Campfires

[Campy Measius]

How do your campfires 'work' at your camp?
How do your campers get down to campfire? In cabin groups? Or do they meet somewhere first?
Do you have campfire everynight?
Is it an All camp thing?
Do you have special campfires on certian nights? (like first and last)
What do you do on rainy days?
What's the structure of your campfire (like kinda slow, a little louder, really loud and active.. back down to calm to slow songs) do you have skits and stories?
Do you do anything after campfire, or head back up to the bunks?

I can't wait to hear how you all do your campfires, I'll tell you how my camp does it later, it might be nice to change it up a little this summer!

[audur]

We have an opening campfire on Sunday and a closing campfire on Friday (campers leave Saturday morning). Each unit decides on a "meeting spot" in front of the lodge at the beginning of the week, where they meet up after meals (we don't eat in unit groups), and once everyone's there, they head down to campfire.

Campfire is an all-camp thing, everyone must go. It's usually run by a small group of staff or CITs, who'll often put on short skits in between songs. Units or staff can sign up for stories or songs to teach or lead - we try to enforce a no-skits rule for campfires (except for the people leading, who are allowed to do skits if they want to). We start out REALLY LOUD with two crazy-loud songs (first a "roll call" one and then the crazy camp song)... keep it loud for a while and then move on to calmer things. At the end we sing the slow and nice camp song, the staff sings the staff song, and then the camp lullaby. Then the staff form two lines (facing eachother) up a hill and sing out the kids (who get dismissed by unit) - we do girl-scouty and/or slow songs (on my honour, edge of the night, today). Counselors join their campers as they walk from the campfire. We usually head right for the bunks - it tends to finish pretty late, and since it's the first and last night of camp we have lots of things to do at the unit.

On Wednesdays we have an all-camp evening program - it varies what it is from year to year. Last year it was always skit night, so campers could do skits that night if they wanted to. The year before we had different programs each week - we did cowboy night, happy unbirthday party and so on. It's not mandatory for units to go to the Wednesday "all-camp", but most campers choose to go, especially the younger ones. Thursdays are our cook-out/overnight nights, so we don't have any specific program that night - it takes all evening to get set up at your overnight spot, cook dinner and dessert and clean up!

The remaining two nights (Mondays and Tuesdays) we don't have a program, we can do whatever we want. And that's nice because that way we can do evening activities our girls come up with (dance parties, PJ parties, night hikes, night swims... even just art at night, because that's pretty cool, too!)

[campnerd99]

How do your campfires 'work' at your camp?
Every cabin has a specific night when they're on 'campfire duty' that cabin gets to pick the songs that are sung.
How do your campers get down to campfire? In cabin groups? Or do they meet somewhere first?
Campfire follows Vespers so the whole camp is already together. And also the campfire area is just a little ways away from the vespers spot.
Do you have campfire everynight?
Campfire every night for the most part, unless it's raining, and if there's a special activity then it'll get cut short.
Is it an All camp thing?
Yup.
Do you have special campfires on certian nights? (like first and last)
We have communion on the last night at campfire and sometime we have the first night campfire at the beach.
What do you do on rainy days?
We have campfire in the main building and sing around a candle or something.
What's the structure of your campfire (like kinda slow, a little louder, really loud and active.. back down to calm to slow songs) do you have skits and stories?
We always start off with 'Fire's Burning' and end with 'Day is Done (TAPS)' The middle is pretty much whatever. We don't normally do skits or stories.
Do you do anything after campfire, or head back up to the bunks?
If it's there's a special activity then thats after campfire, but if not it's 30 minutes or so to get into pyjamas/brush teeth and lights out.

[KiwiCRB]

We usually have a campfire the first and last night, unless the weather is bad. After dinner everyone usually goes back to their units to get flashlights, apply bug spray and the like and then walk down to the fire circle. It starts out really loud and energetic and ends up with counselors singing slow songs to the campers. They can join in if they know the words, but they typically don't. At one or the other we try to do s'mores. The only time units aren't required to go is if they are at two week sessions and it's the closing campfire of the first week because something is usually said about how everyone is going home the next day and that just creates oodles of homesickness that could be avoided. Sometimes instead of doing an opening fire we'll go to the pool and float candles in it and sing songs around it instead. If it rains/storms/is too windy then some other activity will be planned that can be done indoors. We don't really do anything besides sing and make s'mores at our fires, skits have their own night planned. Afterwards everyone heads back to the bunk and it's time for showers or lights out!

