If you want to run your own summer camp business then read on… We’ve created a series of articles that will give you all the information you need to setup and run a successful summer camp business. What’s a summer camp? Summer camps can also be known as school holiday clubs, activity day camps, kids clubs or simply holiday activities. What you call yours and which customers you target will depend on your own goals for your camp. In this series of posts, we’ll give you tips and models for providing a quality programme for your campers and keep them coming…
Author: David Priestley
When teaching a workshop, it is important that your learning space should be comfortable, with plenty of natural light and air circulation and the room temperature is set a comfortable level. The workshop space, should be set-up to encourage participation – a circle of chairs works well as everyone can see each other and fully interact with one another. I personally like to clear all tables away as this creates less of a boardroom or classroom like atmosphere and is more practical for breaking your group into smaller learning groups for group discussion and brainstorming. You should also check your…
Sit your group down and organise them into an inward facing semi-circle facing you. You will then place a shoestring on the ground and layout a shape, your group then have to guess which number it represents between one and ten. Once you’ve laid the shoestring on the ground, put your hands on your thighs then ask the group, ‘what number is this?’ The group will then review the shape you’ve created and try to guess what number it represents. Give the group a couple of guesses and then tell them the answer. The catch is you must show the ‘number’ with…
Participants are tasked with creating a photo montage using images taken during the team building programme (or training week). This workshop helps participants reflect on their own personal growth and learning, and provides an invaluable insight into their personal journey and team achievement. Each participant is able to express their own learning through their photo story, which is a unique piece of artwork that captures all that they have achieved and learnt during the day. Being able to demonstrate their progress in this way allows participants to reflect on their personal growth and learning, with particular emphasis on trust in…
In this article, we are going to look at how to design a programme for your camp and hopefully provide some inspiration on the different types of activities to try with your campers. When organising a camp, the most important factor is to create a programme that excites and inspires young people. Many hours of planning and work go into creating a successful summer camp, with the benefits that children and young people gain from a camp being endless. Children build fond memories that will last a lifetime, they will develop friendships and gain a sense of independence whilst developing essential life…
The aim of the challenge is for the entire team to cross from one side of the fence to the other without touching the fence line. There are two variations of this challenge a more basic version and the more advanced one, both are great for developing teamwork and trust. Equipment Required Basic: Rope, shoestring or pole Advanced: 2 x Ropes, milk crates, 4 x plastic fencing stakes, and a ladder (or wooden planks) Space Required: Medium. Indoors or outdoors Group Size: Minimum of 5, with a maximum of 15 Total Time: 30 minutes 5 minutes to brief and set up 15 minutes…
Tell your group that they are going to be whisked off to a desert island in just 5 minutes. Each person is allowed to take three things with them. They need to write these three things onto a post‐it note and be prepared to place it on a flip chart (or wall) opposite their name. After 5 minutes ask for a group member to come forward and place their post-it onto the flip chart and explain to the rest of the group what they have chosen and why. You continue this until everyone has done described their three items. By asking individuals to explain their reasoning…
Assessment Days are a fantastic way to assess potential candidates during the recruitment process. Team building and problem solving activities provide a less formal and enjoyable recruitment experience for candidates and allow you to see how candidates work in small teams when faced with a challenge, and identify key qualities of candidates to ensure suitability for your company or organisation. The purpose of this article, is to provide you with all the information you need to run your own in-house assessment day including helpful links and downloads. What is an Assessment Day? An assessment day is an important part of…
Everyone watches and loves movies. So what better way to stretch your team’s creativity and communication skills then have them plan, script, direct, perform and edit their very own 5 minute cinematic masterpiece. Whatever your occasion or objective you can be sure that your team’s are in for an entertaining, rewarding and above all motivational team building experience. Go through the same process Hollywood uses to make big-budget movies. Start with a concept, brainstorm ideas, develop a script, plan your shoot, start shooting your film and premiere the film at your very own film festival. This is the opportunity to…
The aim of the challenge is for teams to compete against each other and try to win a lucrative contract for the commercial production of an airship. To win the contract, each team will have to design and build a fully operational prototype, within budget and on time, that meets a detailed specification. Required Equipment Balloons, elastic bands, toy propellers, paper clips, cotton, glue, parcel tape, plastic cups, tissue paper, craft knife, scissors, paper, newspaper, cardboard (or anything else you want to add).Space Required: Low. Delivered in or outdoors.Group Size: 8-40 (split into smaller sub-teams of 4-8)Total Time: 120 minutes 5 minutes to brief…
Using the materials provided, two teams must work together to build a bridge, with each sub-team constructing half the bridge each. During the challenge, teams cannot see each other and must rely on their communication skills to build an identical design. This is an excellent activity for developing communication skills, problem solving and creative thinking. Equipment Required: You can use anything for building the bridges. Here are a few suggestions: newspapers, lego, toy bricks, straws, paper, cardboard etc. Other essential resources: Tape, paper, pens, tape measure and tarpaulin or sheet. Space Required: Small. Indoors or outdoors. Group Size: 8 to 16 ideally.…
Problem Solving is comprised of team building and communication exercises focusing on groups attempting to solve a number of logic, lateral-thinking or skill based problems. Working together in a team, they will learn about how to break down a challenge, review performance and adapt how they approach a problem. Problem Solving Activity Plan Activity Setup To get started, visit our free team building activities section and choose 3 to 4 challenges. Ensure you select challenges that focus on developing your specific learning outcomes and are suitable for your participants. Most challenges can be delivered either indoors or outdoor. Please refer to your chosen…