After a long and exciting time at the Roanoke River one afternoon, you and your unit start walking up the hill to start a new activity. You hear your new friend asking your counselors for hints as to what your next activity will be, and laugh as your counselor tells you all that “it’s a surprise!” (despite pulling out a key attached to a rubber fish, and holding a bag of bread). When your unit reaches the Dining Hall, a couple of campers rush in and grab a red playground ball, and as your unit refills their water bottles and rests their feet, a game begins right on the front porch: Four Square!
You rush to get in line behind a strip of duct tape. One of your new friends stations himself on the bench, declaring himself a referee.
Four Square rounds happen in short bursts that last around ten seconds, so you’ll be sure to get several rounds in before your group has to move on. You step up to the first square.
The girl in the king square serves the ball. The ball bounces once in square two. The boy beside you hits it to the far corner of your square. You dive and hit it underhand back to the king. Eventually the ball hits your sneakers, and you go to the back of the line, determined to give it another go. A couple rounds in, the ball rolls down the hill beside the Dining Hall, and the girl who just moved up to square two takes off running to get it before it rolls into the creek!
You’re about to step up the the square again. But your counselor, in their goofy socks and fanny pack, announces that “it’s time to go fishing!”, and that Four Square will be waiting for you before dinner. Your unit, thrilled to fish and canoe, rushes to deliver the ball back to its perch in the Dining Hall again. How a three minute game of Four Square became so exciting is a mystery, but it’s a game with no real beginning or ending, so you’re not worried about how you did.
At camp, play is all around us. From Monday night big games to lazy afternoons at the intersection to speedy rounds of Prince of Paris around the campfire, we believe that play helps restore our minds and bodies and open us up to what God is trying to tell us. Play lets our hearts run wild, gets our lungs pumping, and helps us see the beauty that is around us. This is intentional—we want campers to experience joy, laughter, and to live life fully as they grow closer with their counselors and fellow campers. As campers play, they learn more about who they are and who they want to be. They get to try out new roles and open their imaginations to new possibilities. Playing helps us see the good in the world and the God in the world.
This week for your Camp @ Home challenge, we challenge you to PLAY! Have a board game night, host a comedy show in your living room, or maybe even set up an at home Four Square court! To show us how much fun you had, send us a picture or video of you and/or your family playing! Share it with us by using #AltaMonsCampatHome and emailing it to [email protected].
Make sure to send them in by Saturday, so we can play along too! If you need some ideas to get you started, here are the details on some popular camp games-- including Four Square!
FOUR SQUARE
A standard Four Square court is 10 feet square. We have one made with duct tape at the Dining Hall and a new one made with spray paint at the basketball courts. You can also use chalk for paved surfaces! Scroll to the bottom of this post to see a photo of our court.
At Alta Mons, the Four Square ball is a standard playground ball. It is possible to play the game with lighter alternatives, like rubber inflatable balls, for an extra challenge, but Four Square is typically played with a playground ball.
It’s easiest to play Four Square on a flat, level surface. It is possible to play on a slanted surface, but that will make some squares easier to play than others, so be sure to put the king square on the downhill side. It is very difficult to play on grass. If you have a paved patio, large sidewalk, or other flat surface outside, ask an adult if you can create a Four Square court there to play on.
NEVER make your Four Square court in a road, and avoid making it close to a road or busy parking lot; there is a chance that the ball could roll into a road. Always play with an adult present for this reason! If you have a home church that isn’t as busy as it used to be, call them and ask if you could make a Four Square court with chalk or tape in an empty section of their lot. If you know of a park with a tennis, volleyball, or basketball court, these places may also have flat surfaces for Four Square. It’s best to use chalk on these surfaces, because it is the least permanent option.
If you must play Four Square inside, consider making the squares smaller, and use a softer and lighter ball. Move all furniture out of the way and remove fragile things from the room, including monitors or picture frames. Always play underhand only while inside to avoid using too much force. It is better to play outside if you have any option to do so.
The Rules to Four Square:
1. Inside lines are out, outside lines are in.
2. The King serves and must serve to the person directly across from them.
3. You cannot pass back to the King on the serve.
4. If you hit the ball outside the court, you’re out.
5. One bounce per square.
6. When the King serves at least one of their feet must be behind the line in the King square.
7. All hits must be underhanded.
8. Underhanded is defined as your fingers must be pointing down.
9. Don’t argue with a counselor about being out—if kids argue, they’re out.
10. If you are standing in your square and the ball hits you, you are out.
11. If you are standing in your square and you catch the ball, you are out.
12. Older campers should be nice and polite towards younger elementary / mini campers!
FRISBEE
This one is usually pretty easy to start: if you have a frisbee, make a big circle and show off your throwing and catching skill! You can make up your own rules or challenges, too. Just avoid situations where you would be throwing directly at cars or windows, and try not to get the frisbee stuck on the roof (which happens at Camp Alta Mons very often). Do not play frisbee inside.
FIFTEENSIES (and other hide & seek variations)
Fifteensies is a fun hide & seek game for larger groups. Select a space that is safe to run through yet has good hiding spots, then pick someone to be “it”. they will count to 15 while everyone else hides. When the person who’s “it” opens their eyes, they will look to see if they can spot anyone. “It” may take 1 step and can turn in any direction. If someone is seen then they are out.
“It” then counts to 15 again. This time everyone must run, tag “it”, then hide again. This process continues with “it” counting to a lower number each time (15, 14, 13, 12, and so on), until there’s only one person left hiding. That person is the next “it”.
This game is best played in a wide open space with obstacles, like a park, or one large open room of a house (which would call for starting with a smaller number than 15).