[camplover86]

We have all camp campfires on nights 2, 8 and 9. Night 1 we just have unit campfires, we go over "rules" and how stuff works, sing some songs, have snack and then get them to bed. Night 2 is a fun "welcome to camp" kind of thing. The director and Program Manager lead this one pretty much. Its really fun. Night 8, is called scouts own. There is a theme (friendship, team work...etc.) Each unit comes up with a skit or song to go along with that theme, the director reads a story, and we sing slowish campfire songs. Night 9, the director goes over the bus roster to make sure everyone knows how they are getting home, units do skits, we sing fun songs, and go over how packing and cleaning will be done. Meds and snack are passed out after campfire, and everyone goes back to their units together. All the other nights that there arn't all camp campfires, there are 2 all camp activites, and units do stuff together the other nights, like dance parties, sleepouts....

[Pooka]

Campfire is my favorite part of camp. I love teaching campers songs and collecting new ones in the off-season to teach, and I would go to winter camp if we did nothing but sing. Heheh.

Every unit in the camp has their own fire ring. Campfires are usually quiet and right before bedtime. We're meant to have them every night, but the weather often interferes interferes. On rainy nights, campfire is either canceled, or we set up flashlights in the shelter and have a flashlight fire. If it's opening or final campfire and raining, we have it inside the lodge at the fireplace there.

The only all-camp campfires we have are opening and final campfires. Final is always at the fire circle by our totem pole, and each unit walks down seperately and silently. Each unit then presents a special song they've prepared and throws a bundle of wish sticks into the fire, saying a wish for their unit and a wish for their camp. When final campfire is done, we head down to the lakeshore and set off wish boats-- tiny candles in paper cups. It's a gorgeous sight.

Campfire usually starts with 'Fire's Burning.' The more upbeat and songs go first, progressing into slower ones. If it's opening campfire, the staff usually sing a song or do a game to introduce themselves. (Like, I'm going on a picnic. My name is Pooka, so I'm bringing peas. It takes ages). We don't do skits and rarely do stories. LITs or CITs sometimes conduct opening, but final is mostly the director's domain.

Campfire always ends with some variation of Taps and with our camp song. Ages ago, the ending songs were always 'Peace,' 'Green Trees,' 'Taps,' and our song, but that's a bit time-consuming if you're aiming for a quick fire. We get into a circle to sing the last songs, and everyone crosses their right hand over their left and holds hands. Someone starts a friendship squeeze, and when it reaches the starter again, we break and get ready for bed.

Sorry for how long that was-- I just really like campfire. It's interesting to see the other traditions.

[camper]

at my camp, we have very traditional campfires that were started in the 1920's by the guy who founded our camp. our camp is divided into 4 tribes each summer- white mountain, horned king bird, flying eagle, and sunrise, and every tribe has a color that they wear and that is who you sit with at campfires. they take place in the council ring, which is a bunch of benches arranged in a circle around the fire and each tribe has their own section of the council ring. each tribe has camper chiefs and counselor chiefs that lead the tribes. our campfires are led by steve, who is the grandson of the man who founded our camp.

so anyway, getting to the council ring for tribes- an announcement comes over the intercom system for everyone to line up w/their tribes, each tribe has a meeting place- white mountain in front of bunks 28a and 29, horned king bird in front of bunk 27, flying eagle in front of bunks 25 and 26, and sunrise to the flagpole. the camper and counselor chiefs lead the tribes one by one toward the council ring, and when they get there the camper chief walks up to steve, makes the "sign of the high hikers" (a fist w/the pinkie and thumb raised) and has to ask permission for her tribe to enter the council ring. when all of the tribes are in and seated, steve bangs a stick on one of the benches to signal for quiet so we can start the campfire.

we have campfires every thursday night. when you factor in color war and the first week of camp it ends up being 5 total.

yes our campfires are a whole camp thing.

