Materials
- pup tent
- 2 flashlights
- 2 sleeping bags
- backpack
- children's cooking utensils
- wood scraps
What to do
1. Pitch a pup tent outside the classroom.
2. Put two flashlights, two sleeping bags, and a backpack filled with cooking utensils. Place wood scraps nearby.
3. When the children play outside, invite them to pretend to camp out.
4. Encourage them to sit around the "campfire" and sing camp songs together.
5. If possible, do this activity in the winter and then repeat it in the summer (see "Camping in the Cold" on page xxx in the January chapter). After the children have done both, encourage them to compare and contrast experiences. Ask questions, such as "How are summer camping and winter camping the same? How are the different?" "What would you do while summer/winter camping?" "Which did you like best? Why?"
6. You also could have them pretend they are camping in the winter and then the summer.
-Karyn F. Everham, Fort Myers, FL
