Environmental
activities
The environmental activities section will help
campers and their leaders:
•explore God the Creator, Savior, and Holy Spirit
as they are evident in the created world.
•examine how the seasonal changes present in
creation provide a wonderful classroom and
playground for investigating and understanding
the seasonal changes observed in the church.
•discover how our relationship with the abundant life found in creation mirrors our relationship with Jesus through Advent, Christmas,
Lent, Easter, and Pentecost.
Each activity provides an opportunity to
explore the week’s theme, Living in God’s Time.
Take time for discussions and the sharing of ideas.
Take time to pray. Encourage, but never force,
campers to participate in planned activities. Find
ways to affirm each camper’s unique gifts in
engaging ways. Adapt activities as necessary for
use at your specific outdoor ministry site.
Age-level coding
Each environmental activity is recommended for
use with specific age levels. To find out which
activities are best suited to your group, look for
the letter corresponding to the age level of your
group. Feel free to adapt an activity for use with
your group.
L = Lower elementary
U = Upper elementary
J = Junior high
S = Senior high
A= Adult
I= Intergenerational
DAY 1: Living in Advent
Bible text
Mark 1:1-8 (John the Baptist)
Through the water
LU
Materials: Long rope, biodegradable items (leaves
from the ground or peanuts)
Preparation: In a large area (ideally a slope), set up
the rope as a river with large curves at the top and
a zigzag pattern toward the end (representing an
area of rapids in the river).
Half the campers are raindrops with handfuls of
leaves or peanuts. They stand at the top of the hill.
The other campers are vegetation. They stand
between the raindrops and the start of the river.
Indicate to the raindrops when it is their turn to
move slowly through the vegetation toward the
river. Vegetation can pivot on one foot to tag raindrops; their arms are like roots trapping the
water. If a raindrop is tagged, it drops the leaves
or peanuts and simulates filtering into the ground
by circling five times around the vegetation. To
represent the water moving underground toward
the river, raindrops crawl toward the rope. When
they reach the river, they stand up and walk the
length of the rope. When they reach the rapids,
they can spin or do forward rolls to represent the
speed increase of the water. When all the raindrops reach the end of the river, switch roles and
repeat.
Discussion: How can the water traveling through
a river and into the soil represent how we shed
off our sins during our baptism? What does the
vegetation represent? Talk about how this activity
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connects with John the Baptist’s message of letting
go of our sins and being forgiven.
Convicted with water
LUJSAI
Materials: Large sponges (15-17), large bucket,
small containers (1 per camper), food coloring
Preparation: This activity is designed for thirty
campers or fewer. Cut all but four of the sponges
into fourths, thirds, and halves. Put several drops
of food coloring on all the sponge pieces.
Fill a large bucket with water representing the
community pond. Campers will be given sponges
to simulate bringing water from the community
pond and squeezing out the water in their small
personal containers. This will show how people
can change the quality of water in a community.
Round 1: The year is 1814. Only a few homesteaders on small farms live in the community. Three
campers with one-quarter sponges and small
buckets have thirty seconds to get as much water
from the community pond as they can. After the
round, ask campers what they observed. Have the
campers put half of the water they collected back
into the community pond to represent used water
that ends up back in the reservoir through the
water cycle.
Round 2: The year is 1914. Add a large farm and
small town to the community. Distribute sponges,
cut into quarters, to six campers (town dwellers)
and a half sponge to a camper (the large farm).
Provide each camper with a container and thirty
seconds to get as much water from the community
pond as they can. Again, ask campers about any
observations they noticed. Again, put half the
water back in the community pond.
Round 3: The year is 1954. The size of the town
has increased and many of the town residents are
now employed in a factory. One camper (the factory) gets half a sponge and a bucket. Two campers (dairy farming areas) get one sponge each. One
camper (power company) gets a whole sponge.
