I am looking for THREE OR MORE specific suggestions for a group
activity to be conducted at a Christian family camp in upstate New
York this summer.
 
Each day of the camp has a theme. The daily themes for 2003 include
Earth, Water, and Light. Most of the activities are age-specific, but
on the “Water” day, just before lunch, we will gather together for an
all-camp activity. The camp has typical camp resources: volleyball
net, picnic tables, wide open spaces, etc.
 
The activity must: 
 
1) Be suitable for a group of about 10 families, ages 9 to 60 or so
(maybe 50 people);
2) Take about 30 minutes to conduct, including instructions; 
3) Cost no more than $30.00 for supplies consumed during the activity;
4) Be physically active rather than meditative; 
5) Take place outside (if the weather is decent); 
6) Be adaptable to taking place inside (if the weather is cold and/or
stormy);
7) Be fun; 
8) Be acceptable in a Christian setting; 
9) Encourage interaction between different age groups;
10) Not require the use of a pool, creek or other large body of water;
11) Incorporate water as a significant element; 
12) Have a point. 
 
It is requirement #12 that is the toughest.  
 
I’ve found many sources like: 
http://www.funattic.com/game_water.htm 
http://www.gamekids.com/games3b.html 
but although these types of activities might be fun, they are all
basically competitions of one sort or another, without any real point,
without any substantial learning going on.
 
So what kind of point am I looking for? 
 
Something along the lines of: 
 
a) The renewing power of water; 
b) Our dependence on water; 
c) Water as a symbol of Baptism; 
d) The cleansing power of water. 
 
Let me give you an idea of what I’m looking for. At this same camp in
another year the all-camp activity occurred on a day when the theme
was “Dependence”. We used a variation on the activity described in:
http://www.endeavour.net.au/activities/blindfold.htm 
and it worked very well.

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Clarification of Question by far_afield-ga on 19 May 2003 05:46 PDT

I've changed the category from "Sports and Recreation > Games" to
"Family and Home > Families". I think the focus of the questions in
the Families category suits my question better.

Thanks, pocoloco-ga, for your comment. The "change" exercise you
describe is great for our group at another time during camp, but at
this point I'm still hoping for an activity in which water is a
thematic (rather than incidental) element.

Your comment, pinkfreud-ga, has started me thinking. But I'm not sure
how I'd extend a ritual foot-washing out to about 30 minutes. . .

Many years ago, I participated in a wonderful exercise about change. 
I think this exercise could be adapted very effectively for your
purposes.

Ask everyone to come wearing their bathing suits.  It's fine if they
have additional clothing on top of their bathing suits, but they must
have bathing suits on underneath.  Also, everyone should bring a cup
or bucket or water (a bucket if it is outside and the weather is good;
otherwise, a cup).

1.  Gather the group together and explain that you will be leading an
exercise that you promise will be both fun and thought-provoking.
2.  Ask everyone to begin by choosing a partner.  Encourage them to
choose a person that they do not know (or do not know very well), and
to choose someone of a different age.  Very young children may do this
exercise with their Mom or Dad vis-a-vis a partner.  Make sure that
you and your partner have a bucket of water.
3.  "Now, everybody.  Face your partner.  Now, for the next 60
seconds, I want you to carefully observe your partner, and to do so in
absolute silence."  (As the leader, you don't participate, because you
have to keep the time and you have to observe what is happening.)
4.  "Sixty seconds are over.  Now, turn your back on your partner so
that you can't see each other.  During the next two minutes, I want
you to change ten things about yourself."
5.  "Thirty second warning . . . you have 30 seconds to finish making
your ten changes."
6.  "OK, team.  Turn and face your partner.  One of you go first and
figure out what ten things your partner changed.  Then switch, so the
other partner can see what ten things you changed."
7.  "You are doing a GREAT job.  Now quick . . . Turn your back on
your partner again . . . Are you ready?  You are?  Listen carefully. 
You have one minute to change ten more things about yourself.  And you
can't just undo or reverse a change you made in the first round.  That
does not count.  You have to make ten more changes."
8.  "Ten seconds left . . . . make those changes.  OK.  Now turn and
face your partner and do the de-brief again.  See what the other
person changed."
9.  [After giving them some time to de-brief] . . . All right,
everybody.  If I could have your attention, I want to talk about what
we have learned today.

