Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo
  • YouTube

Not Just Cute

Whole Child Development

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Speaking
  • Podcast
  • Books
  • Contact
  • New? Start Here.

A Camping We Will Go!

October 10, 2009 by notjustcute Filed Under: Get Outside, Learning through Play and Experience 2 Comments

camp signKids love the adventure of camping!  Particularly when it comes to camping in a dramatic play scenario, anything can happen!  When I set up a camping theme dramatic play area this week, my own 3 year old asked, “And where is the bear?”  I could guess he already had a storyline brewing.  In the course of a few days, he and his friends camped, chased bears, were bears, and in a strange twist, even turned their tent into a tank and joined the military.  (I told you anything could happen!)

DSCN2455

So here are the supplies I suggest for a camping dramatic play area.  PLEASE let me know what you like to add!

  • A tent, of course!  I used a play tent here, but I’ve also used a real dome tent in larger areas or outside.
  • Backpacks – stocked with blankets, flashlights, old cell phones, compasses, binoculars, and play food.
  • Location, location, location!  Add something to make your woodsy retreat.  If you’re setting up outside, great!  You’re done!  Here I used a tree prop.  It’s made from a large cardboard box (from a car seat, I think), opened on one side and then folded out into a large strip.  These folds make it much easier to store.  I tape up fall leaves, apples, and anything else I may need to make a more specific tree.  You can’t see the color much in this photo, but I colored the canopy of the tree using three crayons in different shades of green, holding all three at once, and drawing curly cues all around.
  • Reading Resources.  You may add some field guides, or nonfiction animal books for the campers to use to identify their furry and feathered neighbors.
  • Characters.  With my son’s request, I also added a bear puppet.  You may want to add other animals as puppets, stuffed toys, murals, or even birds suspended from the ceiling if you’re that ambitious!

Dramatic play encourages symbolic thinking, a necessary skill for reading.  Also, social and language skills grow by leaps and bounds as they negotiate and implement roles and plots.  (To learn more about dramatic play, click here!)  Camping is a great dramatic play theme for many nature units, including trees and leaves, fall, and animals.

What would you add to this camping props list?

For more favorite fall activities, click here!

Top photo by porah.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Comments

  1. 1

    Brenda says

    September 1, 2010 at 2:15 pm

    So glad I came across your site! I love this idea. I would have to add a campfire. Perhaps glue down a circle of rocks to tag board and fill the middle with crumpled up red and orange tissue paper? I could imagine my four year old singing campfire songs by it and pretending to make smores!

    Reply
    • 2

      notjustcute says

      September 1, 2010 at 9:38 pm

      What a great suggestion, Brenda! I’ll have to add that in the next time we do it!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

search this site

Privacy & Cookies: This site may use cookies to customize your experience. Learn more by reading our Privacy Policy.

I’m Amanda Morgan. Here’s what I’m about…

In early education, there is too much distance between what we know and what we do. I bridge the gaps that exist between academia, decision-makers, educators, and parents so that together, we can improve the quality of early education while also respecting and protecting the childhood experience.

Content Copyrighted (2008-2022), Amanda Morgan, All Rights Reserved

Get Our Newsletter & Developmental Guide

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 · Swank WordPress Theme By, PDCD

 

Loading Comments...