Give half a sponge to campers representing service agencies (hospital, the school, and several
stores). Ten campers (small families living in the
town) get a third of a sponge. Give them thirty
seconds to get as much water as they can. After
round three, ask campers what happens when the
growing town and community are dependent on
one source of community water. Put half the water
back in the community pond.
Round 4: The year is 2014. The town has grown.
Two campers (new household cleaner industry)
each get a large sponge. Give sponges and containers to any remaining campers (new residents) and
provide campers with thirty seconds to use whatever is left in the community water.
Discussion: How can the use of the community
water represent the sin in our lives? Are there
things we can do to clean up the community
water? How can the waters of baptism be a
reminder that living in Advent means waiting for
Jesus?
Prepare ye the way
UJSAI
Go on a nature hunt to find and talk about things
in nature that are an indication of change. As you
start the hunt, have a discussion with campers
about changing seasons. Are there animals that
come as lookouts or as a sign that seasons are
changing? “Living in Advent” is a time of anticipation and preparation. How can we see nature as
a symbol of God preparing the way? Can the
campers think of times when they have helped
prepare the way for some event in their family or
in their community?
What things in nature represent the changing
of the seasons? These might be things we wait for
or anticipate as a sign that time has passed. The
following are examples. Adapt them to your
climate.
•Spring: Birds return, flowering trees, frogs are
chirping
•Summer: Insects, birdcalls, thunderstorms
•Fall: Leaves change colors, birds migrate, seeds
or seed pods spread
•Winter: Snow or rain, colder temperatures, animals change colors, animals find protection
Past, present, and future
UJSAI
“Living in Advent” is the celebration of Jesus’
coming: past, present, and future. All of time is
infused with the presence of God in Jesus. How
can we see this same relationship of the past, present, and future in the natural world?
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Almost any tree has some way of representing
all three of these. Let’s use a pine tree as an example: 1) a pinecone (seed that will be a future tree);
2) a living pine tree (exists in the present, currently growing, producing oxygen); and 3) an old,
dead pine log (used to exist as a living tree). This
would be a perfect example of seeing the past,
present, and the future in nature. What other
examples can you find? Take your campers on a
hike to look for examples of the past, present, and
future.
H2OGames
UJSAI
Materials: Copies of H2OGames score sheet, stopwatch, supplies for each event listed:
•Event 1 Pole vaulting: Clear plastic cups, two
hundred pennies
•Event 2 The balance beam: Eyedroppers, pennies
•Event 3 Sculling: Basic boat patterns for tracing,
stiff cardboard, scissors, soap chips, large aluminum tray or sink
•Event 4 Backstroke: Paper clips, fork, magnifying glass, clear plastic cups
•Event 5 Slalom: Several brands of paper towels,
tall glasses, tape, ruler, scissors
Today’s theme, “Living in Advent,” focuses on the
practice of using water and the power of the Holy
Spirit during baptism. What do we know about
water?
Background information: The attraction
between water molecules is called cohesion. The
attraction of the water molecule to other materials
is called adhesion. The cohesive force between
water molecules that causes it to behave as if it is
covered by a thinly stretched membrane is called
surface tension. When a piece of cardboard cut into
a boat shape is placed on water, it will stay in one
place. However, when soap is placed at the back
end of the cardboard boat, water molecules are
still pulling at the front end of the boat, but not the
back end. This causes the boat to move forward.
Water appears to defy gravity as it moves up a
paper towel or through spaces among soil particles. This is called capillary action and results from
water molecules being attracted to molecules of
the towel and to each other.
Set up the five events at separate stations
around the room. Include several copies of the
instructions for a particular event at the station for
that event.
Divide the group into small teams. Invite each
team to pick a name that is related to a body of
water (for example, the Atlantic Ocean or the Mississippi River). Camper teams will rotate through
each of the events. Each team will write its team
name on the H2OGames score sheets. Results
should be recorded on their score sheets.
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Top number of paper clips:
Directions: Try placing a paper clip on the surface of water. (Hint:
Lay the paper clip on the prongs of a fork and lower it into the water.) See
how many paper clips you can suspend on the water’s surface. Repeat for
each team member.
