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Help with a camp activity



 
 
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  #1  
Old May 17th 04, 03:42 PM
Luna
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Default Help with a camp activity

Hi, I'm a first time camp counsellor at the YMCA summer day camp, and I am
trying to get prepared for camp with some activity ideas. One of the
"rainy day" games I thought of is called "Who am I?" Each kid has a name
of a character taped to their back, and they ask the other kids yes and no
questions to try to guess what name they have. The ages of the kids I'll
be working with are 6 to 12, and here is a list I came up with, I was
hoping y'all could help add to the list, if you feel like it. Or tell me
if any of the names I have are too difficult or obscure.

Snow White
Cinderella
Sleeping Beauty
Dorothy
Toto
Wicked Witch of the East
Harry Potter
Hermione
Ron Weasely
Professor Snape
Dumbledore
Nemo
Bugs Bunny
Daffy Duck
Superman
Batman
Robin
Robin Hood
Frankenstein's monster
Count Dracula
The Big Bad Wolf
Little Red Riding Hood
Jack (from Jack and the Beanstalk)
Rapunzel
Shrek

--
Michelle Levin
http://www.mindspring.com/~lunachick

I have only 3 flaws. My first flaw is thinking that I only have 3 flaws.

  #2  
Old May 17th 04, 04:52 PM
dragonlady
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Default Help with a camp activity

In article ,
Luna wrote:

Hi, I'm a first time camp counsellor at the YMCA summer day camp, and I am
trying to get prepared for camp with some activity ideas. One of the
"rainy day" games I thought of is called "Who am I?" Each kid has a name
of a character taped to their back, and they ask the other kids yes and no
questions to try to guess what name they have. The ages of the kids I'll
be working with are 6 to 12, and here is a list I came up with, I was
hoping y'all could help add to the list, if you feel like it. Or tell me
if any of the names I have are too difficult or obscure.

Snow White
Cinderella
Sleeping Beauty
Dorothy
Toto
Wicked Witch of the East

The Wicked Witch of the East was quite dead; you might do better with
the Wicked Witch of the West.
Harry Potter
Hermione
Ron Weasely
Professor Snape
Dumbledore
Nemo
Bugs Bunny
Daffy Duck
Superman
Batman
Robin
Robin Hood
Frankenstein's monster

Kid's this age may not know enough of this story to use this one well --
and if they do, they are likely to refer to the monster as
"Frankenstein".
Count Dracula
The Big Bad Wolf
Little Red Riding Hood
Jack (from Jack and the Beanstalk)
Rapunzel
Shrek


Right off hand, none that you haven't already included spring to mind.
Mostly, I wanted to say I'm glad you didn't include stuff that only kids
who watch TV are likely to know.

These are all fictional -- are there any "real" people you could throw
in? Maybe some of the people running the camp might work!
--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care

  #3  
Old May 17th 04, 07:15 PM
Scott
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Default Help with a camp activity

Luna wrote:
Hi, I'm a first time camp counsellor at the YMCA summer day camp, and I am
trying to get prepared for camp with some activity ideas. One of the
"rainy day" games I thought of is called "Who am I?" Each kid has a name
of a character taped to their back, and they ask the other kids yes and no
questions to try to guess what name they have. The ages of the kids I'll
be working with are 6 to 12, and here is a list I came up with, I was
hoping y'all could help add to the list, if you feel like it. Or tell me
if any of the names I have are too difficult or obscure.

Snow White
Cinderella
Sleeping Beauty
Dorothy
Toto
Wicked Witch of the East
Harry Potter
Hermione
Ron Weasely
Professor Snape
Dumbledore
Nemo
Bugs Bunny
Daffy Duck
Superman
Batman
Robin
Robin Hood
Frankenstein's monster
Count Dracula
The Big Bad Wolf
Little Red Riding Hood
Jack (from Jack and the Beanstalk)
Rapunzel
Shrek


I think this list is okay -- I mean, most kids will know of
them. But it seems slanted towards Disney movies. Why not
create a list with important historical figures? Cleopatra,
Queen Elizabeth, Geo. Washington, Sherlock Holmes, Nancy
Drew, Sacajawea,...


Scott

  #4  
Old May 18th 04, 12:19 AM
Cathy Kearns
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Default Help with a camp activity


"Richard" wrote in message
...
Luna wrote:
: Hi, I'm a first time camp counsellor at the YMCA summer day camp, and I

am
: trying to get prepared for camp with some activity ideas. One of the
: "rainy day" games I thought of is called "Who am I?" Each kid has a

name
: of a character taped to their back, and they ask the other kids yes and

no
: questions to try to guess what name they have. The ages of the kids

I'll
: be working with are 6 to 12, and here is a list I came up with, I was
: hoping y'all could help add to the list, if you feel like it. Or tell

me
: if any of the names I have are too difficult or obscure.
: [ . . . ]

I agree with other posters suggesting you include real people, both living
and historical. You may see an interesting twist by starting with real

people,
then, later in the game, introducing fictional characters.


