Grown-Up Goals. Kid-Sized Joy. Learning in disguise.
Camping Fun
Here is a 3-day "Campsite" curriculum
Day 1: Setting Up Camp
Focus: Cooperation, basic needs, and building the "campsite."
The Big Activity: Tent Pitching & Nesting
Work together to set up the tent. Let children help carry the "poles" (if safe) or "stake" the corners with pretend hammers.
Inside the tent, have everyone unroll their sleeping bags. (You can use pieces of fabric sewn into small pillow case like sleeping bags)
Literacy Link: Read a story like Llama Llama Goes Camping by Anna Dewdney while everyone sits inside the tent with the flap open.
Song: "A-Camping We Will Go"
(Tune: The Farmer in the Dell)
"A-camping we will go, a-camping we will go, / Heigh-ho the dairy-o, a-camping we will go!"
"We’ll sleep inside a tent..." / "We’ll cook over the fire..."
Snack: "Trail Mix" Sorting
"On Top of My Sleeping Bag"
(Tune: On Top of Old Smoky)
On top of my sleeping bag, All covered with fuzz, I saw a big beetle,
I wondered what he was?
He crawled on my zipper, He sat on my toe, I whispered, "Dear beetle, It’s time for you to go!"
He wiggled his feelers, And gave a small bite, Then tucked himself in For a long winter’s night.
So if you go camping, And sleep in a tent, Be sure that your zipper Is closed on your tent!
Activity Ideas for the Song
The "Zipper" Sound: Have the children mimic zipping up their sleeping bags by making a "Zzzzzzzip!" sound with their mouths every time you mention the zipper.
Fuzzy Feelings: Have the children pat the "fuzz" on their actual sleeping bags or blankets while singing the first verse.
The Beetle Crawl: Use your fingers to "crawl" up your arm like a beetle during the second verse.
Quick Teaching Tip: Since this tune (On Top of Old Smoky) has a bit of a slower, swaying rhythm, it's a great song to use right before transition time or nap time to help the "campers" settle down.
Songs: A-Camping We Will Go
(Tune: The Farmer in the Dell)
A-camping we will go, A-camping we will go, Heigh-ho the dairy-o, A-camping we will go!
Verse 2: We’ll sleep inside a tent, We’ll sleep inside a tent, Heigh-ho the dairy-o, We’ll sleep inside a tent!
Verse 3: We’ll cook over the fire, We’ll cook over the fire, Heigh-ho the dairy-o, We’ll cook over the fire!
Verse 4: We’ll bring our flashlights too, We’ll bring our flashlights too, Heigh-ho the dairy-o, We’ll bring our flashlights too!
(If you have enough flashlights, all of the kids can hold a flashlight and turn it on during this verse.)
Verse 5: We’ll watch the twinkling stars, We’ll watch the twinkling stars, Heigh-ho the dairy-o, We’ll watch the twinkling stars!
Storytelling - Tall Tales
Sitting around the campfire is the perfect time to build "oral storytelling" skills. For preschoolers, this isn't about spooky stories; it's about using their imagination to describe adventures.
Here are five "Campfire Tale" prompts to get the conversation moving while they sit around your toy fire:
"The Helpful Forest Friend"
The Setup: "One morning, I stepped out of my tent and saw a [Animal] trying to reach a piece of fruit high in a tree. I decided to help! How did we get the fruit down?" (Remind the children about staying a safe distance from animals.)
The Goal: Encourages problem-solving.
"The Mystery Sound"
The Setup: "Last night, I was snuggled in my sleeping bag and I heard a sound. It went Crinkle, Crinkle, Pop! What do you think was making that noise outside the tent?"
The Goal: Helps with auditory imagination and turns "scary" noises into something silly (like a squirrel eating a cracker)
"The Magic Flashlight"
The Setup: "I found a special flashlight in my backpack. When I shine it on a rock, the rock turns into... [Child’s Name], what does the rock turn into?"
The Goal: Pure creative play.