as for special campfires, the way it works for us is that for each campfire there is a different "main challenge" for the evening. one week is storytelling (the camper chiefs from each tribe read a meaningful story from a book and judges pick which tribe's story is the most morally insightful), the next week is tribal pyramids (each tribe gets together a couple days before the campfire and practices making a formation in the center of the council ring to present at the campfire, and they're judged by which looks the best) and the next week is tribal sing (each tribe presents 3 traditional songs that are the same every summer, and the judging is based on presentation.)

if it rains, we just set up benches in the social hall and have our campfire there, not with real fire of course! lol.

here's our structure: after steve bangs on the bench and everyone gets quiet, the camper chiefs are asked to step up to the fire to read the 4 sacred laws of nature: beauty, truth, fortitude, and love. each law has 3 key points that we call "rays" under it. then, each tribe's other camper chief is asked to do roll call, which is a little rhyme about the tribe that goes something like this: "white mountain is here, our faces so bright, ready to win, tribes tonight. all here and accounted for." then girls who want to can raise their hands and be picked to give "scout reports" which are stories they have about animals they're seen around camp that week. thats usually the funniest part of the campfire as the kids and counselors tend to embellish on the stories a little. then they raise their hands to be called on to challenge someone from another tribe to an "indian leg wrestle" or a straight face contest. then is the main challenge of the night, then while the judges are talking an age group of the oldest girls has a tug-of-war in the middle of the council ring, each tribe goes against each other. then the winner of the main challenge is announced and whichever tribe won it can request the "horns" which are just wooden horns that they hang from their totem pole. then we end our campfire w/the singing of taps while standing w/right arm crossed over left holding the people's hands next to you.

after the campfire, the kids get dismissed by age group to go up to the milkbar for milk and cookies and then they go back to the bunks.

thats our campfire! it's really long and hard to explain but its very traditional!

[CAMPFRIEND]

I can't wait to do campfires! I miss them so much. What all of you do sounds so cool!

[Sally]

OMG I'm so campsick it's nuts. Granted, I'm not going back to the camp that I've been at forever---but it doesn't matter, I still get to go to camp!!!! And I'm so excited at the prospect of learning another camp's campfire rituals.

[Campy Measius]

Ok, I guess it's time for me to answer my own questions :)
We have a campfire every night at camp, if it rains or there's a fire ban, we sit in the dining hall with candles in the middle and have a "faux" campfire lol

On nights 1,2,5 &6 we have a whole camp camp fire (which is really only about 60 campers) and every day a different cabin is responsible (mostly the counselors of that cabin) to ask other counselors to sing songs that night... but the campers of that cabin get to request songs or help lead one when they're on 'campfire chore'.
Before we go down for campfire we have a snack, then we leave from there and walk down as a cabin group, we sit where ever we want, dont' have to stay with our groups or anything. We start out with songs like fires burning or tall trees, then go into a little faster but not super fast.. then we keep getting faster, louder and more active, once we sing the loudest songs of the night we start going back down to slower more calm songs, until we start singing slow songs, like 500 miles and one tin soilder. We end with taps every night. The second verse we hum a part and the director says a little speech about the great day we've had and on the last night, we end with Linger.

After the campfire is over, two counselors burst hrough the ring dressed in costumes and in character and do an intro for a night game. The game usually involves getting back up to the main building at camp from the camfire pit (as a cabin group or other assigned group) without getting caught by the walkers. As the campers get back to camp they are sent to wash up and head to bed.

On nights 3 & 4 we are in the woods on our 'overnights'. We build leanto's to sleep in and cook all our food over the camp fire. The fire is going most of the time because we're cooking so often... lol
And the kids get to roast marshmellows, hotdogs, bannok (spel?) and make smores and eat whatever else is there... they sing whatever songs they want (obviously if they're approprate) and tell stories ... it's MUCH more laid back.
So that's how my campfires go, thanks for telling me how yours go, there's some great ideas!
keep em comming!

[KiwiCRB]

Our county commisioners voted to extend the burn ban 90 more days. That means no camp fires for at least the first half of camp :speechls2 :angry: .

[Campy Measius]

Oh Bummer Kiwi!!
Maybe you can get one of those fake campfires... I have one lol
it's wooden, made to look like a fire, in the middle is like reddish-orange plasticy stuff with a light bulb underneath and you plug it in.
Or there are those things, you can buy them at South of the Border (do you guys have South of the Border stores? or is it a Canadian thing? LOL) they have a black plastic base and fabric shaped as flames at the top, there's a light bulb and a fan or something in the base so they shine up and make the "flames" move. It's clearly fake, but it's camp... all about the imagination eh?
Then there's always "candle campfires".
I'm sure ya's will figure something out... it's still a bummer though!