Event 4. Backstroke: Clipping along
Record the fastest time
Directions: Cut a boat shape from a piece of cardboard. In the rear of
each boat, cut out a small notch. Place a soap chip in the notch of one
boat. Place the boat in the sink filled with clean water and describe what
happens. Experiment with different shapes of boats and the placement
and size of the soap chip. Choose the best design and place the boat at
one end of the tray at the start line. Time it until it crosses the finish line.
Event 3. Sculling: Bubble power
Height for second towel:
Height for first towel:
Directions: Cut out strips of two brands of paper towels. Tape one end of each towel to
the middle of a pencil. Lay the pencil on top of a tall glass. Figure out how much water will
need to be added to the container to immerse the ends of the paper towels ½ inch (1.5 cm)
into the water. Remove the towels, fill the container to that level, and put the towels back in.
Let the paper towels absorb water until the water stops rising. Use a ruler for each towel.
Event 5. Slalom: Weaving in and out
Top number of drops:
on a penny as possible without spilling over the edge. Keep track of
the number of drops. Continue until water spills over or the water
collapses. Record the scores.
Directions: Using an eyedropper, place as many drops of water
Event 2. The balance beam: A penny
for your thoughts
Record the top number of pennies added:
Directions: Fill a clear plastic cup with water until it is even with
the rim. Add pennies, one at a time. Keep track of the number of
pennies added. Continue until the water spills over the side. Repeat
for the other team members.
Event 1. Pole vaulting: Over the top
H2OGames score sheet
DAY 2: Living in Christmas
Bible text
Luke 2:1-20 (The birth of Jesus)
Follow the signs
LUI
Materials: Tracking guide for animals in your
area
Part of “Living in Christmas” includes following
the signs to find the baby Jesus: “This will be a
sign to you: You will find a child wrapped in
bands of cloth and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12).
Background information: How do detectives
solve crimes? They look for as many different
clues as possible. We can find out which animals
have been around by looking at the clues they
leave behind. Show campers a tracking guide that
includes animals from your area. Tell them that
we can find out what animals have been in the
area by looking for the clues they leave behind.
Use the tracking guide to show campers examples
of the following:
exoskeleton, segmented body, six legs, wings,
compound eyes, antennae, hairs, insect blood
(hemolymph), and pheromones.
Have campers name things in nature that they
hate or believe are undesirable: snakes, ticks, poison ivy, thorns, spiders, mosquitoes, and so on.
Why do the campers dislike these things so much?
Help them work on redefining many stereotypes
about “creepy” things. Go through the list of what
makes an insect an insect. In small groups, hand
out collection boxes and nets and take the campers
on a hike into the woods, a field, or to a pond to
look for and at insects. Use collection boxes and
magnifying lenses to get a close look before you
return the bug to nature. (This activity can be
adapted for whatever “untouchables” you might
have most commonly living in your area, such as
rodents, bats, spiders, or snakes. The background
information would change, but the spirit of the
activity would remain the same.)
•homes
Discussion: Why are the creepy crawlers we
found on our hunt feared and hated by so many
people? The birth of Jesus leads us to examine
those things in God’s creation that are marginalized, such as spiders, bugs, snakes, and rodents.
Jesus entered the world as a humble baby in a
manger and humbled himself to associate with the
untouchables (criminals, liars, cheaters, poor or
sick people).
•eat marks
Trees have no tongues
•tracks
•scat
•territory marks
•sounds
•body parts
•smell
In groups of three to five campers, lead the
groups on a hike to use their new detective skills.
When a group finds a clue, have campers share
what they found with the rest of the group.
