8th Grade Lock-in

Lock-In

Kids need to bring:
WHITE Bed-sheet that will not come home in good shape
Bathing suit, towel, two changes of clothes, toiletries (incl. Wash cloth)
If it is cool, have shorts and t-shirts for over swimsuits

Before hand:
Move tables and chairs up against walls in undercroft          
Decorate the undercroft entrance as the garden of Eden- trees, plants, animals Divide the undercroft into two sides:  clothes lines and blankets down the center. 

6PM:  Welcome and Mail Game

6:30 PM:  Make their own pizzas while Mail Game continues

7PM:  Eat Pizza and drink soda

7:30PM Pictionary/Charades

8:15:  Big Clothes Relay

8:35:  Handicap Olympics   

9PM:  arrival and socializing amongst the kids.
Materials:  Box for permission slips and emergency/insurance information
Another box for wrist watches.
Masking tape and sandwich baggies to put individual watches in.
Table set up to take people’s stuff and answer questions for parents
Name tags
Soda and snacks for the kids (light snacks, they’ll be eating at other times)

9:30 PM:  Spider web game.
Purpose: Get the kids and leaders organized, introduced to each other, and give out rules.
Materials:  One big area to form circle.
One big ball of multi-colored yarn.
CD player and CD’s of Christian music
One envelope per kid with their name on it.
A few places around the undercroft where kids and leaders can write notes
Paper, pens, pencils, envelopes. 
What happens:  All people stand in a circle.  Leader tells kids that this is a different kind of lock-in with activities happening every 15 minutes to 30 minutes.  So, if you like what we are doing, please don’t get upset when we end it quickly.  If you don’t like what we are doing, participate because others might be finding it interesting or fun.  And, don’t worry, it’ll be over soon.  Then, after saying name and something about self that others might not know, grabs onto string of yarn and throws yarn ball to someone else in group not next to him/her.  Once everyone has the string in their hand, we explain reason why we need everyone’s cooperation.  Groups start dropping string.  Spider web won’t hold. 
Be Positive!  Say positive things in letters which you find around room.  Put in envelope. You’ll get your envelope before you go home. Don’t go to your envelope til you get it at the end.  

9:50 PM:  Go to Garden of Eden and listen to Matthew 3:13-17.
Discuss our infant baptism.
Points to cover:  Importance of name given
Renounce sins by community
Importance of water over head
Anointing with chrism on head
Importance of white cloth
Importance of lighted candle

10:15 PM  Who am I? Game
What happens:  The kids get a name of someone famous put on their back.  Then, by asking others to treat that person as his/her name says to be treated, the kid has to figure out who the character is.  Once kids know who they are, they go to wall and act like the person.  
Purpose:  Importance of how people treat you based on what they know about you.
Materials:   bag full of famous people each on separate slips of paper. 
Tape to put the paper on the kids.
Big area for kids to meet each other

10:35 PM  “That’s Not my name.” 
What happens:  Let the kids describe who they really are.   Kids are grouped and each kid gets drawn on butcher-block paper.  Then, the kid draws pictures within self explaining talents, gifts and characteristics that describe self.   Then, he/she cuts out  figure and hangs it on the wall in the entrance to undercroft. Must have real name of kid on it. Some leader writes down all of the things written on it.  One page per kid.  Put kids name on paper. Place somewhere won’t get lost. Needed later. (these cut-outs will be used again later.)
Purpose:  Begin finding out what they already know about themselves.
Materials:  butcher block paper – enough that each kid can be traced on it.
Markers
Scissors
Ticky-tack or material to hang these on windows (in undercroft entrance)

                                                                   
11:15 PM  Graffiti Wall:
What happens:  The kids come on the other side of the undercroft and in front of them, are paper covered wall dividers.  Across the top of the paper, the question is asked,  “Do you reject Satan, and all his empty promises and all his sins?”  Hanging from many places on the wall are markers from strings.  The kids are instructed to go to the wall and begin writing all of the sins they can think of.  Once they have done this, they take a cross and write down at least two of these sins that they can relate to/identify with.  The crosses are placed in a bag so no one can see them.  
Purpose: identify with sin in a non threatening way.
Materials:  paper covered room dividers
Markers and string attached to dividers.
Cut outs of crosses on different colored paper

11:45 PM change into swim suits 

11:55 PM:  Fill the buckets:
What happens:  Two teams.  One bucket filled with water for each team.  Several sponges in each bucket. Kids line up shoulder to shoulder and pass the sponges one to the other and fill the second bucket at the ends of their lines.  First to fill the bucket up wins.  Second to fill the bucket gets the water poured on them first.  Then, the other team gets the water poured on them.
 Materials:  2 buckets per team ( four buckets of the same size; 2 filled with water)
Lots of sponges of the same kind          

12:15 PM  Wet limbo:
What happens:  form single file line. 2 leaders hold the pole.  3rd team leader keeps the hose spraying over the pole.  We don’t really care how kid gets under the pole.  When the kid touches the pole, 4th team leader dumps water over kid’s head.  Hose gets sprayed on them.  Music is played for this. 
Materials:  pole
Hoses
Buckets of water
CD player and CD’s