[Sparkes]

I think its Canadian. I never saw one in the states.

Gather around your flashlights? I've done that before on rainy/snowy nights during camp at home

[Pooka]

Aww, that sucks, Kiwi. Campfire's one of my favorite things, so I would miss that terribly. Luckily, the county's never enacted a burn ban.

Oooh, I know those things you're talking about, Camp Measius-- I think places like Spencer's might sell them in the States. Candle fires are fun-- prettier than flashlights, and you don't have to go through all the bother of making sure all the coals are out when you're done.

[prettysocks]

a few fake fires:

http://www.cadvisor.com/akaluga/campfire.htm

http://www.camppatmos.com/campfire/howtobuildacampfire.html

http://my.dmci.net/~dmanchester/Props/Props12.htm

[KiwiCRB]

Thanks! We were brainstorming today about what we could do for a fire and how to make GOOD s'mores without one.

[CAMPFRIEND]

What about a Colman Stove?

[speedx5xracer]

when we were unable to set bon fires we used the 6t long grilles that we use for bbq's to make smores. if u set like 4 of them in a square formation it should provide enough space for many campers and staff to make smores.

[rockinsmiles]

We just have uncooked smores haha.

[Sparkes]

mmmmm smores.

[KiwiCRB]

What about a Colman Stove?

S'mores over a coleman stove just don't taste the same to me.

[Whimsy]

We have two all camp campfires every session. We have one on Monday (opening) and this is typically a high energy campfire. To get there we dismiss girls by units and they form a song train. It is really neat. At the campfire all the units have individual cheers or songs that they present to the camp...as do the staff. It usually closes with a couple slow songs and then everyone goes back to their units. Our other campfire is held on Fridays (closing) and are usually very somber. The girls walk through a path of the staff. The songs are normally quieter/slower and we have a story read. All the units go up and share a memory with the camp and then recieve a bead to go on their camp necklaces. Then as the girls are dismissed they walk back through the path of staff (now holding candles and singing come sisters come). Then campfires are normally up to individual units if they want one other nights.

[CAMPFRIEND]

It was just a thought!

[KiwiCRB]

They lifted the burn ban HOOORAY!!! S'mores and campfires here I come.

[CAMPFRIEND]

They lifted the burn ban HOOORAY!!! S'mores and campfires here I come.

I wonder how long it will last. I know that we have one now:(

[KiwiCRB]

Well we've only had just over 2 inches since last October so it doesn't take much to get it lifted!

[CAMPFRIEND]

We need more rain to make our pond go up!! Have fun with your campfires this summer.

[Marzz]

To my delight, campfires at my camps have changed very little since I started going as a little camper-head in 1985. I LOVE campfires! Here’s how it’s usually done:

Opening campfire is Sunday night. Campers arrive Sunday afternoon, and campfire is right after dinner. It usually starts out with a fire building song such as “Rise Up O’ Flame” or another fire song which I don't know the name (I'll post the lyrics at the end of this post). Sometimes we play the flashlight game, to encourage the kids not to shine flashlights in people's eyes and so they will turn them off until the end of the campfire. Then there are a couple of rowdy songs alternating with a couple of skits put on by counselors. Then we do some sort of activity like "making rain" or magic pennies, followed by a story. Then we tell the girls we are going into the quiet part of the campfire and we teach them to applaud in sign language. Then we sing a couple of quiet songs, sometimes a counselor will play guitar. We usually teach one and sing one or two more. The camp director gives a brief talk to welcome all the camper's to camp and goes over some of the basic rules. Then all the counselors go to the front and sing a dismissal song releasing campers by unit. Everyone goes back to their units for bedtime (and the homesick duty begins!).

Closing campfire is on Friday night since the girls go home Saturday morning. Closing campfire is very similar to opening, except that the campers get to do the skits (by unit) instead of the counselors. We usually don't teach songs at closing campfire because hopefully by then the girls have already learned a bunch, so we just sing what they know. If magic pennies were passed out on opening day, they are collected at closing campfire. It ends the same way as opening campfire, but usually the kids are crying because they are sad it's almost over rather than being homesick. If there are CIT's in camp, they generally stay behind and have their own little fire and put it out before heading to bed.