I think real people (or famous people) would work with the older
kids. In third grade here they do reports on famous Americans.
But before third grade they might have trouble with many historical
figures. You would have to stick to those with holidays named
after them. (Unless the idea is to find the kids who know the
most historical people, which I wouldn't go for in summer
camp.)



  #5  
Old May 18th 04, 01:12 AM
dragonlady
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Default Help with a camp activity

In article ,
"Cathy Kearns" wrote:

"Richard" wrote in message
...
Luna wrote:
: Hi, I'm a first time camp counsellor at the YMCA summer day camp, and I

am
: trying to get prepared for camp with some activity ideas. One of the
: "rainy day" games I thought of is called "Who am I?" Each kid has a

name
: of a character taped to their back, and they ask the other kids yes and

no
: questions to try to guess what name they have. The ages of the kids

I'll
: be working with are 6 to 12, and here is a list I came up with, I was
: hoping y'all could help add to the list, if you feel like it. Or tell

me
: if any of the names I have are too difficult or obscure.
: [ . . . ]

I agree with other posters suggesting you include real people, both living
and historical. You may see an interesting twist by starting with real

people,
then, later in the game, introducing fictional characters.


I think real people (or famous people) would work with the older
kids. In third grade here they do reports on famous Americans.
But before third grade they might have trouble with many historical
figures. You would have to stick to those with holidays named
after them. (Unless the idea is to find the kids who know the
most historical people, which I wouldn't go for in summer
camp.)




I'm not so sure -- by first grade, don't most kids know George
Washington? Abraham Lincoln? Or even current political figures --
don't most kids know President Bush, for example? You'd have to be
careful to make sure to only include really well known figures, but I'd
think they could be added.

Religious figures -- Moses, Buddha, etc -- is trickier, unless you are
dealing with a group that all have similar religious backgrounds -- but
if you do, you might get away with adding some of those.
--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care

  #6  
Old May 18th 04, 02:16 AM
Iowacookiemom
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Posts: n/a
Default Help with a camp activity

I think real people (or famous people) would work with the older
kids. In third grade here they do reports on famous Americans.
But before third grade they might have trouble with many historical
figures.


Yes, if the point is "get to know you" kids who don't know the historical
figures will end up feeling silly or even stupid.

Which brings me to another point -- what about reading levels. As the mother
of a late-bloomer reader, I cringed reading your plan. If you do this, I
strongly suggest adding picture clues to the printed name. For that reason, I
think sticking with fictional figures is best.

I too applaud your non-reliance on television, but I think a few characters
(Spongebob, Lizzie McGuire, Scooby Doo) are sufficiently ubiquitous that you
could include them.

And keep in mind what is being hyped this summer. You can easily add Garfield
and Spiderman, along with all the Shrek characters.

It's a fun idea, but be sensitive to both how the younger, new-reader kids will
feel and how insensitive the older kids might be about that. Perhaps partner
them up so that an older helps a younger?

-Dawn
Mom to Henry, 11

  #7  
Old May 18th 04, 03:13 AM
Cathy Kearns
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Help with a camp activity


"dragonlady" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Cathy Kearns" wrote:

"Richard" wrote in message
...
Luna wrote:
: Hi, I'm a first time camp counsellor at the YMCA summer day camp,

and I
am
: trying to get prepared for camp with some activity ideas. One of

the
: "rainy day" games I thought of is called "Who am I?" Each kid has a

name
: of a character taped to their back, and they ask the other kids yes

and
no
: questions to try to guess what name they have. The ages of the kids

I'll
: be working with are 6 to 12, and here is a list I came up with, I

was
: hoping y'all could help add to the list, if you feel like it. Or

tell
me
: if any of the names I have are too difficult or obscure.
: [ . . . ]

I agree with other posters suggesting you include real people, both

living
and historical. You may see an interesting twist by starting with

real
people,
then, later in the game, introducing fictional characters.


I think real people (or famous people) would work with the older
kids. In third grade here they do reports on famous Americans.
But before third grade they might have trouble with many historical
figures. You would have to stick to those with holidays named
after them. (Unless the idea is to find the kids who know the
most historical people, which I wouldn't go for in summer
camp.)




I'm not so sure -- by first grade, don't most kids know George
Washington? Abraham Lincoln?


They do, these are the guys with holidays named after them.
Also Martin Luther King in the US.

Or even current political figures --
don't most kids know President Bush, for example?


Maybe some schools teach this. I know I showed my 4th
grade daughter an 8x10 glossy of Bush that was sent to
us, and she didn't know who he was. (This is California
though. Perhaps on the east coast, where people are
geographically closer to the capital, people are taught as
well as concepts. Here government is only taught as concepts.
The people holding the offices are not taught in elementary
school.) You could fudge by calling them President Bush,
Governor enter governor or your state here. But this
obviously is for the US.

