The end of the year is exhausting, and I truly don’t know if there is any other way to describe it. And, this time every year, I wish I were sitting by a bonfire curled up in a cozy blanket with a book that isn’t about the science of reading or how to better myself as a teacher. My camping dreams had me thinking of ideas to reign my students back in and increase engagement. And that’s when it hit me to do a classroom transformation. I know you probably think it’s the end of the year, and the last thing I want to do is move stuff around and do a huge classroom transformation. But, I promise you can go as simple as DIY tents or as crazy as bringing in your own tent. Either way, camping day is fun way to send your students off on summer break.
The thing about the end of the year is that a lot needs to be done, from report cards to wrapping up student portfolios to getting everything sent home. And my first-graders are stir-crazy, and they’re ready to get outdoors. I truly needed a way to keep them engaged and learning but working a bit more independently.
I’ve used camping day multiple times throughout the school year, we’ve done it during Read Across America, but we’ve also used it as a reward. If you’re sitting here reading and thinking, “no way this is too much work,” I promise you this is an easy transformation that goes a long way. This camping transformation set makes it simple and easy for you to set up with a shopping list, activities, camping signs, and even treat bag toppers.
I’ve had parents offer to bring in tents that we can set up throughout the classroom, but I have also used tablecloths from the Dollar Store draped over the desks. You can find the directions for how we assembled the tents in this camping activity pack. We usually have our same routine during camping day, but things look a bit different. Morning meeting is done around a campfire that I let my students construct and build on their own, and it’s a fantastic STEM activity. We always read a few camping books throughout the day, and I also have them available for my students to read inside their tents.
Camping Books
Some of our favorite activities for camping day include playing a game of Scoot- which is always a hit. I have a few literacy activities that include making marshmallow words. We do a camping writing activity with an opportunity to color. And we always make a trail mix! This year I’m super excited to include a solar s’mores activity where we cook the marshmallows on a piece of tin foil out in the sun. Camping day is such a fun and simple transformation, and there are so many ways you can make it super BIG or super simple. It’s totally up to you what works best. I know by this time of the year, I am just burnt out but also, depending on the school year, sometimes my students are such a big help they make it easy to go all out. And, take a look around Target and the Dollar Store to grab little lanterns or lights for inside the tents.
My kids love camping day so much, and I wanted to share this fun and easy way to add a little bit of excitement to the end of the school year. I hope your students enjoy it!
