Let’s go camping today! 

Ask children what they would like to bring camping?  Why would they bring that item? 

Sing a Song :
A camping we will go, a camping we will go, hi ho the derry-o, a camping we will go.
First we pitch a tent, first we pitch a tent, hi ho the derry-o, first we pitch a tent.
Then we chop some wood, then we chop some wood, hi ho the derry-o, then we chop some wood.
Now we build a fire, now we build a fire, hi ho the derry-o, now we build a fire.
Let’s toast marshmallows, let’s toast marshmallows, hi ho the derry-o, let’s toast marshmallows.
 At last it’s time to sleep, at last it’s time to sleep, hi ho the derry-o, at last it’s time to sleep.

Talk to the children about sounds that they might hear at night on a camping trip: owls, bugs, frogs, coyotes, etc.

When You Are Camping is set in the mid-Atlantic.  Tilly and Hazel see animals that you would see in Pennsylvania or Maryland or West Virginia.  Where does your audience live? Ask children to name animals that they might see if they went camping near their city or town (during the day/during the nighttime)?

Encourage children to remember what they read, and practice their narrative skills, by describing the things that Hazel and Tilly did during their day.  What things would the children like to do if they were camping?

Set up a “campsite” with multiple exploration stations:

• A small tent will set up quickly and will be very exciting for young children if you can find one.  
• Let children experiment with tools such as flashlights, binoculars, and a compass.   
• Put out a backpack that children can fill (put out heavy and lightweight objects and introduce mathematical themes by encouraging children to compare how the backpack feels depending on what is inside).
• Children can explore and manipulate natural objects like leaves, pieces of wood or bark, stones, feathers, etc.
• Print animal tracks and display them on the floor.  Help children to identify the animal that made each track.
•  Finally, invite children to sit around a “camp fire” (whether it is pretend or you create something out of paper or other materials) and talk about the tools, objects or tracks they saw, sing a traditional camping song, and enjoy a snack. 

Bind 4 or 5 brown paper bags together with yarn or string to create a Nature Journal.  The sturdy paper is perfect for creating and writing in all kinds of mediums, and children can stash the treasures they find inside the bags--just punch holes and seal them up with string.

Children can use my coloring sheets or draw their own campsite.  Provide leaves, sand, confetti, feathers, whatever materials you have on hand to let children enhance their drawings.