: Loop 8 (Finished Labyrinth Drawing the Classical Three Circuit Labyrinth Step 1: Seed Pattern Step 2: Loop 1 Step 3: Loop 2 Step 4: Loop 3 Step 5: Loop 4 InsideOut: 337

79 Make an Origami Butterfly 1 1A Step 1: Fold a square piece of paper (of any size) into thirds. Photo 1A is how your paper should look after it is folded. Step 2: Fold each third that you created in the previous step diagonally. (You may find it is easier to fold the center third s portion first.) You can add a small piece of clear tape to each side to help the finished piece remain flat. Add thread for antennae or decorate any way you wish. Enjoy your butterfly! InsideOut:

80 Week 7 Together, the Courage to connect Plan Your Week Use the grid below as an example to help you create a visual plan for your week. (You will want to list your own schedule and write in your choices.) Select activities from the various listings below; feel free to add others of your own creation, as well. Event Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Welcome (p.340) Bible Story (p.341) Early Activity (p.342) Quiet Time (p.344) Late Activity (p.345) Closing Devotions (p.347) Weeklong Project (p.348) Action! One Body Race The Pulse Jesus Says Follow Me Scripture: Matthew 28 Pieces of the Puzzle Table Talk & Journal time Seed Bomb Worshipful Dancing Begin Stepping Out in Faith Jesus Is Risen, Godly Play, Berryman People I Can Talk To Rest, Read & Journal time What Happens Next Walk to the Edge of Camp Table Talk & Journal Time Fear Not You re Invited Rest, Read & Journal Time What Means the Most Message in a Bottle Table Talk & Journal Time Church Connection Talk Show Hushed Up? Passing Fancy Slide Show Yea God! Prayer Leaving an Imprint Answered Prayers Remembering, Sending Forth Continue Stepping Out in Faith Continue Stepping Out in Faith Continue Stepping Out in Faith Continue Stepping Out in Faith Daily Song O God, We Adore You If We are the Body (Casting Crowns) Pass It On Here I am, Lord I Am the Light of the World Leader Notes Campers may be anxious on this last day of camp. Emotions can be high already there is a sense of loss that this community that you have worked to create will be scattered. Honor that campers need time to say goodbye, but don t dwell on it. Instead, today is about what next? You will need to set a pattern for how one leaves camp. Help campers think about how they might stay connected to new friends and about how congregations and families are places for these relationships to flourish. InsideOut: 339

81 Welcome Use these activities during get-to-know-you time. Be aware that you may need to be flexible as campers arrive. Advise your staff to introduce campers to each other and to use this time to watch for group interactions, gauge energy levels and encourage those who may need it. Action! Why: Have some fun while exploring the vocabulary of our faith. Supplies: Note cards, pens, or pencils How: Ask campers to write verbs associated with Church on note cards but not to share their verbs with others. They may write as many as they want. Collect them all and eliminate duplicates. You may want to add a few of your own if there are some obvious things missing (worship, pray, help, etc.). Divide the campers into two groups and play a game of charades, with teams taking turns drawing one of the note cards to act out. Be sure to take time after each word to discuss what it means and how the campers feel about that part of Church life. Remember, some words may be negative or uncomfortable to the campers. For example, someone may write argue if that happens at their church a lot. Don t be afraid of honest conversation. BTW: This game could be played all at once, or one round at a time through the week. It could also be a great all-camp activity with performers on stage and the audience guessing. One Body Race Why: Give the campers an experience of working together in a fun way. Supplies: Paper and pencil How: Divide campers into teams of three, with two acting as the legs, and one acting as the eyes. Choose a distance or destination for the race. This can also be done as a simple obstacle course. Line the teams up with the legs carrying the eyes between them. Blindfold the legs, then share the destination with the eyes by writing it on a piece of paper so the legs can t overhear it. Finally, say go! Afterward, spend some time debriefing and ask the campers what different parts make up the body of the Church and how they can best work together. BTW: You can make the obstacles more complicated by including activities that involve moving or stacking items, then add more blindfolded team members to be hands. This might even include a community meal time, sitting as a body and making sure each person gets fed (by the hands, guided by the eyes). The PULSE #Play Why: Have some fun together while reflecting on the impact you can have when you have the courage to share the faith you have received. Supplies: chairs (one per camper, plus one), Frisbee or small ball How: Divide campers into two even teams. Each team sits together in a row, back to back with the opposing team. At the end of the rows of chairs, place an extra chair facing the campers with a simple item such as a Frisbee or ball on the seat. Have team members hold hands. Make sure the two campers sitting closest can reach the item with their free hands. The team members on the other ends of the rows each hold one of the leaders hands. Tell campers they are to squeeze the hand of the person next to them when their hand is squeezed, passing it on. The last person in a row, when he or she receives a squeeze, uses his or her free hand to try to grab the prize. Once everyone is in place, the leader squeezes the hands he or she holds to start a chair reaction. The team that pulses the fastest will grab the prize first. Each person will get to take a turn at the front of the line. Keep score to see which team gets the prize the most times. Afterward, ask campers how the sharing of God s love is passed and received. Invite the campers to think about what experiences at camp have touched them and how they will pass that on when they go home. BTW: Consider repeating the activity, but remove the prize. Instead of just squeezing the hand of the next person, each camper will pass on the words received from the previous person. The leader will squeeze the first person s hand in each row and say, The courage to and insert the 340 InsideOut:

