|
|
WILD FLOWER SCULPTURES
|
Have your children go on a hike and collect wild flowers, pine cones and twigs. |
 |
Then, mix up some sculpture goop, by mixing flour with a small amount of water. |
|
Place some goop on a piece of waxed paper for each child. |
|
Let them arrange their wild flowers, pine cones and twigs in the goop. |
|
If your children have found dried flowers, their sculptures will last for a while. But if they are using fresh flowers, it will only last the day. |
TWIG FRAMES
|
First, give each of your children four large craft sticks. |
|
Show them how to glue the four sticks into a square. |
|
Next, have each child glue small twigs on top of the frames. |
|
TWIG MOBILES
|
Have your children collect some medium and small twigs. |
|
Help them one at a time to tie smaller twigs down from a larger one.
|
|
LEAF PAINTING
|
Have your children collect one or two personal leaves. |
|
Set out some paint in a shallow pan and some plain white paper. |
|
Let your children dip their leaves in the paint pan, then make prints or just use the leaf for a paint brush. |
|
TREE RUBBINGS
|
Give your children a piece of copy paper and a large crayon with the paper off. |
|
Go outside, find a tree and show them how to make a rubbing of the tree’s bark.
|
|
PINECONE PICTURES
|
Take a walk in the woods with your children and collect pine cones. (or just bring some in to your room) |
|
Show your children how to pull off the scales and put them in a small dish. |
|
Then, give your children glue, paper and crayons. |
|
Have them draw simple pictures on their papers, then add pine cone scales to their pictures where ever they wish. |
|
OWL PUPPET TREES
|
Have children collect some small leaves. |
|
Give each child a clean toilet paper tube with an oval or circle cut out on one side. |
|
Have children glue small leaves on the tube to represent a tree. |
 |
Then have children take their trees and slide a finger up inside and out the hole. |
|
Have them pretend that their finger is an owl up in a tree. |
|
Use the puppets to act out various camping stories or songs. |
|
HUNGRY BEAR
|
Spread out a large blanket. |
|
Have your children sit around the outside edge. |
|
In the middle of the blanket, set four or five picnic, camping or food items. |
|
Point out each item and have children try to remember them. |
|
Have the children pretend they are on a picnic in the woods and get tired and decide to take a nap. |
|
While they are sleeping, along comes a bear (select one of the children to be the bear) and steals one of the items and drags it off (around a corner). |
|
When the children wake up, see if they can identify the missing item. |
|
When it is identified, the bear comes back and places the item back on the blanket. |
 |
Another child is chosen to be the bear and the game is played again. |
|
OWL SEARCH
|
Choose one child to be the owl. |
 |
Have the other children hide their eyes. |
|
Then the owl finds a place to hide and starts softly “hooting”. |
|
Have the rest of the children open their eyes and try to find the owl. |
|
Repeat games as long as interest lasts. |
|
PEANUT TOSS
|
Set a open box on a table on its side facing out. |
 |
This will represent a hole is a tree. |
|
Let each child pretend to be a squirrel, and toss ten peanuts into the hole. |
|
Count the number of peanuts each child gets in the hole. |
|
FISHING GAME
|
Make a fishing pole with a stick with a piece of string tied on the end. |
|
Tie a small magnet on the other end of the string. |
|
Cut out 12 fish (approximately 4” long) and place a paper clip over the mouth of each fish. |
|
Lay the fish on the floor (representing a lake). |
|
Let your children take turns using the pole to try to catch 3 fish. |
|
|
FLASHLIGHT PICTURES
|
Have children sit in a straight line in front of a blank wall. |
|
Turn off the lights and turn on a flashlight. |
|
Hand the flashlight to a child and have them outline a simple shape on the wall. |
|
Have the other children try to guess what shape is being drawn. |
|
Let the child that guesses correctly, have the next turn. |
|
|
FOREST ENVIRONMENT
|
Let your children research the forest, by visiting one or looking through books or watching videos of the forest. |
 |
Help your children learn about the layers of life in the forest.
| 1) |
Bottom Layer – the forest floor is a carpet of decaying leaves, moss and small twigs. |
| 2) |
Middle Layer – fallen branches and plants. Insects live in and feed on the rotting logs and leaves, while larger animals live in the hallowed out logs and tree stumps. Larger animals roam the forest, living off the plants and smaller animals. |
| 3) |
Top Layer – leaves and needles make food for the trees while providing places for birds to rest and build their nests.
