• 3 to 6 Months Before High Seas Expedition
• 2 to 3 Months Before High Seas Expedition
• 8 Weeks Before High Seas Expedition
• 4 Weeks Before High Seas Expedition
• 2 Weeks Before High Seas Expedition
• 1 Week Before High Seas Expedition
• During High Seas Expedition
• After Your High Seas Expedition

During High Seas Expedition

Meet with Crew Leaders during Sing & Play Splash.
Each day, the Sing & Play Splash Leader will excuse Crew Leaders for a quick huddle and prayer with you outside the Sing & Play Splash area. This is a great time to ask Crew Leaders if they have any needs or concerns, to make last-minute announcements or schedule changes, and to encourage your Crew Leaders. Lead a prayer, asking God to bless your day, protect everyone, and give all leaders wisdom as they work with each child.

Register new children.
Make sure you have plenty of workers on hand to register kids the first day. (This is an excellent way to use volunteers who aren't available to help the entire week.) Set up separate registration sites for preregistration check-in and walk-in registration. Follow the Day 1 registration procedures outlined in the Ultimate Go-to Director Guide. After Day 1, maintain a registration table to register kids who join your program midweek.

Meet with Station Leaders and Crew Leaders after each day's program.
Check in with all High Seas Expedition staff to see what went smoothly and what could be improved for future days. Be prepared to change schedules, rooms, or procedures. You may even need to reassign some Crews. Work together to make any necessary changes to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

Give announcements during Sing & Play Splash or The Floating Finale.
During the course of the program, you may need to change schedules, stations, or Crew assignments. You also may have personal messages or lost-and-found items to deliver to participants. Each day check with the Sing & Play Splash Leader and The Floating Finale Leader to schedule any announcements you would like everyone to hear.

Attend Sing & Play Splash and The Floating Finale each day.
These opening and closing activities will give you a good indication of how your adventure is proceeding. They also provide opportunities for children to see you and to identify you as the Director. Each day, the Sing & Play Splash Leader may call on you to pray before dismissing kids to their stations. Besides, you'll have fun!

Peek into as many stations as you can.
We visit a variety of summer programs every year, and we're amazed at how many directors don't really know what's happening in the stations. While you don't need to hover over the kids or make your Station Leaders nervous, it's important to know that leaders are following your guidelines.

Help your staff be the best it can be.
Your helpful presence will let staff members know that they're not alone. This is also a good time to make sure they're following the program so it will be powerful. Remember, Station Leaders need to follow the leader guides, because each station plays an important role in children's overall learning experience.

Make sure all Station Leaders and Crew Leaders are present each day.
Arrange for substitutes, if necessary. If you're in a pinch for Crew Leaders, ask the Sing & Play Splash Leader and The Floating Finale Leader to fill in—or appoint yourself Crew Leader for a day.

Make sure Station Leaders and Crew Leaders have the supplies they need each day.
Have a runner available to collect or purchase additional supplies, if necessary.

Help with discipline problems as necessary.
In High Seas Expedition field tests (and from real programs across North America), workers encountered virtually no discipline problems. Each day was so full of fun faith formation activities that kids didn't have time to misbehave. Combined-age Crews encourage kids to work together instead of squabble, and minor problems can be handled by Station Leaders or Crew Leaders. So your job is easy!

Stock and maintain a first-aid site.
Keep a good supply of adhesive bandages and first-aid ointment on hand, along with phone numbers for local clinics and hospitals. You may also want to keep photocopies of kids' registration forms near your first-aid site. You can use the forms to check for allergies or other health concerns. Be sure to tell your Crew Leaders of any allergies or special needs, too.

Keep an eye on Crews.
You may notice that some Crew Leaders just aren't tuning in to their Crew members and you need to reassign a few volunteers to more suitable jobs. Or if a Crew Leader is struggling with a group that suddenly grew, split the Crew into two more manageable groups. A "heads-up" attitude will make this experience the best for each child involved.

Prepare High Seas Expedition completion certificates.
Fill out a certificate for each child. A High Seas Expedition completion certificate is in the Starter Kit, and additional certificates are available from Harcourt Religion.

Send the memories home!
We've heard it again and again: "My kids can't stop singing those songs!" Plan to provide (or sell) Sing & Play Splash Music CDs for the kids at your program. Set up a table, complete with information on how to obtain Sing & Play Splash media items, outside your Floating Finale area. (One parish we visited already had them available at the registration table on the first day.)