It was a full day of reading and fun. Our entire school had a day of reading with a Camping Theme just before Spring vacation. It was a great treat for the students and the staff, especially after all the testing we have been doing, as well as getting grades together for the report cards. Each teacher was able to use this special theme and create an environment of reading and learning throughout the day. We did get the kids involved and they helped us set up for this special day. Students in the upper grades at our school really took this job seriously as they created unbelievable props to transform their classrooms.
My students were able to bring in their favorite book, a stuffed toy, a small blanket and a flashlight for this event. I wish you could of seen their faces light up as they walked in our classroom and saw the pretend tents and virtual fireplace up on our smart board with awesome sound effects of the crackling fire and crickets at night.
Here are just a few pictures I took of of my classroom on this special day.
Here is one of my paper tents I created across part of my classroom. Students are listening to a read a loud as they cuddle up with their favorite stuffed toy.
Here is another paper tent stretched across the cubbies. I also place a pretend fire place made
out of tissue paper and paper towel rolls for logs
out of tissue paper and paper towel rolls for logs
My students are having fun reading their books using flashlight as they get cozy with their blankets.
Students are sitting by the virtual fireplace looking at books.
Here is the night time camp fire video I used from You Tube. It lasts two hours which was just perfect as I did not have to run back and fourth to reload it.
c
My students were super excited about this day, especially after I told them that they did not have to do centers, math or RTI. They could just relax and read all day and they even had to do the same thing during specialist time. I did several read a loud throughout the day, we sang campfire songs and played games. At the tables I had several fun activities set up and they could go there if they chose to. I did not make it mandatory, however I was pleased to see many students want to get involved with some of the activities that I put out for them. Students had a chance to make book marks, write mini book reports, create their own mini booklet or write about how to make s'mores. Here are just a few of the activities they could choose from.
You can find lots of How to Writing prompts at my store.
Check them out here.
Here are some great reading response prompts to get your students thinking about books they read.
You can find these prompts and more at my store. Click here.
Have you ever done a Camping Day with your students? What types of activities did you do? Please share in the comment section. I'd love to hear about it.