If it's raining or we have a burn ban, we do the campfire program in the lodge and build a fake fire using tissue paper and red, orange, and yellow pom poms. I also sometimes use red, orange, and yellow bandanas with a flashlight underneath for "tent" campfires.

The Fire Starting Song:

(written phonetically) start out very quiet, and get louder and louder as each verse repeats.

Oh way oh way day-vaan-ee tah-e-tee (clap)
Oh wah ooh tot ooh way, day-vuu-dee-ay (clap, clap)
Oh way oh way day-vaan-ee tah-e-tee (clap)
Oh wah ooh tot ooh way, day-vuu-dee-ay (clap, clap)

leader: day-vaan-ee tah-e-tee
group: tah-e-tee
leader: hey paa-peeno
group: hey paa-peeno
leader: day-vaan-ee tah-e-tee
group: tah-e-tee
leader: hey paa-pee-no!
group: hey paa-pee-no!

[KiwiCRB]

What is the flashlight game?? We always have problems with flash lights and I would love to know a way to fix that!

[Marzz]

The Flashlight Game:

Have all the kids take out their flashlights and turn them on, then shine them at the moon, at the tops of trees, wave them around in big circles, then small circles, then shine them to the left, the right, under their chin, in their ear, on their friend's elbow, etc. The last thing you have them do is shine them at the ground. Then turn them off, set them down at their feet, and leave them there until the end of the campfire. It's also a good time to throw in something about not shining flashlights in people's eyes, etc.

And that's all there is to it!

[c3divers]

We do a little more with the flashlight game. We have them take their flashlights out and turn them on then we have them shine it on other peoples back and say - backlight, then the tree and say tree light, then make circles in the air and say blur light special you can go on and on and on. there is always a new "light" every year. We also have the girls shine it into the sky and the staff say - "I'm writing my real name, I'm writing my real name." then the last thing we have them do is turn it off place it on the ground and then we tell them not to touch it until the end of campfire. - Usually works.

[s'mores]

We have campfires each Friday night as our evening program. We all gather by cabin group around the fire ring and start off by singing some campsongs (some of which are as old as the camp itself.) After that, we have either a camper or staff member tell a story and then listen to some music (guitars, fiddles, saxophones, harmonica, acapella signing) which campers or counselors have prepared especially for that nights' campfire. Then we conclude with what we call a "key-log" ceremony. This is when anybody can throw their "key-log" (a small log of wood) into the camp fire - one at a time, of course - and say something of value, thank someone etc, while everyone else gives them their undivided attention. Campfires are usually one of my favorite nights in camp, especially when we get to make s'mores!

[happy_camper]

Our sessions are M-F, so we have campfire the last night (Thursday night). After dinner, the units go up to their cabins to get bug spray and flashlights, etc. while the CITs (who run campfire) get the fire going. The girls come back down and sit in front of the fire (facing it) and the CITs stand between them and the fire. The CITs lead songs, usually starting with the energetic songs and going to the slower ones. We usually end with linger, one tin soldier, or the like (whatever the CITs decide). Obviously s'mores are involved, too :) One year at my other camp when I was a CIT we were told to end the song night all-camp and the campfire with upbeat songs so that the girls wouldn't be homesick (slow songs spur homesickness), but we haven't had this problem at my regular camp. The units are then dismissed to go back to the unit and go to bed. The CITs usually stay behind and have their own mini campfire and put it out. Oh, and they get to clean up too! :)

[prettysocks]

The Flashlight Game:

Have all the kids take out their flashlights and turn them on, then shine them at the moon, at the tops of trees, wave them around in big circles, then small circles, then shine them to the left, the right, under their chin, in their ear, on their friend's elbow, etc. The last thing you have them do is shine them at the ground. Then turn them off, set them down at their feet, and leave them there until the end of the campfire. It's also a good time to throw in something about not shining flashlights in people's eyes, etc.


SUPER IDEA! I don't have this problem with summer camp, because we have big street lights to make it not dark, but i do have this problem at Brownie weekend camps! Thanks!