This link leads to directions for engaging kids in designing their own survivial game: http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/gen_act/survival/s_game.html

The following messages were posted on PUBYAC in response to an inquiry about a program based on Survivor:

Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2001 14:06:47 CST
From: Lee Vucovich <l.vucovich@gomail.sjcpl.lib.in.us>
Here are some great ideas I received in response to my question about a teen survivor program at the library. My coworker had her program; however attendance was low, possibly because they tried a Sunday afternoon. She has a series of questions/challenges she would be glad to share if anyone is trying this; contact me offlist.
Lee

>Date: Fri, 22 Deck 2000 12:46:04 -0500
>From: RoseMary Honnold <honnolro@oplin.lib.oh.us>
>Organization: Coshocton Public Library
We had a great time with a scavenger hunt at a teen lock in. Ours was based on a space theme, but it could be adapted to any theme. It was a combination of thinking and silliness. They had to use library skills to find where to go, but then there was something sort of silly to do when you were there. I will send a copy of mine, but I am already thinking of fun things you could do with a survivor theme! (grass skirts come to mind)
*****
We Have a Mission!
A Spaceship has landed! Our visitors from Mars arrived safely but
unfortunately can’t do the research they planned because they can’t breathe our atmosphere! So they came to our library (they are smart but not good planners) and asked if we could help them gather information to take back home. So that we look professional doing our research, we all need to wear lab coats. When you have your uniform on, proceed to the first card catalog by the main entrance on the main floor of the library. Take your bag with you to collect your findings.

1.Safety First
For your own safety, you need to construct and wear a safety helmet to protect you from the radiation from the spaceship during our research. Basic Metallurgy by Donald V. Brown may give us some guidance on what materials to use! Check out the shelves where you would find this book for further instructions. It turns out that the best reflector for Martian Space ship radiation is ALUMINUM FOIL. Construct and wear a helmet and then go to the online catalog computer by the local history room.

2. Talk to Me
Find the book on the shelf Mother Tongue: how humans create language using this online catalog computer. Amazing as it may seem, our paper clips have the exact configuration used in building a Martian Universal Translator bracelet! Assemble and wear one to be able to understand the rest of the instructions! Then proceed to the first card catalog by the main entrance.

3. All Dressed Up and No Place to Go
Find the series Peoples of the World using the online catalog computer. The Martians are curious about the different types of clothing Earthlings wear. Make a paper doll complete with removable paper doll clothing that shows the traditional clothing for any one country featured in one of these books. Find the materials on the table at the end of the aisle and take your book with you. Proceed to the YA room.

4. Smile (or not), You’re on Alien Camera! Our visitors need to understand our facial and body expressions to understand our language better. Our ambassador will take your team’s picture. Each member of the team needs to show a DIFFERENT emotion in the same picture. (happy, sad, surprised, angry, confused) When finished, proceed to the last table at the south end of the library.

5. Wash Me
The Martian’s ship is a dirty mess from traveling through our atmosphere and the crew is anxious to get it washed but it won’t fit through the BP car wash. Draw a map instructing the Martians to the Plaza car wash. The Martians do not understand our written words, or north, east, south, or west or right or left but they do recognize numbers. Draw landmarks that the aliens will be able to recognize when they see them. Then proceed toward the Children’s Room and look under the stairway.

6. Good Hosts
Our visitors have come a long way and we should give them a gift to take home to remember us by. An Ambassador Quilt is a perfect gift but it is very warm on Mars. Fortunately for us, toilet tissue has the same consistency as a very fine cool fabric on Mars. A tastefully woven wall hanging with an outline map of Ohio, our state flag, our state bird, and state flower, signed by all your team members would be a thoughtful gift. You may take your fine fabric to the table by the display case to work on your gift. Once completed, proceed to the round tables in the children’s room.

