Camping Family Program: Ages 2-6

Camp out at the library!

For Children Ages 2-6 and their families/caregivers

• This program will take place in the storytime room in the Children's Department of the library.
  
• The program will begin with some whole group activities. Next, the visitors and their families will be encouraged to complete the various camping activity centers provided. To finish the program, some camping refreshments will be served.
  

• The objectives of the program are to:
  
  • Introduce children and their families to the camping experience.
    
  • Share some camping picture books around the "campfire".
    
  • Share some camping songs and rhymes together.
    
  • Complete some camping related art projects.
    
  • Complete some camping related learning stations.
    
  • Provide some dramatic play props to set up a "camping site" in the library.
    
  • Inform families of other ways to interact with nature.
    

• We will advertise/promote the program by:
  
  • Including the event on our online calendar of events.
    
  • Including the event on our paper calendar of events available at the library reference desks.
    
  • Promoting the event at our other children's events, such as storytime.
    
  • Promoting the event to children at the reference and circulation desks.
    
  • Having flyers about the event available at the library as well as other locations where families visit (Laundromat, grocery stores, daycares, etc.).
    
  • Including the event in our weekly story in the local newspaper.
    
  • Promoting the event on the Children's Department Facebook page.
    

• The children's librarians will be responsible for planning and implementing this program. We also will contact local park rangers, scout leaders, and staff from the city's park and recreation department. These people and agencies may provide the library with materials to distribute at the event. For example, the scout leaders may provide some information on signing up to be a scout or the park and recreation department may provide their calendar of events for families.
  

• The approximate cost of the program, not including the librarian's time, totals approximately $75.00. This program will be partly funded by the library's budget for family programs. In addition, community members will be donating materials used in the program. The library's Friends group will be providing the materials for the camping refreshments served.
  

• The special materials and equipment needed for this program are:
  
  • Two or three small pop up tents (to be borrowed from community members)
    
  • Sleeping bags and other real life camping supplies (to be borrowed from community members)
    
  • Camping toy props (backpack, binoculars, camp stove, camp pan, water bottle, flashlights, etc.) to be borrowed from the library's toy collection.
    
  • Small desk fan (owned by the librarian)
    
  • Empty toilet paper tubes (collected by the librarians)
    

• The camping program will be approximately 1 hour in length.
  
• The program will be evaluated by:
  
  • The number of participants who attend the event.
    
  • Whether the participants stay for the entire event or leave early due to lack of interest.
    
  • Whether the participants stay involved in the activities of the event or not.
    
  • At the end of the event, the participants will be asked if they would attend another camping night with different activities.
    

• This is an annual camping at the library event that is held at the beginning of the summer months each year.
  

Description of the Program elements

1. To set up: Have the materials for all the stations set up and prepared. Have the refreshments ready to be served and stored in the kitchen area of the library. Set out all the books that will be read around the "campfire". Have the rhymes and song lyrics posted on large paper at the front of the room. Have the camping song CDs ready to be played. Set up the "campsites". Put up the pop up tents and stock the "camping area" with the camping toys and manipulatives. Also include real items such as flashlights, sleeping bags and camp chairs. The campfire will be a small desk fan with orange and red crepe paper attached to it (when turned on the crepe paper will fly up in the air, looking like a fire).
   
2. When the door to the storytime room is opened, the visitors should be instructed to gather around the "campfire". Welcome everyone to the program and give an overview of the agenda (group activities, stations and then refreshments).
   
3. Begin with a discussion about going camping. See how many of the children have been camping before. Ask what types of things you do when you go camping (picnics, fishing, cooking, hikes, campfire) and ask what types of things you need to bring with you when you go camping (tent, sleeping bag, food, cooking supplies, firewood, chairs, binoculars, water bottles, flashlights, lanterns, etc.)
   
4. Share the Curious George camping book played on CD.
   
5. Play the song "Camping Tonight" from the Nature's ABC CD and act out the events of the song.
   
6. Share some of the poems from the Toasting Marshmallows book. Be sure to share "Tent", "A Doe", "Campfire", and "Toasting Marshmallows". Share more if there is an interest.
   
7. Share some of the picture books about camping included in the Resource list.
   
8. Play the song "Nature's all around us" from the Nature's ABC CD. Perform the motions of the song.
   
9. Describe the different activity stations that are available for the children and their families to complete. Encourage them to complete several of the stations. The centers are:
   
   1. Reading Station: Children look at the picture books from the Resource list with their family members.
      
   2. Dramatic Play Station: The children and their families can interact with the camping materials and props. They can pretend to cook a meal, roast marshmallows, and go to bed in a tent.
      
   3. Fishing station: Children use a magnetic fishing pole to catch fish with letters on them. They can name the letters and then place the fish back in the "pond".
      
   4. Art Station 1: Create a pair of binoculars using 2 empty toilet paper tubes connected together. Decorate your binoculars and use them to look for animals in the room. Attach a piece of yarn to hang the binoculars around your neck.
      
   5. Art Station 2: Create a campfire. Decorate 2 empty toilet paper tubes to look like firewood. Attach them together. Attach some red and orange paper to the logs to look like a campfire.
      
   6. Matching Color Tents Station: At this station, children will match the colored foam tents.
      
   7. Campfire Shape/Color Match Station: At this station, children will match the campfire shapes. For example, the campfires with a diamond on them would match.
      
10. After giving the children and their families some time to explore the different stations, they will be gathered together to have some refreshments.
    
11. The materials for the snack will be set up and each child can make their own snack with their family members, following the pictorial directions for the S'mores snack. See the attached recipe. Water and juice will also be served.
    
12. Before leaving, parents will be directed to a table with information about other ways to get involved with nature (scouting information, parks and recreation handouts).
    

Resource List

Camping Toys

• Let's go camping toy set: camp stove, camp pan, utensil kit, water bottle, cup, lantern, wrist compass, shovel and first aid kit
  
• Young Explorer Backpack toy set: back pack, tool belt, binoculars, camp stove, utensil kit, water bottle and cup
  

Picture Book on CD

• Rey, M., Rey, H. A., Sidmore, M., & Moss, M. (2007). Margret & H.A. Rey's Curious George goes camping. Boston, Mass: Houghton Mifflin.
  

Music CD

• Haynes, S. (2004). Nature's ABCs. Albany, NY: A Gentle Wind.
  

Poetry Book

• George, K. O., & Kiesler, K. (2001). Toasting marshmallows: Camping poems. New York: Clarion Books.
  

Picture Books to share around the "campfire"

• Brown, M. K. (1995). Let's go camping with Mr. Sillypants. New York: Crown.
  
• Cousins, L. (2004). Maisy goes camping. Cambridge, Mass: Candlewick Press.
  
• Lakin, P., & Nash, S. (2009). Camping day. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers.
  
• Parr, T. (2004). Otto goes to camp. New York: Little, Brown.
  
• Van Dusen, C. (2003). A camping spree with Mr. Magee. San Francisco: Chronicle Books.
  

Planning Resources

• Herr, J., & Libby-Larson, Y. (2000). Creative resources for the early childhood classroom. Albany, NY: Delmar.
  
• Website: Make Learning fun-Camping ideas: http://www.makinglearningfun.com/index.html
  
  • Templates for the campfire matching station
    

Recipe card for the Smores snack