Play Camp 2023
Play Camp – definition: an environment that is camp like with freedom to be fun, silly and expressive while purposefully engaging in relationships, content and structure.
Play is used to describe the purposeful activities that engage kids in the content being learned (Bible study, directed activity or free play). It is a time where we may spend 30 minutes exploring the hands-on activity or 40 minutes at the playground. Or even more time during free play. There is structure but within the structure we have freedom to let kids be kids and relationships with them develop.
This year we will be learning to Pray, Care and Share with our friends. The use of puppets, creative hands-on activities and co-operative games kids will learn from the Bible how to pray, care, and share with their friends. All while having FUN!
What our morning may look like:
We will spend a few minutes welcoming kids to Play Camp through free play stations and interactions. Then we will bring the group together and pray, sing a song or two, introduce our puppet friends and then tell the Bible story. The kids will learn that it is important to pray for their friends. After the Bible story the kids will re-tell the story and model praying for their friends using sock puppets.
Next, we will move to our hands on activity where kids will engage in exploration, co-operation and have fun creating, seeing reactions and being messy! What kid doesn’t like a big ole mess while they are learning?
After clean-up we will then move to co-operative game time where kids will play with purpose. A time to use our bodies and build friendships. Gross motor movement.
Finally, kids with use fine motor movements in creating a purposeful craft that they can use to help re-tell what they learned during play camp.
Play camp is not designed to be free play nor free exploration. It is play with a purpose where we have the freedom to explore some things a little longer, play a little more and have fun learning in different ways than we do on Sunday mornings. Kind of like going to camp!
Play Camp – definition: an environment that is camp like with freedom to be fun, silly and expressive while purposefully engaging in relationships, content and structure.
Play is used to describe the purposeful activities that engage kids in the content being learned (Bible study, directed activity or free play). It is a time where we may spend 30 minutes exploring the hands-on activity or 40 minutes at the playground. Or even more time during free play. There is structure but within the structure we have freedom to let kids be kids and relationships with them develop.
This year we will be learning to Pray, Care and Share with our friends. The use of puppets, creative hands-on activities and co-operative games kids will learn from the Bible how to pray, care, and share with their friends. All while having FUN!
What our morning may look like:
We will spend a few minutes welcoming kids to Play Camp through free play stations and interactions. Then we will bring the group together and pray, sing a song or two, introduce our puppet friends and then tell the Bible story. The kids will learn that it is important to pray for their friends. After the Bible story the kids will re-tell the story and model praying for their friends using sock puppets.
Next, we will move to our hands on activity where kids will engage in exploration, co-operation and have fun creating, seeing reactions and being messy! What kid doesn’t like a big ole mess while they are learning?
After clean-up we will then move to co-operative game time where kids will play with purpose. A time to use our bodies and build friendships. Gross motor movement.
Finally, kids with use fine motor movements in creating a purposeful craft that they can use to help re-tell what they learned during play camp.
Play camp is not designed to be free play nor free exploration. It is play with a purpose where we have the freedom to explore some things a little longer, play a little more and have fun learning in different ways than we do on Sunday mornings. Kind of like going to camp!