The particular type of candy does not matter, but the circle and the process does!
Activity: The Starburst Circle
Who/When: Campers in their small groups/cabins, on the last day of their camp session. Total duration – 20-30 minutes depending on group size and the facilitator’s instructions.
What/How: Campers sit in a small, tight circle, preferably outdoors on the ground. Each child receives 3 or 4 pieces of Starburst candy or other candy pieces that each have a distinct color and can be safely shared afterwards.
CEI Camp Education Domain: #2 Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) – campers learn to express themselves clearly and listen actively, leading to better interpersonal relationships; participants develop greater empathy and how to understand different perspectives.
Instructions for the Leader: Explain what will happen: “In a moment but not yet, we will each be giving and receiving compliments to and from each other. This is an important part of the way we say goodbye and camp and to each other.
If you are holding a yellow candy, you will give a compliment to the person on your left. If you are holding a green candy, you will give a compliment to the person on your right. If you are holding a blue candy, you can choose someone in the circle on your own.
When you give the compliment, please say their name first, and look at them when you are delivering the compliment, then hand them the candy.”
“A good compliment is specific, and clear. It is to a person, and describes something specific you appreciated and noticed about them this summer at camp. Here is an example: “Johnny – when we play games, I notice you always play very fair and by the rules. If you get out, you just get out the first time and you never complain.” That is a good type of compliment.”
Who would like to go first?”
Activities such as this one are common at quality summer camps on the last day. At Outpost Summer Camps in San Diego, California, United States, the Starburst Circle is a tradition that has taken place in the camp’s small groups of 10-12 campers each on the last day of each camp session for the last 20+ years. In these circles, each participant must
- consider the person to whom they will deliver a compliment, and decide what they are exactly going to say and how they are going to say it
- work through any anxiety they have in both giving a compliment in front of the entire group, as well as receiving one
- listen closely to others for a sustained period of time, as many compliments are given and received in different ways; this is where much of the learning happens
- decide to “opt-in” or “opt-out”; some children are not quite yet comfortable or experienced enough to participate in a mature fashion
- consider their entire camp experience at once, and articulate specific things they appreciated and liked about it; this is practice in reflection and appreciation
Campers benefit from the simple responsibility of giving someone else a specific compliment, in front of others, as well as receiving one. It is a easy thing to do, and a hard thing to do, simultaneously.
Campers often report that is it one of their favorite things about camp, and, parents often report that their children eagerly shared what was said about them by other members of the group. The activity also is correlated to retention: campers who give and receive compliments on the last day of camp often eagerly return to camp the next year!
It does take some practice to facilitate well. For older participants, a good facilitation technique is to choose a camper you feel will set a positive tone and deliver a genuine compliment in a skilled fashion. For younger participants, a good technique is to have the leader go first and model a few compliments, so the children have an idea of what it expected and “what to exactly do”.
Good luck with your own Starburst Circle. Let us know how yours went!