7. Soups On
Food on Earth is so varied, the Martians are confused about what we eat. Make a model of a typical American meal to show them what we like to eat. Display it attractively on the plate provided. Then check the internet terminal at the reference desk.

>8. Tune In
Music is important on Mars and our visitors want to expand their musical knowledge. The lyrics to one of their favorite epics is located here: http://www.tpm.simplenet.com/nat/articles/saga_begins.htm Print off a copy of the lyrics and go to the small meeting room in the back of the children’s room. Your team may record a verse or two of this song (sung to the tune of American Pie). Start recording where the tape is stopped, and stop the tape when finished. Do not rewind! And now it is time to look at the
geochron clock on the wall by the display case.

9. Just Watch Me
The Martians have to leave when the sun comes up here. Take a look at the geochron clock to see how many hours till sun up. To remind them when it is time to leave, we will need watches! Each team member construct a watch with the materials provided and wear them. The materials are on the table by the copier. When finished, take a look out the south windows of the library.

10. Aliens Go Home
What is the price per gallon of premium gasoline tonight? Find the distance from Earth to Mars tonight on the reference computer at this site:
http://space.jpl.nasa.gov/
1 kilometer = .6 miles
Spaceship gets 100,000 mpg
How much gasoline will they need to get back home?
How much will it cost is they buy premium gas at the BP station next door?
When you have THAT figured out, bring all your findings back to the headquarters (large meeting room). Your collections will be judged! You will earn 1-5 points for each task accomplished!

The kids had a fun time, the staff members who helped me had a lot of laughs and we got some great pictures for our scrapbook! for an island Survivor theme, think of the activities they would have to do to survive and then send them to those areas of the collection that would help them, and that is where you put the activity. This took about 1 hour for the fastest team and an hour and 15 minutes for the slowest.
>Hope this helps!
>RoseMary
>Coshocton

>Date: Fri, 22 Deck 2000 10:54:18 -0800 (PST)
>From: L larsen <llarsen64@yahoo.com>
>Subject: Survivor Theme Program

>Hi!
>I recently did a "Survivor" themed program for Teen Read Week. We decorated a corner of the front room with palm trees, masks (which I printed from Printmaster Gold and added feathers and beads) and a "hammock" with a skeleton in it. I decorated a large box and teens had to fill out a form on what book, CD and movie they would bring to an island (that amazingly had electricity) for three months, and why.

They had to perform a test to get the form (eating a >gummy worm). The staff then voted on the answers at the end of the week and gave prizes (including bags of Gummi Worms) to the winners. We also had Tiki torches around the library donated by staff. This might be a good way to do a scavenger hunt, by having them go from tiki torch to tiki torch, with the clues taped on? >I wanted to do the "mud" facepainting for all the >participants too, but my time is limited and am the only one working (part of my time) with teens. Hope this helps, I look forward to hearing what you finally end up doing!
>Laura Larsen
>Children's Services
>Wethersfield Public Library
>Wethersfield, CT

From: ABZiemba@aol.com
>Date: Sat, 23 Deck 2000 02:06:15 EST
I did games for our church picnic. The theme was Soul Survivor. I got ideas from the official survivor site where they go into detail about what they did on the island each week. I forget where it was but look under survivor or the network.
We ate gummy worms - for the grub eating contest we just did them as a snack. We did an obstacle course. You can make one up with tires and such for a race. We had a sort of scavenger hunt following directions that lead to more directions to find something hidden.
For little kids we had a search for buried treasure in the straw. We made flowers out of tissue paper for their hair. We had limbo with limbo music. Not on survivor show but in the island theme.

