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Doing Things Together as a Cabin Group

At the center of what happens to a camper is what you and the cabin do together. It doesn’t just happen -you must plan it that way. Some suggestions:

A. START RIGHT AWAY In the first few hours of camp:

  1. Find some fair way to choose bunks.
  2. Keep the group together as they make beds.
  3. Explore the camp together.
  4. Talk about what you will do together.
  5. Volunteer to do something for the camp (find wood for campfire, etc.).

B. HAVE REGULAR CABIN MEETINGS

  1. Agree on when you will get together to plan group activities (at least once a day). Don’t let other things interfere.
  2. Make suggestions. Try to sell the campers on some things, but let them make suggestions too.
  3. Make sure the campers have a chance to decide. Don’t vote until you are sure they agree. Ask each camper to express his opinion.

C. SOME THINGS THAT DEVELOP CABIN SPIRIT

  1. The counselor thinks every camper is important.
  2. “We have the best” or “We’re a team.”
  3. Doing things together.
  4. Cabin names, successes, projects.
  5. Discussing and settling together the differences between members.

D. FOR CAMPFIRE

  1. Meet and go to campfire together. Leader and campers sit together.
  2. Plan skits -have the best.
  3. Cabin cheers and songs.

E. FOR MEALS

  1. Develop agreements about sharing the food.
  2. Cleanup duty should be a shared responsibility.

F. FOR REST PERIOD

  1. Counselor should always be present.
  2. Play games that can be played with campers lying in their own bunks.
  3. Read a continued story.
  4. Talk over plans.

G. FOR FREE PERIODS AND OTHER TIMES

  1. Challenge another cabin in baseball, swimming, a lizard hunt or cabin inspection.
  2. Hike. (Anything unusual or daring. It’s more fun to hike up to “robber’s roost” than to some rocks a couple of miles up the trail.”)
  3. Specialty hikes such as beeline or compass hike.
  4. Do some camp activity together, Le., archery or board games (get permission first).
  5. Make a plaque for the cabin.
  6. Be a Secret Buddy to another cabin. Leave them gifts, make decorations for their cabin, or sing them a serenade of love songs (the teenage girls REALLY like this).

H. CAMP SERVICE PROJECTS

  1. Ask the Camp Director and camp managers for ideas of what you might do as a camp service project.
  2. Clean up an area.
  3. Make a nature traiI.
  4. Make needed signs.
  5. Run a special event such as a watermelon hunt or a lizard race for the whole camp.
  6. Help another cabin with their clean-up assignment.