Turn your classroom into a camp ground. Clear desks and other objects and invite students to bring in blankets or sleeping bags. Set up tents, as well as the blankets and sleeping bags on the open space and pretend that you are camping. Tell spooky stories, make s'mores, drink from canteens and sing songs around a pretend camp fire. Encourage children to use their imaginations to pretend that they are actually in the woods on a camping trip. This activity will provide children who have never been camping with a camping experience and it will allow those who have been camping to share their knowledge of their experiences with others.
Star gazing is an activity that is often done on camping trips. During your camping theme, teach your students some basic astronomy. Turn off the lights in your classroom and cast a projector that features images of the night sky onto the ceiling. Observe the images with your students. Point out constellations, planets and moons. Show children a map of the sky and see if they can locate the images on the map on the pretend night sky. Include some history in this camping science lesson and explain to students the link to Greek mythology and the constellations. Encourage students to observe the night sky at home and have them record any constellations, meteors and other celestial objects they see.
A camping theme is an ideal time to teach students about compasses and directions. Offer your students compasses and explain to them the purpose of these instruments. Review how the instruments work and ask your students to find due north. Create directions to a specific area in the classroom, in the school or on the playground and encourage children to use their compasses to find the location that the directions lead to.
Have your students craft binoculars during your camping theme. Provide students with empty toilet paper rolls and show them how to attach two rolls together with staples or glue. Offer students markers, crayons, stickers and other craft supplies to decorate their tubes. Punch one hole in the outer end near the edges of each of the tubes and thread yarn through the holes. Children can use the yarn to wear their binoculars around their necks and use them to play with.