#1036. Camping Theme Activities

other, level: Elementary
Posted Sat Apr 24 10:11:04 PDT 1999 by Christine (maxntosh@msn.com).
from the Early Childhood ChatBoard, Teachers.Net
Materials Required: Various
Activity Time: Varied
Concepts Taught: Camping unit ideas

Here are some ideas that I gathered recently. Hope they help, have fun! ~ Christine

Set up a tent in the room, or if it is nice outside
Tell Ghost stories
Sing Camp songs
Tie Dye T-shirts

Make a Trail Mix:
1 package of granola cereal
½ pound chocolate chips
½ box raisins
½ pound peanuts
½ pound banana chips

Make S'Mores:
Place a large marshmallow on a square graham cracker. Next place a square of chocolate on top of the marshmallow. Place the cracker on a baking sheet and bake for about 5 minutes at 250. Remove from oven and press a second graham cracker on top. Serve warm.

Camping Paintings:
Paint with leaves, sticks, flowers and rocks. Paint with rubber worms.

Camping Collage:
Collect leaves, pebbles, twigs, pine cones, etc.
Provide glue and tagboard. Use materials to make a collage.

Build a Fire:
Use paper towel tubes and yellow, red, and orange tissue paper crumpled up to make a fire. Put carpet squares, rocks, and logs around it to sit on.

Make Star Pictures:
Use black paper and a toothpick on a piece of carpet. Punch holes in the paper to make stars and then hang in the windows.

Stick Man:
Take the children out to hunt for their own stick.
Then let them paint and decorate the sticks with odds and ends. They can add wiggle eyes also.

Nature Wreaths:
Cut out the center of a paper plate. Then the children can add nature items that they have found outside.
They can embellish their wreaths with glitter and ribbon and other odds and ends.

Sleeping Bag Races:
Be creative, how many kids can fit in a sleeping bag, relay race in a sleeping bag, obstacle course in a sleeping bag . . .

Grocery Sack Backpacks:
For each child use two large grocery bags, scissors, duct tape, two strips of material about 40 inches long by 3 inches wide, rubber band or string, two lightweight cardboard circles 2 or 3 inches wide, stapler, paint, paintbrushes. Place one sack inside the other then cut the back corner side down about 7 inches, do the same with the other back corner side. You have now created a flap. Fold the flap down in front of you, now cut the rest of the three sides to the height where the flap folds down. It should now look like a box with a flap. Taking the flap, staple one cardboard circle a couple of inches from the bottom in the middle. Lifting the flap place the other circle approximately 2 ½ inches down from the middle and staple it in place. This circle is to be located in the front, middle section of your rectangular box shape. Now you can cut a heavy piece of string and tie it around the circle on the flapper, leaving a portion dangling to wrap onto the bottom circle for closure. This is where you may substitute a rubber band. Paint and decorate your backpack. Lift the flapper and make two sets of horizontal slits in the back end of the backpack. On each side you will have one pair of slits. Each pair should be about 2-½ inches wide, a little smaller width than your material. Insert your strips into the top and bottom of the vertical slits and tie when adjusted to fit child. You can tape the knot from your material strip to the inside eof the sack with duct tape if it seems to have too much slack.

Glow in the Dark Chalk or Crayon Art:
Buy some glow in the dark chalk or crayons and have the children create pictures on dark paper.

Banana Boats:
Leaving the skin on slice halfway through the long way. Place broken up marshmallows and small bits of chocolate in the banana slit. Wrap the entire banana in tin foil and worm in the oven until chocolate and marshmallows begin to melt. When warmed, scoop out banana and marshmallows with a spoon.

Gone Fishing:
Cut out fish shapes (I used silver coated poster board & a die cutter) and place a paper clip on each one. Give the child a stick with a string tied onto it with a magnet for a hook. Use blue masking tape to create a pond/lake on the floor if desired. Simple math facts or letter recognition can be put on the back of the fish, so when the child catches a fish they complete the activity and throw their fish back in the pond.