Lessons Learned

This is an exercise about change.  Change is very important for
Christians.  We can't take Christ into our heart without changing.  We
can't work to become more like Christ without changing.  We can't give
ourselves up to God's will without changing.

Lesson #1

Change is uncomfortable.  It was uncomfortable standing there for 60
seconds without talking, wasn't it?  Doing new things is always
uncomfortable.  And for the people whose change included pouring a
bucket of water over your  heads . . . Getting wet is always a bit of
a shock to the system, even on a sunny day.

Lesson #2

Change is difficult.  I know many of you thought it was hard to change
10 things about yourself.  And when I told you that you had to change
another 10 things . . . well, we heard a lot of groaning didn't we? 
Change is difficult, and more change is more difficult.

Lesson #3

Change can be fun.  We had a lot of giggling going on around here,
along with some real belly laughs.

Lesson #4

Some people are more comfortable with change than others.  As you were
going through this exercise, I was watching you.  It was clear that
some people - especially some of the kids - just took to this exercise
like a fish to water.  Others found it really, significantly
uncomfortable.

Lesson #5

Change is loss.  In the beginning, when many of you had clothes on on
top of your bathing suits, you changed by removing that outer layer. 
In this exercise, people thing of removing things before they think
about adding things.

Lesson #6

Change is not always visible.  I heard one woman say that she changed
herself by drinking the glass of water, so that the water was inside
her rather than outside her.  That's a perfectly legitimate change! 
But it was a change that you could not see with your eyes.
   
Lesson #7 

Change is always easier when you ask for help.  I noticed in the
second go-round, that many of you started exchanging items with people
from other teams.  It made for some funny looking people - it's great
to see a grandfather with a little girl's barrettes in his hair - but
it made it a lot easier to change, did it not, when you asked for
help?

Lesson #8

Whenever you change, there is a huge tendency to revert back to the
way you were.  What have you been doing while I have been talking? 
All of you have been carefully, methodically changing back to the way
you were.  I think there is often a tendency among Christians,
especially new Christians, to think that once you have taken Christ
into your heart you have changed in a permanent way.  That is a hugely
important step, but it is the first step on a life-long journey.

A Few Comments

The role of the leader is very important in this exercise.  While I
have put down suggested times, in practice you will adjust the time
frame depending on how people are doing.  Also, it is very important
to observe what people are doing - so much so that you might want to
consider having an assistant to help you with the observation part.

I put in the bathing suit requirement because I am certain, in the
context of a Christian family camp, that you do not want anyone to
have the wet T-shirt effect.

I added the water because you wanted to incorporate water in your
exercise.  The exercise as I originally saw it done did not include a
water element.

Finally, I wish that I could give credit to the person who originally
created this exercise (as I said up front, it was not me).  Since I
first participated in this exercise, I have used it several times,
with groups of different sizes, and it has always been both
thought-provoking and fun.

If you like the basic concept, then I'm sure you can thing of other
"lessons learned" or further adapt it for your camp.  For instance,
you might close the exercise with a prayer asking for help in making
necessary changes in your life.

Hoping this is helpful!

Best wishes,

pocoloco-ga

P.S.  I ought to emphasize that it is very important for the success
of the exercise that you do NOT tell people where it is headed.  You
might also say, "If anyone has done this activity somewhere else,
please don't let the cat out of the bag . . . just participate."

My Sunday school class once did a ritual foot-washing. We all took off
our shoes and socks, and we bathed each other's feet with a little bit
of Ivory soap and plain water.

At first there were some giggles and jesting, but there is deep
spiritual meaning in this simple ceremony, and every one of us was
moved and inspired by the experience.

Here's a brief look at the ancient custom of foot-washing in the
Church:

http://www.rockinauburn.com/columns/foot-washing2.html