Campground Fun

Photo of Family in a Deluxe Cabin

Group Storytelling:

One person starts a story and, after a while, points to someone else, who continues.

Player 1: “Once upon a time, there were three princesses living in a …”

Player 2: “… river! They were tiny mermaid princesses with purple hair, and they loved to play with the fish and eat tasty …”

Player 3: “… seaweed! Slippery slimy seaweed. The slimier the better. One day …”

Keep going until the story reaches its natural conclusion.


Free Association:
Someone says a word – any word. Then go around from player to player, saying the first word that comes to mind.

“Camping!”
“Mosquitoes!”
“Blood!”
“Guts!”
“Brave!”

Keep going until someone gets stuck trying to think of a word or everybody breaks down laughing! Then start over with another word.


Follow the Leader:
An entertaining game for younger children. Someone is designated the leader and initiates a series of actions that everyone else has to follow – walking, jumping, dancing, shaking arms and legs, crawling, clapping … The possibilities are endless! After a while, someone else gets to be the leader.


Follow the SECRET Leader:
In this classic campground game, one person is chosen to be the Guesser and is sent away while the others select their Secret Leader. The Guesser is called back, and everyone sits in a circle with the Guesser standing in the middle. The Secret Leader initiates a series of motions that everyone else immediately follows. The Guesser studies everyone in the circle and tries to determine who among all the winking, head-scratching, finger-snapping, hair-tossing players is the Secret Leader. Players must be careful not to make it obvious that they are watching the Secret Leader! Meanwhile, the Secret Leader must continually initiate new actions. The Guesser gets three chances to pick out the Secret Leader. Then a new Guesser is sent away and a new Secret Leader is chosen.


Anatomy:
Everyone stands in a circle; one person is chosen as “It” and moves to the center of the circle. “It” faces one of the players and points to, for example, her nose and says, “This is my elbow.” The player opposite her must immediately point to his elbow and say, “This is my nose.” If the player responds correctly, “It” turns to the next person in the circle and repeats the game, pointing to a different part of her body. If a player gives an incorrect answer, that person moves to the center and becomes the new “It.”


Campfire Theater:
Before your trip, pack a “mystery box” full of random objects – a single high-heeled shoe, a ball of yarn, a wig, an old toothbrush, flashlight, a feather … The weirder the assortment, the better! Divide into two groups. The first half goes first and has 15 minutes to come up with a skit, incorporating as many of the objects as they can into the plot. The second group takes its turn, using different props from the box or using the same props in different ways.

A twist:
The group watching the play gets to select the mystery objects for the group performing the play!


Shadow Puppet Show:
A great game for a rainy evening. Transform everyday objects into animated stories illuminated by flashlight on Kabin or tent walls. Be amazed as a ho-hum ladle and washcloth transform into a fairy princess, and an innocent twig becomes a menacing monster by flashlight! Or use your own hands to make convincing characters.