Turtle Tag and the Hen Game
Nature Games and Activities for Church Camps
These games are very similar [1], in that both introduce the theme of protection in nature. You will need three or four small tarps or parachutes, which will serve as the campers protection during the game. Play the game where there is an open grassy path surrounded by trees and shrubs. If not, simply lay out a course with cones.
To play Turtle Tag, divide the campers into teams of four players, each person representing a leg of the turtle. Hand each team a parachute or tarp representing their shell. Instruct the campers to move around the course but to be careful of predators along the course. If the predators attack the turtle, the campers must get completely under the parachute shell. If any part of the body sticks out of the edge, the predator may tag the turtle, and the whole team must start over and move through the course again.
The Hen Game is very similar, but only one or two campers carry the parachute, which represent hen's wings in this situation. The rest of the campers are the hen's chicks and move with her through the designated course. Of course when a predator appears, the chicks should flee under the parachute for safety. Any chicks left outside can be tagged and become predators. Be diligent to control how many times the predators attack the hen. For an added element, give one campers handkerchief to designate one chick who is safe from the predator. That chick can then lead the predator away from the rest of the flock, just as some bird parents, like Killdeer, lead predators away from the young by feigning a broken wing. Before another attack, the camper can hand off the handkerchief to another player to keep the predators guessing during the game.
During debriefing, discuss the them of protection. Begin by focusing on how God provides protection for the turtle on its own back. Birds also protect their young by hiding them under their own wings. Birds not only find safety under the parent's wings, they also warm themselves there and find shelter from the harsh environment around them. In the same way, the Bible often suggests that God's people find shelter under the Lord's wings. For instance, the psalmist writes that "he will you with his pinions and under his wings you will find refuge" (Psalm 91.4). Also mention Christ's own lament over Jerusalem, "to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings" (Matthew 23.37). Just as a chick runs to its mother for shelter, so should we run to God for shelter amidst the storms of life.
- These games are both drawn from summer camp curricula produced by the ELCA and Augsburg Fortress.