Make-It Topic: Camping

Imaginative:

• Set up a tent, sleeping bags, and a fire for a camp site
• Set up a fishing hole with poles and fish
• Place out a large box for the children to create a cave to explore or a boat for fishing
• Set up lawn chairs beach towels buckets for a day at the beach

Language:

• Place out several puppets of various animals that one would see camping allow the children to explore
• Do the finger play “5 little bear cubs”
• Five little bear cubs eating an apple core
  One had a sore tummy and then there were four.
  Four little bear cubs climbing in a tree
  One fell out and then that left three.
  Three little bear cubs playing peek-a-boo
  One was afraid then there were two.
  Two little bear cubs sitting in the sun
  One ran away and then there was one.
  One little bear cub sitting all alone
  He saw his mommy and he ran home. 

• What’s missing; place out several camp objects and have the children explore then take something away see if they can guess what is missing
• Read camping books (fiction and non)

Art:

• Paint with leaves, sticks, flowers, rocks
• Place out scraps of paper to make a camp scene
• Place a picture of a tent use glitter, stickers felts to decorate
• Make a camp collage of shapes
• Make a tackle box-use egg cartons place pipe cleaner for a handle and plastic worms inside allow the children to decorate
• Place out tubes and tissue paper make fires

Water/Sand

• Fishing poles and fish in the water
• Place sticks and rocks in the sand
• Blow up balloons a small bit place them in the water table with nets to catch the fish

Gross Motor

• Place out paper tube binoculars, children can pretend to be various animals while others watch through the binoculars to guess the animal
• Set up items and have a scavenger hunt

Science/Curiosity

• Place out different bugs for viewing
• Place out objects of camping do they sink or float
• Place out bug catchers and magnifier glasses
• Make a worm aquarium

Blocks

• Add tents, people, and animals to wood blocks
• Place out cabin logs for building
• Place out different types of wood for exploring; branches from different trees, pieces of maple, fir etc

Conceptual/Table top/Fine motor

• Use a tent shape and place out different colors for matching
• Lace a tent
• Use pictures of forest, water, campground have pictures of animals and camp stuff to sort
• Place out different size hiking boots, for sorting, matching, sequencing
• Place out play dough and animals
• Use different size sticks and stones for sorting

Music

• Sing “A camping we will go”
• Pretend to sit around a camp fire and sing different songs

Quiet

• Make pigs and a barn for a flannel board in the quiet area

Cooking

• Make some S ’mores for everyone to enjoy.
  Place a marshmallow on a square of chocolate on top of a graham cracker place on a baking sheet place in the oven 250 degrees for about 5 min or chocolate melts remove cool and enjoy
• Go on a trail mix hike walk place baggies of trail mix ingredients around the yard then have the children hunt for them for a great snack

Field trip

• Go to the local department store and learn about different camping equipment
• Go for a picnic in the park
• Explore a trailer/motorhome possibly at a dealership