|
|
|
HELPFUL FOREST
Let your children help you list all the ways the forest is helpful.
|
The trees hold the water in the soil with their roots. |
|
The forest keeps the surrounding area cool with its shade. |
|
The forest provides homes for many animals. |
|
Forests clean and enrich the air we breathe. Their leaves and needles take in carbon dioxide and give out oxygen. |
|
The forest provides food for many animals. |
|
ANIMALS OF THE FOREST
Have your children look through books and identify the animals that live in the North American forests.
| Bears |
Squirrels |
Porcupine |
| Deer |
Raccoons |
Birds |
| Owls |
Frogs |
Beavers |
| Skunks |
Wolves |
Insects |
|
CAMPING ENVIRONMENT
Set up a camp site in your room. Bring in:
|
Tent - a small real one or make one by putting blankets over a table. |
|
Sleeping bags |
|
Flashlights |
|
Canteen |
|
Backpack |
 |
Lantern |
|
Campfire - make one by using paper towel tubes and red or orange tissue paper. |
|
|
CAMPFIRE STORIES
|
Sit around the campfire with your children and tell stories about camping adventures or forest friends. |
|
Make a Story Wheel with camping items and environments. |
|
STORY WHEEL
|
Take a paper plate and glue small pictures related to camping around the outside of the plate. |
 |
Attach a spinner to the middle of the plate. (A large safety pin attached with a paper fastener works great) |
|
Start a story about camping. |
|
Let your children take turns spinning the story wheel and then incorporate that item into the story. (If children are too young to participate in the story telling, just let them spin, then you continue the story, incorporating that item or element into the story.)
|
|
TWIG LETTERS
|
Find some small twigs and break them into 2” sections. |
|
Set them out and let your children try to make letters with straight lines. |
|
LETTER FISHING
|
Make a fishing game. (Directions with Camping Games) |
|
Mark the paper fish with different letters. |
|
Turn the fish over so that letters are not seen. |
|
Lay out the fish on the floor and let your children take turns fishing for a certain letter.
|
|
CAMPING SOUNDS
|
The word “camping” starts with a hard “k” sound. |
|
Have your children listen to the sound at the beginning of the word. |
|
Can they help you think of other words that begin with the same sound?
Cat, cot, cup, cow, cookie, corn, etc. |
|
|
A-CAMPING WE WILL GO
Tune: “The Farmer in the Dell”
A-camping we will go, a-camping we will go,
Heigh ho, we love it so, a-camping we will go.
First we’ll pitch our tent, first we’ll pitch our tent.
Heigh ho, we love it so, first we’ll pitch our tent.
Next we’ll take a hike, next we’ll take a hike,
Heigh ho, we love it so, next we’ll take a hike.
Then we’ll take a swim, then we’ll take a swim.
Heigh ho, we love it so, then we’ll take a swim.
At last we’ll build a fire, at last we’ll build a fire.
Heigh ho, we love it so, at last we’ll build a fire.
A-camping we will go, a-camping we will go.
Heigh ho, we love it so, a-camping we will go.
Jean Warren
© Warren Publishing
|
DOWN BY THE CAMPFIRE
Tune: “Down by the Station”
Down by the campfire,
Late in the evening.
See all the campers,
Sitting in a row.
Looking at the campfire,
Hearing scary stories.
Boo! Hey, campers-
Where’d you go?
Kathleen Cubley
© Warren Publishing
|
COOKING MARSHMALLOWS
Tune: “The Hokey Pokey”
You put the marshmallow in,
You take the marshmallow out.
You put the marshmallow in
And you turn it all about.
You put it by the embers,
Until it’s nice and brown.
That’s when you gobble it up.
Author Unknown
|
FISHY, FISHY
Fishy, fishy in the brook.
Watch me catch it with my hook.
I will fry it up tonight.
Then, eat it by the bright moonlight.
Adapted Traditional |
WOODSY OWL
Tune: “Yankee Doodle”
This great earth is our home,
It’s up to us to care.
Woodsy Owl will lead the way,
Come on, let’s do our share.
“Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute”
Clean land is best, we know.
Let’s leave a trail that’s nice and clean
Wherever we may go.
Kathleen Cubley
© Warren Publishing
|
PICK UP YOUR LITTER
Tune: “When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again”
Remember when you’re in the woods, pick up your litter.
Remember that the woods are home, to lots of critters.
The deer, the beaver, the owl and bear,
All are thankful that you care.
So keep your litter – out of their home.
Jean Warren
© Warren Publishing
|
|
