Who says learning can’t be fun? With summer comes camping, and with camping comes fun educational experiences for the whole family. Camping offers us the opportunity to use our five senses in a spectacular way.
Enjoy the beauty of the sunrise, listen to the wildlife around you, learn about various nature ecosystems and study the formation of constellations in the sky. With a little creativity and the great outdoors as your playground, learning fun is inevitable!
Scavenger hunt
A scavenger hunt is a great way to explore the camp surroundings. Be sure to set some basic safety rules such as boundaries. Create a scavenger list based on your camp’s location and the age of your child or children. Give each person or each team a scavenger list and let them go explore! A photo scavenger hunt can be extra fun as it gives you something to do after the hunt… look at pictures!
If you have preschoolers, Homeschool Creations has a free Camping Preschool Printable Pack to get your little one prepared for the trip.
Scavenger hunt list: Acorn, berry (don’t eat), bird nest, bug, butterfly, chipmunk or squirrel, feather, fish, mountain, pine cone, pine tree, pink flower, red flower, stone, three different types of leaves, water and yellow flower. If your children can’t yet read, you can print this picture scavenger hunt.
Look up!
Nighttime can be the perfect time to tuck in a bit of learning. Get comfy, whip up some s’mores and look up! Meteor showers, constellations, new and full moons are all a part of the fascinating night sky you can view while camping.
Find and print out the current month’s star chart from NASA. Make a copy for each camper and try to find as many constellations as possible within an hour. Study up on your Greek mythology and explain a little about the background of each constellation.
The human eye can see 2.5 million light years away! The wonders of the night sky are waiting to be explored, and the darkness of a camp is the perfect place to do it — all you have to do is look!
Nature journals
Purchase and decorate journals before your camping trip. At the end of each camp day, have your children write about the day’s adventures in their journals. If they used a camera for their scavenger hunt, they can leave room and add those images to their nature journal, or they can just draw pictures of what they saw.
Math fun
Small objects found in nature are perfect for sorting and patterning. Collect small rocks or pebbles, break twigs into small pieces or gather leaves or other like items.
Drawing and identification
Children can draw pictures of animals, birds, butterflies, flowers, trees and anything else they discover while camping. Provide each kid with a sketch book and pencils to capture their favorites on paper. The kids can also learn to identify different types of these items too. Arm them with books, magazines and other resources to make proper identifications.
Listening lesson
Camping is a multi-sensory experience. Encourage children to listen to the sounds of the leaves under their feet, the wind in the trees, the chirping of the birds and crickets, the babbling of a brook and the other sounds of nature. It’s a great
Educational camping resources
- Let’s Go Chipper app
- Bible Study Lesson Created for Camping
- Camping and Wood Safety
- Camping Safety Tips for Kids
- Children and Nature Belong Together
Camping is the perfect way for today’s hurried families to bond and enjoy educational activities outdoors. If possible, try to keep gadgets, computers and tech toys from disrupting the peaceful, relaxed atmosphere of the great outdoors. Enjoy your family and make some fun, new memories camping this summer!
Tell us
Will your family go camping this summer? What are some educational activities your family enjoys while camping?
More about homeschooling
Homeschool guide to family vacations
Free and frugal homeschooling
How to homeschool through the summer
Leave a Comment