A Wonderland of Service

Activity Camp

(two days)

This camp was so much fun I had to write about it. In fact, it's been a couple of years since we actually did it, but I want others to be able to use this inspirational camp idea. What I wanted to do with this activity was to throw a party and fill it with meaningful learning, so we used a general conference talk and all of its principles and then couched it in the colorful and engaging theme of Alice in Wonderland.

VISION

The children will be taught how to notice service opportunities right in front of them (basically, we're teaching them ministering) as they learn how to serve family, friends, ward members, and their community based on Sister Oscarson’s talk, "The Needs Before Us". To make this a fun, engaging, and memorable experience, we will utilize an Alice in Wonderland theme. The camp will then culminate with an Unbirthday Party where the girls will put into practice what they’ve learned by serving special guests. Additionally, the children will make the decorations beforehand, which will be large whimsical flowers, with which to adorn the church. There will be physical activities at check-in, during lunch, and at the end of each day. Lunch and snacks will be provided each day.

FIRST DAY

Registration: Each girl checked-in and received a sticker name tag. Activity leaders managed registration and assisted in the activities while everyone arrived.

Rabbit Hole:

Where it all began...

"Eat Me"/"Drink Me" snacks (fruit snacks/granola bar and juice box)
Each girl received 1 of 6 colored ribbons to wear around her neck, which indicated what class she would attend first and the group with which she would continue throughout the day.

We made an effort to combine different ages

Opening song and prayer
Brief synopsis of what the children would be creating for the next two days

Classes:

Each class was represented by a colored key, most of which would be earned on day one, and would open a "Wonderland of Service" at the Unbirthday Party on day two. Each key would slide onto their colored ribbons about their necks. They would have earned 5 by the end of the first day.
I encouraged the teachers/leaders to incorporate as many senses as they could in teaching the girls; the more senses engaged, the more the kids remember.
The purpose of each class's learning was to assist the children in serving at the Unbirthday Party. Their learning and key-earning were totally connected and both would "unlock opportunities to serve" the following day, which would be when they would walk through the "keyhole" door into "Wonderland" with their guests.

"A Wonderland of Helping Hands"

Service in the community
Key: purple sparkles

"Being Good Noticers at Home & Serving my Family"

Service at home
Key: gold

"A Wonderland of Friends"

Serving your friends
Key: silver

"Curiouser and Curiouser: A Ward Wonderland"

Service in your ward
Key: pink

"Mad-Hatter Hat-making"

Each girl made an over-the-top headband-hat to wear to the Unbirthday Party, with an option to make an additional hat to share with a special guest
Two young women stationed to help in this class
Key: none

"Have I Done Any Good?" (Alex Boye version)

Learn a dance to African-version of the hymn
Key: white

Physical Activity Specialists (Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee):

Provided fun and games during registration and pick-up

Parachute
Jump Ropes
Sidewalk chalk

Provided games during lunch

"Tweedle-Dum, Tweedle-Dee Tag" (aka missionary tag)

Provided games during Relay Races

Water games

Food Specialists:

Coordinated with activity leaders to provide side dishes to lunches
Provided "Eat Me"/"Drink Me" snacks for the Rabbit Hole and mid-day
Provided colorful pinwheels and possibly quilts in the grassy area
Provide lunch on the first day

Chick-fil-a chicken nuggets, fruit, chips, drinks

Provided additional food for Unbirthday Party

Vegetable trays and tortilla roll-ups (but you can choose whatever finger foods you'd like, of course)

Keys:

The children received small metal keys (spray painted different colors according to class) throughout camp as they learned principles of service at each class/activity (except hat-making), which then unlocked a "Wonderland of Service" at the Unbirthday Party on the second day. Everything we did the first day has the direct purpose of being exercised (not just learned about) on the second day. The girls were taught how to take action on the first day, and on the second they put it into action.

Mixed Set of 30 Large Skeleton Keys with Antique Style Bronze Brass Skeleton Castle Dungeon Pirate Keys for Birthday Party Favors, Mini Treasure Toy Gifts, Medieval Middle Ages Theme

http://www.alice-in-wonderland.net/product/antique-style-bronze-brass-skeleton-keys-for-birthday-party-favors-30-pieces-super-z-outlet/

At the end of the first day and before relay races, activity leaders gathered the children's' ribbons of keys, wrapped their sticker name tag around it, and dropped it in a provided small bag to be distributed the second day where the girls will receive their final key. That final key would be the most important as it unlocks opportunities for service in their own homes and lives.

Each ward's activity group invited two people from their ward or neighborhood to be treated at the Unbirthday Party on the second day. This involved the ward activity classes to create invitations and deliver them beforehand. Additionally, part of the Unbirthday Party (after guests were escorted out and left the party) was to then write a thank you note to the guest for coming. Delivery of those notes was also coordinated by individual ward activity groups.

Decorations:

Most decorations were made by the children. Their involvement was KEY to a successful camp. I've planned a few camps and the successful ones were the ones that involved the children heavily. These successful camps weren't presentations for the children; the children helped create them and their creations were in plain sight. Additionally, I took outstanding quotes from Sister Oscarson's talk, wrote them on large butcher paper, and hung them outside of classrooms to which the message pertained.

I think the greatest part about all of these decorations, besides the fact that most were made by the children, was that on the second day we moved all classroom and hallway decor from around the building and into the cultural hall after all the children left the first day - easy peasy! We added loooooong tables with tablecloths and a banner on the stage. Then our Unbirthday Party room was ready! Loved that! The children's handiwork was everywhere!

SECOND DAY

Rabbit Hole/Snacks/Welcome

Down the Rabbit Hole

"Have I Done Any Good?" Practiced with all kiddos

Unbirthday Party Prep

Those who made a second headband for a guest placed them in the center of the table to await the guests. We also set tables, poured drinks, and set-out platters.

Unbirthday Party and Welcome

The kids welcomed their special guests outside the Rabbit Hole and escorted them into the Unbirthday Party...

...where they put into practice all they learned the day before.

Our stake primary president shared some words about ministering.

Tidy Up

Thank You Scrolls

The kids put together "thank you scrolls" for their guests, which were delivered by individual ward leaders to guests' homes.

The Last (and most important) Key

Now that the children were fully equipped, they got to take all of their learning homes into that "Wonderland of Service" where they would be good noticers of the needs that readily surround them!