Is anyone else shocked at how fast this summer is flying by? It seems like the last day of school was just yesterday. One of our favorite activities this summer has been doing Camp Whamma Jamma with some of our friends. The mom had asked me if we wanted to participate in a mom-run home summer camp and I couldn’t say yes fast enough! We picked a couple days in the month of July and took turns hosting a themed camp.
I had the first session and did a camping theme. So fun and easy to pull together!
The first camping activity was decorating sit upons! Originally, I was going to have them make the sit upons themselves, but I had so many other activities we weren’t going to have enough time so I put them together the night before. I cut a large repositionable contact paper rectangle for each kid and filled them with crumpled magazine pages. Then before I sealed them I stuck a short ribbon into the open side for a handle. The kids then personalized their sit upons with crayons and stickers.
Then it was time for some stories. We read Maisy Goes Camping by Lucy Cousins and When We Go Camping by Margriet Ruurs. The kids especially loved When We Go Camping, the illustrations are amazing and each page contains a footprint for the reader to identify. We highly recommend it!
Next up was a “hike” in the backyard! We gathered lots of fun things like rocks and leaves. Everyone got to pick a special rock to turn into a pet.
And then made crayon rubbings of some of the leaves they found!
For a snack we had trail mix and s’mores! Since our campfire was made out of tissue paper, I roasted the marshmallows for everyone on the gas stove. You can’t go camping, even pretend camping, without roasting marshmallows!
After a snack we went outside for archery practice! I found the coolest tutorial on I Can Teach My Child for making mini bows and arrows. You have to check it out! We had so much fun with them–once we figured out which way to hold the bow!
After archery the kids had free play time and enjoyed trying out the cardboard tent and campfire until they got too hot and headed inside to cool off. After a little bit of unstructured time we gathered back together for another story and craft. We read Eric Carle’s The Very Lonely Firefly and talked about what would happen if you were to catch a firefly in a jar.
Then we made our own inspired by the ones from Come Together Kids. We followed Laura’s directions for glow in the dark firefly jars except we used our fingers to make the bugs instead of a paintbrush. Then we tried them out! The kids went into a dark room with their glowing jars and “caught” glowing bugs (purchased from the dollar section at Target) that I had hid all over the room.
After a busy morning the kids were ready to take their bag lunches and their sit upons out to the campfire for lunch! Definitely a fun (and sunny) camping filled day! What fun camping activities have you tried? We’d love some more ideas!
Linking up to these great blogs:
Man, I wish we were neighbors. I want to go to your parties!
We’d have you run an origami one then for sure!
What great pretend play!
Mari
http://www.inspiredbyfamilymag.com
Thanks! They had so much fun that we are trying to squeeze in an overnight trip before school starts!
Your camp looks like so much fun! I bet the kids loved it. We just got home from a camping trip, and it was a blast. I bet my boys would love to recreate it. Thanks for linking up to The Sunday Showcase.
My kids were playing camping again today–they’d be so jealous to hear you just went! Hope it was tons if fun!
We’re going Camping and my name is Megan too! thank you for the suggestions.
What great ideas! I can’t wait to do this with my son! Will be featuring on my FB page tomorrow! (www.facebook.com/alldonemonkey)
Thanks so much!!!!
I am not sure what repositionable contact paper is.
I got it at Target. It’s like regular paper but you can unstick and re-stick it! You can do it with regular contact paper too I bet!
This is just the cutest thing I have ever seen! Thanks for sharing these AWESOME ideas. I want to re-create some of your ideas for a family reunion camping trip we are having this Summer. Can’t wait to get some of these crafts ready!
Yay! So glad you found something you could use!!! Have a fun family reunion!
I love your Camping Party idea SOOO much! Tis is just sooo great and affordable! I have been looking around for ideas, and found many that are JUST SOOO expensive and overdecorated and overwhelming. Thank you soo much for your sit ons idea! I’ll be making a couple of tents and was looking how to sew floor pillows, but the problem is I just don’t have a clue how to sew 🙂 and to buy them is so pricey. I’m so grateful that there are people who can come up with affordable ideas 🙂
WOO HOO!!! So glad that the ideas were helpful! Have a fabulous party! 🙂
this will be so much fun were goinging on a camping trip and we need something to play we shoot some bow and arrows yay im so exited your ideas are wonderful
I haveadded some of your ideas to my camp theme.
I have kids collect large rocks and wood to make a campfire. I take the grill from my Weber BBQ to place on the rocks and the kids have metal coffee pot, coffee cups, plates etc and pretend they are cooking over the campfire. We take naps outside(we live where it doesn’t get too hot) I have an inflatable boat that the kids fill with water.
Also, a kiddie pool filled with water and a crate on either side of the pool with a 2×6 board across for the kids to sit on while fishing. Kids make their own fishing poles with large stick. Put a magnet on the end of the twine that is tied to the sticks. I glued paper clip or magnets on some plastic fishes. They can catch fish and put them in a net. Then cook them over the fire pit.
Dawn! This sounds AMAZING!!!!!!!! What a fun and immersive experience you are giving the kids!