Untouchables
LUJ
Materials: Collection boxes, butterfly nets, magnifying lenses
Background information: Insects belong to a large
group of animals called arthropods—any animal
with jointed legs and bodies divided into segments. This is common to all insects: small size,
UJSA
Materials: Copy of The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (New
York: Random House, 1971) or The Man Who
Planted Trees by Jean Giono (White River Junction,
VT: Chelsea Green, 2007) (book, audio, or video),
statement cards (see below)
There are many things in God’s creation that most
people do not think or care about. The stories of
The Lorax and The Man Who Planted Trees give a
voice to those things in creation that do not have a
voice to defend themselves.
Create a list of all the things we use trees for or a
list of all the things that are made out of trees. Read
one of the stories aloud to the campers. Ask campers to share what they think are the major ideas of
the story. Divide the campers into small groups.
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Have several statement cards set up in an area that
the camper groups will rotate to and have a few
minutes to discuss. At the end bring the group
together. Go through each question and ask them,
“Did they agree or disagree with the statement?”
Statement cards:
•The balance of nature is important to all life on
earth and can easily be destroyed.
•Humans cannot place themselves apart from
nature in making decisions about natural
resources.
•Actions taken without thought or planning can
have disastrous consequences.
•Natural resources can be used up if they are not
managed carefully for the long run.
•Each person has a responsibility to help conserve resources and protect the environment.
•Consumers should demand that manufacturers
produce products in an environmentally sound
manner.
If campers agree with a statement, they should
give three reasons why, and then give an example
from real life of how this statement is true. If they
disagree, they should state why and modify the
statement into one they would agree with.
Living in joy and light
UJSAI
Materials: Planispheres, night sky maps, telescope
(optional)
Note: Celestron sky maps are available at http://
www.amazon.com/Celestron-93722-Sky-Maps and
Planispheres are available at http://www.skymaps
.com/store/cat04.html.
What symbolic objects make the campers think of
Christmas? How about the star that the Wise Men
were following when they found Jesus? What do
they think the star referred to in the Christmas
story might really have been? Perhaps it was a
meteor or a comet.
There are many different night sky and astronomy related activities that you can do with campers. Ask campers what they know about astronomy and the many objects that can be found in the
night sky. Take campers out to view the night sky
and see how many different objects (planets, stars,
comets, meteors) and constellations they can identify. Tell a few stories about the constellations.
Have the campers make their own designs with
the stars and create their own stories for their
constellations.
Creation covenant
LUJSAI
Materials: Chart paper, markers, paint, stamps,
other art supplies
Have campers create statements outlining an
agreement with God, also known as a covenant.
Use the following questions:
•What things from creation are the campers
thankful for?
•How have the campers fallen short in taking
care of creation?
•What stewardship actions do the campers agree
to work on?
•What will campers do to show their appreciation for the precious gifts of God?
Have campers sign the covenant to show they
are committed to follow through. These covenants
can be displayed in a worship area or an area
where campers gather.
Discussion: “Living in Christmas” means understanding that God loves all of creation. The gifts of
creation can be seen in many different ways. How
can we do a better job of working for justice as we
care for God’s creation? What are some of the
things that campers are already doing in their
homes, churches, or communities that work
toward justice for the environment?
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DAY 3: Living in Lent
Bible text
John 19:1-30 (The crucifixion of Jesus)
Home sweet home
LUI
Ask campers if they know the four things that all
animals need to survive. (Food, water, shelter, space.)
Every animal requires these four things in quality
and quantity in order to live.
Divide campers into small groups. Hike to an
area at your camp where there are natural materials that campers can use to build a home for an
animal of the group’s choice—real or fictional.
During the hike to the designated area, point out
or discuss different types of homes, for example,
that of a bird, squirrel, rabbit, deer, fox, woodpecker, or owl.
After each group is finished building their animal home, go around to each group’s home and
give the campers an opportunity to explain how
they went about building a home for their animal.
Being careful not to hurt anyone’s feelings too
badly, alter or knock over one of the homes. Let
the campers express how their animal might feel
about this.
Discussion: How did it feel to have your home
destroyed? How does destroying a habitat affect
the overall balance of nature in a given environment? Can humans do anything to help solve the
problem of habitat destruction?