82 final part of the name of the theme for Day 1. Repeat for each daily theme. Jesus SAYS #Play Why: It s time to wrap things up, yet this familiar activity reminds campers of the key words of Jesus in the Matthew story. How: This is a game similar to Simon Says. In this game, one person acts as Jesus. This person tells the campers to do something by saying, Go and. If Jesus fails to say, Go and, but a camper does the task anyway, that camper sits out until the round is over. Encourage the campers to be creative and give some complex instructions ( Go and put on your bathing suits and jump in the lake ). Make sure that everyone has a chance to play the role of Jesus. BTW: This game may also be used as a clean-up, goodbye activity. A leader can play the role of Jesus and tell the campers to Go and pack your suitcase, Go and sweep the cabin floor, Go and say goodbye to the camp director, etc. Follow ME #Play#LEARN Why: Call is a word used often in the Church, and it doesn t just apply to clergy. Discerning when we are called, and when to step up and lead, can be frightening and confusing. This activity creates an opportunity for one to step up, and for all campers to reflect on the experience. Supplies: blindfolds for each camper How: Blindfold each camper, then guide them one at a time into a line. Ask each camper to put his or her hands on the shoulders of the person in front of camper. Instruct the campers to stay connected this way. Quietly remove one camper s blindfold, then instruct the group to move to a different space in the camp. The camper without a blindfold is free to give direction and guide the group, but do not directly tell the camper this, and do not instruct him or her to do so unless the group is failing. At that point, if that camper does not step up to lead, tell the campers that one of them has been given a gift and is welcome to help. Once everyone is at the destination, discuss the experience. Pay attention to the different experience of the one called to help the rest. Invite the campers to reflect on times when they felt called to step up and help others in need, or ask for examples of people they have learned about who stepped up to help others. Ask the campers how people might know they are called to step up and lead. Spend some time reflecting on the role a leader plays in a community and how a community comes to trust (or distrust) someone who takes a stand for them. BTW: This could be done in varying sizes of groups. With a larger group, you might unblindfold a few people and see who speaks up, and reflect on how those people work together or against each other. You can also tell the group that one of them has been given the destination and ask the group to trust that person s leadership. Bible Story At the beginning of the week, gather the campers together and read the week s scripture from the Bible. As the week goes on, you can reinforce the Bible story by reading from different suggested story Bibles. The activities and resources listed below will offer you some alternative ways of telling the Bible story. What Happens Next #LEARN #Play Why: This activity will be a good one to help campers imagine what might need to happen next in their own lives. Supplies: Bible (optional: costumes and props) How: Share the story from Matthew 28 with the campers. Explain that these are the last words in Matthew s Gospel. Invite the campers to brainstorm together about what might have happened next and act it out together. Ask the following questions: How do you think that the disciples responded to Jesus words? What do you think they did next? God has done amazing things at camp. How will you respond? What will you do next after leaving camp? BTW: Perhaps the campers would also enjoy acting out what they plan to do when they leave camp. InsideOut: 341

