"Survivor" like games for camping trip

[Lilacs4Me]

All my sisters' families and mine are camping this summer - we have decided to put together a "Survivor" game for the 4 days we will be there, for the kids. They range from ages 17-7 (oldest -senior in HS, youngest - going into 2nd grade). We are dividing the teams up pretty evenly so each team will have 2 teenagers each, 3 tweens each, and each team will get a little boy. (2nd and 3rd graders) Each mom (there are 5 of us) are in charge of coming up with one "challenge", supplying whatever is needed for it, and running it when it's our turn.

I admit that I am very, very creative in theory, but really, really bad at the actual execution. So, I have been looking for a really fun game that 1. won't break the bank, and 2. is easy for me to set up and doesn't take a whole lot of prep time or supplies and 3. will be just as much fun for the older kids as the younger ones on each team

So far, I have come up with:

hula hoop tic tac toe - 9 hula hoops, 6 each of 2 different colored bean bags. Kids are at a start line, the first kid runs up, throws a bean bag into a hoop, then the next kid on the other team...you get the point. Team that wins three rounds first wins the challenge.

Minute-to-win-it games -
I have 6 very simple minute to win it games that could be easily adapted to a survivor challenge by eliminating the timer and just having the kids move onto the next game when they successfully complete the first one. Games are easy enough for the little kids to try, and hard enough to keep the older kids engaged (we do all of these games at my kids' Middle School fun nights over the years) First team to do all of the stations wins.

My sisters are doing much more elaborate challenges with tons of props, supplies, etc. They live much closer to the campground - some live as close as a 20-45 minute drive, but we will be driving 4 hours. I don't want to be the lame Aunt with the boring games, but I don't really have the resources (time, money, room in the car, etc) for large props or very involved activities.

Any other fun ideas?

 

[georgina]

Survivor? Are they going to be voting people out of the game? That would be hard on the younger ones.

Survivor has mental challenges too, like looking at a set of pictures and then going back to recreate the sequence. Maybe combine a physical activity with a memory challenge.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

http://www.birthdaypartyideas4kids.com/survivor-party.htm

https://www.pinterest.com/ubajroxy/family-survivor/

http://kate-my-mind.blogspot.com/2011/09/family-survivor-games.html

 

[Lilacs4Me]

Survivor? Are they going to be voting people out of the game? That would be hard on the younger ones.

Survivor has mental challenges too, like looking at a set of pictures and then going back to recreate the sequence. Maybe combine a physical activity with a memory challenge.

Nope. no voting off. Although all 5 of us agree that *if* the kids were all relatively the same age, we woudl have probably chosen to have the kids vote their cousins off, and the kids would have to suck it up and step out gracefully. We are not really a "everyone gets a trophy" kind of family....but in this case, it wouldn't be fair since the 7 year old obviously cannot compete with a 16 and almost 18 year old. The older kids' biggest challenge will be to put their natural competitive natures aside and use the little ones to their teams' advantage. And everyone stays in the game....this year.

And, thanks!

 

[MPB82]

Bug eating competition

Endurance challenge (standing on something small for longest period of time)

 

[pocomom]

Scavenger hunt (maybe photo scavenger hunt with teams or families)

Fire starting contest

Campfire cooking challenge- like "cupcake wars" but cook over Campfire or grill

 

[pocomom]

Instead of bug eating (because vomiting isn't so much family-fun) you could do a variety of healthy vegetables. Brussel sprouts, kale - whatever might cause the kids to refuse.

For fire starting I would have a bow drill or flint and steel- first fire to burn through a rope or string tied over top wins.

 

[pocomom]

If you did an obstacle challenge you could set it up so the little kids have some advantages too. Low obstacles, tight fits.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

Instead of bug eating (because vomiting isn't so much family-fun) you could do a variety of healthy vegetables. Brussel sprouts, kale - whatever might cause the kids to refuse.

For fire starting I would have a bow drill or flint and steel- first fire to burn through a rope or string tied over top wins.

We did a "Fear Factor" birthday for our daughter, where the kids had to try to eat different things. We included different types of baby food (fruit, vegs, and the "meats") along with regular (chocolate, bacon, etc) and "weird" foods (brussel sprouts, blue cheese, etc)

 

[pjlla]

In lieu of the "bug eating" challenge, we did another food eating challenge. It was something absolutely unrecognizable, but edible. Not yummy, but edible. They only had to eat about a tablespoon of it to "pass" that particular challenge. As I recall (this was a few years ago) we actually had a food AND a drink. The food was actually baby food (whatever we could find that was a terrible brownish green... probably peas) mixed with canned deviled ham (for the texture). I believe that the drink was prune juice. We wouldn't tell them what they were eating/drinking.... just that it WAS real food for human consumption (the baby food/ham combo looked AND smelled like cat food!).

We also had a few other challenges like building a jump rope from licorice whips.... it had to hold up to at least 10 jumps in order to "pass".

Our kids age range is about 7 years between the oldest and the youngest. We tried to arrange them on teams so that they had one from each end of the range, plus cousins versus siblings, plus mix up the male/female mix as best we could. They got to pick a "country" to represent and they all got to decorate t-shirts to represent their tribe.

Have fun and take LOTS of photos!.........P

 

[Cadiewampus]

How about a who can be the quietest challenge