Kid’s Camp Information
A typical camp layout goes as follows:
1. After the kids arrive we have a greeting, usually a few songs, and then we break them
into teams. You might group by gender, or age, or mix them up. We put colored
headbands or armbands on the kids to distinguish the groups. Depending on the number
of campers, we typically end up with four or five groups.
2. Then we assign two leaders per team, this means that some of the group members will
be assigned as team leaders who will lead their group around to activities throughout
the day.
3. We break the day into periods and offer different “stations” throughout the day. All the
kids will hit every station by the end of the day. Examples of typical stations include:
Sports, Games, Arts/Crafts, English, Computer, Science, Geography, Bible, Ecology, and
so on.
4. On top of this we break the day up with meals, snacks, swimming times and group
activities as well as some free time to intermingle. We are always sure to tell the kids they
will have the chance to swim and they should be bringing their bathing suits or a change
of clothes for swimming. They love to swim!
5. The leftover group members who aren’t team leaders become “station leaders” and are
in charge of monitoring the permanent stations for the day. This means cleaning up after
the kids and resetting the station for the next team as well as explaining the activity to
the next group coming in.
6. Those group members left become floaters who walk around and assist as needed. We
also like to have EVERYONE down at the water during swimming times for safety
purposes.
7. We have a group activity towards the end of the day and usually have relay races down
at the beach pitting each team against each other. It is also fun to have a piñata on the
lawn, or games inside the dining hall.
Items to Bring
We recommend bringing red, blue, green and yellow headbands or fabric we can tear into
headbands for kids to wear.
Arts & Crafts Supplies





Tie dye shirts (the kids really enjoy this, but it is also practical because most of the children do
not have a lot of clothing)
Paint bags or models (something to take home and use)
Religious crafts (you can find some pre-packaged crafts @www.orientaltrading.com )
Coloring books with crayons are great
Popsicle sticks with glue and paint are great for making houses and planes




Paint and White paper for painting (make sure paint is washable)
Beads and Thread for making bracelets and necklaces (very popular)
A camera and printer (which goes home with you), plus a small picture frame to decorate
and take home for their parents (many kids do not have photos of themselves)
You can buy prepackaged wooden models at Michael’s or Joanne’s craft stores
English Learning Supplies
We suggest bringing thick paper and colored markers for drawing picture flash cards for English
Lessons. When teaching English we usually begin with colors and animals. Flashcards are very
helpful because they allow the students to participate with the children. Play-doh and stickers
are also great hands-on ways to have the kids learn their animals!
Games





Table games like “Jenga” and other problem solving games that involve teamwork
Puzzles are highly recommended, especially simple geography and science puzzles. Most
kids in Nicaragua have never solved a puzzle before and so they need a simple one with a
lot of help.
Any sort of sports equipment: soccer balls, baseballs, baseball gloves and bats, kick
balls/dodge balls, frisbees, footballs.
Check out www.theultimatecampresource.com for more ideas and games. (Baseball is the
sport of Nicaragua and we are low on equipment at Campo, so this should be a higher
priority of items to bring.)
Prizes for Relay Races or competitions.
Swimming Supplies
Beach balls, inflatable tubes, sand toys…
Geography Supplies




World maps
Pictures of things you would see in different countries around the world
Books about other countries.
Items from/about your hometown (The kids really enjoy seeing pictures and talking about
where you live!)
Bible Supplies
Have a couple of Bible stories prepared. The kids really love pictures and interaction. Picture
books are great (even in English, because you will have translators). A coloring sheet to go along
with the story provides interaction and also allows the children to take a piece of the story home
with them.
Miscellaneous






Candy & prizes (use these to encourage and motivate the kids)
Stickers
Personal hygiene items for kids (toothbrushes & toothpaste, soap, shampoo, etc.)
Nail polish and nail polish remover (the girls really enjoy this)
Board games
First aid items (band-aids, anti-bacterial wash/cream, etc.)
Additional Donations
Sometimes teams collect items to bring and donate to Campo Alegría. Our biggest need is
children’s clothes and shoes. Many times we have kids that come to camp and are badly in
need of clothes. We try to give these children some clothing and shoes before heading home.
We are always open to more donations.
Personal Items
It is recommended that your team members bring the following personal items to use while in
Nicaragua:

Mosquito net

Bug spray

Sun block

Sun protection (hat, sunglasses, etc.)

Any medications needed

Comfortable, cotton long pants and t-shirts (Note: it is the custom for people in Nicaragua to
wear long pants, even in the summer months. Women may wear long skirts. While at Campo,
you are free to wear modest tank tops, shorts, or capris. However, we strongly recommend
wearing long pants/skirts and shirts with sleeves when traveling throughout the rest of the
country.)

Bathing suits (For women: one-piece or tankini-style suits only.)

Towels

Toiletries

Under-garments

Tennis shoes & socks
Schedule
Here is an example of a typical camp schedule a team might run:
Red Group
Blue Group
Green Group
Yellow Group
Brown Group
(Optional)
Breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast
8:15-8:45
Chapel
Chapel
Chapel
Chapel
Chapel
9:00-9:45
ENGLISH
GEOGRAPHY
ARTS’N’CRAFTS
SCIENCE
SPORTS
9:45-10:00
SNACK
SNACK
SNACK
SNACK
SNACK
10:00-10:45
SPORTS
ENGLISH
GEOGRAPHY
ARTS’N’CRAFTS
SCIENCE
10:45-12:00
SWIMMING
SWIMMING
SWIMMING
SWIMMING
SWIMMING
LUNCH
LUNCH
LUNCH
LUNCH
LUNCH
SCIENCE
SPORTS
ENGLISH
GEOGRAPHY
ARTS’N’CRAFTS
SCIENCE
SPORTS
ENGLISH
GEOGRAPHY
7:30
12:15
1:00-1:45
1:45-2:30 ARTS’N’CRAFTS
2:30-3:15
GEOGRAPHY
ARTS’N’CRAFTS
SCIENCE
SPORTS
ENGLISH
3:15-4:45
SWIMMING
SWIMMING
SWIMMING
SWIMMING
SWIMMING
5:00
DINNER
DINNER
DINNER
DINNER
DINNER
6:00
ACTIVITY
ACTIVITY
ACTIVITY
ACTIVITY
ACTIVITY
8:30 Back to Cabin
9:00
LIGHTS OUT
Back to Cabin
Back to Cabin
Back to Cabin
Back to Cabin
LIGHTS OUT
LIGHTS OUT
LIGHTS OUT
LIGHTS OUT
Questions? wendywillard@mac.com