83 Fear NOT #LEARN #Pray Why: Let the story of Jesus resurrection guide you through a reflection on the week and some prayerful conversation on going home. Supplies: Bible How: Read Matthew 28 as a group. Ask campers what they were afraid of, either while coming to or while at camp. Read Matthew 28:5 again and ask the campers what helped give them courage at camp. Ask the campers to reflect on what lessons they will take home from camp. Read Matthew 28:10 again and ask the campers what fears they still need to face in order to share God s love with others. Ask the campers to reflect on what life at home will be like after camp. Read Matthew 28:19 20 again and ask the campers how God might be calling them to live out Jesus message. BTW: Campers could write their final answers about God s calling on their lives on index cards and share them in a closing worship experience. This could be a great way to commission the community to live out their camp discoveries at home. What Means the MOST #LEARN Why: This activity allows campers who process internally some time to think about this story and discover what it means to them. The sharing is appropriate at this point in the week and encourages community Supplies: Bibles (enough for one for each camper) How: Read the story from Matthew 28 out loud together. Then give the campers a few minutes to reread the story on their own. Invite them each to find one verse or passage that stands out to that camper. It may be the passage that is the most meaningful, teaches him or her something new, tells him or her what he or she needs to do, or one that the camper has questions about. After everyone has had time to read and choose, share together. Then debrief about what stood out. BTW: Consider encouraging campers to do something creative with their verses. Perhaps each camper will want to write his or her verse somewhere special, highlight it in his or her Bible, or create something that will remind him or her of this verse. Early Activity Use your morning activity time to reinforce the Bible story. It is a good time to get campers engaged in a project or game. Pieces of the PUZZLE #Create Why: Help campers visualize the connections that they have made at camp and how those connections will still be part of them when they go back home. Supplies: old children s puzzle with large pieces (with enough pieces that each child can have one), art supplies How: Give each camper a puzzle piece. Invite them to decorate the front of the pieces to represent themselves, but they must leave the edges clear (so that the puzzle can be put back together). If there are extra pieces, allow campers to decorate another piece that represents a faith community back home. This community may be a church, ministry group, family, etc. When everyone is done and the pieces are fairly dry, put the puzzle back together. Talk about how every piece is different, but it creates something new and beautiful. The campers and their home communities are now connected. BTW: If a puzzle is not available, consider using different colors of play dough or clay to represent the different campers and home communities. Or consider using pipe cleaners to make individual sculptures. Then make one big sculpture out of the little sculptures. People I Can Talk TO #LEARN Why: When campers have a mountaintop experience, going back to regular life is often disorienting, and campers may not transition their faith lives from one to the other. This activity encourages campers to name people they will connect with to make this transition and apply what they felt and learned at camp to life at home. Supplies: paper, pens/pencils 342 InsideOut:

84 How: Campers will each make a list of people they can share questions and realizations with after leaving camp. Have campers discuss what they have learned at camp, and changes they want to make going home. Have campers list people they feel comfortable, or want to feel comfortable, sharing with. Offer them categories such as: Someone I got close to at camp I want to stay close with Someone to talk to when I have questions or struggles Someone to reach out to I don t know well now Someone to pray for each day Someone to tell I appreciate more A good friend I can pray with Encourage campers to take these sheets home and remember to reach out and connect when they need someone to share thoughts and concerns with. BTW: The camp could mail or each these lists at a later date to remind the campers of their pledges during the week. Think of ways to help reconnect campers with their church especially those who seem more comfortable in a camp setting than church at home. Walk to the Edge of Camp #Pray Why: Campers are aware this is the last day, but seeing the very edge of camp and the outside world on the other side will offer a visual to connect to those thoughts. Campers may feel like the disciples felt, walking with Jesus to where he would tell them goodbye. Supplies: candle How: Take campers to the farthest edge of camp property to illustrate the act of leaving, and recall today s scripture. Make the walk a substantial one, taking a round-about path if camp property is small. Carry a candle or other symbol with you as you walk. Discuss high points from camp and what the week has given campers to take home with them. What do they feel Christ wants them to do as they stand at the edge of camp, preparing to leave? The carrying of a candle or other symbol should add a feeling of importance to the act of walking, helping campers ponder the week and its meaning. As campers share their callings, they will feel like disciples: given a mission, being sent out by Christ to do good work. BTW: Driving a dowel with a hammer into the ground, you could mark this furthest spot as a beginning of the new journey. Campers could each tie a snip of the yarn from the earlier activity, Web of Yarn, to the dowel to claim the journey together. You re InviteD #Pray #Serve Why: This activity helps campers think about inviting others into a community of fearless faith. It may be a nonthreatening way for campers to think about sharing their faith. It also offers them a chance to pray. Supplies: generic invitations, writing utensils How: Ask campers to think about someone from home whom they can invite to be part of a faith community. They may invite these people to church, to camp next year, or just to spend time with their families. Then invite them to fill out invitations that they can take home as reminders to talk to these people. After they have filled out the invitations, ask campers to pray for these individuals. If campers do not know what to say, they may say, Dear God, help me talk to [name] about what being part of a community of fearless faith means to me. Amen. BTW: Instead of creating invitations, you may wish to have campers offer prayers in another fashion. Upon arriving, point out to campers that they are standing at the edge of camp property. Very soon, they will cross the line and go into the rest of the world. Draw comparisons to Matthew 28, in which Christ parts with the disciples after a series of powerful moments. Message in a Bottle #Create #LEARN #Serve Why: Leaving a place is as hard as arriving sometimes. This ritual can help your campers make the transition. It is good to have memories of your friends. This way, they always will. InsideOut: 343

85 Supplies: permanent marker, pencils or pens, basket for papers; one per camper empty, clean and de-labeled water or soda bottle and strips of paper, How: Ahead of time, write each camper s name on a separate bottle with permanent marker. Place a basket full of strips of paper in the center of circle of campers. Place bottles with camper names aside where campers can get to them, but they are not easily seen. Ask if the campers have ever heard of people putting messages in bottles and tossing them into the sea. Then explain that before Jesus ascended to heaven he had much to tell the world, and so he asked his disciples to do it for him. Those disciples were like bottles with Jesus message in them. Explain that at the end of camp, the campers will be like that too: bottles with the message of God s good news in them, tossed back into the world. Invite each camper to take one slip of paper and write on it something he or she loved about camp or something that camper did or learned. Then invite the campers to roll up their slips very tight and to slip them into the bottles. Once all the memories are in the bottles, you can add glitter, sand, camp dirt, or some other objects that will remind them of the week. BTW: If this is an activity the whole camp is doing, it is good to identify each group s bottles with a color or some marking so if they get lost in transition it is easy to say which group the bottle belongs to. Quiet Time Every day, allow your campers some quiet downtime. You may want to provide campers with books, craft supplies, paper, or manipulatives such as clay or action-figures. Encourage your campers to reflect upon and connect with the weekly story and theme. You may allow some quiet cooperative games like mancala or cards, but encourage discussion between campers by using the Table Talk questions. Be sure to allow campers ample time to clean up their work before moving on to the afternoon activities. Table Talk Use these questions to invite campers into conversation about the theme. Use them over one or more of the meals or create a conversation station during one of the activity rotations Consider using this for one or more of the days in the week. Younger Campers: What was the best invitation that you ever received? What made it so special? Imagine that you are Jesus. What would you like to say to the person next to you? Pretend that you are meeting someone who has never heard anything about Jesus. What do you say? Come up with positive, kind words that describe each camper at the table that start with the letter of their first name (for example, Sunrise Sara, for the camper who likes to wake up early). Choose words that will help you remember your favorite (or silly!) qualities about each camper. Older Campers: Imagine that someone asks you what your faith means to you. How would you respond? Has anyone ever shared their faith with you? Was it effective? Why or why not? Share about a time when Jesus seemed especially close to you. When did you laugh the hardest this week? Create Our Journals Each day, campers will be allowed time to record their thoughts, hopes, drawings and such in their journals. You can choose to make these easily by folding five to ten sheets of paper together with a sheet of construction paper on the bottom and stapling them in the middle. Allow campers to put their name on the front cover and decorate them however they like. To make the journals more elaborate you can punch holes in the edges and weave a ribbon through them or use brads. For multi-week use, add more paper. Journal Time Have you been baptized? If you remember it, what was it like? Who was there with you? How would you feel if you thought that a best friend was dead, but then you found out they were really alive? 344 InsideOut:

86 When have you had to be brave in your life? What fears did you face? Who would you like to share the love of Jesus with? What will you tell them? How will you show them? What does the angel who talks to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary look like? Does it have wings? Does it look like a person? Rest and Read Here are storybooks to read aloud for quiet time, perhaps after lunch. Or use them during worship time: Oh! The Places You ll Go, Seuss. Read Jesus Is Alive and The Good News from The Children of God: Storybook Bible, Tutu God in Between, Sasso and Sweetland God Said Amen, Sasso Seed Bomb Late Activity #Create #LEARN #Serve Why: Fun and just messy enough for a last day. These can be given as gifts to the adults coming to retrieve the campers. Supplies: potters clay, flower seeds, potting soil, paper bags or recycled egg cartons How: Mix seeds in a small amount of potting soil. Set aside. Take a small piece of clay and flatten and pinch it into a small, thin circle about an inch and half wide. Place some of the seed mixture in the center and fold the clay over it to form a ball. Roll the ball in your hands to firmly enclose the seeds in the clay. The clay probably won t dry today, but your campers can watch as the seed bombs change at home. Package them in the paper bags or egg cartons. To use, they can be tossed onto the ground anywhere there needs to be flowers. The clay will protect the seeds from being eaten by birds until they can germinate and begin to grow. Note: some potting soil has peanut hulls. Keep campers allergies in mind. Remind the campers as they make the balls that, in some ways, the disciples were seed bombs that Jesus threw out into the world. He spent three years filling them with the story of God s love, and, just before he returned to heaven, he tossed them out into the world not alone, but with the promise of the Holy Spirit to come. The campers are seed bombs too! Filled with the stories of camp, they are sent back home to tell the good news. BTW: Seed bombs are an ancient Japanese practice called Tsuchi Dango, meaning earth dumpling (because they are made from earth). Church Connection Talk Show #Play #LEARN Why: This is a fun way to illustrate many ways the church is connected. Campers will see these organizations exist in the church and do important tasks for the world. Campers will realize more deeply how the church as many parts works together, and the importance of sharing the responsibilities. Supplies: previously prepared research, talk show set, theme music recording, portable batteryoperated player, talk show host suit How: You will need to do some prep work for this to happen. Ahead of time, research church organizations and gather names and descriptions of ministry organizations within a church, denomination, or the entire church proper. Examples include: camps; relief organizations; neighborhood centers; food pantries; missionaries; colleges; and rural, youth, children s, senior, and prison ministries. Either print information out, or make a summary sheet for campers. Assign each group a specific ministry organization and let them become experts in their group. Let groups know what order they will be interviewed in and begin the show. Assign someone the role of a talk show host to ask a list of pre-planned questions, such as, What can you tell us about your organization? What exactly do they do at this place? Who do they help? How can we help this place out? and, How can we contact this place if we want to do more? Be sure campers know these questions, so they will know what to research. Discuss which organizations interested campers most. Ask which organizations campers knew before and which were new discoveries. InsideOut: 345