Wood cookies
LUJ
Materials: Tree cookies (slices of a tree or tree
branch showing the rings and layers of the tree),
hand lenses, paper plates, markers or crayons.
Optional: poster or visual aid showing the layers
in a tree (bark, phloem, cambium, xylem, heartwood, etc.)
Pass out tree cookies to each camper. How old was
the tree when the tree cookie was cut? As a group,
count the number of growth rings. What do the
rings tell us about the tree? Hand out lenses to the
campers and look for small holes in the sapwood
and heartwood of the tree cookie. These are the
xylem, through which water travels through the
tree. Talk about the layers inside a tree and explain
how each of these work. Can you see any interesting markings in the growth of the tree such as
indications of fire, insect damage, drought, or the
loss of a branch?
Using paper plates, demonstrate how campers
will use the plate and crayons or markers to create
a tree cookie the same age as they are. If campers
were trees, what would their tree cookies look
like? For example, if a camper is ten years old,
there would be ten rings in the cookie. Perhaps a
camper broke an arm at age six; then the cookie
would reflect a scar on the sixth lifeline.
Discussion: Relate the scars and brokenness of the
tree with the scars and brokenness that we find in
our lives. Talk about how, even with scars, we can
still grow and thrive.
Creation scavenger hunt
LUJSAI
Materials: Scavenger hunt lists, plastic collection
bags, pencils, bandanas
Preparation: Make and duplicate a list of things
that are in the natural environment in your location. You may also include questions about nature
that campers will answer.
Explain to the campers that they will be going on
a scavenger hunt. Read through the list of various
items they will be looking for. Some items on the
list require campers to answer a question about
something in nature. Campers are not to collect
live specimens—just observe and check the item
off the list.
Explain that campers will be tied together in
pairs to make it more of a challenge as they hunt
for the many gifts of creation on their scavenger
hunt list. Give each pair a bandana to tie their
arms together, a collection bag, a scavenger hunt
list, and a pencil. Tell them you will ring a bell or
make some kind of sound when their time is up.
Explain the boundaries: they have to stay in a safe
and predetermined area and should not go out of
sight of the leader.
Gather campers together and go through what
they found after the hunt.
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Discussion: Do our actions and attitudes about
creation reflect a heart filled with thankfulness for
all of creation or does our heart reflect apathy and
indifference or even discontent with the many
gifts God gives us? How does God call us to work
for justice regarding the rest of creation and how
does this relate to the justice we receive during
Lent? How can the fact that they were connected
to another person be a symbol for “Living in
Lent”?
EcoDrama
A part of the herd
Materials: Props, 6-8 EcoDrama cards with a different environmental issue on each card
UJI
Materials: Different colored flags for wolves and
calves, self-stick name tags for bulls and cows
“Living in Lent” means living with the knowledge
that we believe in a God who loves us so much
that God was willing to send our sins to the cross
with Jesus. Are there animals that are willing to
give their lives for each other or for their young?
Divide the campers into four groups: wolves,
bulls, cows, calves. For example, a group of 30
campers would break down into 3 wolves, 5 bulls,
11 cows, and 11 calves. Give the wolves and calves
the appropriate colored flag and have each wear
the flag in some way that is easy to see and easy to
remove. Give the bulls and cows name tags with
either bull or cow written on the tag. Many herd
animals can often be found peacefully grazing in
a large grass area. While grazing, they spread out.
Calves typically stay near their mothers.
The wolves will want to get together and make
a plan of attack, perhaps some way of distracting
the herd or remaining unseen for a surprise
attack. How can they use the pack to their
advantage?
As the herd is grazing, the cows should select a
“lookout” to watch for any signs of predators.
When the lookout sees the wolves coming near, it
should have a signal to communicate to the rest of
the herd to group together. Use the bulls and cows
to create a protective barrier around the calves.
