Skip to main content
Summer is the perfect season for camping and because many schools go on a break then, children can go for sleep away camps. Parents can send their children on camp to enhance their creativity and keep them occupied. As much as many parents are opposed to the idea of preparing a summer camp packing list, summer camp activities are fun and exciting, and allow children to explore the world from a different perspective away from the comfort of their homes. In this post, we shall discuss some of the cool stuff for sleep away camp.
Scavenger hunt
Children enjoy engaging in scavenger hunts and what better place to do so than the outdoors? With the assistance of camp supervisors, children can gather various items such as maple leaves, pine cones, oak leaves, different colored rocks, pine needles, or even snail shells. If the camp style allows cameras, supervisors can classify the children in groups, hand each group a camera, and send them on a photo scavenger hunt.
Each group can have essential items such as watches, compasses, and bags to secure their collections. Rather than using plastics, the children can opt for eco-friendly materials such as cloth bags. Other essential items to aid this activity include pencils and pens which can be attached to a string to secure them. Children can use them to track down checklists. The winning team can be awarded their favorite snacks.
Friendship Bracelets
Creating handmade cool stuff for sleep away camp is an exciting activity for children. Friendship bracelets are ideal methods of encouraging children to exercise their imagination and display their creativity. When children go for summer camps, they make many friends and supervisors can organize an activity where each child creates a friendship bracelet for their newly acquired friends. These can be made from simple and easily accessible materials such as different colored knitting yarn.
Outdoor Word Game
The outdoor word game is not only exciting, but it’s also educational and ideal for everything summer camp. Camp organizers can plan something similar to scrabble games using massive portable letters. The children can use these letters to practice and learn new words which can help them once they go back to school.
Camp Style Olympics
The purpose of summer camps is to expose children to diverse activities that help them explore their hidden talents. Participating in camp Olympics is one way of doing so. Children can engage in various activities such as long jump along sandy beaches, swimming competitions, relay races, and also running competitions for older children. Supervisors should also organize activities for younger children such as stone and rope skipping.
Spray Painting
Spray painting is an ideal way of stimulating a child’s creativity. When planning the summer camp, camp organizers can include colored spray paint cans and plain white t-shirts in the summer camp packing list. Each child can then exercise their creative side by spray painting their t-shirts. This will enhance your child’s creativity and you will be surprised by the outcome.
Story Contest by the Campfire
If you have children, you can attest to the fact that children can be amazing storytellers. Their leaders can kick start the activity by telling the children interesting stories. This will put the children at ease and encourage them to tell their own stories.
Supervisors can make it more interesting by reading stories to children in the evening by the campfire. The children will find it fun and by the end of the session, they will have made interesting memories to share with their peers back at school.
The Maze
The hallway maze game is an interesting and cool stuff for sleep away camp activity that children will enjoy participating in. The maze is built using strings of paper and the participants are tasked with finding their way across the maze within a specific time frame without touching the paper.
Supervisors can make the activity interesting by dividing children into groups and having each group nominate a representative in the maze game. The participants can then compete in the game. This activity is exciting both for children and adults.
Cloud watching
Cloud watching is a fun activity which children in summer camps can engage in both during the day and night. All the supervisors have to do to make it fun and interesting is to spread out a blanket on the ground and have the children lie face up and stare at the sky.
If the children are cloud watching during the day, identify a well-shaded spot especially if the sun is scorching hot. Supervisors can encourage the children to mention the different cloud shapes they see. If the cloud watching session takes place during the night, children can combine it with stargazing.
Art And Craft
Children lose concentration fast, to keep them engaged, and enhance their productivity, camp supervisors can keep them occupied with exciting and fun cool stuff for sleep away camp activities. Art and craft related activities are an ideal way to trigger curiosity in the children and keep them busy. Remember, children can be creative especially when presented with working materials.
The children can make cards, pencil holders, or even storage boxes. Other children can also participate in painting, picture sketching, or art journaling competitions. Art and craft activities are ideal for children and play a major role in boosting their brain memory. Further, they are ideal for preschoolers and they can help stimulate their hidden creativity
Sidewalk Chalk Games
Sidewalk chalk is a big and thick stick of chalk which comes in various colors. Often, these are used for drawing on concrete or pavement sidewalks. Sidewalk chalk is one of the fun things to bring to sleep away camp. There are numerous games that children can engage in using sidewalk chalk and even though they might get dirty, the games are fun and boost the mind.
For instance, supervisors can draw massive rectangles and designate a small space for each child. With sidewalk chalk in hand, the children can draw their preferred picture on their space. To make this cool stuff for sleep away camp game more interesting, supervisors can time each child for approximately 5 minutes after which the children can rotate to a different space and draw there as well. This can continue until all participants have colored on each space. Children can also draw other images such as flowers, books, pens, and even cakes.
Exploring on a Rainy Day
Random rainy days shouldn’t come as a surprise during summer. This is why camp organizers should encourage participants to pack rubber boots, extra socks, and splash suits. When it rains, camp supervisors should leverage the situation to engage in exciting rainy day activities.
The children can go for adventurous walks across the woods or even splash in puddles. Remember, this can only be possible when there’s no storm. At the end of the adventure, children and their supervisors can sit around the campfire to warm themselves and share their experience.
Tug Of War For Children
Unlike the adult-based tug of war where a thick rope is used, this game involves a thin rope specially designed for children. It’s made of a child-friendly material which cannot hurt them. Children will enjoy participating in this game and it can also be an ideal physical exercise for the kids to enhance their stability and strength.
Discovering Nature
Many summer camps take place in nature-rich regions. Supervisors can use this opportunity to help the children discover and understand nature. The children will be excited to learn the different names of trees, grass, insects, animals, and even rocks.
Rock Painting
Rock painting and hiding is becoming a popular summer camp activity in various parts of the world. Supervisors can include it in their list of summer camp activities and the children are guaranteed to have the time of their lives. This activity involves collecting different sized rocks and with paintbrushes and paint, they can proceed to make various painting designs on the rocks.
These summer time activities will help the children enhance their teamwork and concentration skills. Once the rock painting session is over, the supervisors can utilize spray sealer to secure the design and give them time to dry. The supervisors can then classify the children in different groups and have one group hide the rocks around the campsite while the rest finds them.
Identify and Separate Stickers
Children are fascinated by colors. To stimulate their brains, supervisors can organize a sticker identification and separation activity using different colored paper. This activity can include counting where the children count the number of stickers on every piece of paper. Supervisors can incorporate stickers of varying sizes and shapes and have the children separate them to make the activity more exciting.
Finally
Summer camp is one of the most fun and exciting ways of keeping your child engaged. Children not only get the opportunity to exercise their creativity, but they also learn how to be independent and master decision making and leadership skills. Your child will also interact with other children from different parts of the world and this will help them understand different cultures and they will also make lifetime friendships.
