Duck Dynasty - Lock In / Theme Night Our student ministry wanted to do a lock in and they decided to do it around the theme of Duck Dynasty. Now you might be thinking, “Can they do that?” Yes, I sent a copy of the poster to Duck Dynasty and they loved the idea. So how did this journey begin? I allowed our students and Student Ministry Leaders the opportunity to create this awesome night. As a Student Minister one of my responsibilities is to cast the vision then step back and allow the ministry to take place as I encourage, equip, and empower them to do the ministry. Now don’t get me wrong I was still involved in the process but in a different capacity. • Are we staying within a budget (everything like this needs to have one whether it is $1 or

$250)? • Are we communicating to the students, parents, church members, and church staff? How

are we communicating it (make use of every avenue… emails, posters, flyers, FB, word of mouth, etc.)?

• What are the parts of the building we can use (what rooms need to be locked down? Is the baptistery full or empty? Etc.)

• Who is in charge of what (games, food, set up, CLEAN UP!!!, etc.)? • Are we making sure there are enough adults to cover the evening (indoors & outdoors)? • Are we clarifying the rules of the evening to the students & what are those rules (or

guidelines)? The above are just some of the things that will allow you to have a safe & fun evening during your lock in. ATMOSPHERE: This helps set the mood for a great night Have fun with this… here are some suggestions: • Decorate with lots of camouflage • Build a mini duck blind somewhere • Have students and adults dress in costume… nothing like several Si’s in the room

o Make a costume contest out of it with pictures taken and prizes given. We had a leader find some of the ugliest duck prizes possible.

• Make use of a video projector and use pictures from Duck Dynasty to project on the wall or screen (if you do not have a video projector… make use of an overhead and transparencies)

• Make use of the video clips that A&E or You Tube have online • Line walls with butcher paper and have students come in early and draw duck scenes all

over them • Serve some of the drink refreshments that night in green Tupperware glasses • Serve food with fun twists… just label different snacks with Duck Dynasty food

terminology (duck, squirrel, frog legs, etc.) GAMES: Of course you have to have something to do Some of these games may or may not work due to your setting • Shoot the Duck – this is your typical game of Dodge ball • A big game of Duck, Duck, Goose • How strong is Duck (Duct) Tape?

o Have two contestants stand on chairs next to volleyball goals

o First take saran wrap and wrap it around the contestants from shoulders to knees o Then take duct tape and wrap it around them within a certain time limit o Then remove the chairs (gently) and see what happens next o While your doing this… make sure you practice safety

Check on how they are doing from time to time Make sure their breathing is ok Do not let the pole fall over

• Si’s Sweet Tea o Take gallon jugs of sweet tea and add extra sugar o Divide the students up in equal teams according to how many jugs of tea you have o Then give each student 8 straws to connect together and then each student places

the long length of straws into the jug o After go… they are to start drinking the tea through the straws o Then after a certain time start removing a straw or two from the straws the players

connected o Repeat this until the whole jug is gone or until you have everyone down to one straw

drinking the tea o Last resort to win the game… have someone towards the end chug the rest (talk

about a sugar rush) • It’s Ok to play traditional games to… put your own Duck Dynasty twists on them

Basketball, Volleyball, Wiffle Ball, Tug of War, Romans & Christians – we called this game Si vs. the world)

• Si’s Sardines o One person goes and hides and everyone goes to find them o Once that person is found… the next person hides with them o You do this till everyone is packed in a place like sardines o The object is to be sneaky and let the people find you until your group grows

• Ga Ga Pit Ball (or Willy’s hand ball)… we had this one set up all night and it was the biggest hit… no pun attended once you read – You can find diagrams and how to play online.

o What is it and how do you play? Gaga Ball is a form of Dodge Ball that's normally played in an Octagon 'Pit'. !!The

game's roots originated in Israel. The word 'Ga' means Hit, so Ga-Ga means 'Hit-Hit'. There are several variations on exactly how the game is played, but we find these rules the most common, fair, and competitive:

Any number of people can play. To start, everyone in the pit must be touching the wall. Someone tosses the ball in the center of the pit, and it must bounce twice on the ground. As it bounces, everyone can say "Ga" for each bounce. After the second bounce ("Ga-Ga"), the ball is live.

