Many childhood periods are remembered by trips to camps. Friendship with "fellow soldiers" and love for their counselors often arises at evening candles.
What is an evening candle?
An evening candle (light) in the camp is a very important part of the daily routine. At this event, you can discuss all the problems, take stock of the day or share your impressions. A timely candle can smooth out emerging conflicts, help to adapt to new conditions.
Rules for holding a spark
A candle in the camp is carried out according to certain rules, the observance of which will ensure the solution of all assigned tasks. These rules are as follows:
- counselor must prepare children for the upcoming candle;
- all participants are located at the same level and at the same distance from the candle or object that replaces it;
- you cannot interrupt the speaker;
- discussion of a specific person is not allowed; condemnation only of bad deeds is allowed;
- Do not eat or drink during the light;
- conversations should be conducted calmly, elevated tones should be avoided;
- it is strictly forbidden to cross the center of the circle;
- everything said must remain between the participants in the candle;
- candle-picking should always be informal, without coercion;
- The theme of the event should be relevant to its participants.
These are just the basic laws for holding candles in a camp. Each unit can follow its own traditions.
Candles
According to the temporary development of the change, the candles are divided into the lights of the organizational period, the main and the final.
The purpose of the candles of the organizational period is to introduce, adapt and encourage children to communicate and work together.
What to say on a candle in the camp? The counselor must carefully prepare for the first light. He should tell about the history of the camp, describe the area in which he is located, introduce children to local legends. The story should not be too overloaded with various information, it should be "diluted" with funny jokes, stories, personal memories.
Acquaintance lights can take place in the following formats:
- Relay story. The object is transmitted in a circle (you can come up with a squad symbol and transmit it). Everyone in whose hands he finds himself talks about himself.
- Envelope of Revelations. The host prepares an envelope with unusual questions. Each candle participant draws a question and answers it.
- Casket with your favorite things. Each member of the squad does not tell about himself, but about his favorite toy, talisman or object that characterizes him. You can demonstrate this thing in the light.
- Horoscope. All participants in the light are divided into groups - zodiac signs. The counselor presents a characteristic of each of the signs presented and invites each group to draw up a "portrait" of the facts about each of its participants, confirming the veracity of the horoscope.
- A memorable day. Each child talks about the brightest day of his life.
The lights of the organizational period may be characterized by low activity and constriction of children. The counselor must make every effort to make the atmosphere friendly and relaxed, encouraging children to have a frank and emotional conversation.
The lights of the main period
At the height of the shift, the main goal of the lights is to analyze and evaluate the joint activities of the detachment and each of its members.
Themes for candles in the camp in the middle of the shift depend on the tasks that the counselor has set for himself.
To smooth out conflicts in the process of holding a twinkle, topics can be as follows:
- Letter to a friend. Participants write a โletterโ to relatives or close friends in which they share their experiences. Then all the guys read out their messages.
- I want to understand. This light allows the possibility of unsystematic arrangement of participants. Each child can come up to another and ask a question starting with "I want to understand ....".
- Conversation with a fellow traveler. Each participant in the light tells the "fellow traveler" about the camp events.
- Circle of silence. All participants are located with their backs to the center of the circle. Only the speaker unfolds. Gradually all the guys speak out, getting involved in the discussion of a problematic issue.
Themed candles in the camp can be held during the shift depending on events and logic.
Examples of thematic lights can be:
- light of friendship and love;
- memorial candle;
- song candle;
- ecological light, etc.
You can supplement the light with songs for the guitar, appropriate in meaning to his theme.
The lights of the final period
The task of the lights of the final period is to summarize the shift. Each child should analyze their own changes during their stay in the camp and see and evaluate the changes in others.
The format of the lights can be like this:
- Chain. The first participant speaks a few phrases that reflect his impression of the change, his neighbor continues the conversation and passes the word down the chain.
- The role of the squad. Each of the guys aloud ponders in turn on the question "What did the squad become for me for a shift?"
- Stories about each other. The guys take turns expressing opinions and impressions of communicating with one of the members of the squad. Thus, everyone receives a collective opinion about themselves.
Each of the candles in the camp should take place mentally and be accompanied by joint actions, for example, culminating in a detachment song or joint candle extinguishing. Each of the participants should feel like a full member of the team, whose opinion is appreciated and respected.