Camping In The Classroom

Bring the Outdoors In: How to Host a Memorable Camping Week in Your Classroom 

Camping in the classroom is one of my favorite ways to end the school year. It’s fun, hands-on, and creates lasting memories for your students. Each year, during the last week before summer break, we transform our classroom into a cozy campground for a full week of camping-themed learning activities.

Set the Scene for Classroom Camping Fun

To kick off the week, I invite students to bring sleeping bags, blankets, and flashlights from home. We move desks out of the way to make space for our “campsites.” You can also use tables, but I like to start by creating different "campfire" stations around the room. Students work in small groups to build their own campfires using brown butcher paper, colorful tissue paper, scissors, and tape. They collaborate to design their fire pit, and it’s always exciting to see how creative they get. This simple classroom transformation builds excitement and encourages teamwork from the start! 

Another way to build a class campfire is to follow the directions from this YouTube video:

Campfire Stories and Songs 

Once our classroom campsites are set up, we gather around for storytime and songs. Two of my favorite read-alouds for camping week are A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee and Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems. These stories spark imagination and set the tone for a cozy, storytelling atmosphere. 

We also sing campfire songs like “Down By the Bay” and the silly classic “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh” You will be surprised how much your students love these old favorites. 

Sweet Treats: S’mores and Trail Mix 

No camping experience is complete without snacks! You can make classic microwave s’mores in the classroom: 

1. Place two graham cracker squares on a microwave-safe plate. 
2. Top one with a marshmallow and the other with a square of chocolate. 
3. Microwave for 10–15 seconds until the marshmallow puffs and the chocolate softens. 
4. Sandwich together and enjoy! 

If you want a no-heat option, try making a camping-themed trail mix! Combine a variety of bite-sized treats like: 

•  Honey Teddy Grahams 
•  Mini marshmallows 
•  Chocolate chips or M&Ms 
•  Mini pretzels 
•  Graham cracker pieces or Golden Grahams cereal 
•  Popcorn 
•  Mini chocolate chip cookies or Oreos 
•  Mini Reese’s peanut butter cups 

Mix everything in a large bowl and portion into snack bags. This makes a perfect take-home treat or reward after a week of camping fun!

Camping Activities for Classroom Centers 

One of my favorite parts of Camping Week is rotating through themed classroom centers. I organize the activities in tubs around the room and label each area with fun campsite names like Camp Read-A-Lot, Camp Write-A-Lot, Camp Calculation, and Camp Fun. Students love "traveling" from one campsite to the next throughout the week!

Each centre has a skill-based camping booklet for students to work on throughout the week. Each booklet includes 12 half-page activities and a camp certificate to celebrate completion. 

☀️ Camp Read-A-Lot – Engaging fiction and nonfiction reading passages with comprehension questions.

☀️ Camp Write-A-Lot – Creative writing prompts, vocabulary tasks, comic strips, and a fun camp checklist.

☀️ Camp Calculation – Hands-on math review with addition, subtraction, time, graphing, word problems, and more. 

☀️ Camp Fun – Puzzles, word searches, mazes, and activities like writing your own s’mores recipe.

Camping Craft: Knapsack Keepsake 

Throughout the week, students create a foldable paper Knapsack Craft - a mini backpack where they store their finished camping booklets. It adds an extra layer of excitement and gives them a souvenir to take home! 

Looking For More Ideas?

I have also created a Teacher Guide filled with decorating ideas, a suggested daily schedule, and easy-to-follow instructions for all the activities. Whether you're new to classroom themes or a camping week pro, this guide makes prep a breeze. 

Wrap Up the Year with Classroom Camping Fun

This camping-themed bundle has been a game-changer in my classroom. It keeps students engaged during those last exciting days of school and helps them review essential math and literacy skills in a playful, low-stress way. If you are looking for meaningful, end-of-the-year activities that students genuinely enjoy, this might be just what you need. 

🌲 Check out the full Camping Theme End-of-the-Year Activities, and get ready to turn your classroom into a memorable summer adventure!

Year End Math Review

Why Review Math Concepts?

In addition to promoting retention, review should be incorporated into mathematics instruction for many reasons:

1. Review promotes continuity and helps students to attain a more comprehensive view of the mathematical topics covered. It helps them summarize main ideas, develop generalizations, and get an overall view of what they have been learning.
2. Review helps students to consolidate what they have learned, enabling them to fit ideas into new patterns.
3. Review serves as a diagnostic tool, revealing strengths and areas of concern to students and teachers. It helps teachers identify what is already known and what is not yet known; then reteaching can be planned.
4. Review assures that the prerequisites needed for learning new content have been mastered.
5. Review adds to students' confidence in their ability to move successfully to new mathematical topics.

Review does not have to be drill and kill! 

Games can provide effective review. In a motivating situation, students can focus on the mathematics and enjoy the process of recalling and restructuring.

I created a Year End Review which features 15 games with accompanying review worksheets and quick assessments to review math outcomes. The package covers outcomes/standards for: 

• place value
• addition
• subtraction 
• multiplication
• division 
• rounding
• linear measurement
• time
• perimeter and area
• patterns 
• statistics
• planar geometry
• spatial geometry
• fractions
• money 

The package includes: 

1. 15 cooperative activities for students to collaboratively review math concepts. The activities are simple to make and include all the needed materials. 
2. 15 review pages. Each review page has a coordinating answer key. 
3. 15 checklists. There is a checklist for each review page. The checklist coordinates with each question to quickly identify the intended outcome or standard.

The package is designed to be used in the following way, but can it be easily modified to meet your instructional needs:

1. With a partner, students choose one of the 15 math concepts to work on. 
2. With a partner, students review the chosen math concept by playing a math game.
3. Independently, students complete the coordinating math concept review page. 
4. Assess students’ ability using the included checklist. The checklist follows each review page and lists the intended outcome check for each question. 
5. An answer key and a math concept checklist are included.

I hope this resource helps you end your year on a relaxing note!