Tag into the Flag: An Israel Icebreaker

JAR — Tue, 03 Dec 2013 15:35:54 +0000

The campers will participate in an icebreaker that simultaneously engages them in conversation about Israel and puts them surreptitiously into the shape of the Israeli flag!

Curriculum Themes:

A Land & Its People

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

15 Minutes

Physical Space:

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Icebreaker - getting to know other people

The sense that people have all different kinds of relationships with Israel

Explanation:

The faciliator will gather the campers/participants on a large field or in a large open indoor space. They will be instructed that this will be a game of tag, but not a traditional game of tag. The facilitator will ask everyone to follow the directions of each task.

The first task – please find someone from a different city or whom you don't know from home. Great! You should all be standing in pairs, holding hands. (If you are shomer n’giah, you may find an alternative to holding hands, of course.)

Next, please discuss and add up among the two of you how many years you have been at your camp. Now, find another pair that matches (or comes close to) your number. Great! You should now be standing in groups of four.

Next task is to talk amongst yourselves and determine how many times the members in your quartet have visited Israel combined. If you are playing this game with staff and have a shaliach in your foursome, consider yourselves lucky! You have a lifer! And add the number of the non-shlichim in your group and then add 10 to your number. Now find another quartet that matches (or comes close to) your number. Great! You should now be in standing in groups of eight.

Now this gets fun! Please now circle up, huddle, and go over who everyone is in your group and what they love most about Israel (even if they haven't been).

Your next task now is to find another group of eight that has at least one person in that group who has been to Israel! Great! You should now be standing in groups of sixteen.

Our next to last task is to get into 3 groups of 32. In order to do that, please circle up and huddle with your group of 16. A staff member will now bring to your group a slip of paper. Please read the slip of paper and accomplish your task!

SLIPS OF PAPER

(4 groups get this slip) Your task is to stand in a line, shoulder to shoulder with your backs right up against the long end of the open space, facing the space. There will be another group with this same assignment. Please include them in your line. There are three other groups getting this slip of paper. You can only partner with one other group and your two groups must be standing opposite and facing the other two groups.

(2 groups get this slip) Your task is to create a standing equilateral triangle in the very center of the field using all 16 people in your group. There will be another group with this same assignment. Please ensure that their triangle and your triangle overlap to make a Magen David.

The faciliator should be in a place where a picture from above can be taken and the ideal way to end this program is to play Hatikvah on a loud speaker and get everyone to sing along while showing them an Israeli flag so they recognize the shape they're standing in.

Variations:

You can always do this with smaller/less groups.

Curricular Subjects:

Current Events

Israeli Schlep

JAR — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 20:11:35 +0000

Schlep is Yiddish for ‘lug stuff around’ and while that might not sound like a lot of fun...it actually IS! In 'Schlep', groups of campers -- perhaps divided by cabin -- are asked to bring to the activity a pillowcase full of random stuff from their cabins. The random stuff then becomes iconic items in Israel as the competition heats up and the cultural funducation ensues!

Program Duration:

1 hour

Physical Space:

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Israeli iconic symbols (menorah, shield, star of david, olive branch, etc.)

Israel's geographic diversity (Eliat, Jerusalem, the Negev, Ein Gedi, kibbutzim, the beach, etc.)

Foods native to Israel (falafel & pita, oranges)

Explanation:

Stage 1: Explaining the Game of Schlep!

Campers should be divided into equal groups and seated around the space in a circle equidistant from the center. (Make sure they are equidistant otherwise one team will have an advantage!)
The leader should stand in the center of the circle with a microphone or loud voice. Once everyone is seated in their groups with their pillowcases full of stuff, the leader should explain the game.
The name of the game is “Israeli Schlep” and here’s the way it works:
- The leader will call out a word that represents something found in Israel or something that represents Israel. Each group then has two minutes to create a representation of that word using people of the group and at least one object from the bag, and schlep it to the leader (or judges table if there is one). Points will be awarded based on speed and creativity.
The leader will then do a test round for no points. The leader should not just say a word from the list included below. Rather, the leader should describe how it fits in Israeli life. For instance:
- Ein Gedi is a beautiful park in Israel that contains a waterfall. Schlep over a ‘waterfall’.
- The national emblem of Israel is actually a Menorah. Bring me a ‘menorah.’
This way, the campers will learn something about Israel (there’s a waterfall? in the desert?) and will have fun at the same time!
The leader should stress that it's not just about putting objects together but using the people in the group to create a picture.

Stage 2: Playing!

THE LIST:

You will need this list to facilitate the program (please add to it and add to this template). Feel free to add your own, especially in consultation with the Israelis on your staff:

In Israel, many people eat FALAFEL AND PITA SANDWICHES. Schlep over a FALAFEL AND PITA SANDWICH.
The national symbol of Israel is a MENORAH. Schlep over a MENORAH.
The symbol on the Israeli flag is the STAR OF DAVID. Schlep over the STAR OF DAVID.
Israel is home to olive trees, lots of them. Schlep over an OLIVE BRANCH
Israel has lots of shoreline where people go to the beach. Schlep over some SAND.
The sun is bright in Israel, especially since the buildings in Jerusalem are all made of white Jerusalem stone. Schlep over some SUNGLASSES.
THE WESTERN WALL is the last remaining exterior wall of the Temple in Jerusalem. Schlep over THE WESTERN WALL
Want to get around in the Negev (the Israeli desert?). Ride a CAMEL. Schlep over a CAMEL.
Another symbol of Israeli strength is the SHIELD. Schlep over a SHIELD.
In the Negev, there are a people called Bedouins. They live in really neat tents. Schlep over a BEDOUIN TENT.
In Israel, there is a park called Ein Gedi which has a WATERFALL. Schlep over a WATERFALL.
In Eilat you can get lots of things...including a SUNBURN! Schlep over a SUNBURN.
In Israel, some people live on a communal farm called a KIBBUTZ. Schlep over a KIBBUTZ.
Motorola developed the cell phone in Israel, and voicemail was invented in Israel too! Schlep over a CELLPHONE.
Israel is home to many fruits and vegetables. One fruit that grows in Israel is the ORANGE. Schlep over an ORANGE.

The Goodman Initiative - Sports Center

Tag into the Flag: An Israel Icebreaker

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

Physical Space:

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Explanation:

Variations:

Curricular Subjects:

Israeli Schlep

Program Duration:

Physical Space:

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Explanation: