Camp Activities


Here are some ideas for things to do in preperation for camp and whilst on camp:-

Make a Spitting Suzy

I was taught how to make this at a Camp training by a women who had spent some time Guiding in the USA. I will try and explain how to make them without the aid of pictures!

Spitting Suzys are 'handwashers' which can be hung up by the toilets or meal preparation areas to encourage Guides to wash their hands!

You will need

  1. Make a hole on the front of the milk carton (i.e the other 'narrow' side opposite the handle) about 2-3 inches from the bottom. I used the end of the corkscrew on my penknife for this.
  2. Poke the other golf tee through this hole (it should be a tight fit)
  3. Tie the golf tee to one end of the string and then tie the other end around the handle of the milk carton.
  4. Tie another piece of string around the handle to hang the finished article by.
  5. Place the soap in the foot of the tight and tie that around the handle too
  6. You can then draw a 'face' on the milk carton - with the golf tee as the mouth
  7. Fill the milk carton with water - when you remove the golf tee the water will flow out - when the pressure drops loosen the top of the milk carton and the water will continue to flow.

    These went down as a big success at my last Guide camp and the Guides made some themselves.

    Ideas for Camp Notices

    This is an idea that I've borrowed from M (one of the other Guiders in my unit) - and has been used on camp since I was one of her Guides!

    See if decorating shops have any old wallpaper books. The front page of these books is often hardbacked with a plastic coating. Remove the rest of the book and slit a hole in the top of the plastic coating. Camp notices can then be slipped inside!

    Games to learn about Tents

    Here are two games which teach Guides about putting up tents before you can get out there and try it!

    Pitch it

    This game is played in patrols. Make a set of cards - four each of the followi are needed:

    Tent Roof Flagpole Tent lls
    Sleeping bag Main Guylines Side Guylines
    Billy Water Carrier Tent pegs
    Tripod Mallet Rucksack

    Each Guide is dealt six cards and the rest are placed in a pile, face down.
    Each Guide then picks a card from the centre pile and discards one from her hand
    The winner is the first guide to collect a complete set of the six different cards needed for pitching a tent

    Step by Step

    Make a list of the steps involved in pitching a tent and cut them out so each is on a seperate card.
    The Patrol has to sort the cards into the right order.

    Games to learn about Personal Kit

    Here are some games to prepare the Guides for packing for camp. I'm definatly going to use some of these this year after last year when, despite meetings and letters home, Guides still came to camp with no propper waterproofs or wellies!

    Kims Game

    Cut out pictures from a catalogue of all the personal kit needed for camp. Use these to play kims game in various forms.

    Keep Warm

    Bring a variety of camp bedding and make it up into several beds e.g sheet and two blankets, sleeping bag only, bag and two blankets etc., Into each place a hot water bottle and a thermometer. During the evening check to see which keeps the heat in most succesfully.

    Daisy May's Rucksack

    Fill a rucksack with various items - include items which you need on camp and those which you don't (e.g slippers, radio, umbrella, sleeping bag, wellingtons). Get the Guides to sort the items inot two piles - those to take and those to leave. Discuss what else they may need to bring to camp.

    Gadget Games

    These games prepare guides for making gadgets.

    Get knotting

    Each patrol needs string and a dice. Each number on the dice represents a knot. e.g.
    1. reef
    2. round turn and two half hitches
    3. double overhand
    4. half bow
    5. clove hitch
    6. sheet bend

    The Guides throw a dice in turn and they all race to tie the relevant knot. A variation is that they say what the knot would be used for.

    Mini Rafts

    Each patrol needs string, and a selection of small sticks (8-14cm long)
    The patrols use these to make mini rafts using square and snake lashing.
    When the rafts are completed they can be tested in a bowl of water and given a 'load' to carry.

    You can also make a variety of Mini gadgets.

    Fire and Food Games

    These games help Guides learn about fire and food at camp

    Edible Camp Fire
    You need to provide various sweets to represent things needed for a camp fire.
    eg.
    The Guides can then make their campfire - and of course ea it when it's done!

    Camp Ready Steady Cook

    My Guides often are short of ideas for camp food as they often can't easily cook the sorts of food they are used to at home (jacket potatoes, toast, Pizza etc.,). This is based on the popular TV show.
    Give the Guides a list of food which can be usually be found in your QM stores on camp (any food which you can take and cook on camp easily!). Ask them to come up with menus for camp using these ingredients. You could give each patrol a different meal to work on (breakfast, lunch, dinner and desert).
    You may have to give advice to new campers who may not have cooked on camp before

    You could try making their meals the following week!

    Fresh Food

    Have a set of large envelopes marked with the places where food is stored on camp. e.g hanging larder in the shade, airtight jar, shelf off the ground, bucket of cold water

    Each patrol is given a set of small cards to 'post' in the envelopes which list foods found on camp (make sure you can differentiate each patrols answers)

    You can make a smiliar version of this game to teach Guides about disposing of rubish. Label the large envelopes with the places where rubish is disposed of (e.g greasetrap, incinerator, pig bin,). Substitute the small cards with items of rubish (e.g sweet wrapper, patato peelings, teabags

    I would also recomend a 'practice' washing up session or game based around this! In my experience Guides often put the dirtiest thing in the water first unless told before hand - the downside to having dishwashers at home it seems!!!

    Camp Food

    Here are some 'treats' for camp

    Blackbirds

  8. 4oz Plain Flour
  9. 1/4 teaspoon salt
  10. Slices of bread
  11. 1/2pt milk
  12. Oil
  13. 1 Egg
    Mix flour, salt, egg and milk together to make a batter. Cut slices of bread in half and dip them into batter. Warm the oil in the pan and fry the bread, turning once. Serve with blackcurrent jam

    Guides can make these easily themselves:-

    Mars Bar Krunchies

  14. 2 oz Margarine
  15. 3 Mars Bars
  16. Rice Crispies

    Melt margarine and mars bars over a gentle heat. When gooey remove from heat and add rice crispies stiring all the time. Press into shallow greased tin. Mark into squares and leave to set.

    Muslei Bars

  17. 3oz Plain Chocolate
  18. 3 Tbsp Golden Syrup
  19. 1oz Butter
  20. 8oz Muslei
  21. Cherries and Sultanas
  22. Milk Chocolate to Cover

    Melt plain chocolate with syrup and butter. Stir in muslei, cherries and sultanas. Mix throughly. Press into gressed shallow tin. Melt milk chocolate and spread over mixture. Mark with fork and allow to set. Cut into squares.

    Many of the games on this page are adapted from 'Take a Tent' Produced by Leeds County in 1986



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