Calves should hide in the middle, cows can form
an outside circle around the calves, and the bulls
should form a far-outside barrier to attack the
wolves that might try to attack the calves.
The goal for the wolves is to take the colored
flags from the calves. The wolves do this by tagging a calf before being tagged by a bull. The goal
for the bulls is to protect the calves from the
wolves. The bulls do this by tagging a wolf before
the wolf gets to the calf. Once tagged, a calf or
wolf must give up his or her flag and is out of the
game. If a wolf is tagged by a cow, it does not lose
its flag, but it must return to the outside of the circle and start over again.
Change the game by having a larger number of
wolves and fewer cows and bulls.
UJSI
Instead of a passion drama, have campers create
and perform EcoDramas (a dramatic skit or commercial) that connects “Living in Lent” with the
broken relationships between humans and creation. Use environmental issues unique to your
area or use the following: destruction of the rainforests, water pollution, smog (carbon emissions),
melting polar ice cap, offshore oil rig leak, invasive
water plant transported by boaters, noise pollution
in a big city, extinction of an animal species.
Procedures:
•Each group will draw an EcoDrama card.
•All members of the group must be involved in a
skit that communicates what their environmental issue is and how it impacts the relationship
between creation and humans.
•The group does not need to talk during their
skit—they can just act.
•Each group will have time to practice their topic
and use whatever props are available.
•Introduce each group to present their skit. Wait
until the audience is quiet. It helps if you use
some kind of dramatic language like “Action!”
to indicate when the group should begin their
skit.
•At the end of each skit, allow time for audience
members to answer the question: “What was
this group trying to teach us? What was this skit
about?”
After all the groups have had a chance to perform their skits, engage the campers in a conversation about how media—movies, television shows,
songs or stuff out on the Internet—can change
how people might think about an issue. How
about commercials influencing people to buy certain products?
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DAY 4: Living in Easter
Bible text
John 20:1-18 (The resurrection of Jesus)
Fallen log
LU
Materials: Collection containers
What do campers expect to find living under a
fallen log? (Slugs, wood snails, worms, millipedes, centipedes, woodlice, spiders, salamanders, snakes, frogs,
toads, ants, beetles, insect larvae.) These creatures are
known as decomposers because they help break
down dead organisms into food for plant life. Tell
campers that they can think of the letters “FBI” to
help them remember the process that happens to
make the log soft and squishy, so that the decomposers can move into the log and turn the log
into food for the forest plant life. F=Fungus,
B=Bacteria, and I=insects.
Take campers on a hunt for decomposers. Find
a spot with lots of down trees and let the campers go. Remember to give boundaries and
instruction about how you will call them back
together again. Show them how to turn a log over
and watch the creepy crawlers scatter. Designate
one camper to be the bucket master who holds the
collection container in which the rest of the
campers put the decomposers they find. Be
mindful not to crush these small creatures and
carefully return them to their natural habitat at
the end of the activity.
Discussion: How do decomposers help create new
life? How is the waste and dead material like sin?
How do decomposers connect with the Easter
story?
New life
LUI
made new through “dying” as a caterpillar and
being reborn as a butterfly.
Take the campers out on a hike to find butterflies
or other insects. Talk about the change from egg to
larvae to pupae to adult. Ask the campers if they
have seen changes in their lives from baby to toddler to child to youth. How is their life similar in the
way that they adapt to new things as they grow?
Frogs also undergo a complete life change as an
amphibian as they change from living in water,
breathing with gills, and having a tail to swim
into developing into an adult frog living on land,
breathing with lungs, and having four legs. Take
campers on a hike to find frogs or toads.
Plant a tree
LUJSAI
Materials: Tree seedlings, shovels, gloves
Why are trees considered a renewal resource? God
has given us many different resources to use in
our daily lives to provide for all the different
needs we have as individuals, as families, as communities, as nations: resources such as coal, oil,
nuclear, geothermal, sunlight, wind, trees, water,
animals, and so forth. Have the campers name all
the different resources they use in a day or a week
or a month or a year. Engage the campers in a conversation about how we can use these different
resources in such a way that we have enough for
future generations to have the same amount of
resources during their lifetime.
