Top 10 Rainy-Day Activities
1. Movie Motif
Whether it’s a hurricane, rain, snow or even a pajama party night, a great way to while away the hours is to have a theme movie day. We use The Bear Factory for stuffed animal toys and keep them in a closet until we need them. We have done a Happy Feet day, where you stuff the animal, color the guardian angel insert, choose a star and adopt your new Penguin. Campers then stand in front of the crowd, and introduce his or her new stuffed friend.
Then settle in with popcorn and watch the movie with your new stuffed toy. It is an interactive event full of arts and crafts, public speaking, movie time and something to do during a long day of inclement weather.
Next up for us is 101 Dalmatians with stuffed Dalmatian dogs, the cartoon movie and Cruella De Vil, bursting into the room in the middle of the movie.
Another theme—Madagascar—gives different animals to choose from for a jungle theme! The possibilities are endless!
Cindy Wright
Director of Youth Services
Isleworth Golf & Country Club
Windermere, Fla.
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2. Mousetrap
Story Scenario
A group of mice live in the country where they eat the grain of several farmers. The farmers band together to attempt to solve this problem--each night, they place mousetraps out to catch the mice. Every night a different mouse is trapped in a mousetrap. The mice are concerned about the traps and have enlisted the help of mice police and a mouse doctor. The mice police try to indentify which farmer is involved in the trapping of mice and the mouse doctor tries to help mice that have been harmed in the trap.
Game Setup
A group of 20 people sit in a circle and each are given a different colored playing card that only that person is able to look at. The color of card determines the type of role each person plays in the game. If the card is green, that player is a mouse; if the card is red, that player is a farmer; if the card is black, that player is a police-mouse; and if the card is yellow, that player is the doctor-mouse. There are 14 green cards, three red cards, two black cards, and one yellow card given out by a facilitator of the game.
The facilitator stands at the front of the circle and has everyone place their heads down with their eyes closed. Then the facilitator asks for those participants that are farmers (red cards) to raise their heads up and choose one person in the group who they determine is the mouse that they are going to remove from the game. (When a player is “removed” from the game he sits in the circle still, but cannot talk or participate for the rest of the activity.)
Then the farmers put their heads down and the facilitator asks the mice police (black cards) to lift their heads up and point to one person in the group who they suspect is a farmer; the facilitator responds by nodding his or her head either yes or no. The mice police are asked to put their heads down and the facilitator asks the one mouse doctor (yellow card) to put his head up and pick one person that he would rescue in the story who may have been removed by the farmers. This person randomly chooses someone in the group without knowing their identity.
Next the facilitator asks everyone to put their heads up and he tells the group a story of one of the mice that got stuck in the mousetrap during the night and was removed from the game. (Unless the doctor mouse randomly picked that person and saved him.) After this, the entire group votes on one other person who they collectively think is a farmer from the group that should also be removed from the game for his use of mousetraps. This is where the mice police try to persuade others to vote if they know who the farmer is from the silent conversation they had earlier with the facilitator. The mice police should be careful not to let on that they know too much because their identity is secret and if the farmers find out, they may persuade others in the game to vote them out from this round. (Accusing them of being the farmers.) After this round, the process begins again. The facilitator has everyone put their heads down and he or she calls on each group to raise their heads at the appropriate time. The farmers choose another mouse then the mice police choose another suspect and the mouse doctor will choose someone that may be saved if he picks the person that the farmers had chosen to be in the mousetrap.
This game continues until all of the farmers are voted off of the game or the farmers remove all of the other participants.
Jared Knight
Aspen Grove Family Camp
Provo, Utah
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3. Make Your Own Book
Have each camper write out a short story and illustrate each page. Cover pages with clear Contact paper; use a three-hole punch and yarn to string pages together.
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4. Impromptu Juke Box Party
Allow each camper to select a song and explain why they picked it. Burn it onto a CD for each kid to own a playlist from the day.
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5. Reworking Awards
Acquire old or used trophies and plaques. Have the kids dress them up with stickers, ribbons, colorful ties, sparkles, etc., putting their own creativity into the pieces. These trophies can then be used later for fun and distinctive awards.
Lony Ruhmann
Camp Med Volunteer
City of South Pasadena
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6. Make Dream Catchers
1. Place sticks in a circular shape (or use a hoop)
2. String thread or yarn through the circle to make a web look
3. Embellish with feathers, beads, jewelry findings, etc.
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7. Board Game Tournament
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8. Four-square
Brenda Kauffman
Drift Creek Camp
Lincoln City, Ore.
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9. Musical Chairs
10. Trivia games
Brenda Kauffman
Drift Creek Camp
Lincoln City, Ore.
Honorable Mention:
Drama activities
Story-telling
Crafts