If you must play inside, try Sardines in a Can for a very fun hide and seek alternative. One person hides while the rest count. When done counting, the search party splits up. The first person to find the hidden person must hide with them, and the next person as well, until all but the last person seeking are shoved into their hiding spot like, well, sardines in a can. The first person to find the hidden person is the next to hide.
You rush to get in line behind a strip of duct tape. One of your new friends stations himself on the bench, declaring himself a referee.
Four Square rounds happen in short bursts that last around ten seconds, so you’ll be sure to get several rounds in before your group has to move on. You step up to the first square.
The girl in the king square serves the ball. The ball bounces once in square two. The boy beside you hits it to the far corner of your square. You dive and hit it underhand back to the king. Eventually the ball hits your sneakers, and you go to the back of the line, determined to give it another go. A couple rounds in, the ball rolls down the hill beside the Dining Hall, and the girl who just moved up to square two takes off running to get it before it rolls into the creek!
You’re about to step up the the square again. But your counselor, in their goofy socks and fanny pack, announces that “it’s time to go fishing!”, and that Four Square will be waiting for you before dinner. Your unit, thrilled to fish and canoe, rushes to deliver the ball back to its perch in the Dining Hall again. How a three minute game of Four Square became so exciting is a mystery, but it’s a game with no real beginning or ending, so you’re not worried about how you did.
At camp, play is all around us. From Monday night big games to lazy afternoons at the intersection to speedy rounds of Prince of Paris around the campfire, we believe that play helps restore our minds and bodies and open us up to what God is trying to tell us. Play lets our hearts run wild, gets our lungs pumping, and helps us see the beauty that is around us. This is intentional—we want campers to experience joy, laughter, and to live life fully as they grow closer with their counselors and fellow campers. As campers play, they learn more about who they are and who they want to be. They get to try out new roles and open their imaginations to new possibilities. Playing helps us see the good in the world and the God in the world.
This week for your Camp @ Home challenge, we challenge you to PLAY! Have a board game night, host a comedy show in your living room, or maybe even set up an at home Four Square court! To show us how much fun you had, send us a picture or video of you and/or your family playing! Share it with us by using #AltaMonsCampatHome and emailing it to [email protected].
Make sure to send them in by Saturday, so we can play along too! If you need some ideas to get you started, here are the details on some popular camp games-- including Four Square!
FOUR SQUARE
A standard Four Square court is 10 feet square. We have one made with duct tape at the Dining Hall and a new one made with spray paint at the basketball courts. You can also use chalk for paved surfaces! Scroll to the bottom of this post to see a photo of our court.
At Alta Mons, the Four Square ball is a standard playground ball. It is possible to play the game with lighter alternatives, like rubber inflatable balls, for an extra challenge, but Four Square is typically played with a playground ball.
It’s easiest to play Four Square on a flat, level surface. It is possible to play on a slanted surface, but that will make some squares easier to play than others, so be sure to put the king square on the downhill side. It is very difficult to play on grass. If you have a paved patio, large sidewalk, or other flat surface outside, ask an adult if you can create a Four Square court there to play on.
NEVER make your Four Square court in a road, and avoid making it close to a road or busy parking lot; there is a chance that the ball could roll into a road. Always play with an adult present for this reason! If you have a home church that isn’t as busy as it used to be, call them and ask if you could make a Four Square court with chalk or tape in an empty section of their lot. If you know of a park with a tennis, volleyball, or basketball court, these places may also have flat surfaces for Four Square. It’s best to use chalk on these surfaces, because it is the least permanent option.
If you must play Four Square inside, consider making the squares smaller, and use a softer and lighter ball. Move all furniture out of the way and remove fragile things from the room, including monitors or picture frames. Always play underhand only while inside to avoid using too much force. It is better to play outside if you have any option to do so.
The Rules to Four Square:
1. Inside lines are out, outside lines are in.
2. The King serves and must serve to the person directly across from them.
3. You cannot pass back to the King on the serve.
4. If you hit the ball outside the court, you’re out.
5. One bounce per square.
6. When the King serves at least one of their feet must be behind the line in the King square.
7. All hits must be underhanded.
8. Underhanded is defined as your fingers must be pointing down.
9. Don’t argue with a counselor about being out—if kids argue, they’re out.
10. If you are standing in your square and the ball hits you, you are out.
11. If you are standing in your square and you catch the ball, you are out.
12. Older campers should be nice and polite towards younger elementary / mini campers!
FRISBEE
This one is usually pretty easy to start: if you have a frisbee, make a big circle and show off your throwing and catching skill! You can make up your own rules or challenges, too. Just avoid situations where you would be throwing directly at cars or windows, and try not to get the frisbee stuck on the roof (which happens at Camp Alta Mons very often). Do not play frisbee inside.
FIFTEENSIES (and other hide & seek variations)
Fifteensies is a fun hide & seek game for larger groups. Select a space that is safe to run through yet has good hiding spots, then pick someone to be “it”. they will count to 15 while everyone else hides. When the person who’s “it” opens their eyes, they will look to see if they can spot anyone. “It” may take 1 step and can turn in any direction. If someone is seen then they are out.
“It” then counts to 15 again. This time everyone must run, tag “it”, then hide again. This process continues with “it” counting to a lower number each time (15, 14, 13, 12, and so on), until there’s only one person left hiding. That person is the next “it”.
This game is best played in a wide open space with obstacles, like a park, or one large open room of a house (which would call for starting with a smaller number than 15).
If you must play inside, try Sardines in a Can for a very fun hide and seek alternative. One person hides while the rest count. When done counting, the search party splits up. The first person to find the hidden person must hide with them, and the next person as well, until all but the last person seeking are shoved into their hiding spot like, well, sardines in a can. The first person to find the hidden person is the next to hide.
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