Take campers out to plant trees in an area of
camp.
Discussion: “Living in Easter” means living a life
filled with renewal and regrowth. How can planting a tree be a symbol of how Jesus rises from the
dead during Easter?
Materials: Pictures or books or models of the life
cycle of butterflies or frogs and toads
Did not recognize
“Living in Easter” means being remade though
Jesus. Just as Jesus defeated death and sin and rose
again on Easter morning, there are animals in
nature that are remade in a new way during their
life cycle. Butterflies are a great example of being
Materials: Sixty toothpicks in assorted colors
UJSA
Preparation: Gather sixty colored toothpicks (or
other biodegradable objects) consisting of equal
amounts of at least three colors. These items represent the worms or bugs in this game. Find a large
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open area and scatter the toothpicks around evenly.
Make sure at least one of the colors matches the
playing area.
Many animals blend in with their surroundings.
Any coloration, body shape, or behavior that hides
an animal is called camouflage.
Divide the campers into equally sized teams.
Take everyone to the area where the worms and
bugs are hidden. Tell campers that they are all
hungry birds. Describe to them what the worms or
bugs look like. In relay race lines, explain that the
object of the race is to be the first team to get every
bird fed. When you say, “Go,” each bird on the
team, in turn, flies over the field and picks up a
worm or bug. When every member of the team has
found at least one worm or bug, they should all sit
down.
Have campers organize their worms or bugs
based on color groups. Which color was easiest to
find? Which type of worm or bug has the best
camouflage for this environment? Why?
When you are finished, send all the “birds” out
and collect as many of the toothpicks as possible.
Discussion: Mary did not recognize Jesus when
she went to the tomb on Easter morning. How can
this game of camouflage remind us how Jesus is
revealed to us through the Holy Spirit at Easter?
Still here
JSA
Materials: Pictures of woodpeckers native to your
camp, five large multicolored paper mats
What happens to wildlife when a habitat is
altered, either naturally or by humans? Have each
camper assume the identity of an animal. Place
large pieces of colored paper or mats on the
ground and label them to represent different habitats: rainforest, deciduous forest, field, pond, tundra, ocean, desert, and so forth. Have campers
choose an appropriate habitat and stand with at
least one foot on that mat. More than one animal
can occupy a habitat mat.
Tell a story about habitat destruction, such as a
wetland that is drained or a forest that is cleared
for development. Pull away the mat representing
that habitat. The animals that were standing there
must scramble to find a new habitat. If they cannot
adapt to another habitat, they do not survive and
become extinct. Continue this process until crowding, tension, or aggressive behavior in order to
survive results. Talk about this activity with the
campers.
The ivory-billed woodpecker was placed on the
extinction list. However, it had not gone extinct,
but had retreated as far away from humans as it
could to find a suitable place to live. Show pictures
of woodpeckers that might live in your area. For
example, the pileated woodpecker is a close relative of the ivory-billed woodpecker and lives in
many places in North America. Go on a hike in
search of any woodpeckers that might live in your
area as a way of looking for the “bird that rose
from the dead.”
Discussion: How is this story similar to the story
of Jesus at Easter? The world did everything that it
could to defeat the message of Jesus, but God had
a different plan in mind that turned the world
upside-down.
DAY 5: Living in Pentecost
Bible text
Acts 2:1-21 (The Holy Spirit)
Let’s talk turkey
LUI
Materials: Devices that mimic bird and animal
calls
Note: Bird identifiers can be found at http://www
.amazon.com/Birdsong-Identiflyer-Portable-Audio.
Download an Android application for your phone:
Animals Sounds, Favorite Animal Calls.
