Below, I’ve detailed out my Top 5 Favorite activities that I’ve been able to do with the SHINE (Camp Sonshine Before & After School) kids and the campers I’ve worked with through the 10+ summers I’ve been blessed to serve at Camp Sonshine. All of these activities are pretty simple to do and can be done without even leaving your house! Take a look! Enjoy, stay safe and stay healthy! Camp Sonshine loves you all! – Mike Nail: Director of SHINE Before & After Care
Crazy Maze
Supplies: tape (any kind that won’t remove your paint!), scissors and string
Lesson to be Learned: Patience
This activity is one of my favorites to do with my Adventure-aged (3rd & 4th grade) campers. I’ve even done this activity with my Assistant Counselors (16 years old) and they’ve loved the test! First, find (preferably) a hallway. Be sure to turn all the lights on so that you and your kids can see! (Safety first!) Use the scissors to cut long strands of the string and tape opposite ends of the string to opposite walls. After you repeat this process, the hallway you’re using should be impossible to walk straight through because of the web of string you and your kiddos have hung up! The object of the game is to get from one end of the maze to another without any part of your body touching the string! If it does, you’ll have to start over!
TREASURE OF THE WHITE COBRA
Supplies: blindfold, small ball
Lesson to be Learned: how to be quiet and still, critical listening
I love watching the Discovery Campers (PreK & Kindergarten) play this one. Set up one person in an open area of a room. This person will be blindfolded and set the ball in front of them. Have anyone that is playing pick a spot across the room which will be their starting point. Players will take turns sneaking up to the blindfolded “cobra” to attempt to steal their treasure (the ball). They can sneak on the ground and climb on the furniture (whatever is sturdy enough, of course!) in an attempt to reach the ball. The cobra will listen carefully for anyone that is moving and point in that direction. If the cobra points at a player and catches them, they will have to return to their starting spot! Any player who successfully steals the ball and makes it all the way back to start gets to be the cobra next!
EASY PERSONAL PIZZAS
Supplies: bagels (or tortillas or english muffin etc), tomato sauce, shredded cheese, baking pan, oven
Lesson to be Learned: risk management and uniqueness
This cooking activity will take adult supervision as the oven is needed! Preheat it to 350 degrees and get to work on the pizzas themselves! Each person should get some sort of base (bread, tortilla, etc.) and some tomato sauce to spread on top! Top it with some cheese and you’re almost ready to roll! Before sticking the pizzas on the baking sheet and into the oven, let kids choose their own personal topping from the fridge and teach them about how they were made special and unique, just like their pizzas!
BUILD-A-BRIDGE
Supplies: angel hair pasta, mini marshmallows
Lesson to be Learned: trial and error, perseverance
This activity is a challenge you can reward the kiddos with if they complete it! Show the kids the kitchen sink (or a similar-sized gap) and tell them that their challenge is to build a bridge that crosses the ENTIRE sink! The twist is that the only ingredients they have to make it with will be the pasta and marshmallows AND the bridge must be able to hold itself up without touching the bottom of the sink!
SHADOW DRAWINGS
Supplies: chalk (or paper and markers), toys (optional) the sun!
Lesson to be Learned: perspective
Get the kids outside and in the sunlight with this one! If you’re on concrete or blacktop, have someone stand in the sunlight so that their shadow is cast on the concrete behind them. Strike a pose! Have someone else trace their shadow with chalk and color it in afterwards! You can apply the same idea to toys on a piece of paper!
If you’ve got access to Facebook, search for Camp Sonshine, “like” our page and tune in at 3:30 pm Eastern Time every weekday to let your kids take part in a social-distancing version of Camp Assembly! We’ve got a couple of songs to dance to, a gameshow to take part in and even some take-homes for you all to try at home!