Camping Theme Ideas

[Pepperth]

My DS has been really wishing for camping season. We're knee-deep in snow, so not going to happen for a while, but I'm planning a pretend camping trip in the daycare to help take the edge off. I'm going to set up a kids tent to sleep around for nap time and have a pretend fire. We'll have a scavenger hunt, and make trail mix. Any ideas that could make the day even more fun? My son has one of those lights that projects stars on the ceiling, so we can sleep under the "stars."

[Josiegirl]

Oh what fun!!
My first thoughts went to the Going on a Bear Hunt book, do the actions with it, maybe make bear puppets or something? And maybe create some kind of fishing game, cutting out fish, use magnets and long sticks.
Oh and ya gotta have S'Mores!!!
Sing around the campfire.

[Unregistered]

Binoculars from t.p. tubes? Bring out any toy birds, bears or other forest animals for playing.
If you have any Christmas wrap tubes around, color them to use for logs for the fire?
Maybe you have a white noise cd or app that could do rain sounds?

[Unregistered]

*undecorated christmas trees put up with the tent to make it look like in the woods
*small sleeping bags out
*pretend fires ( felt ones or tissue paper & paper rolls)
*flashlights
*forest animal plush toys
*little backpacks
*binoculars

[daycare]

We did this last year and the kids spent 3 hours building forts.

We brought in planks branches tons of sheets and a tarp.

I had all kinds of other stuff to do and they didn't touch it

[Starburst]

Maybe you can:
*Teach them campfire songs (Home on the Range, Kumbaya) or tell stories by the campfire (read a book related to camping)
*Play a nature (forest/rain) sounds CD
*Make native american jewelry (beaded bracelets or feather necklaces)
*Have a camp themed lunch (beans, corn, turkey sandwich, s'mores, jiffy popcorn)
*Teach them mild survival trips (how fresh water is sanitized {boil it}, treat a mild cut/burns, not feeding wild animals, keep food stored to keep wild animals away).

[MBF]

I have done a camping theme, they loved it. all above ideas are great, I had them bring a small knapsack for the binoculars we made, also made maps, trail mix and pretend compasses as well.