My husband and I just purchased a tent and plan to take our 2 kids, 4 1/2 and 6 camping several times this summer. our 1st trip is next weekend for our DD's 6th b-day. We have a camper, but we seemed to spend more time in it and less time outside, so we have ditched the camper this summer and going to pitch a tent. Granted, I bought a HUGE 3 bedroom tent but I am excited. I am wondering if any of you have GREAT ideas for activities for us, besides the obvious...sightseeing, hiking, fishing. I am looking a ideas on scavenger hunts, craft ideas etc. A website would be amazing. I have googled camping worksheets/activities but have not found much! any ideas would be greatly appreciated!!! I love homeschoolspot! such wonderful people with GREAT, Fun and educational IDEAS!!!! amy, GA
These websites has some fun nature craft ideas. http://crafts.kaboose.com/nature-crafts.html http://www.allcrafts.net/nature.htm When we camp we take along field guides for local birds and mammals. We try to find footprints and make castings of them and then identify animals by tracks or droppings. The kids also really enjoy finding rocks and flowers and using a field guide to identify them (or shells at the beach). Have fun camping! There is nothing better than being out in nature to explore and learn! We love tent camping, we are outside 95% of the time, it's wonderful!
How about survival lessons. Like how to make a shelter with sticks, basic ways to tell which way you are going. Like moss on the trees. Also we like to go and collect items, put them in baggies then when we get home look them up and learn something about them. Then we make a collage or something out of them.
Check out scouting websites. Here's a few to get you started: MacScouter Us Scouts Inquiry Outdoors Scouter --- Forum Thread Scouting Web Scouting.org Okay I'll stop.
What about tree rubbings? They can do a tree rubbing and write down the identification info for each tree.
Check out Acron Naturalists (google it for the site) and request a catalog - they have TONS of stuff!!!! I so need time just to sit down and look through it for some things I can take when we run away this summer
Along the lines of tree rubbings, what about leaf rubbings. You could identify them when you get home. Fire making skills, reading a compass, and swimming lessons in the lake. Your children will learn so much, simply because it is a brand new experience! I wouldn't worry too much about worksheets. You could make a collage/scrapbook about what you learned when you get home with all of your "artifacts" and any pictures you take.
We like to take along a survival guide and edible and medical plant books for research. It is fun to see what kind of resources you can find to live off the land. The girls also pack sketch books so they can keep journals. You can also make up your own scananger hunt list.
