Schoolyard Campout: An Afternoon Run by Crews
Each group runs a campsite plot in the schoolyard with assigned roles, from choosing the spot to leaving it exactly as they found it. It's a dress rehearsal for camp life before an overnight trip.
How to play
- Crews and plots: each group of five gets a plot marked with cones and assigns roles: crew leader, logistics, water, safety, and Leave No Trace (5 min).
- Choose a spot inside the plot (no puddles, no slope, away from the area marked as a river) and pitch the tent with weight on the corners (12 min).
- Camp life with timed tasks: organize the inside with pads and packs, set up a no-fire kitchen area with water and a trash bag, do a simulated night walk with headlamps to the latrine area, and check the guylines after a wind alarm (12 min).
- Cross-inspection: another group checks the plot with a checklist (stability, order, water, waste, and safety) (6 min).
- Breakdown and cleanup: the Leave No Trace lead only signs off if the plot is back to how it was (8 min).
- Quick debate: what would we change if it rained all night (2 min).
Rules
- No stoves or fire: the kitchen is simulated.
- No stakes in the schoolyard; use water jugs as weights.
- Each role has a specific task and roles rotate next session.
- Walk, never run, on the headlamp route.
Variations
Easier
No wind alarm, and an illustrated task list.
Standard
All timed tasks plus the cross-inspection.
Harder
Surprise incidents: a member 'gets sick' and the group must reassign roles without stopping camp.
Adaptations
- Wheelchair users: a plot on pavement and the crew leader or safety role.
- Visually impaired: a rope guide instead of the headlamp walk and an audio checklist.
- Anxiety about new tasks: assign the water role, with clear, closed tasks.
Learning goals
- Organize a campsite with roles and timings.
- Apply safety and Leave No Trace criteria when choosing and leaving a site.
- Cooperate with individual responsibility inside the group.
Equipment for a class of 25
- tents: 6
- sleeping pads: 12
- water jugs: 12
- trash bags: 6
- headlamps: 6
- cones: 24
Teacher tip
Set up the plots with cones before class and make a one-page inspection checklist. The usual mistake is the whole group pitching the tent while nobody covers the other roles.
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