87 BTW: The more this activity is played like a real talk show, the more exciting it will be. Have the host dress up, move furniture into the room, and play talk show music. If you have a particularly studious group, you could give them the assignment to do the research for this earlier in the week. Hushed Up? #LEARN #Pray Why: Help campers connect the fears of the past to those we face today, and face the tension between a public and private faith. Supplies: large sheet of paper, markers, index cards, pencils, Bible How: Ask the campers to reflect on reasons people keep their faith private or things that keep people from sharing their faith openly. Write their answers on a large sheet of paper so everyone can see them. Read Mathew 28 together, then reread Matthew 28: Ask the campers to share their thoughts on these verses. Help them understand the narrative flow. The Story Summary may be useful here. Invite the campers to reflect on their list and the text to see how their fears of sharing faith might be similar or different from the Jewish leaders fears. Give each camper an index card and pencil and ask each to write, I will not let my fear of keep me from, and fill in the blanks with his or her own answers. The first blank is a fear that keeps him or her from sharing his or her faith, and the second is something he or she feels is important to his or her faith, but often doesn t happen. This can be an action the camper commits him- or herself to as he or she goes back home. BTW: These cards could be shared in worship, or traded with prayer partners who would take them home and pray for those people all year long. Passing FANCY #Play #Pray Why: Affirm the connections made with the community and the individual campers through words of affirmation and a prayer of blessing. Supplies: small ball, yarn How: Stand in a circle together and take turns tossing a small ball back and forth around the circle, from one person to another, but no one should receive the ball twice. Once everyone has touched the ball during the tossing, pause play and ask the campers to repeat the process, tossing the ball to the same person, but calling out that person s name before tossing the ball. Then pass the ball around once again, but this time ask each camper to share something he or she has learned about the person he or she is passing the ball to. You can repeat this step, with campers calling out something else they have learned about the receivers, if time allows. Now replace the ball with a ball of yarn. Have campers pass the ball of yarn, just as they passed the ball, but holding on to one end of the string as the pass the ball. This will create a web of yarn in the center of the group. Close in a prayer of thanksgiving for the connections through relationship visible in the web. BTW: You could do the yarn portion of this activity twice, using blue and green balls of yarn to symbolize the earth. Invite campers to place the yarn down on the ground and use tape or popsicle sticks to hold the yarn while campers reflect on how the ends of the earth might be impacted by their connections. Slide Show #celebrate Supplies: digital camera with pictures from the week, compatible computer with slideshow program, computer projector, screen, Bible (optional: appropriate musical recording, portable battery-operated player) This is an activity recounting the week, helping campers realize their connections to God and each other during the time. Put together a slideshow using pictures taken during the week with a digital camera. Consider playing music in the background. As the slide show progresses, read the day s scripture from Matthew, with particular emphasis on the closing paragraph and the focus verses. 346 InsideOut:

88 Closing Devotions Every day, wrap up your day with a short time of devotion. In addition to the resources listed here, you may want to turn to the Daily Guides Worship Practices for suggested prayers and songs. Though time sometimes runs out and devotions can slip off your radar, at least give the campers a moment to thank God for the day. You could use a repeated phrase to signal that your time has come to a close by shouting in one voice, Together, we have the courage to Connect! Amen! Worshipful Dancing #centering Choose a song that is slower, and has several clear phrases that are repeated (for Example: Father, I Adore You ). Have the group get in a circle. If the circle is too big for the space, organize some into an inner circle. Begin to sing and walk holding hands in one direction; change directions at the end of the phrase. On the next-to-last phrase, step toward center; on last phrase, step out. The movement should progress like this: Father, I adore you, (walk to the right) Lay my life before you, (walk to the left) How I love you. (step forward one step and back one step) This works well in a round, with the inner circle as one part, and the outer as the other part. Yea God! Prayer #celebrate This is sort of a free-for-all prayer, messy and glorious! Explain that there is much to be thankful for in this week of camp and that it is right to give God our best praise and thanks. Explain that anyone who has something to thank God for should stand and get in a circle around the worship space. Everyone should be in the circle. Then, one by one, allow the campers to shout aloud what they are thankful for. After every thanksgiving, the group will shout, Yea God! They can also clap. If you have too many to let everyone speak, have one from each family or small group speak for the group. Remember, with this kind of prayer, the louder the better. Leaving an Imprint #celebrate Supplies: long dowel rod, paper bowls, various colors of paint, wet-wipes, lawn clippers or other cutting device Place a rod in the ground and provide bowls of paint. Invite each camper to choose a color, dip a thumb in, and make a thumbprint on the rod. Say a prayer of blessing. Invite campers to think of the impact others at camp have made on them. Invite them to share a symbol of that impact by giving and receiving thumbprints. This can be on arms, faces, or other safe places. This could also be done on a camp shirt. Be sure to affirm the option to not receive a print on the body by providing cardstock as an alternative to skin or shirts. While campers are sharing prints, take the rod and cut it into enough pieces to share with each camper. The width of your dowel rod will determine what you need for cutting. Pass out pieces of the dowel rod to each camper as you close worship. Answered PRAYERS #celebrate Supplies: pieces of paper, writing utensils, tape In this activity, campers will praise God for answered prayers. Invite campers to write down how God has answered prayer this week, one per piece of paper. Then, have them stick the answered prayers on a wall. If the campers do not wish to display their answered prayers, they may fold them up and tape them shut before sticking them on the wall. Sing an upbeat praise song together and thank God for answering prayers. Remembering, Sending Forth #centering Supplies: A list of important words and phrases from the week of camp, appropriate musical recording, portable battery-operated player Gather a list of words and phrases from your week of camp that will resonate with the campers. This can include inside jokes, quotes, favorite scriptures, camp landmarks, camper names, activities, or anything else that helps represent the week campers have shared. InsideOut: 347