12:35 PM  Slip and Slide
What happens:  Now that they are wet with water, it is time to get them filled with oil.  So,  get slip and slides made by taping together several trash bags together (or buying slip and slides and taping them together) and then fill the slip and slide with baby oil and shampoo.  Let them all go down several times getting them wet with the hose as they go. 
Materials:  slip and slide either bought or made using plastic bags.
Lots of baby oil and shampoo and other slippery material that won’t hurt
Hoses.
Flashlights sticking in the air going down the hill
OR
Candles inside lunch bags going down the hill (away from slip and slide)

Oreo in whipped cream: find Oreo cookies in the bowl of whipped cream
Silly String to the red circle (red circle on head)

1AM change clothes

1:10 AM  Smores over the camp fire.
What happens:  We have to find out if we can have a camp fire; if not, then use a grill to make the fire. Then, roast marshmallows.  Tell clean jokes and stories.   When everyone has had their Smores time to go in and do more.  Keep the fire lit, we’ll be back soon.
Materials:  Either grill or place for campfire and wood,
Lighter fluid
Matches
Sticks for marshmallow roasting
Marshmallows, graham crackers and Hershey bars 
Some clean jokes and stories from leaders ready to go.

1:45  AM  Toga graffiti party:
What happens:  Kids put on white sheets and meet back in the Garden of Eden.  Recap of what has happened and why we’ve done it.  Now, ready to put on white baptismal garment which is on.  We are told we do this for our Christian dignity so others may treat us with dignity and we may treat others with dignity.   So, now, it is time to write messages on each other that are complimentary.  Compliment each other, say what is good about each other.   What are their talents, their good personality traits, why they’re friendly. As you write it, tell the person.  After this is finished, kids take their sheet off and adds those they don’t already have to their person in the garden of Eden.    Once these are added, leader writes these on same paper, he/she started earlier. 
Purpose: now person gets to see what others see good in self.
Materials:  their own white sheets
Markers
Scissors to cut hole for head. (Takes too long to actually make toga)

2:25 AM  “Baptism washes away our sins.”
What happens:   We take two crosses from the bag and go to Garden of Eden.  Listen to a story about forgiveness of sins:  Luke 15: 11-32.   Jesus is the good father who takes away our sins.  Sins are forgiven not just by Jesus, but because he died for all of us, we too are to be forgiving. So, those crosses you have might not be your sins, or you may have been the victims of those sins.  Forgiveness and washed away of sins happens in our baptism.  That happens to us in our baptism.   Reconciliation takes away our sins committed after baptism.  We are called to forgive others as well.  So, kids then are invited to throw crosses with sins on them into fire.  Prayer service happens here on forgiving others and self.  Reconciliation Prayer service and reconciliation available.
Materials: Fire still lit
Crosses in bag removed and given to kids
Prayer service      

3-5:15 AM down time.
Before they go to sleep, they are given an opportunity to talk to any leader about anything they want to talk about.  Have you ever had an opportunity to go to confession and really be forgiven of your sins in the early hours of the morning? Now you can. 
Materials:  place to sleep.
Sleeping bags.
Fr. Joe will be in the Garden of Eden
One side of divider is for girls and other side is for boys.
Leaders are next to doors so no one escapes and so they can talk if kids want

5:15-5:45 AM  wake up

5:45 AM.  We are baptized into a community.
What happens:  In Garden of Eden, listen to John 13: 1-17 and Acts 2: 36-47.
Then, after an explanation, we go outside and wash each other’s hands and face.  Light music is played for this. 
Materials:  water basins filled with soapy water
Water buckets filled with regular water.
Kids’ wash cloths.
Kids‘ towels.

6:15 AM  Mass in church. 
“Wake up songs” with movements until 6:30 am.
No music during mass because 6:30 crowd has to get to work, longer communion, so have to get them out by 7 AM.

7AM, Scavenger hunt for breakfast utensils. 
 What happens:  We meet in the Garden of Eden.  Listen to Exodus 16: 4-8
Now, it is time to go collect our food. Not really, our food, there have been a group working on making that for us, but on our utensils to eat the food.  You will break up into teams and figure out clues which will tell you where to go to get some of your utensils. When you get to the utensil, take only enough for your team and then pick up a clue at that location and go to the next place.  You will not cross the street go to the Carmelite Monastery, go in the school, nor go in the rectory. Every other piece of this property, however, is a possibility. 
Materials:  plates
Bowls
Knives
Spoons
Forks
Napkins
cups         
A scavenger hunt placing all of these items        

7:45/8:00- 8:30 AM breakfast. 

8:30 AM clean up and get ready to go home.              
As kids leave, give them their packet of stuff:
Paper with all of their gifts they recognize and others recognize.
List of bible verses of people called in the bible to follow God.
Letters others wrote about them.