"The Giant S'more"
The Setup: "We decided to make the biggest s'more in the whole world! It was as tall as a house! What did we use for the graham crackers? What did we use for the giant marshmallow?"
The Goal: Practices descriptive language and scale.
The "Alphabet Backpack" (Phonics & Vocabulary)
The Game: Place a few camping items in a backpack (e.g., Sock, Map, Bowl).
The Play: Pull an item out halfway. Say, "I’m packing something for my trip that starts with the /m/ sound. What is it?"
The Goal: Letter-sound recognition.
Play a Memory Game: I'm going on a camping trip and I took an A - Apple, B - Ball, C - Candle.....continue around the room with each child trying to remember all of the items that have been named before. How far into the alphabet can your preschoolers go without forgetting? (Let the children try without help for a short time and then invite the class to help remember the next item on the list.)
Day 3: Around the Campfire
Focus: Storytelling, heat/safety, and traditional camping treats.The Big Activity: The "Hot" Fire & Storytelling Circle
Gather everyone in a circle around the toy campfire.
The Game: "What’s in my Backpack?" Pass a small backpack around. Each child pulls out a pretend item (a compass, a map, a water bottle) and explains why a camper needs it.
Practice "Fire Safety": Teach the children to walk around the fire circle and never through it.
Teacher Tip:Today might be a good day to have a fire drill in your classroom, and to check your smoke detectors.
Craft:
Make a light up firefly out of a water bottle, add paper wings, legs, a smiling face on the bottle lid, antenna pipe cleaners and put a glow stick inside the water bottle.
Science Experiment: Do glow sticks glow brighter in hot or cold water?
S'more Patterning (Patterns & Sequencing)
The Game: Use brown construction paper squares (crackers), white cotton balls (marshmallows), and brown felt rectangles (chocolate).
The Play: Start a pattern: Cracker, Marshmallow, Chocolate... Cracker, Marshmallow... and ask, "What comes next?"
The Goal: Logical sequencing.
Snack: Indoor S'mores
Graham cracker squares with a marshmallow fluff spread and a few chocolate chips. No heat required, but all the flavor!
S'Mores can also be made in an air fryer. Toast the marshmallows, top them with chocolate chips. Serve as a spread on top of a graham cracker.
Campsite Math Games
Pinecone Counting & Sorting (Quantities)
The Game: Use the pinecones you collected during your Forest week.
The Play: Label three "campsite buckets" with the numbers 1, 2, and 3. Have the children sort the correct number of pinecones into each bucket.
The Goal: One-to-one correspondence (matching the number to the object count).
"How Many Sleepers?" (Addition/Subtraction)
The Game: Use your tent as the "math house."
The Play: Have 3 children crawl into the open tent. Ask the group, "How many campers are inside?" Then, have 1 child crawl out. "Now how many are left?"
The Goal: Basic concepts of adding and taking away.
Five Little Bears
(Tune: Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed)
Five little bears went out to play, In the deep, dark woods on a summer day. One fell down a hollow log, (Fold down one finger) And got his fur all wet in the fog!
Chorus: Mama Bear called, and she started to growl, (Make a "claw" hand) "Be careful of the wolf and the big grey owl!"
Four little bears went out to play, In the deep, dark woods on a summer day. One got stuck in a prickly bush, (Fold down one finger) And gave his brother a little push!
Chorus: Mama Bear called, and she started to growl, "Be careful of the wolf and the big grey owl!"
Three little bears went out to play, In the deep, dark woods on a summer day. One chased a bee right to the hive, (Fold down one finger) And did a very silly dive!
Chorus: Mama Bear called, and she started to growl, "Be careful of the wolf and the big grey owl!"
Two little bears went out to play, In the deep, dark woods on a summer day. One climbed up a tree so high, (Fold down one finger) To wave at the birds flying by!
Chorus: Mama Bear called, and she started to growl, "Be careful of the wolf and the big grey owl!"