The thing they really liked was the giant checkerboard game. I used 100 pieces of thick paper with x's on one side and did the game where you can only step on the blank sides. When you go to step on a piece you turn it over and everyone takes a turn until there are no blank pieces left. Instead tof x's you could have a logo like the show did. You could have bandanas like the survivors or do relay races with batons. Probably would not do the firewalk tho. Make sure you have the theme music.
Lee Vucovich
l.vucovich@gomail.sjcpl.lib.in.us
Children's Services, Francis Branch
St.Joseph County Public Library
52655 N. Ironwood Dr.
South Bend, IN 46635

Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 09:56:50 CDT
From: Brenda Renner <jem@showme.net>
Cathy,
We did a Survivor program about a month ago. We had a great time. As the participants entered the room, they were given a chance to pull a piece of colored paper out of a bag. This color decided what team they would be on. They were given a question to answer on how they would survive if they were lost in the woods and could not get home that night. We then asked them questions like "How much dirt is in a hole 15 feet wide and six feet deep?"
They very quickly caught on that these were trick questions. We made an obstacle course, then blindfolded the person navigating the course, while a teammate walked beside the blindfolded person and talked them through the course. We also had a relay race. The part the participants really liked was the fact that for each game we played, the winning team was given the chance to choose items from a stockpile that would help their team survive.
We had matches, water, food, rope, flashlilghts, trashbags, etc. At the end, we had the teams tell why they chose certain items. There were no losers. The team that had the most items got were given first choice of books. We ordered chocolate covered crickets. My husband made a wheel of fortune for us and we put the crickets and other foods such as Ants on a Log, Road Kill Bars or any gross sounding recipe that we found in books like "Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes". For a snack, we made dirt cake and mixed chocolate ice cream and cola for a drink. Hope this helps.

Date:Sun, 6 May 2001 12:27:28 CDT
From: "Amy Shelley" < @larm.lib.wy.us>
We're offering a Survivor "series" on survival skills encouraging teens to
participate so they can "make the cut". It's being taught by an OREO trainer (Outdoor Recreation Education Opportunities) and includes stuff like orienteering, backpacking, building a fire, etc. We've broken it into three separate sessions. I also had an entomologist do a program on bug cuisine during Nat Lib Week that might be a good addition!

Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 17:58:51 CDT
From: Minero@aol.com
Hi,
If you're running a Survivor-based YA reading program, would you add me to the list of people you're forwarding information too, or else post about
your program to the list? Tentatively, I'm awarding beach bucks to readers and letting them vote <books> off the island, but I'm still interested in
finding out how others are doing things and maybe fine-tuning a bit.

Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 18:13:04 CDT
From: Lori Pulliam <pulliaml@sls.lib.il.us>
I like the idea of the Survivor program and I've been thinking about how
you could still do the vote, but not hurt any feelings. Maybe participants could represent a favorite title or titles. At the beginning of the program, they would give a brief booktalk on their choices. Then the game could follow the TV show format, with different challenges. The obstacle courses, already described by Brenda, sound really fun. Another challenge (near the end of the program) might be having kids answer questions about the different books that have been discussed. Winner of a challenge would get immunity and could not have his/her book voted off. The others would have to discuss which book should be voted out. The goal would be to see which book survives as the 'favorite' and of course win a fabulous prize in the end.

Date: Wed, 9 May 2001 14:58:52 CDT
From: Chuck Schacht <schachtc@libcoop.net>
Hey, Cathy - how about you have protagonists from books be the characters on the island, and each week the kids in attendance vote one of THEM off of the island, after everybody has the chance to advocate for their favorite?
Chuck

Date: Wed, 9 May 2001 17:29:38 CDT
From: Jennifer Baker <jbaker93711@yahoo.com>
It just occured to me this morning that Lori Pulliam's suggestion of voting off book suggestions is also very similar to another program on VH1 called "The List" I don't know if the show is still on or not but the format was that a panel of celebrities would come on and each nominate 2 or 3 songs for a "best of" catagory [best male rock video, best rap group song, etc.] and then they would go around the group and other panelists would vote off titles until they got down to a list of five or ten. It could be fun to combine this idea with the Survivor program ideas and you could do it several times for different genres or authors to make a whole series of programs out of it.