Camp: Robinson @ Home

5 days camp: morning, afternoon, evening

Why always travel far away? Running a camp at home can be fun too. So that your church doesn't just have a summer break, here's a program that's well-suited to be run with children aged around eight to 15.

Robinson Crusoe has many an adventure before he is rescued from his island. The task at home during the camp week is to get through these adventures happily. Central part of the program are the times of building a hut followed by an overnight stay. Excitement is guaranteed - until the farewell auction of the huts. Which "native" will win the bid for the biggest and most beautiful hut?

1. devotions

2. Terrain Game Shipwreck

The group is divided into four groups, each with a leader. Two paper hands are pinned on each child

Phase 1 (= post 1): playing field with coast, sea and wreck in the sea

In the wreck, there are four colors of canned food, four compasses, and four map cutouts, which must be retrieved by each group (1 piece per run).

Problem: Sharks (leaders) in the ocean bite (tear) off the paper hands and steal the food.

Whoever has no more paper hands can't get anything in the wreck!

Once this part is completed, phase 2 of the game begins:

The map found in the wreckage points the way to the 2nd post. There, there are questions about Robinson or seafaring with two possible answers: A or B. Each answer is accompanied by directions: The correct answer leads to the next post, the wrong one to a "dead end" etc. Goal: Arrive at the campsite, make a fire and warm up the canned food (ravioli), look for wild (= hidden) fruits and carrots, make fruit salad .....

3. quiet time on the topic

Prayer in trouble: Psalm 50,15

Prayer of Intercession: 2 Thess. 3:1-3 / 1 Tim. 2:1,2

The daily prayer: Luke 18:1-8 / Luke 11:10-13

Prayer of thanksgiving: Eph. 5,20 / Rom. 8,28

4th day excursion Exploration trip

On the way, various ingredients for lunch are found: "baobab tree" (bread), "carrot field" (carrots), "cocoa bush" (chocolate), "bird's nests" (chicken) ...

Discovery competition:

Each group is given a list of ten items. Whoever discovers the most of them and brings them to the station wins. (e.g. petrification, oak leaf, flint, nut, ...)

5th post run: Water and wind games

The aim of the post run is to make a sailboat. The groups get the different materials at the posts. The posts must be visited in order and the tasks are completed at the post. Groups start at five-minute intervals.

1 = Search for wood in the forest

2 = Saw out parts of ship

3 = Find mast and poles in the forest

4 = Drill (for mast and poles)

5 = procure sails from cloth

6 = nail

7 = tighten string (sail, boat edge...)

8 + 9 = obstacle course: Children must use cups to fetch water, go through obstacle course to their pool and fill it with the water.

6th Festival: Robinson Market

Stands: make-up stand, shoe shine stand, hitting game with sponge, record game (darts ...), food stand, drink stand, skill games, wheel of fortune, popcorn, other games.

The stands are thought up, planned, material organized and supervised by the individual groups themselves. Currency: "golden stones" (everyone has a basic stock). What the individual groups earn at their booth, they can distribute among themselves and spend again.

7th Night Exercise

Robinson (leader) and Co. wants to explore the backcountry. Along the way they come across footprints. The trail leads to a fire around which some cannibals (ladder) are sitting. Tied to a tree is their food: Friday (ladder). As soon as the cannibals know they are being watched, they use their hands, feet and a strange dialect to let their victim know that they will soon be eaten. Suddenly, in an unguarded moment, Friday is able to escape to Robinson. The cannibals pursue him and take as many prisoners as they can. Captured is whoever is touched by a cannibal. He has to follow this one and is tied to a tree by him (be careful, not too full!). The children have to free themselves or are freed by their comrades. After about 30 minutes Robinson and Co. no longer follow the rules, i.e. go on the offensive and tie up the cannibals. After taking a sacred promise never to eat humans again (via translator!), the savages are untied and Robinson and Co. head home.

• Content and image: Forum Kind issue 2/03, pages 15 + 16. Homecamp Robinson.
  © Copyright www.forum-kind.ch
• Author: Giancarlo Voellmy, BESJ secretary, ran this Robinson week with his Jungschar. Mirjam Leuenberger revised the program.