One little bear went out to play, In the deep, dark woods on a summer day. He got lonely and started to weep, (Fold down the last finger) Then curled up small and went to sleep.
Final Chorus: Mama Bear called, but she didn’t growl, She tucked them in with a soft, warm howl!
Interactive Ideas for the "Campsite"
The "Log" Prop: If you have a rolled-up yoga mat or a long pillow, use it as the "hollow log" for the first verse.
The Sleeping Bag Finish: On the very last verse, have all the children "curl up small" on their actual sleeping bags to show the bears are ready for a nap.
Counting Skills: Encourage the kids to hold up their five fingers and "tuck one away" into their palm for each verse to practice subtraction.
A relaxing song to use when it is time to transition into nap time or a quiet rest period. You can sing this softly while the children are snuggled in their sleeping bags inside or around the tent.
Goodnight Campers
(Tune: The Farmer in the Dell)
The sun is going down, The sun is going down, Heigh-ho the dairy-o, The sun is going down.
We’re snug in sleeping bags, We’re snug in sleeping bags, Heigh-ho the dairy-o, We’re snug in sleeping bags.
The forest is so still, The forest is so still, Heigh-ho the dairy-o, The forest is so still.
Goodnight to all the bears, Goodnight to all the bears, Heigh-ho the dairy-o, Goodnight to all the bears.
(Whisper the final verse) It’s time to close our eyes, It’s time to close our eyes, Heigh-ho the dairy-o, It’s time to close our eyes.
Setting the Scene for Rest Time
The "Fire" Dimmer: Dim the classroom lights as you start the third verse ("The forest is so still").
A Gentle Breeze: If you have a small fan, turn it on low to create a "forest breeze" sound.
Interactive Ideas for the Classroom:
Prop Play: As you sing each verse, have a child hold up the item mentioned (the flashlight, a piece of the tent, or a "log" from your toy campfire).
Marching: This is a great "marching" song. Have the children march in a circle around your "campsite" while they sing.
Custom Verses: You can ask the kids, "What else should we bring to camp?" If they say "a backpack" or "a bear," you can instantly make a new verse: "We’ll bring a backpack too..."
Turn a fleece blanket into a "sleeping bag" by folding it in half and sewing the bottom and part way up the side.
Sleeping Bag Rhymes (Phonemic Awareness)
The Game: Have all the children climb inside their sleeping bags (heads out and sitting in a line).
The Play: Say a word, like "Bear." If a child can think of a rhyming word ("Chair!", "Pear!"), they get to "hop" their "sleeping bag" forward once.
The Goal: Identifying rhyming sounds.
Sample Parent Letter
Adventure Log: Our Week at Camp
Dear Families,
Grab your gear and head for the woods! This week, our classroom transformed into a bustling campsite as we explored our Camping Theme. From pitching a tent to "roasting" marshmallows, your little explorers have been busy learning through play.
What We Did This Week:
The Great Indoors: We set up a basecamp in our very own classroom tent! We practiced cooperation by working together to unroll sleeping bags and organize our "gear."
Flashlight Explorers: We dimmed the lights and used flashlights to go on a Nocturnal Animal Hunt. This was a big hit for building visual tracking skills and overcoming any "fear of the dark."
Campfire Stories: We gathered around our toy campfire to practice oral storytelling. We used a "Talking Stick" to take turns sharing adventures, which helped us work on patience and listening.
S’more Math: We used "crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows" (paper and cotton balls!) to create complex patterns and practice our counting.
Songs We’re Singing:
Ask your camper to sing "A-Camping We Will Go" or perform the "Five Little Bears" finger-play for you! They’ve become experts at the hand gestures and counting down from five.
Ask Your Camper:
"What did you find with your flashlight?"
"What was the most important thing in your camping backpack?"
"What sound does a Mama Fox make when she calls her babies back to the den?"
Home Connection:
If you have a flashlight at home, try a "Shadow Puppet" show before bed tonight. It’s a wonderful way to continue the storytelling magic we started in class!
Happy Trails,
Teacher's Name
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