Today was Day 2 of Camp Learned A Lot! The students were so excited to see what surprises lay in store for today.
We began with our Morning Meeting at the campfire. I call students to the carpet during Camp Learned A Lot week by playing camp trumpets. Then, we recited our Camp Motto. This is just a fun chant we recite each day at the beginning and end of camp.
The motto I use:
Everywhere we go
People who want to know
Who We Are
So We Tell Them
We are Camp Learned A Lot
The Mighty, Mighty First Graders!
Then, we went around the campfire and shared our favorite book we heard/read this school year.
Day 2 of Camp Learned A Lot is all about a nature hike. We began by reading The Berenstain Bears Blaze a Trail. After reading, we discussed the theme of the story. Then, we made trail mix.
Trail Mix Ingredients:
Raisins
Marshmallows
M&Ms
Pretzels
Goldfish
If you have students with food allergies, you can ask students to bring in their own “camping” snacks such as goldfish, raisins, a granola bar, or their own bag of trail mix. After making trail mix, we graph the ingredients and answer questions about the data.
Then, it is time for our nature walk! We are lucky to have a nature trail at our school, so that is where we hike. Students carry a clipboard and along the hike write down things they see that start with each letter of the alphabet.
I got this journal from my team. I’m not sure where it came from or who the creator is, so if you happen to know where it came from, please let me know so I can provide a link.
After the nature hike is over, we sit under trees and share things we saw for each letter. This gives everyone a chance to fill in their A-Z page. Then, we head back inside to eat our trail mix. I usually put on a camping video such as Little Critter Just Me and My Dad or The Berenstain Bears Go To Camp so that they can eat, cool off, rest, and get water.
Then, I call the class back to the campfire and teach them a campfire song. Today’s song was I’m Bringing Home A Baby Bumblebee.
Afterward, I give students a copy to add to their fluency/poetry folder.
Next, students wrote about Day 2 of Camp Learned A Lot in their journals. During this time, I picked students to have time in the tent as a behavior reward.
Later in the day, we had another Mail Call, where I passed out mail from home. I only do a few letters a day as the students get to read their letters from home to the class.
At the end of the day, we gathered back at the campfire for a campfire story! I turned on a flashlight and put it under my face and read The Pink Jellybean story. The whole story makes it sound like something scary is going to happen at any moment. It’s hilarious to watch because the students get scared and start holding hands and scooting close to each other. In the end, it’s just a pink jellybean! Haha. You can read it here.
That wraps up Day 2! Join me tomorrow for a recap of Day 3.
To read about Day 1 of Camp Learned A Lot, please click here.
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After the nature hike is over, we sit under trees and share things we saw for each letter. This gives everyone a chance to fill in their A-Z page. Then, we head back inside to eat our trail mix. I usually put on a camping video such as Little Critter Just Me and My Dad or The Berenstain Bears Go To Camp so that they can eat, cool off, rest, and get water.