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Preschool Camping Activities Theme
This Preschool Camping Activities Theme will help your preschool children experience camping! This is great for the children who have camped before and for those who have never been camping! Bring the experience to them! This theme page is filled with preschool lesson plans and activities to help your children learn that camping is fun!
You'll find more themes to help you with your planning on my preschool themes page.
Let the Theme Planning Begin!You can either scroll down through this page to see all of the preschool activities for your Preschool Camping Activities Theme or click the link below to go to specific preschool activity types you are looking for.
Preschool Camping Activities Theme ArtBinoculars
Materials Needed: One paper towel tube per child, stickers, markers, paint, hole puncher, yarn
Cut each child's paper towel tube in half. The children decorate the tube (paint, markers, stickers, etc.).
Staple the tubes together. When dry, hole punch and add string for the children to hold them by their wrist (I don't recommend long enough strings to go around their necks, too much potential for injury.)
Leaf Painting
Materials Needed: MANY large leaves from outside, paint, paper
Provide the paint in shallow trays. Show the children how to press the leaf into the paint and then press it onto the paper.
Or, the children can paint the leaf using a paintbrush and then press it onto the paper to make a leaf shape.
Preschool Camping Activities Theme Block Center IdeasCamping!
Add small stuffed animals to your block area. You may also want to cover the area with a dark sheet from the ceiling to help the area to go along with your Preschool Camping Activities theme!
Preschool Camping Activities Theme Circle Time IdeasCircle Time is such a great time for children to learn the social skills of being together as a large group AND to learn more about your theme!
Campfire Stories
During this theme, have a makeshift campfire to have in the middle as you read during circle time. This can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish!
We have had real logs (check for bugs on them first!) and we've made it with wooden unit blocks.
Add orange, yellow and red paper cut into flames and some rocks around the outside of the logs. (If you don't have rocks, you can crumple up gray or black tissue paper).
Camping Safety
Use circle time to discuss the safety precautions the children should take when camping such as:
ALWAYS wear a life jacket when on a boat (bring one to circle for them to try on).
Wear bug repellent and sunscreen.
Do NOT touch any bugs or snakes unless a grown up says it's ok to do so.
Do NOT eat anything from bushes-discuss poisonous berries, etc.
Campfires are fun, but we should not get too close and grown ups should always put the fire out before leaving the campground.
Preschool Camping Activities Theme Cooking IdeasCooking with children helps develop their math skills and helps them to learn how to follow directions. It also allows for some great conversation! Ask many questions while cooking with your children to encourage conversation! Be sure to ask specific themed questions while making these fun snacks!
S'Mores
OK, not so healthy, but---c'mon, it's Camping Time!
The children place one large marshmallow on a square graham cracker.
Place some mini chocolate morsels on top.
Heat in oven (250 degrees F.) for 3-5 minutes.
Remove from oven and immediately cover each with another square graham cracker.
Let cool and serve warm.
Preschool Camping Activities Theme Ideas for Dramatic PlayCamping Gear
Place a tent in your dramatic play area. Include camping gear such as:
back packs
flashlights
empty water bottles
empty bug spray bottles
hiking boots
a mess kit and/or play food
sleep bags
Preschool Camping Activities Theme Ideas for your Easel
More Than Just Painting (Although that is always THE favorite in our classroom)!No Paintbrushes!
Try using items other than paintbrushes at your easel during your preschool camping activities theme! Try items such as:
Rocks (use for stamping the paint with), leaves, twigs, flowers, etc.
Use any items you can think of that would be fun to paint with based on a camping theme for your easel preschool lesson plans!
Preschool Camping Activities Theme Large Group Games that help build the children's muscles while they have fun together!Scavenger Hunt
Have the children hunt for and find these items. You can do this as a group or give each of them a picture of what they need to find to look on their own.
Choose items that go along with this preschool camping activities theme such as:
a bear, backpack, binoculars, owl, tent, etc.
EXTENSION: Have the children use the binoculars they made in the art activity above to help search for their items!
Preschool Camping Activities Theme Ideas for your Library AreaBook Suggestions for the Library
(I LOVE Amazon, and some of the links below will take you to the Amazon website. If you do choose to purchase yours through Amazon, they do send me a few cents--which supports my coffee habit! )
Bailey Goes Camping by Kevin Henkes
The Berenstain Bears Go to Camp by Jan and Stan Berenstain
Camping Out by Usborne Books
Curious George Goes Hiking by Margaret Rey and Alan J. Shalleck
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Oswald's Camping Trip by Dan Yaccarino
The Very Quiet Cricket [Hardcover] by Eric Carle
When Peter was lost in the forest by Hans Peterson
Preschool Camping Activities Math and Mainpulatives Theme Ideas
to help your preschoolers develop their math skills and those small muscles in their hands!Campfire Rock Sorting
Provide a large assortment of rocks of different colors, shapes and sizes. Provide several cups or bowl (mess kit bowls would be great for this preschool camping activities theme!) and magnifying glasses. You'll be surprised at how many attributes the children decide to sort by!
Ants In The Pants
This is such a fun game and allows for the children to practice using their small muscles. Don't require that the children "get the ants in the pants" as most of your children won't have that kind of control. We don't even use the pants part...we just have fun making them hop, guessing how far they will hop, etc.
Preschool Camping Activities Theme Ideas to get your Preschoolers Movin' and Groovin'!Preschool Camping Activities Songs!
Look up the lyrics to some of your favorite camping songs. Some suggestions:
She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain
Home on the Range
On Top of Old Smokey (or, On Top of Spaghetti!)
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
This Little Light of Mine
Preschool Camping Activities Theme Ideas for your Sand and Water Table!Fishing
Provide plastic fish and fishing nets to your water table today!
Preschool Camping Activities Theme Science Ideas for your Preschool Scientists in Training!Crickets!
Yes, real crickets! You can purchase these very inexpensively at a local pet store. Place them in a fish tank (with a cover of course). Find out from the pet store what to feed them!
Provide magnifying glasses, clipboards and crayons for the children to draw what they observe.
Worm Time!
Really! What is more fun and exciting to preschoolers than worms???!!!
Fill a fish tank with dirt and add earthworms! There is special dirt that can be used, I think a garden center or bait store will know what it is! You have to do this, it is cool!
You can also purchase your crickets and worms, as I have in the past, from Amazon:
Preschool Camping Activities Theme Writing Center IdeasLetter Match
This is an extension of the previous activity. On your fish pool wall, place fish that have letters printed on them (which ever letters you are working on with your children).
At the writing table, the children should practice printing letters and then matching them to the letters on the wall. OR, if you have upper case letters on the wall, encourage them to print the lower case letter of each one on their own fish at the writing table and then hang it on the wall!
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About This Site:
Hey there! Welcome to Preschool Plan It! I’m Cheryl, a preschool teacher of over 20 years.
I KNOW, I know, you spend hours of time developing your preschool themes, activities and preschool lesson plans each week. You are commited to planning preschool themes and activities that are engaging hands-on, interactive, fun AND meet the goal of supporting each child’s level of growth and development.
I am commited to providing you, the preschool teacher, with everything you need to develop preschool lesson plans and preschool activities for your classroom all in one place!
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