Just as the disciples were able to speak in languages that they didn’t know during Pentecost, do
we have the ability to communicate with certain
animals in God’s creation? Ask campers if they
know why certain animals might make certain
calls or sounds. What are they trying to communicate? (Establishing territory, warning, attract a mate.)
Take campers on a hike to listen for different
animal calls and sounds. Perhaps you can plan
ahead based on where you know certain birds or
animals are known to live. Have various animal
calls for the campers to try out. There are many
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different animal calls available for purchase or to
download onto your phone.
Discussion: The disciples were able to talk in various languages during Pentecost. As we study and
understand more about animal communication,
how are we better able to live and interact with
these animals?
Sparking
LUJSI
Materials: Wintergreen Lifesavers®
how to put the flash paper in the candle flame
before campers do it themselves. Campers will
then carefully put the paper into the candle flame
and throw the paper into the air. This part is very
important—campers need to let go of the paper as
quickly as they can once it is on fire. The flash
paper will poof into nothing with a bright flash.
Discussion: God loves us enough to poof our sins
away. “Living in Pentecost” means the Holy Spirit
helps us to have the faith to understand that we
cannot save ourselves.
At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit appears as tongues of
fire. Ask the campers if they can think of anyone
in their life who is a spark: someone who builds
them up and is a good role model for them to follow. How does this person provide a spark in their
lives? How can every camper become a spark for
others?
Sparking requires a completely dark place where
you can barely see your hand in front of your face.
Have campers form groups of two or three.
Explain to the campers that you are going to give
them a piece of very hard candy. With their partner or partners facing them and watching, they
are to use their back, molar teeth to bite down
hard and fast on the Lifesaver® (keeping their
mouth open) so that it gives off sparks that their
partners should be able to see. Repeat this process
so that every camper gets a chance to experience
both sparking and seeing the spark.
Eco-exchange
Flash paper
•a collage of pictures of local ecosystem types
(beaches, marshes, deserts, urban areas, forests,
lakes, etc.).
UJSAI
Materials: Flash paper (in 1-inch [2.5 cm] squares),
pencils or pens, candle, matches or lighter
Note: Flash paper can be purchased at http://www
.amazon.com.
Can the campers think of anything they have
done or said that they regret or are not very proud
of? Give each camper a piece of flash paper (1-inch
[2.5 cm] square) and a pencil and ask them to write
down anything for which they need forgiveness.
Only a couple of words, such as “didn’t listen,”
“talked back,” ‘didn’t help,” “wasn’t nice,” “angry,”
or “was a bully.”
Light the candle. Tell campers that we can turn
to God for confession and forgiveness.
The next part of this activity can be a little
tricky. As the leader, demonstrate to the campers
UJSI
Materials: Paper, pencils, markers, magazines,
photos, objects that represent your area, shoe box
Before doing this activity, find another group to
exchange boxes with, in your own town or city—
or even with another state or country. Creating a
global exchange would be a wonderful way of
learning about other cultures and other ecosystems throughout the world.
The youth in the exchange location do not know
about the environment, ecosystem, climate,
weather, plants and animals in your location. We
are going to create an “Eco-Box” to be mailed to
the exchange location. Create or find things that
can go in the box to help show and educate others
about God’s creation:
•a brief description of your region written by the
campers.
•a book or field guide with drawings of some
interesting local plants and animals.
•a video of the campers showing the local ecosystems.
•a recording or video of sounds of the animals
that live in the area.
•drawings, photographs, or video of any environmental issues.
•stories written by the campers about their favorite things to do or favorite places to go.
•descriptions, news reports, or brochures about
any regional events or celebrations.
If you are waiting for the box from your
exchange location, you can take some time to talk
about, predict, and/or research information about
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the location. You could also consider a Skype
exchange where youth could ask questions of each
other. Or you could create a website or use social
media to get to know each other.
Discussion: What does this activity mean for our
world today in terms of how we see the Holy Spirit
working? We can travel and communicate in new
ways and ideas can now be shared in an instant
with millions of people across the globe.
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