Children’s Afternoon Activities Helper

Number of People: 14 or more

Budget: $0

Children’s Afternoon Activities are held Saturday through Friday, during Social Hour, before dinner from 5:30 until 6:30. The idea is to provide supervision and safe, yet fun games and activities for kids over 5 years old through Junior Teens (low attendance of this group). The lawn and Brookfield (if not otherwise scheduled) are common sites for this activity. Plan to offer both active and passive activities.

This is a demanding job -- and an absolutely necessary one. It is also fun and rewarding if you bring lots of ideas and can incorporate both structure and flexibility into the sixty-minute programs. The coordinator will assign two or three co-leaders for each afternoon. It is up to you to come up with the activity for the day(s) to which you are assigned. The Coordinator will be sure to offer assistance. Keep in mind that you are providing a fun, active session for the kids for one day only. If you sign up for a day and/or have a day assigned to you, please follow through. It's not fair to the coordinator if you don't do your part.

Appropriate games include: kite flying, kick ball, ultimate Frisbee and soccer. Softball is always a safety concern with younger children -- if you choose to play softball, careful supervision of younger children is paramount. Board games for the quieter kids -- or in case of rainy days -- should be imported from the mainland (Battleship, Clue, Monopoly, Twister, card games, Pictionary, Uno, Scattergories etc.). Games for large numbers of players are good. Structure is needed. Looser is not necessarily better at this time of day. Bring games equipment and get game suggestions off island.

Some younger children are tired at this hour and so a few low-key pastimes such as music or books may be good offerings. Occasional videos are okay, so bring a few, but many parents prefer them to be used only a last resort, or only on a rainy day. The VCR is available on the Island; contact Conference Services ahead of time. Many smaller children probably just need a watchful eye as they play on the jungle gym. Babies and toddlers (Skimmers and Nestlings) are not your responsibility. Others will supervise them.

Last reviewed by Kathy West - June 2018