Group Challenges

An important part of every day at Hitchcock summer camp is the group challenge.  Each day during morning circle, Hitchcock campers participate in a team building activity, usually some sort of problem that they all have to solve together. A group challenge is considered a success if everyone participates using good communication skills, and supporting one another along the way. Here are just a few of the challenges we do at camp.

In “Magic Squares,” there is a grid of carpet squares on the floor or ground. A counselor makes a secret map of a maze going through the squares. Campers step on the carpet squares and guess the secret path through the maze. If they make a correct guess, they can continue. But if they guess wrong, the next person goes. This game depends on mistakes – with each wrong guess, the team can move forward and eliminate the wrong carpet squares!

In Blind Polygon, campers have to form a shape (this day, it was a square) using only verbal communication because everyone is blindfolded. This is a very difficult one!

In the Hula Hoop Challenge, campers must get a hula hoop around the circle without letting go of each other’s hands. When they get really good at it, there is the added challenge of adding more hoops to the mix!

In Minefield, the group instructs one or two blindfolded campers through a “mine field” of blocks or other objects. The blindfolded people depend on the others to get them through it. If they accidentally touch an object with their feet, they “lose a foot” and a buddy comes to help them through the rest of it. It can be challenging to listen to a lot of voices telling you what to do when you can’t see!