Recipe For A Successful Picnic

Courtesy of UTU Local 1778

For more Information Contact Secretary D. Moorhouse

For members who have been thinking of organizing a picnic for their local, but don't know where to start.

A picnic is a perfect opportunity for members and their families to meet and socialize. It can be done for very little money and a moderate amount of effort.

Local 1778 has held a picnic each year for the past nine years. Here is what we have learned.

Suggestions for Games
The last game (Survivor) can take up a lot of time. It is ideal to involve kids who arrive at different times. Team them up in groups of two or more--encourage the bigger kids to include smaller ones on the team--and set them loose on the scavenger hunt portion. The kids get a prize when the hunt is completed.

Try to hold about 3 other games from the list

1. Sponge race ( empty water from one bucket into bucket at other end using only sponge)

2. Obstacle course (around the chairs, under the desk, eat the Froot Loops,[ no hands], repeat to finish)

3. Bean bag toss (garbage can target)

4. Tug of war (anyone who lives near a major waterway should be able to obtain a large rope from sympathetic dock workers)

5. Pop the balloon race (blow up balloon at start, run with balloon to chair, sit on it to pop it, run back to finish)

6. Volleyball

7. Pin the tail on the ???

8. Tee Ball

9. Musical Ball, [just like musical chairs only the person holding the ball is eliminated] ( prizes for eliminated kids)

10. Duck walk ( grab ankles, walk to ??, peck it w/ nose, return)

11. Beanbag between the knee race.

12. Spoon race [use button on spoon instead of egg]

13. Water filled balloon catch

14. The Human Basketball Team - biggest kid holds garbage bag under chin and w/ 2 hands, younger kids throw foam balls into "basket"

15. Fishing Hole (Made from a circle of cardboard put together from large appliance boxes. Kids "fish" for prizes)

16. Sack Race (A classic. We get our sacks from a local coffee roasting operation)

17. "Survivor" Game, includes scavenger hunt, building challenges, and gross food eating

Materials list;

balloons, ice cream buckets, sponge (large), bean bags (3), Clean garbage can, card table, tug rope, FROOT LOOPS, v-ball set, tee ball set, large sponges, cardboard, scissors, tape, pins, straws, foam balls

Buy Toys!

Kids get to pick a prize for completion of each activity. First in a race, or first to complete a task gets first pick.

The secret is quantity, not quality. Don't buy anything over $2.98. Think of toys for both boys and girls.

Try to buy at least three toys per child. Each year, we spend about $175 on toys. The kids look forward to the picnic like it was Christmas!

Budget 2000

$184 Toys

$321 Food

$500 Total (CDN)

List of Kids Who May Be Attending

Grocery List

This list is for about 70 people. Modify to suit your attendance.

As a general rule, buy one hotdog, hamburger and soda for each person.

Stuff to Bring From Home

Contact List

We are fortunate to hold the picnic in have a city that has available a large canopy, tables and chairs. Other parks have picnic shelters etc.

We arrange the use of the park and the equipment about two or three months in advance.

This section is a list of contacts for the city, etc. We even go so far as to call the city yard a week or so in advance and ask to have the park lawn mowed and vacuumed.

We also hold a 50/50 draw during the picnic to help fund next year's event.

GAMES
(Appoint an older kid or an adult to judge the scavenger hunt and building contests. The scavenger hunts are difficult by design. Ask kids to be creative.)

Stand-Alone Scavenger Hunt

  Cap'n Spanky's Scavenger Hunt

Can you find ALL these things???

• Feather
• Something Red
• Something Cold
• A coin From Your birth Year
• An SRB number
• A slug or a bug (dead or alive)
• Bottle Cap
• A Flower
• Something Canadian
• A Fur coat

Prizes for the team with the most items

Survivor

(Written by Morgan Moorhouse, Age 12)

You are on a luxury cruise to Canada B.C. Vancouver to participate in the union picnic when a huge tropical storm hits the boat and sends you to an uncharted island. What's this? The part of the island you landed on is about to crumble away due to the fact that the tidal waves and winds of the tropical storm have been pummeling it for a few hours. You run into the bush but there is a large river barring your path. Using the few materials you have you must build a raft.

RAFT BUILDING

Build a raft using

• 10 straws,
• 1 pin, an elastic band,
• 1 Styrofoam cup and
• 12 inches of tape

(float rafts across calm part of stream using looks and floatage to judge which team gets the prize)

You made it across the river which absorbed the tidal wave. Your next objective is food and water.

SCAVENGER HUNT

1. An animal

2. A red rock

3. Three different berries

4. A shiny leaf

5. A beetle

6. Fungus the Bogeyman

7. Maple leaf

8. Mineral water

9. A prickly leaf (not the same as the shiny one)

10. A caterpillar

11. Six of anything

12. Bleem

Most complete wins

Now that you have food established you continue to search the island you find something written on a stone "we have split up our selves and we hope that we will have better luck in groups we have left some supply areas but we forgot where they were if you are here reading this FIND THE SUPPLY AREAS."

 (Optional)

SCAVENGER HUNT #2

Other side of park to hide some materials for the next challenge. Fastest to come back with it all wins

Now that you have found the supply areas you see you are in need of more food than fruits and plants.

TRAP BUILDING

Build a trap using

• 10 pins,
• 30 straws,
• 2 Styrofoam cups and
• 1 roll of tape best working wins

After building a trap you catch some food and try to cook it, it doesn't turn out very well but you will have to eat it along with some of the stuff you found.

 GROSS FOOD EATING

Eat the sardines, lemon, flavorless gelatin, spinach and broccoli sandwich. First done wins

(We used green cheese, liver sausage, and sardines on a cracker)

After a slightly revolting meal you trek off a little more. You climb over a fallen tree but the smallest member of your group can't make it. 

OBSTACLE

Help the smallest member of the group over an obstacle. Fastest wins

 You walk a little further and you happen to stumble into the union picnic. It looks like this island was never uncharted and all you had to do was walk to the food and shelter of the picnic and around the wide part of the creek instead of all that stuff you went through.

Raft Materials

• 10 straws,
• 1 pin, an elastic band,
• 1 Styrofoam cup and
• 12 inches of tape

Trap Materials

• 10 pins,
• 30 straws,
• 2 Styrofoam cups
• 1 roll of tape

best working wins

October 11, 2004