Best practices and activity ideas for starting and ending each camp day with intention. Reference this daily to plan community-building moments, share announcements, review microfeedback trends, and set the tone for your camp.
Opening Circle Structure
Each day in camp begins with an Opening Circle. Opening Circle is a 20-30 minute block to set the tone for the camp day by reviewing the agenda, sharing microfeedback trends, building community, and/or reviewing content.
Element | Timing | Lead | What Happens | Modality Notes |
Welcome & Daily Overview | In-Person: ~10 min Virtual: ~5 min | Instructors | Share daily agenda- Share microfeedback trends and planned adjustments. {Optional} Set an intention for the day. | In Virtual Camps, this happens in the Cloud before moving to Houses |
House Welcome & Overview | In-Person: N/A Virtual: ~5 min | IAs | Share HOUSE-specific microfeedback trends and planned adjustments. {Optional} Set an intention for the day. | Only applicable to Virtual Camps |
Community Building / Content Review | ~10+ min | IAs | Depending on your scholars' needs, either lead a community-building activity that sets the tone for the day AND/OR plan a review activity to clarify misconceptions or review key content. | In Virtual Camps, this happens in Houses |
Opening Circle Activity Ideas
Synthesizing Microfeedback
Feedback is a gift. Scholars took time to share their thoughts and experiences—show them you heard them.
What to do:
- Use a slide at the beginning of each day to thank scholars for their microfeedback
- Explicitly share what adjustments you'll make based on their feedback
- Be transparent and hold yourself accountable
Example slide:
Thank you for your microfeedback! Here's what we heard:💚 Wins: Many of you felt confident with CSS styling and loved the Try-It activity🤔 Areas for growth: Some of you found JavaScript functions confusing and wanted more practice🎯 What we're doing today: We'll do a quick review of functions during Opening Circle, add an extra practice session this afternoon, and slow down our pacing for new concepts
KWK Commitments
On Day 1, ground scholars in Kode With Klossy's commitments. On future days, optionally revisit commitments when relevant.
Ways to use commitments:
- Journaling moment: Ask scholars to choose one commitment they'll focus on today
- Group focus: Pick one commitment as the theme of the day
- Example: On a day with challenging coding lessons, focus on "We dare to take risks" to inspire confidence
KWK Commitments:
- We embrace fruitful challenges
- We dare to take risks
- We believe in the power of community
- We use tech for good
- We advocate for ourselves and others
Community Building Activity Ideas
Quick activities (5-10 min):
- Ask a question of the day (share answers anonymously using Padlet or post-its, then guess whose is whose)
- Play This or That, Two Truths and a Lie, or Name That Tune
- Have scholars share shoutouts for each other
- Lead yoga or stretch time
- Create morning affirmations together
- Set goals for the day
Longer activities (10-20 min):
- Play a full game (Wordle, Mafia, Just Dance, Kahoot)
- Vote on a camp name or mascot
- Create a collaborative playlist
- Scholar show-and-tell (bring something from home or show something from yesterday)
Content Review Activity Ideas
Use content review when scholars requested additional support in microfeedback or when you noticed confusion during the previous day.
Quick review options:
- This or That (coding concepts) - "Which is correct:
<div>or<dib>?"
- Kahoot or Quizizz - Review key vocabulary or concepts
- Guided practice - Walk through an example together as a group
- Misconception discussion - Address a common error you saw in scholar code
Example:
"Yesterday a few of you asked for more clarity on when to use let vs. const in JavaScript. Let's do a quick 5-minute review together, then I'll show you an example in code."
Closing Circle Structure
Each camp day ends with a Closing Circle. Closing circles are typically 20-30 minutes and are intentionally planned to create space for scholars to complete microfeedback, hear any announcements or reminders, and to participate in a culminating community-building moment.
Element | Timing | Lead | What Happens | Modality Notes |
Microfeedback | ~5 min | Instructors | Instructors preserve intentional time for scholars to complete their microfeedback form in the moment. | In Virtual Camps, this happens in the Cloud before moving to Houses |
Announcements & Reminders | ~5 min | Instructors and/or IAs | Camp-wide announcements (theme day tomorrow, speaker info, etc.). In virtual camps, IAs may also have house-specific announcements. | In Virtual Camps this may happen both in the Cloud and at the house level |
Community Building | ~10+ min | IAs | Depending on how much time you have, IAs should lead some sort of community-building activity. | In Virtual Camps, this happens in Houses |
Microfeedback time should be held sacred at the START of Closing Circle rather than the end when it could feel rushed. Reserve at least 5 minutes of silent time at the start for scholars to complete it in the moment.
