Add Games to Your Camping Fun!

While spending several years as an adventure-based therapist I played my fair share of outdoor games while camped along some remote river or nestled in a wilderness grove. I thought I'd share a few from my arsenal while folks are pondering their summer plans.
* Treasure Tree: Find two tree trunks in close proximity (2-3 feet apart). Place/tie an object on one of the trunks a few feet higher than the kids can reach. Teach them a basic square lashing, then supervise them in building a ladder between the two trunks. They should be able to build 2-3 rungs in order to reach the object.
* Camp Chore-atholon: Need to figure a way for everyone to chip in? Divide into 2 or more teams. Each team gets a list of equal number simple chores and a plastic cup placed at the far edge of camp. Before any chore can begin, the participant must fill his/her mouth with as much water able to be comfortably retained. Once the chore is complete, the participant runs to the cup and fills it with the water from his/her mouth. The participant then returns to camp for the next chore and repeats the process untill all chores are complete. Clap hands and let the race begin. There can be a prize for the fastest and the cup most full.
* Build a simple Compass Course. Using simple magnetic North and counted steps, write directions on pieces of paper that lead them on a treasure hunt. This can be made more difficult for teens or even adults. Once they've experienced this, they often want to build their own course. With some help, Samantha made a course for her grandparents and aunts/uncles. It was fun to watch them follow a path collecting plastic balls.
* Woodland Drum Circle: (you probably don't want to do this in an establsihed campground or your fellow campers will hate you). Find smooth (bark removed) logs of varying diameters and lengths as well as small but heavy sticks to tap them with. Each person can have one or more logs. Select someone to start the beat. Others can add an opposing or complimentary beat until you have a cacophany of sounds. With enough concentration and effort, it can sound pretty nice. For a real kick, add wacky dancing, costumes and charcoal face painting. This is a great game around a campfire.
* Camfire Traveling Story: Sitting around the campfire, start a story with one sentence. The person to the left must add their own sentence and the story continues clockwise with each person adding a sentence. See how crazy the story can get. It gets fun when inside jokes enter the story line.