| Camping Under the Stars |
| Camping is an exciting way for kids to get to know nature. It's not always easy (especially for city dwellers) to have to chance to sleep out under the stars. This setting gives the kids the opporunity to try camping....without the bugs!! |
| A campground setting can be as simple or as detailed as you want it to be. If you don't have a small pop tent, shown below, a large blanket will do. Drape the blanket over sturdy chairs or card table. I used a large green blanket for the grassy ground, it adds to the feel of the area. What I like the most about this setting are the trees and bushes, which are great for using in many of the different settings. To make the trees I used wrapping paper rolls. Cut one end of the roll into 4 - 5 strips about 4 inches down the tube. Bend them out slightly and this creates branches. Cut green contruction paper (or red, orange, yellow & brown if it's autumn) into leaf shapes. You'll need about 50 for each tree. Staple the leaves on to the braches. To secure the tree to the floor, simply cut the bottom end as you did the top about 2 inches up. Spread the ends out and tape it to the floor. (works best on a hard surface, not carpeting.) The bushes were done the same way but instead of wrapping paper rolls I used paper towel rolls. The fire was made with paper towel rolls also. Cover two rolls with brown contruction paper and tape them together as fire wood. Red, yellow and orange tissue paper is stuffed into the middle as fire. Now you need props. Play camping equipment is fairly inexpensive and can be purchased at most toy stores. However, if finances don't allow for this, everyday household items can be used. (a pan, some plastic utensils, paper plates, etc. Finally, I added a small 'lake' for fishing. A blue blanket acted as my water. Fishing poles can be made with sticks. Tie string to the stick and a magnet to the other end. Construction paper fish can be stapled 2-3 times in the middle to attract the magnet. With the lights out and flashlights on, it almost feels like really being in the woods. Make up a batch of s'mores and sing around the campfire! |
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| Click the camera to see pictures of the campground |