89 Play a song that will serve as background and encourage a prayerful, reflective tone. Read these phrases and words, periodically repeating the words from Matthew: Go therefore and make disciples, and I am with you always, to the end of the age. Weeklong Project Stepping Out in Faith Create a path with encouraging quotes for people who leave (or enter) your camp facility. Campers will work together to decide where to place the path, make and place the stones. Supplies: Quickcrete mix, molds, old buckets, stir sticks, Vaseline, plastic wrap, stones or pebbles, concrete alphabet stamps, garden spades First, find a place in your camp that is appropriate for a path. The area needs to be free of any vegetation and fairly level. If you are replacing a gravel path, the gravel should be removed so there is only dirt. Together with your campers, determine how many stones you will make. Decide together what words you will write on the stones. Some suggestions would be Matthew 28:18-20, 1 Corinthians 16: 13-14, Ephesians 6:10-17, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24, or a favorite benediction. Decide how you will break the phrases up. The following day, prepare molds. There are many choices of things you can use as molds including disposable pie tins, cut off milk jugs, wooden molds or even holes in the dirt itself. Line your mold with plastic wrap and Vaseline for easy release. Mix the quickcrete and pour into molds. Decorate the mold with any stones, rocks or glass gems you like, leaving room for the letters. After the concrete has begun to set, use the alphabet stamps to write your phrase, or carve the message in with a stick. Allow to dry overnight. Prepare the path by digging shallow holes the size and shape of your stones. When your stones are dry, pop them out of the molds and brush off any jagged edges with a gloved hand. Place the stones in their holes and gently fill-in any gaps with dirt. 348 InsideOut:

90 Tell Us What You Think Each year an Editorial Advisory Team convenes to dream and create a theme and outline for upcoming editions of InsideOut. Their starting point is answering the question, How can this resource serve camps most effectively? To answer that question, we want to hear from you. Please complete the following survey and or snail mail it to the address below. 1. What role does a program resource play in your camp experience? 2. How much or little is the theme expressed at camp? 3. Describe your experience with Fearless Faith! 4. What changes or updates would you like to see in the future? 5. How can InsideOut serve your camp most effectively? Your name Your address May we contact you for research or testing new materials? yes no Are you interested in applying to write for the new camping materials? yes no to insideout@chalicepress.com. Or, mail it to InsideOut 483 E Lockwood Ste 100, Saint Louis, MO InsideOut: 349

91 Fearless Faith is part of a four-year cycle of camp resources developed for InsideOut Christian Resources for Outdoor Ministries. Themes include: n n n God the Creator All Things New: Look What God Is Doing! n n n Jesus the Christ Get Real: Finding Your True Self in Jesus n n n The Holy Spirit Working within Us Power Up! Living in the Spirit n n n The Church in the World Fearless Faith: Courage in Community Sneak Peek at next year The InsideOut resource for 2017 Branching Out: Connecting Through Christ If there s just one thing you want your campers to know when they leave camp, it s that they do not go alone. The community of Christ surrounds them, the love of Jesus supports them, and the Spirit of God inspires them. You want your campers to know that through the love of Christ, they are part of one another. The InsideOut resource for 2017, Branching Out: Connecting Through Christ, will equip your leaders with fun activities that will sustain campers far beyond their one week at camp. Additionally, you will receive seven weeks worth of day camp activities and materials to excite campers all summer long! Find out how we are all rooted in Christ, the Vine, and growing in faith as Christ s branches with Branching Out: Connecting Through Christ. 350 InsideOut: