This week [while wrestling with a sore throat that's limited my results] I set aside in my diary as a writing week!! I get lots of creative ideas along the way and with changes we've made to our focus this year there has been time to schedule for some work on those ideas!!
They include:
"Splash" discipleship Diary
A movie resource lectionary
HSC Survival Stuff
"Things I've Learnt in Ministry with Young People"
and
"A Giant Games and Community Building Book"
Many years ago Gary Topic edited a book from a variety of sources including a dozen or so I my own favourites.... add
Egad Ideas, New Games for Community from Christine Gapes etc etc PLUS my own focus on group building, GTKY questions and you'll have a great companion for the evolving "Batteries Not Included" website...
I'm editing out dodgy 80's double meaning names, violence and ones that don't reflect a contemporary understanding of personal space and permission.
It did cause me to reminisce about an old favourite... 'Musical Hugs'!! Essentially it's musical chairs but you split the group by gender and if the boys are standing in a circle or oval shape then the girls stand opposite and circle around while the music plays. When the music stops... hug a boy! Boys are removed so there's always one or more less and vice versa when it's the girls turn!!
Yes yes I know! But some of my favourite memories of Camps and Communities come from playing this game in the right spirit!
Others are saying... what's wrong with that... well, we all get on well with others to a greater or lesser degree and when this game gets going you end up with no choice about who hugs you, how hard and what sort of fight ensues. People would opt out and be cajoled by peer pressure to join in... we know that after the hormonal Christianity of the 80s there are those with esteem issues who used to use this game to pump up their ego in unhealthy ways. Imagine 2 girls left where one is the hot object of desire on the part of half the boys in the group, the other is a quiet shy girl who for whatever undeserved reason is not as popular... its writ large in the body language, comments and reluctance as this round unfolds!!
We did go through an era of asking less keen participants to tap their shoulder as a sign they'd prefer just a touch on the shoulder rather than a hug... but it's still fraught with unintended consequences!!
At the same time, when this game was played with the best intentions in a spirit of fun it is quite hilarious and the groups used to chant for it at every opportunity... they were fun times! Right up there with bonnet sliding, tree stump exploding and cracker night!
Stay tuned for a publication date after more rounds of editing and writing weeks!!