Slap-hit the ball with your hand, aiming it at another player's leg at the knee or below. If the ball hits or touches anyone from the knee or below, that player is out and must exit the pit. At any time, if a player makes any type of contact with the ball at the knee or below, that player is out

Anytime the ball goes out of the pit, the last person that the ball touched is out. You can only hit the ball one time until it either touches another player or the

wall, then you are able to hit it again. You can dribble the ball against the wall to position it if necessary, and, you can move around anywhere inside the pit during the game.

The game ends when the last person is eliminated, or, to speed up the end of the game, the last few players can be given a countdown for a tie game. Once the game is over, everyone else re-enters the pit to start a new game.

You can add variations to the game such as playing with more than one ball, play in teams, expand the ‘hit’ area to be above the knee, catching the ball eliminates the person that hit it, and any other variation you can come up with! A good variation for school recess time is to play Rotation instead of Elimination. This is done by allowing a certain amount of players in the pit, and forming a line for the rest that want to play. Then, as one person gets out, the next person in line goes into the game. This way, everyone that wants to play should get a chance during a short period of time.

o What did you use for your pit? Six – 8 ft. plastic tables laid on their sides to form the Octagon Pit Once our shape was desired, we bungee corded & strapped the tables together

o Safety Tips - Gaga Ball is typically a safe game, but accidents can happen on occasion To avoid the possibility of injury, just like in any other game or sport, simply

use good judgment when playing Be careful not to approach the ball too aggressively while another player is

doing the same, or a collision with hands, bodies or heads could result When hitting the ball, be careful not to scrape your hand or fingers on the

ground, or you might find that you have slightly less skin than you started with…more on this risk is continued on the next paragraph

Always use a lightweight bouncy ball for Gaga Ball! About a 10” size works great. When using heavier types, such as rubber playground balls or volley balls, it is common to try to hit the ball too hard, resulting in a missed hit on the ball, and scraping your hand or knuckles on the ground (commonly referred to as ‘gaga knuckle’). Lightweight bouncy balls are easier to hit with an open hand/palm, and your shots will be much more accurate. This reduces, or many times eliminates, the Gaga Knuckle issue. The lightweight balls are safer to play with overall since they generally don’t hurt when you hit them, or get hit by them

Mind your position in relation to the Gaga Ball Pit walls if backing up during the game. Avoid reckless movement in the pit

• Wheel of Dynasty Delights o We used the computer program from Simply Youth Ministry – Spin that Wheel o This program is AWESOME!!! It allows you to type in your own items (up to 15 in

total) and it is played out on a screen (or wall) and it acts like a giant spinning wheel o Load up the wheel with some prizes but have fun with things like – smoked oysters,

pigs feet, frog legs, pink salmon, pickled beets, wild game, baby clams, baby food, etc. – when they land on a food they eat it!

OTHER… MISCELLANEOUS… IDEAS • Duck (Duct) Tape crafts – have many styles of duck tape, download instructions off of the

web for things such as duct tape wallets, duct tape flowers, etc. • Buy several Duck Dynasty giveaways – some from the Duck Commander and some from

stores • Show episodes of Duck Dynasty from Season One or Two (watch them first to make sure

they are presentable in your setting… for the most part they are) • Have students create their own t-shirt from the night… provide t-shirts, craft paints,

markers, etc. • Show a Gospel presentation or present one yourself (we used one of Phil’s messages from

the internet and then followed up with what he shared) • Duck Dynasty Trivia Games

RESOURCES: Video Clips • www.aetv.com • www.youtube.com - A great place to find Phil’s, Willie’s, Jas’ testimonies & stories Books • The Duck Commander Family: How Faith, Family, and Ducks Built a Dynasty, Willie &

Korie Robertson • Happy, Happy, Happy: My Life and Legacy as the Duck Commander, Phil Robertson • Best Games Ever, Les Christie Other Sites of Interest • www.duckcommander.com - A great place to purchase “official” Duck Dynasty giveaways These are things we did (some we added later and some we did that night). Whatever your time frame and setting is… I want to encourage creating a great evening for students and having fun! The students & leaders of Memorial Baptist Church Jefferson City, MO Edited by: Lyle Witcher