Training #2 Homework 2

Summer Escape Week 2
MARVELING UNDER THE BIG TOP (June 23-June 27)
 
DESCRIPTION: Come one; come ALL to the most spectacular summer event! The Ringmaster will be rounding up the roustabouts for an unforgettable experience! Campers will work together to create a magical circus of their own by practicing and performing funny skits, learning important  words and phrases, and creating a circus festival to end the week.  Don’t miss out on this ZANY week of Clowning Around!
 
 

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Every week you will be required to "Create the Environment" for the specific theme week in the order of summer camp. Above is the First Week name and description in our brochure. Please Create the Environment by providing:
1. Providing a description of decorations you will need to ensure your space is fitting to the theme
2. An idea for a special event for the theme week and steps to ensure success
3. A guest speaker for the week that would be accessible (no celebrities, unobtainable people/groups- people you can actually have a chance of booking without cost to the program)
4. 2 arts and crafts projects specific to theme and supplies needed
5. 3 high active/low active games specific to theme

1. A very large card board box that could be painted to use for a ticket booth, photo cut outs that students could put their head in to get their pictures take (eg a strongman), yellow, red and white streamers, circus peanuts, giant blow up weights, red, yellow, and white balloons, blow up animals (elephant, giraffe, zebra, lion), several rolls of tickets.

2.  I would create a carnival for the kids.  Throughout the week they would have the opportunity to earn tickets for things like good behavior, helping clean etc.  Then they could use those tickets at the carnival where they would play games such as ring toss, bowling, pin the tail on the lion, and more.  They could also use those tickets to buy candy or prizes at the circus.  Maybe even have a popcorn machine or cotton candy machine for the kids as a special treat.  

3.  I would have someone from the zoo come and speak to the kids about the different types of animals they have and how they have to care for the animals.  

4.  Hand print clowns- large paper plates, red, blue and yellow construction paper, glue, scissors and blue paint.
Clothespin giraffe- clothes pins with the spring,  yellow construction paper, yellow paint, brown paint, paint brushes, brown yarn, and yellow pom poms.  

5. Animal match up (low active)  Write down different types of circus animals on paper (each animal will need a match or more depending on group size)  Put them all in a hat or bowl.  Each player will pick an animal out of the hat without looking (don't tell anyone your animal) find an empty space in the gym.  Players will keep their eyes closed or blind fold them.  On go each player will make the noise of their animal and will crawl on their knees to find the other animal or animals making that noise.  

Clown and the Zoo keeper-   (high active)    Depending on group size you could have 1 or 2 zoo keepers and 1 or 2 clowns.  The zoo keepers are the taggers who are trying to freeze the animals to keep them in their cages.  The clowns are the goofy ones who unfreeze the animals and let them run wild.

Circus tag- (high active) One player will be it and will call out an animal they would see at the circus.  Everyone must act/move like that type of animal.  Once the tagger tags somebody the new person will call out a new animal.

Marveling Under the Big Top

1. Providing a description of decorations you will need to ensure your space is fitting to the theme
Last year we put one of the parachutes up on some of the lunch tables for the entire summer. I would put a parachute up, two if there were enough to make it feel as though we were in our own circus. A kids klub lion and clown on the wall (counselors would draw). Also, a blank roll of long paper taped to the wall, throughout the week each camper will be able to draw their favorite thing about the circus. (a specific animal, snack, or type of performance.)

2. An idea for a special event for the theme week and steps to ensure success
At the end of the week we could have a carnival. It would work like the camper business did last summer. A few campers will join and using the equipment we already have they will create their group game. Then one camper from each will go around and be able to play the games. Games such as bowling, frisbee, can jam, corn hole/bean bag toss, pin the nose on the clown. These games can all cost 1 ticket and during the first two weeks of camp we can give these tickets out at the end of the day depending on behavior and if any camper goes above and beyond. We can also have a snow cone machine, I know we have one last year we just have to purchase the syrup which they have at the dollar store.

3. A guest speaker for the week that would be accessible (no celebrities, unobtainable people/groups- people you can actually have a chance of booking without cost to the program)
I know there is a clown that often does events at the library. I'm sure if we explained our program to her it would be attainable to have her come and paint faces, do crafts with the campers etc.

4. 2 arts and crafts projects specific to theme and supplies needed
make your favorite animal face - each camper will be given a paper plate and they can then decorate it to represent their favorite circus animal (elephant, giraffe, lion, etc) paper plates, construction paper, glue, scissors, goggly eyes, makers

balloon animals - teach the campers how to make some simple balloon animals. A counselor will hold the pump and each child will have a balloon. Then we will show them a few different balloon animals they can make.

5. 3 high active/low active games specific to theme

hula hoop challenge - low active - who can hula hoop the longest, at the circus they do it with more than one hula hoop, can you?

musical clown noses - high active - instead of musical chairs, you need no chairs but pompoms. There are enough pompoms for each camper and the music plays, when the music stops each camper must grab a clown nose. They walk around in a circle just like musical chairs. Each time one pompom is taken away.

Clown relay race - high active - break the campers into 2 or 3 teams. start at one end of the gym and have the first camper run to the other side and put on the following items, a baggy shirt, shorts, hat, glasses, shoes, a clown nose and then run back to their team. they need to then take off all of those items and tag the next player on their team. that player will then put all the clown items on, run to the other side, then run back, take all the clown items off and tag the next player, etc.

Create the Environment: Marveling under the big top


1. Providing a description of decorations you will need to ensure your space is fitting to the theme
• Posters of elephants, circus tents, tightrope walkers, clowns, etc.
• Juggling balls and pins available to kids
• Balloons
• Twirlers
2. An idea for a special event for the theme week and steps to ensure success
• Carnival/circus at the end of the week
• We would have games like ring toss, balloon pop, egg toss, duck pond pick up, tic tac toe, basketball shooting contest, bowling, and bingo
• Face painting station
• Candy apples
• Cotton candy
• Snow cones
3. A guest speaker for the week that would be accessible (no celebrities, unobtainable people/groups- people you can actually have a chance of booking without cost to the program)
• Someone that knows how to juggle
• They could do a demonstration, teach the kids, then let them try it
4. 2 arts and crafts projects specific to theme and supplies needed
• masquerade masks
o string
o paper plates
o glitter
o paint
o scissors
• animal cracker magnets
o Use plain regular animal crackers. Have children color them with regular markers or paint. You can use clear nail polish and paint over what they have colored after it is dry. Then use a magnet small enough and glue it on the back with a hot gun or other strong glue.… instant magnets you can put on your fridge.
5. 3 high active/low active games specific to theme
o POPCORN RELAY RACE – All it takes are two big bowls of popcorn and some small cups per team. Have kids run and get a cupful of popcorn and transfer it to the bowl across the room. The first team finished wins.
o BEAN BAG TOSS - FEEDING THE CLOWN 
 Draw a large picture of a clown on a piece of cardboard with its mouth wide open. 
Draw and cut out the mouth so you have a hole large enough to toss the bean bags through. 
Place the box about ten feet away (adjust distance) and give each camper a chance to toss the bean bags into the clowns mouth!
o 3 RING CIRCUS HULA HOOP CONTEST- campers each have a hula hoop and see how long they can hula hoop for. There will be a relay component of campers hula hooping then “tight-rope walking”

1. Providing a description of decorations you will need to ensure your space is fitting to the theme.
Some cute decorations that you could use for this team would be carnival tickets. You can use red and white and yellow streamers to make it seem more of a carnival theme. Also get balloons and if someone could make balloon animals you could put them around your site. Also when I think of carnivals I think of popcorn. You could also use animal crackers to spread around as animals of the circus.

2. An idea for a special event for the theme week and steps to ensure success.
Some special event you could do is have different carnival games. For example, the game where you stack up bottles and then have a ball and you have to try and get the bottles down. Also the game where you rings and bottles and you try to see how many rings you are able to get on the top of the bottles. But for this day you could also have like face painting and like a popcorn stand.

3. A guest speaker for the week that would be accessible (no celebrities, unobtainable people/groups- people you can actually have a chance of booking without cost to the program).
Someone that could guest speak could be someone from the Salisbury zoo. The speaker could tell the kids the different animals that are at the zoo. Also talk about some of the animals that are at the zoo and could possibly be at a circus.

4. 2 arts and crafts projects specific to theme and supplies needed
Making different animals out of paper plates- The supplies you would need for this would be paper plates, paint, googly eyes, and even some streamers and pipe cleaners if kids are creative. Just art supplies would work for this project.
Making huge clown ties- Some supplies would be white construction paper and different makers and some string so the kids could wear them. The way this would work would be you have a stencil of a tie and the kids would trace it on the construction paper and then cut it out and have there own tie to color and create different designs.

5. 3 high active/low active games specific to theme
An animal tag game- high activity- kids will be running around tagging people. When they are tagged they have to stand there and act like a different animal from the circus.
Egg relay race- high activity-when thinking of a circus I think of balancing. So having the kids balance an egg on a spoon and having to hand it off to the next person, making it a relay race.
Bean bag/ball toss-low activity- have like 5 buckets/baskets and have each basket be worth different amounts and have the kids try to get the ball or bean bag into the baskets. You could make this into a competition.

1. Providing a description of decorations you will need to ensure your space is fitting to the theme
    Nothing says big top like vibrant red and white stripes, balloons, exotic animals, and don’t forget the clown noses! Giving our environment a real “under the big top” feel with lots of colors (primarily reds, blues and yellows) and excitement everywhere you turn will truly contribute to this week’s theme!
Hanging streams of colorful crepe paper on doorways and windows will also give the environment a vibrant and exciting circus feel.
Animal crackers are a must for this week’s theme.

2. An idea for a special event for the theme week and steps to ensure success
    At the end of the week, campers can make use of their masks, silly clown outfits and more to put on a short, funny skit in small groups. Circus/carnival music will be played in the background as campers express their goofy side and put on a spectacular show!


3. A guest speaker for the week that would be accessible (no celebrities, unobtainable people/groups- people you can actually have a chance of booking without cost to the program)
    Sunshine Entertainment Co. Hopefully she wouldn't mind making a pro bono appearance. Sunshine the Clown offers an array of clown services to fit any age group. Adding the clown will give a real life experience and interaction to the themed week.


4. 2 arts and crafts projects specific to theme and supplies needed
Making faces! Campers will make use of paper plates, construction paper, cotton balls and more to create the face of a clown or circus animal (cut holes out for eyes to use as masks!)
Apple Merry-Go-Round. Campers will participate in creating their own healthy and fun snack! Each camper will be provided a round piece of apple, peanut butter (strawberry or food colored cream cheese can be used as an alternative if allergies exist), and animal crackers.  Campers will spread peanut butter on their apple ring and use this as an adhesive to stick their animal crackers on top! A mini paper umbrella can be used to stick in the middle to better resemble a carousel.

5. 3 high active/low active games specific to theme
Clown Costume Relay Race!
      Campers will be divided into equal teams. For each team there will be a box containing a complete costume, (Shirt pants, big shoes, huge tie, clown nose, wig or mask, etc.)Anything silly that a clown might wear! Each player must put on the costume and run to a certain point where they take the costumes off and put them back in the box. They run back to start where the next player repeats the process until one team finishes and wins!

Parachute Games
     Who doesn’t love the large rainbow parachute from gym class?  Playing numerous short and sweet games involving the parachute will get campers active and having tons of fun! Campers can even create a “circus tent by lifting the parachute up high and then collectively taking a few steps toward the center of the circle and sitting on the edge of the parachute

DECORATIONS:
Red/yellow/blue streamers
Cutouts of popcorn/elephants/clowns
Make a circus tent top to put over the door where the kids enter
Ticket booth at the front for kids to get tickets when they arrive
“Photo booth” with circus themed accessories for kids to wear and take pictures with i.e. clown nose/crazy hair/beard/elephant ears/ tiny hats/etc.
Red/yellow/white balloons as long as there are no latex allergies

SPECIAL EVENT
Obviously we have to have a circus/KKSE carnival! We would need fun carnival games. Maybe the counselors and kids could put on a circus act, fully equipped with a lion tamer and ring master, of course! The kids could get popcorn, cotton candy, ice cream and animal crackers. Maybe tickets could be handed out throughout the week and the kids can use them to “buy” things at the circus. We should have picture cutouts where the kids can put their heads in and take pictures with different bodies. Face painting would also be a must.

GUEST SPEAKER
Possibly get someone who knows how to make balloon animals to come in and make some for the kids and teach them the basic of balloon art. Also, we could have someone come in from the zoo and talk about the different animals that the kids see at the circus.

CRAFT
Clown hats (which could be worn to the party) – paper hats, red/blue/yellow/white paint, glue, fuzzy balls of assorted colors, string, primary color pipe cleaners.
Hand print clown – paper plates, red/blue/yellow construction paper, scissors, glue, pencils, googley eyes, black marker, fuzzy balls assorted colors

GAMES
Low activity: popcorn relay – each team gets two big bowls of popcorn and some small cups. Kids run and get a cupful of popcorn and transfer it to the bowl across the room. The first team finished wins. Because of potential popcorn mess, this would be good played outside!

High activity: Parachute games: this would include any game we could do with the big parachutes. A ball could be thrown in the middle and see how high we can get it without knocking it out. Play the shark game where everyone sits with their feet under the parachute and a few kids are sharks under the parachute. You have a couple of life guards that can save people before they get pulled under.

Low activity: Bean bag toss - Pretty self explanatory. We could make it more interesting by using hula hoops and stuffed animal lions and the kids could be the lion tamers and try to get the lion in the hula hoop

High activity: Clown freeze tag - like normal freeze tag but with a twist. You have your tagger but you also have a few clowns. As the tagger goes around trying to tag others the clowns unfreeze people quicker than they can tag but watch out! If the clowns get tagged they're out!!

Decorations
- Colors: red, white, yellow (stripes)
- Large, bright colored balloons
- Veiled Doorways (streamers)
- Posters of clowns, performers, etc.

Arts and Crafts
- Clowning Around
o Campers will create their very own clown costume consisting of a hat, neckpiece and clown nose out of the following materials
 Materials needed :
• Paper plates
• Pom poms
• Construction Paper
• Glue              
• Egg Carton
• Red Paint
• Paint Brushes
• Scissors
• Hole Punch
• Stickers
• Crayons and Markers
- Circus Riders
o Older campers will enjoy creating their own unicyclist that actually move!
 Materials needed
• Template
• Crayons and Colored Pencils
• Paper Clips
Games
- Clown Costume Relay Race
oCampers will first separate into 2-3 teams and stand in straight lines with their teammates.
o  Campers will be divided into equal teams. For each team there will be a box containing a complete costume, (Shirt pants, big shoes, huge tie, clown nose, wig or mask, etc.)Anything silly that a clown might wear! Each player must put on the costume and run to a certain point where they take the costumes off and put them back in the box.
o They run back to start where the next player repeats the process until one team finishes and wins!

- Gummy Worm Hunt
oAt the circus, you are likely to see pretty much anything happen! This game is filled with tons of excitement and allows the kids to be silly, have fun as well as show their competitive side
oEach child has a plate with three gummy worms covered with whipped cream and a cup
o Campers must try to locate buried worms with their mouths only! The first camper to locate all three of their worms, wins !

Special Event
- The Kids Klub Circus Comes to Town!
oAt the beginning of the week, camp staff can divide the children into groups and assign the group a specific role for the circus. One group could be the animals and their trainers, another group may consist of ringleaders and another of acrobats, etc.
o Throughout the week, campers will be given time to work on their portion of the show.
o At the end of the week (Thursday) campers can perform.

Guest Speaker
- There are a number of locals who are proficient in the art of creating balloon animals/balloon art.

1.Decorations
•I would have balloons handing from the ceiling that formed sort of a tent like feeling. I would use red, blue, and yellow balloons to accomplish this. I would also have read and white streamers hanging from the ceiling between the lines on balloons in the same tent like fashion. They would all meet in the center of the room. I would also have cut outs of clowns, elephants, tigers, seals, and other circus animals on the walls. I would use red and white plastic table clothes on the tables during this week as well. I would also have polka dots on the walls to help create the circus theme.

2.Special Event

•I would have carnival day for the kids. I would get the supplies ready throughout the week and end the week with the carnival. I would have students collect tickets throughout the week based on their behavior. The more tickets they collect the more games they will be able to play. I would have games set up such as a ring toss, a bean bag toss, a baseball toss (but with a softer ball), a duck matching game, a DIY photo booth, and a face painting booth.
3.Guess Speaker

•I would see if we could get someone from the Salisbury Zoo to come and talk to the students about animals that they would see at the circus.
4.Arts and Craft Projects

•Paper Plate and Bowl Lion: Banquet-sized paper plates. Large Styrofoam bowls, scissors, construction paper (orange, yellow, brown, pink), paper cleaners, and glue.

•Paper Plate Clown: Googly eyes, small paper plates, black marker, craft glue, scissors, construction paper, multicolored cotton balls.
5.Games

•Carnival Can Bean Bag Toss: This is a low active game. There will be six cans stacked on each other and set up in a pyramid type fashion. The children will get three bean bags and will toss it at the cans in an attempt to knock all of the cans over.

•Tight Rope Walking: Create a tight tope by using a piece of wood and painting it a bright color. The kids will try balancing by placing one foot in front of the other in an attempt to get across the tight rope. This can be both high or low active depending on the child’s speed.

•Three Legged Race: This is when you tie one child’s left foot to another child’s right foot. The kids all start at the same place and when the race starts they try walking as if they only three legs. This game is high active and requires a lot of team work.

1. Decorations: Painted box to look like a ticket booth, (I can get plenty of boxes from the office at the University), and red and white plastic table cloths to hang up to make it look like we are under the big top.

2. Special event: We can have the kids put on their own circus show with their hats, masks, and costumes that they will make during the arts and crafts section

3. Guest Speaker: Have someone who face paints come in and paint faces of circus animals, or have someone from the zoo come in and talk about the different animals the children will see at the circus and maybe fun facts about the animals.

4. Arts and Crafts: Make animal masks. We will need paper plates, construction paper, markers/crayons, glue, scissors, and maybe glitter.
We can also make clown costumes for our circus performance. The kids can make hats or clothes out of paper or things that they bring in from home such as trash bags, fabric, etc.

5. Games: We can do "Animals at the Circus" as a Ghost in the graveyard type game except theme it more towards the circus theme. It is night time and the clowns or ringmen have just put the animals down for the night, however the animals are not tired and do not want to go to sleep. Two people will be in the center as the ringmen and the idea of the game is for the animals to move around without them noticing. If they are seen moving they are out and the last person standing wins.

We can do a bean bag toss and egg/spoon relay games. Kids can partner up in these fun low activity competitive games or work together in groups as teams in these fun relays.

Circus tent tag: Using the big parachute all kids and counselors will sit underneath the "tent" like it is the big top. One student walks around the outside and tags another. The race then becomes much like duck duck goose. The students have to go around two laps with one trying to tag the other. If the student that originally tagged the student makes it back to the empty spot in the tent before getting tagged then the other person becomes it and picks another student.

1. I think a fun idea to help create the scene for “Marveling Under the Big Top” would be to turn the door of the gymnasium and/or cafeteria into the entrance of the big top. We could build a model of the entrance to a circus tent out of construction paper and cardboard around the doorframe. Another way to create the environment could be to turn the check-in table into a ticket booth themed table also using cardboard and construction paper. We could also create the illusion of a tent inside the building by draping streamers and balloons.

2. A special event of circus week could be “Kids Klub: The Most Fantastic Camp on Earth!” The campers could be given time throughout the week in prepare circus acts in groups or individually. This would allow the campers a chance to be creative. We could supply small materials such as construction paper and other arts and crafts materials for the campers to use. On Friday afternoon, the campers could then put on a circus for one another. Popcorn, cotton candy, and other circus foods could be provided. The counselors can also perform a circus act as the grand finale.

3. A quest speaker for circus week could possibly be someone who has worked with animals that would typically be featured in a circus. Someone from the zoo who has an experience working with animal training would be able to talk to the children about how animals can be trained, and how they are safely used in the circus.

4. Animal Masks
Materials
• Construction Paper (All colors)
• Paper Plates
• Paints (Red, Gray, Yellow, Black, Orange)
• Paint brushes/Sponges
• Stapler
• Glue
• Scissors
• Elastic
The campers can make themselves into their favorite circus animal. Using a combination of supplies, the campers can create lion, tiger, elephant, and other circus animal masks.

Make Me a Clown
Materials
• Oversized White Cardstock
• Paint (Various Colors)
• Pipe Cleaners (Various Colors)
• Decorative Puff Balls (Various Colors)
• Glitter
• String/Elastic
• Construction Paper
• Paper Plates
The camps can use the various materials listed above in order to make a clown mask and a clown tie. The children can pretend to be clowns and potentially use them in the special event circus show.


5. Game 1- The Acrobat’s Challenge- High Activity
• Duration: Anytime
• Age: Any
• Group Size: Small to Middle
The acrobat’s challenge is an obstacle course style game. The campers are divided into two to four teams depending on the number of campers. They then race through several challenges. The challenges can be altered based on age and skill level but some examples could be:
1. Walking a Tightrope- successfully walking in straight line in a piece of tape on the floor
2. Juggling- attempting to juggle for 15 seconds
3. Hula Hooping- Successfully hula hooping 5-10 times
Each person on the team must complete all challenges.

Game 2- The Ringleader- Low Activity
The ringleader is the master of the circus. This game is a combination of “follow the leader” and “Simon says”. The person who is the ringleader will begin to act like an animal from the circus, the other children must follow along. This game has no winner or loser, but is a good calming down game.

Game 3- Circus Charades- Medium Activity
This game is essentially just classic charades, only circus themed. The campers pick from cards, and them must enact the circus themed object. The first camper to correctly guesses goes next! The game keeps going until all campers have had a turn, or until it is time to change activities.

1. A make shift ticket booth with tickets that kids could use throughout the week. Red and white streamers, prints of circus animals and a ring master. Lots of balloons!

2. At the end of the week through our own circus with games and treats.

3. Possibly find someone in the community that can juggle or make balloon animals that is willing to volunteer.

4. Animal Masks: Using paper plates, makers, string, construction paper, googlie eyes; could create animal masks of common circus animals.

Finger Paint: Using non toxic paint create finger painted balloons and circus animals.

5. Ringmaster says..
- A twist on Simon Says

Clown Costume Relay Race
- Use recycled clothes to come up with a silly clown costume. Each player must run and put on the costume and is repeated until the entire team has put on the costume.

Musical Chairs
-Using Circus themed music

1. Providing a description of decorations you will need to ensure your space is fitting to the theme
Balloons, red and white crepe paper, streamers, larger colored paper for cut out pictures of animals, cones to set up activity rings.
2. An idea for a special event for the theme week and steps to ensure success
Circus day – popcorn/cotton candy machine rental, face paint or decorate your clown face with craft paper and popsicle sticks or make a funny hat, learn to juggle, camper parade with their decorated item, ring toss, pin the nose on the clown
3. A guest speaker for the week that would be accessible (no celebrities, unobtainable people/groups- people you can actually have a chance of booking without cost to the program)
Sunshine the clown, local and well-known to be great with kids.
4. 2 arts and crafts projects specific to theme and supplies needed
Decorate a clown hat: paper, markers, glue, feathers, fake gems, other decorations
Decorate your own clown face: cut out oval shape glued to a popsicle stick, campers can decorate however they wish, googley eyes, paper, popsicle sticks, markers, pipe cleaners for crazy hair, red felt for nose.
5. 3 high active/low active games specific to theme
High active: Clown tag: one camper wears a red clown nose and has to tag someone to be “it”
Low active: Learn to juggle
Low active: parade with decorations
High Active: simon says lion tamer
Low active: photo booth so parents can take memories with them

1. Decorations: Create a 'ticket booth' for the entrance that campers and parents come in every morning. Have lots of balloons, streamers, animal cutouts, and use the colors red, yellow, white and blue a lot!
2. Special Event: Kids Klub Carnival! Hand out tickets to the kids throughout the week to play games with at the event. Have face painting and multiple games and activities occurring simultaneously. The counselors could get together and perform a skit for the campers, acting as the ringleader, the clowns, even the animals or the pretend tight-rope walkers. And don't forget to make popcorn for the skit!
3. Guest Speaker: A clown would be great, but I know a lot of kids have a fear of clowns. So if that won't work, a zookeeper from the Salisbury Zoo could come in talk to the campers about different animals they may see at the zoo.
4. Crafts:
"Lion and Lion Tamer" - have the kids make a ringmaster hat out of the ring of a paper plate (painted black) and black construction paper. Then, have them make a paper plate lion using markers, paint, googly eyes and string to take as their pet lion for the show.
"Trapeze Artist" - have cutouts of people that the kids can color and decorate. Then, using string and part of a coffee stirer or straw, make a trapeze for the person to do trick on. The kids can either glue their person on to the trapeze to keep him there, or can keep it detached to play with it.
5. Games:
"Clown Challenge" Relay (high activity) - have the kids put on a clown nose and shoes to compete in this relay. Then have them maneuver different things they may encounter at a circus, like a 'tight-rope' or a ring of fire (streamers hanging off of a hula hoop). The first team to complete the relay wins extra tickets for the carnival.
"Egg Carrying" Relay (high active) - have kids race one another while holding spoons with an egg on it. If you break your egg, you have to start over. Could make things more complicated by having them weave through cones as they walk.
Ring Toss (low active) - have the kids participate in a ring toss game by having them try to throw a ring around a bottle or can. This could be a carnival game, or even played indoors if the weather isn't cooperative.

1. Providing a description of decorations you will need to ensure your space is fitting to the theme:
-There could be blow up giraffes, elephants, and circus animals (dollar store), a ticket booth, parachutes, and a lot of games that pertain to the animals seen at the circus.

2. An idea for a special event for the theme week and steps to ensure success:
-An idea would be to hand out tickets at the ticket booth (maybe give them 15 tickets on Monday). Throughout the week that must have good behavior to receive more tickets and win group games to receive tickets. If there is bad behavior 1 ticket may be taken away. At the end of the week on Friday, we can have our very own circus outside where they can use their tickets to buy little prizes or food.

3. A guest speaker for the week that would be accessible (no celebrities, unobtainable people/groups- people you can actually have a chance of booking without cost to the program):
-A person that would be great to have as a guest speaker would be someone from the Salisbury Zoo. Many of these people are happy and willing to speak to young kids about the animals at the zoo. The best part is that the Salisbury zoo has a big variety of animals that we could talk about. Some may not usually be in a circus but the kids would learn a lot about animals in general.

4. 2 arts and crafts projects specific to theme and supplies needed
-Jester or clown hat. We will need construction paper, liquid Elmers glue, puffy/fuzzy balls, colored pencils. To make this, the students should cut out a piece of construction paper in half (this will be the head band). They should measure it around their head. Many students may have to use a second piece to make it around their head. The counselors can help mark where they should glue their hat together. Next the campers will cut big/long triangles of different colors out of the paper. This will be the part that hangs off the top of the hat. Generally they will need 6 triangles. The campers can use colored pencils to draw on the head band or triangles. The campers will glue the triangles at the top of the head band piece. Finally, they will glue the puffy/fuzzy balls to the end of the triangles.
-The next craft will be making an elephant. We will need gray cardstock, Elmers liquid glue, scissors, colored pencils, and party blowers. The counselors will most likely have to help the campers outline an elephant that is looking head on. The campers will be able to color and decorate their elephant however they want. Finally, the campers will cut a small hole where the elephants trunk will go. They will put a small line of glue around the party blower and but it into the hole. When dried, the campers can use the party blower to make the elephants trunk move!

5. 3 high active/low active games specific to theme"
-Ring toss game (low active). They use rings to throw onto bottles or rods.
-mini bowling ally (low active). The campers can be on teams and use dodgeballs to roll into bowling pins or plastic bottles.
-Potato sack race/obstacle (high active). The campers will have potato sacks/burlap bags and will get inside them. They will compete on teams to see which team can hop around the cones (obstacles) the fastest. The whole team must go to win.