You'd have to be
careful to make sure to only include really well known figures, but I'd
think they could be added.

Religious figures -- Moses, Buddha, etc -- is trickier, unless you are
dealing with a group that all have similar religious backgrounds -- but
if you do, you might get away with adding some of those.


My 9 year old daughter knows none of the religious figures named above.

If you really need real people you might try sports figures: Tiger Woods,
Venus and Serena Williams, perhaps local sports stars.


  #8  
Old May 18th 04, 04:18 AM
Claire Petersky
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Default Help with a camp activity

"Cathy Kearns" wrote in message
. ..

Maybe some schools teach this. I know I showed my 4th
grade daughter an 8x10 glossy of Bush that was sent to
us, and she didn't know who he was.


Just a few months ago while we were waiting for a concert to begin, I
quizzed my 11 year old on world leaders to pass the time. From that, I know
she can correctly identify the leaders of the following countries: US and
then Britain, France, Germany, Mexico, North Korea, and Russia. I think she
also could easily identify Ashcroft, Rice, Rumsfeld, Cheney, and Powell from
their pictures. I bet she could also identify most of the Democratic
candidates and Ralph Nader. Then again, this is a kid who reads the front
section of the paper and the editorials every morning, and pages through the
Economist each week. She also says, though, that you can't expect most kids
to have a clue in this area.

Religious figures -- Moses, Buddha, etc -- is trickier, unless you are
dealing with a group that all have similar religious backgrounds -- but
if you do, you might get away with adding some of those.


My 9 year old daughter knows none of the religious figures named above.


Doesn't know Moses? The Buddha? You've never discussed these with her? How
about Jesus? Man, my kids were asking me about Jesus by preschool, because
they met junior evangelists on the playground. But I can't imagine having
religious figures as a part of a guessing game. It's just too easy to cause
offence. You *might* be able to get away with Santa Claus.

If you really need real people you might try sports figures: Tiger Woods,
Venus and Serena Williams, perhaps local sports stars.


Well, I was surprised that my kids knew who Tiger Woods was, but Venus and
Serena Williams were complete mysteries to them. (I got, "Venus is a
*planet*" out of one of them.) Both my 11 year old and my 9 year old know a
few stars of the local baseball team, though. And my 9 year old watched
quite a bit of the Tour de France with me last summer, so she knows Lance
Armstrong, at least. (I bet she's forgotten Jan Ullrich, Alexandre
Vinokourov, and Tyler Hamilton.) But I doubt my kids could come up with any
football stars, or Nascar racers. Other kids would have extensive knowledge
in these areas.

I think this whole thing is fraught with peril. I can imagine a kid from an
immigrant family who would feel like a complete doofus because maybe she
hasn't been in the US for very long, and doesn't know who Winnie the Pooh
is, and then being mocked for it by the others. My daughter just now
reported playing a similar game and being laughed at for not knowing a
character from "The Simpsons". This is not a way to make people feel good
about themselves.

If you want to do the "Who am I" thing, maybe you'd be best off with
animals -- have the kids act out (with no give-away sounds) how that animal
behaves, instead. For example, I could have "snake" pinned on the back of my
shirt, and other kids would slither on the floor (no hissing!) until I
guessed "snake". This is more whole-body oriented than verbal, which might
be good for wiggly kids on a rainy day. Animals might be more universal.
Just about everyone knows what a duck is, or a spider.

Warm Regards,


Claire Petersky
Please replace earthlink for mouse-potato and .net for .com
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

  #9  
Old May 18th 04, 01:46 PM
animzmirot
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Default Help with a camp activity


"Luna" wrote in message
...
The ages of the kids I'll
be working with are 6 to 12, and here is a list I came up with, I was
hoping y'all could help add to the list, if you feel like it. Or tell me
if any of the names I have are too difficult or obscure.


*IMO, kids who are 11 and 12 won't be at all interested in this unless there
are characters involved that are relevant to their lives. This list of
characters is more for kids in the very young group. I suggest you add some
music characters (Eminem, Britney Spears, Beyonce are all very imitatable)
and some TV characters (Simpsons, South Park, The OC, Evergreen, One Tree
Hill, American Idol and Survivor are all very popular with kids in that age
group) and you also should add sports starts from whatever professional
teams are located near where you live.

Marjorie



  #10  
Old May 18th 04, 02:20 PM
Beth Kevles
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Default Help with a camp activity


Hi -

The game you have will be fun for brief periods, but I think you'll be
surprized at HOW brief. Your bag of tricks needs to be MUCH bigger to
get through even one rainy day.

Board games will be very popular, by the way, on rainy days. And craft
activities, even as simple as drawing pictures. (THink about having
each kid draw a picture on a theme and using string to tie the pictures
into a book.)

Good luck,
--Beth Kevles

http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the AOL one if you would
like me to reply.

 




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