Ever since my boys camped in the backyard (see post for details:
http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/07/backyard-summer-camp-out.html) they've been asking to camp with the daycare kids. So we did a camping day. We set up a tent with pillows and blankets, pretend s'mores to cook over a pretend fire, sang campfire songs, and read a book about camping. The kids loved it!
The camping area in the backyard.
The kids used the tent for playing hide n' seek around "our camping place" and for pretending to sleep....but then a bear came and woke them up and almost ate them! I loved seeing their imaginations at work!
The camp "fire" was a pile of twigs and orange construction paper I cut out and taped together. I taped the bottom to three larger twigs so it would stay.
The kids loved pretending to cook their marshmallows over the fire, but I had to remind them numerous times that it wasn't a real marshmallow so they couldn't attempt to eat it.
The canteen and sound machine added some extra fun.
Their camping lunch: hot dog, Cheetos, carrots, and cherries. I forgot to get hot dog buns at the store (oops!) so we improvised with sandwich bread. The kids didn't seem to mind.
This was also the first time I had ever given the kids cherries. I had to show them how to eat the cherries without swallowing the seeds. Some kids loved them, but the younger kids were very unsure of them.
After lunch we headed outside for a book and campfire songs. We sang "On Top of Spaghetti" which instantly got the kids talking about Monday's spaghetti lunch (read post for details:
http://ashlen-kidspert.blogspot.com/2014/07/pasta-play-day.html). We read "Curious George Goes Camping." In the book, George puts out a forest fire.....which led to a 45 minute discussion about forest fires, what they were, how they start, and how "they're really really really bad!" I didn't think the book had that big of an impact on the kids, until after naps when they colored pictures of camping day (I told them to draw camping and had them explain their pictures to me). Almost every child drew a forest fire and told me how big and scary they were. This was another one of those times that I was amazed at how children can process things.
Of course we couldn't go without having s'mores for an afternoon snack! The kids were rather disappointed that we didn't cook them over a real fire (we cooked ours in the microwave), but it sure didn't stop them from eating them!
The kids had a great time playing and pretending during Camping Day, although I'm fairly certain the Curious George book was their favorite part of the day and what they learned the most from!
