Alpha Wolf
This is possibly the greatest
after dark game ever. This game appeared
a few years ago in the ELCA curriculum for use during the day, but the night
just adds to the excitement of the game.
This game can accommodate almost any number of players, and I often use
it at Kirchenwald with multiple groups totaling
thirty campers or more. Divide the
players into teams of five or more, each accompanied by a staff member. Give each team a clear number for their team
and direct them to a unique position from which to begin the game. Explain that the alpha wolf will be hiding
somewhere in camp and will howl to indicate his position. Group one must respond with a howl, then
group two and so on. After responding,
the groups must move towards the alpha wolf’s location. After all the groups howl, the alpha wolf
howls again and the search continues.
Some groups have fun in this game by moving cross country, in a straight
line towards the sound, while others use trails. That decision is best left to counselor
discretion.
When playing this game, make
sure that the staff members with the campers know roughly where the alpha will
be hiding, just in case there happens to be a problem. I often take the role of the alpha wolf and
let someone else do the initial explanations, so that I can slip off unseen to
the campers. If you do that, make sure
to synchronize watches so that you do not start howling until the groups have
enough time to reach their starting points.
After all of the groups reach
the alpha wolf, take roll by howling through the different groups one last
time. Then explain the roll that howling
plays in wolf life, and its use for communication between members of the pack
and as territorial marker of
a pack. The game also
provides an opportunity to discuss wolf family life, which centers on one pair
of animals at the top who breed and the rest who help to raise the offspring.
Use this lesson in
communication as a segue to talk about God’s call for
us. Discuss with the campers whether or
not it was always clear where the alpha wolf was calling. From a distance, it is difficult to pinpoint
the alpha wold but the campers chase in the general
direction, sure that the position will become more clear
eventually. In the same way, God’s call
on our lives is not always terribly clear, but we must still follow as best we
can in that direction, trusting that God guides along that way.