The Heroes are heading to the woods!
As usual, I need your suggestions!
I like to have Oma Activities: games, crafts, books—stuff I'm prepared to do quite simply right there in the woods. In past years we've carved soaps on a rope, made rubbings of leaves, boondoggled, explored with magnifying glasses, had a contest to start a fire without a match, strung beads, etc. We need New and Exciting as well as Traditional and Expected.
They're on their way!!
They're on their way!!
I need activities for grade-school/pre-school age kids.
I'd ♥ your ideas in these categories:
I'd ♥ your ideas in these categories:
- Books to read out loud (short enough to read in a couple of hours) What's your very favorite?
- Spooky stories to tell by the fire. Where can I find them?
- Crafts that aren't too involved
- Games for around the campfire (Not much movement)
- Other games/treasure hunts/activities (Lots of movement)
- Out of the ordinary snacks/meal suggestions.
I'll share any of my plans!
How fun! My blog is full of ideas if you would like to visit. Look under my links outdoor activities, grandkids camp out, or kid crafts. www.grandmaslittlepearls.com
ReplyDeleteSome of my favorites are issuing balls of yarn and having them create a big web between trees and bushes. No ones strings/web can cross nor can they touch the ground. See who can build their web the fastest. (This will also burn energy collecting and re-rolling the yarn ball.
Search and Rescue: Much like hide and seek. Have another adult go off and hide with a child. The hiding child is given a whistle. The search and rescue team meets where they cannot see the child hiding they discuss what the child is wearing, hair color, age. They wait to hear the whistle then the search begins. The hiding child stays put and whistles as needed to be found. The rescuers carry the hidden child back to camp.
Night hike with flashlights, or a night scavenger hunt of sorts but looking for little critters that you have placed around camp. (plastic lizards or snakes)
Meal ideas: allow the kids to make their own foil dinners, have them pack their own sack lunch for a picnic away from camp, have a tailgate picnic away from camp.
crafts: bird feeders, big dipper project using black paper and store bought stars. Find the north star using the big dipper.
Mosiac paper craft. Create a picture using little squares of multi-colored construction paper. Only requires construction paper, glue sticks, scissors.
Game around fire: One person stays seated and is blind folded. The group quietly chooses one person to be it. The blind folded person says something like: "Camper, Camper who are you?" the "it" person disguises his voice and says "it's me, it"s me, can't you see!" The blind folded person needs to guess who it is. If they get it wrong they can repeat it again. Do it until everyone gets a turn. The fun comes from listening to the disguised voices.
Good luck and have a fun and safe time!
A scavenger hunt through the woods would be fun. Make a list of things they might usually find around camp and have them do a hunt for them. A fun way to do this for kids that can't read is to use photos. You can print a few sets of photos (use pics from previous years' camping trips)and let the kids get into teams looking for the items.
ReplyDeleteLet the kids make a special name tag that they wear like a necklace. They can decorate a disk of wood with sharpies and such, hang it from a string, and let them put pony beads on it as well. Then during the campout, let them earn special Oma beads for different things (picking up litter, helping a cousin, going on a hike or whatever else you can think of). Make the Oma beads special/different from the other beads. Maybe have them be more decorative, or be metallic or glow in the dark. Let them know all the beads they can earn, and they will be eager to get a whole set.
It's most fun if the bead for each category is different from the other categories, so they can point to the bead and say, "I got his for..." it will also be a keepsake they can keep afterwards.
Let them make simple bird feeders. Use Peanut butter on pinecones and roll them in bird seeds to hang up in the woods. See if they can spot any birds enjoying their feeders. Try to use something natural to tie them on with so you aren't leaving string behind in the woods.
Foil dinners are always fun. You can use frozen hash browns and such, or you can just prep all the foods before the meal and let the kids put their own meal together. You could also do Kabob type things, only use meat that won't hurt them if it doesn't quite get cooked all the way (polish hot dogs and etc) along with pineapple, peppers, mushrooms and etc.
Bannock:
Simple to make, four basic ingredients, one bowl to wash.
Ingredients:
2 - 3 cups flour
1 - 2 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt (optional)
2 - 3 Tbsp oil, butter or lard
2/3 cup warm water
Directions: Put everything but the water in a bowl and mix with your fingers until crumbly. Slowly add water and mix until dough feels soft. It may seem that you don't have enough water, but keep working the dough till it holds together. Don't add more water!
Take a small handful and wrap around the end of a green stick, like a marshmallow roast. Knead it so it stays together. Cook over coals for about 10 - 12 minutes, rotating to cook evenly. Eat as is, or add a bit of jam or honey.
Or you could make this easier and use pillsbury breadsticks, wrap the dough around a stick and cook over the fire.
It sounds like a lot of fun. You could read a book about taking care of the earth and then go on a clean-up hike picking up garbage and debris. You may want to take gloves to protect hands. Some of my favorite books are And Still the Turtle Watched by Sheila MacGill-Callahan and Dear Children of the Earth by Schim Schimmel. Around the campfire you could have everyone think of ways to protect and help the earth. You can also make a paper bag journal. You can find the directions at grandmalizzieshouse.com (go to Earth Day then scroll down to paper sack journal).
ReplyDeleteMmm. I remember those biscuits cooked on a stick from Girl Scouts. I think we used canned biscuits, and mine was always a little doughy inside because I wasn't very patient. But I loved making them anyway!
ReplyDeleteYou need to sing around the campfire! I have suggestions for 10 great songs to sing, and I bet those will help you think of more.