Welcome to Camp Read S'More, a STEM/Library Family Night for first and second graders! We had so much fun! Read below to learn about the different activities, see pictures, and read comments from the kids about the night. Put on your hiking boots, grab your flashlight and your knapsack, and let's go.
Families were welcomed and given a group symbol (little papers with a campfire, lantern, or tent) to let them know which group they would move with. Students were asked a question about camping and given a sleeping bag cutout to place appropriately on a graph. They were given the opportunity to get in the tent and have their picture taken and then made their way to the music room to circle up around another campfire. Once everyone arrived and checked in, our music teacher led the group in a rousing rendition of "Going on a Bear Hunt." The kids and parents loved it!
I explained the goals and directions for the night, and we broke into our three groups. The groups would spend 15 minutes in each room, and rotate together. (We found out quickly last year that an organized rotation system worked much better than vague wanderings from room to room.) Below is a breakdown of each of the rooms:
Library:
- Family Games -- Connect Four, Fishing Game, Grumpy Old Bear (camping themed Old Maid), Trouble, Chutes & Ladders
- A tablecloth tent with a shadow book and flashlight
- Lincoln Logs
- A cup-stacking activity
- Camping themed books
- Tent Mouse RV Mouse book with two mice, a tent, and a camper for acting out story
Probably the two favorites from the Library area were the cup stacking activity and Lincoln Logs. I personally love the Tent Mouse/RV Mouse table, and a few people agreed with me.
Art Room:
- Camping themed word searches
- Camping themed color by number
- Camping themed bookmarks to color
- Sight word camping game
- A National Parks puzzle
- A Roll & Graph S'Mores activity
- Lego Lantern building -- the kids built a lantern to hold an LED tealight
The Lego lantern was definitely the overall favorite of the room (including grandmas), but the puzzle was also a hit. It was nice to have the coloring-type activities as a kind of peaceful activity.
Science Lab:
- Experiment with Glow Sticks in hot/cold water (this kind of flopped, so we will drop it next year)
- Create lantern with glow stick liquid and glitter in a small water bottle
- Create a tent
- Build a fishing pole
- Make a s'more (I have small indoor s'more burners)
The lantern creation was new this year and was a real crowd-pleaser. They also enjoyed making tents and building fishing poles. I love my new s'mores plushy from Target!
Overall the night was a complete success. Parents were complimentary, and one little girl said, "This was the best family night ever!" I enjoyed it and was also glad to have two classroom teachers join us for the night. Next year I am hoping that the music teacher can stay for the entire family night time and have a campfire song "center" that the families will rotate to. They enjoyed the Bear Hunt so much; I think that would be a nice addition to the night.
Below are attachments for the invitation and any sheets that I created myself. I found some things online, just by searching "camping themed literacy/stem family night" so I have not attached those things. There is a ton out there; you just have to have the time to search. I actually love a good internet search. Also, I almost never pay for anything. I like to either find things for free or create them myself. That's why I don't mind sharing.
Next time I'll be sharing about my fall books and activities. I bought several new books this year and am excited to share them with you. Still loving it in the library!!!
Invitation (You can upload this on Canva and change dates/other info.)
Some sites to check out:
https://www.teachingexpertise.com/k-5/camping-theme-ideas/
https://www.livinglifeandlearning.com/camping-stem-activities.html
https://buzzingwithmsb.com/2013/03/camp-read-lot.html
https://hessunacademy.com/camping-themed-stem-activities/
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