Closing Circle Activity Ideas
If you have 1-5 minutes…
- Each scholar shares one word about how they're feeling right now
- Each scholar shares a phrase that sums up the day
- Create a Padlet or gallery wall to share gratitudes from the day
- Give scholars time to journal and share stories from the day in small groups
- Take a group picture that relates to the theme of the day
If you have 6-10 minutes…
- Each scholar shares something they're grateful for
- Each scholar shares a challenge and a win from the day
- Each scholar shares a glow and a grow from the day
- Glow = something that went well
- Grow = something they want to improve
- Each scholar shares something they're looking forward to
- Each scholar shares their favorite part of the week
If you have 11-20 minutes…
Shoutouts / Gratitudes:
- Have each scholar write a shoutout or gratitude for someone else in the room
- Assign shoutouts in advance so everyone receives one
- In-person: Use notecards. Scholars write their note and give it to the recipient. Collect notecards from multiple days to give as an end-of-camp gift.
- Virtual: Use Slack DMs (always include an instructional leader) to assign shoutouts. Collect using a Google Form so you can share all responses with scholars at the end of camp.
Reflection activities:
- Rose, Bud, Thorn: Each scholar shares a rose (something good), bud (something they're looking forward to), and thorn (something challenging) from the day
- High, Low, Buffalo: Each scholar shares their favorite part, least favorite part, and weirdest part of the day
- Fun Facts Kahoot: Collect fun facts about each scholar, then create a Kahoot so scholars can guess which fact belongs to whom
- Drawing reflection: Each scholar creates and shares a drawing about their day
- Show and Tell: Scholars share something they brought from home or created during camp
If you have an hour or more:
"About Me" Slides:
- Have scholars each create an "About Me" Google Slide
- Each scholar presents their slide to the full group
- Great for Day 2 of camp, especially if About Me projects aren't already part of the curriculum
- Consider creating a Kahoot at the end that quizzes scholars on all the About Me slides!
Paper Plate Awards:
- Write each scholar's name on a paper plate (in-person) or slide (virtual)
- Tell scholars not to look at their own plate/slide
- Have all other scholars write a kind superlative on that person's plate/slide
- Examples: "Nicest," "Most Likely to be a Graphic Designer," "Future CEO," "Best Style"
- Read aloud a few superlatives and present the plate/slide to each scholar
- Alternative: Instead of superlatives, ask scholars to write a kind note to that person
Best Practices for Both Circles
Opening and Closing Circles are where scholars feel seen, heard, and connected to the KWK community. These moments are how you build the culture and trust that make camps transformative. When you invest in these rituals, scholars invest in camp.
- Protect the Time | Opening and Closing Circles are not "filler time" or "optional if we're running behind." They're essential to scholar wellbeing and the KWK experience.
- Don't rush through them to squeeze in more content
- Don't skip them when you're behind schedule
- Hold the time sacred and plan for it in your Daily Agenda
- Keep Microfeedback at the START of Closing Circle | Why this matters:
- If microfeedback is at the end, scholars rush through it to leave on time
- Starting with microfeedback ensures scholars have quiet time to reflect thoughtfully
- It signals to scholars that their feedback truly matters
- Vary Your Activities | Don't do the same reflection activity every day. Scholars will disengage if it feels repetitive.
- Make Space for Quiet Scholars | Not everyone processes out loud. Offer multiple ways to participate:
- Verbal sharing in the circle
- Writing in chat (virtual)
- Writing on post-its (in-person)
- Journaling silently
- Opt to pass and just listen
What to say:
"We'd love to hear from everyone, but if you'd rather pass today, that's okay. You can write your reflection in your journal or just listen to others."
- Model Vulnerability | ILs should participate in reflections too. When you share authentically, scholars feel safer doing the same. This might sound like:
- "My glow today was seeing so many of you help each other debug. My grow is that I want to slow down my explanations tomorrow."
- "One word to describe my day: grateful. I'm grateful for how curious and brave you all are."
Opening Circle Checklist
Reviewed daily agenda and timing
Synthesized microfeedback trends into a slide or talking points
Planned adjustments to share with scholars
Chose a community-building OR content review activity
Prepared materials needed (slides, Kahoot, prompts, etc.)
Coordinated with team on who's leading what
Closing Circle Checklist
Reserved 5+ minutes at START for microfeedback (not the end!)
Prepared announcements and reminders to share
Chose a reflection/community-building activity appropriate for available time
Prepared materials needed (prompts, notecards, Padlet link, etc.)
Set a timer so circle doesn't run over
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