Camp Activities

http://savedbysuzy.blogspot.com/2012/06/camping-tips-tricks.html

Camping Activities
We will be staying at a lake with waterfalls, so a lot of our activities will be around the water. We'll bring inflatable rafts to play in the water. We'll also hike and explore the state park where we're staying. Depending on the area, bikes or at least scooters for the kids can be a good idea too.

It's always fun to throw around a ball. We'll bring a football, a softball and gloves and a frisbee.

I'm planning on having the kids do a scavenger hunt. All you need is a list of items and a bag to put them in.

Quote :

Nature Scavenger Hunt Ideas
*something fuzzy
*two kinds of seeds
*two pieces of man-made litter
*something straight
*something round
*something smooth
*something rough
*two different types of leaves
*something that makes noise
*a chewed leaf
*a beautiful rock
*something you think is beautiful
*a pinecone
*something green
*a stick
*something you think is a treasure

We usually bring journals, pencils and crayons. The girls can write about our trip and draw pictures of what they see. Leaf rubbings are also fun and simple.

My girls love this game that only takes pencil and paper too. Each person has a sheet of paper and starts the game by writing a sentence. Everyone passes their paper to the left. The next person tries to draw a picture that goes with the sentence. Fold over the sentence, so the picture is the only thing showing. Pass your papers to the left again. The next person looks at the drawing and writes a sentence that goes with the drawing. Fold over the paper so that only the sentence is showing and pass again. Keep going for as long as you want. At the end everyone unfolds the papers and reads/shows the sentences and pictures. It's hilarious to see how the original sentence got interpreted through the drawings and accompanying descriptions. It's kind of like a visual game of "telephone."

Plaster of Paris Souvenir. This activity is a little more involved, but could make a nice keepsake of the camping trip. What you do is mix up some plaster of paris and pour a 2 inch layer in a shoebox (one shoebox per child). The kids could make their handprint in the center and then surround it with treasures they've found at the campsite...leaves, pinecones, sticks, etc. The kids can take a stick and write their name, date, and location too. This link tells you how to make a plaster of paris cast of animal tracks, but I doubt we'll find animal tracks.

How about a marshmallow shooter?

My kids are in a huge UNO playing phase right now, so I must remember to bring the cards. The fire is also a huge source of entertainment for my kids. The love to roast just about anything, which leads me to FOOD.