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Friendships on Camp

Healthy Relationships
Lesson Plan Glossary

Glossary of Terms

At URSTRONG, we believe it’s important to use kids’ language for kids’ problems. That’s why we have our very own, unique language of friendship. Here are some important terms that children, parents, and teachers learn in our program.

Friendship Fire®: Any situation between you and a friend that results in negative feelings.

Mean-on-Purpose: When someone is intentionally unkind to someone else.

Quick Comeback: A very short word or phrase that is used when someone is Mean-on-Purpose. Quick Comebacks are designed to let the other person know that you heard/saw what they did and you’re not okay with it.

Friend-o-meter: A visual tool that assesses the health of friendships, ranging from the healthy zone to the unhealthy zone.

Friend-o-cycle: The normal cycle in a friendship that brings the friendship back to the healthy zone after experiencing a Friendship Fire. The phases of the Friend-o-cycle are: Healthy Friendship – Fire – Confront the issue – Talk-it-Out – Forgive & Forget – Closer & Stronger – Healthy Friendship…

4 Friendship Facts: A set of four facts that help us have realistic expectations in our friendships so we understand what is normal.

  1. No friendship (relationship) is perfect.
  2. Every friendship is different.
  3. Trust & Respect are the two most important qualities of a friendship.
  4. Friendships change…and that’s okay.

Red Shirt Girl and Striped Shirt Boy: Two characters that remind us about the importance of body language.

Friendship Ninja: A Friendship Ninja is someone who surrounds themselves with friends in the healthy zone of the Friend-o-meter. A Friendship Ninja is kind and friendly to everyone. A Friendship Ninja understands the 4 Friendship Facts and puts out their Friendship Fires when they ignite. A Friendship Ninja stands up for themselves and their friends. A Friendship Ninja makes new friends and understands that friendships change…and that’s okay. Above all else, a Friendship Ninja is someone you want to be friends with because they’re true to who they are!

Objective

Going on school camps are a great way to help kids build life skills, resilience, and strengthen their friendship skills. For some kids, it’s their first time ever being away from their parents and they are forced to lean on their teachers and their friends. Kids naturally feel a little anxious about all of the unknowns and are desperate to be with their closest friends. Who will I share a cabin with? Will my best friends be in my group? What if I have no friends in my cabin? Who will I sit beside on the bus? What if I’m scared at night? What if kids are mean to me? What if I’m all alone?  

Developing new friendships and strengthening existing friendships are a big part of the school camp experience. While we want to encourage kids to step out of their comfort zones, we can help our students feel a sense of comfort and calm by empowering them with friendship skills in preparation for camp.

This lesson, created by a brilliant teacher at one of our URSTRONG Schools (Amy Craig at Trinity College North School), will help kids apply the core principles taught in our Friendology curriculum to the camp experience.

Key Outcome

Your students will prepare for friendships on camp by applying URSTRONG’s core principles to camp scenarios.

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