Activities to Do While Camping with Kids

I am not much of a camper, and the only camping I’ve done with my daughter is going to the lodge at the Girl Scout camp (which is indoors and climate controlled).

But I know a lot of people like camping with their kids, and while I like to idea of it, I don’t think it’s for us.

If your family likes to get outdoors and you need some ideas for things to do while you’re hanging out at camp, read on.

This camping lapbook from Homeschool Share would be a great one to set up before your trip and use while you are camping. It has some informational sections like different kinds of poisonous plants and things to keep in a first aid kit, but a lot of it is set up for kids to record their observations of trees, birds and other things they want to remember from the trip.

Adventure in a Box has a printable nature journal with tasks and questions for kids to think about that includes things like finding different flowers and leaves, which they can collect on their pages or draw in (some like rocks and insects would need to be drawn, so make sure you pack your tools!). If you like bird watching, make sure to grab the printable bird book for kids to track their observations form Buggy and Buddy.

Park Ranger John has some great ideas for games you can play while camping, and Thrifty Jinxy has more ideas for games you can bring along when you go camping. I love the National Parks edition of Yahtzee, which includes facts about the national parks you can discuss while you play.

If your campsite has a lot of space (and a lot of sticks) kids can build a maze or a labyrinth that everyone can walk through. Mother Natured has all the details.

And in case you need some camping crafts, check out how to make a camping lantern from head lamps and plastic bottles (get the DIY from Home Cleaning Family) and the classic camp craft — a sit upon! This brings back memories of my own Girl Scout camp adventures, and you can make your own with instructions from There’s Just One Mommy.

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Camping Activities to Use at Home or at Camp

The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is important throughout Mexico and other parts of the world. Her feast day is Dec. 12, and the celebrations honoring her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531 begin a few days before that.

Whether you celebrate yourself or just want to share about the celebration at home or in your classroom, Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good place to start. The book, by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, with illustrations by Dana Sanmar, tells the story of a family’s celebration of the feast day in both English and Spanish.

They prepare with a novena, which is nine days of prayers and preparations. The children, Lucia and Pablo, are given special outfits made by their grandmother that look like what Juan Diego might have worn when he saw Our Lady. The book describes the prayers that are made each day, such as a prayer for respect for life, for families and for the indigenous people of the Americas, to name a few.

As told in the book, Juan Diego was a native Mexican born near modern day Mexico City. His given name was Cuaauhtlatoatzin, which means “He who speaks like an eagle.” When he converted to Christianity his name was changed to Juan Diego, and as he walked to church he passed a hill called Tepeyac. One day he heard the birds singing especially beautifully and a voice called him to go to the top of the hill.

There he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, who asked him to tell the bishop she wanted a chapel built in her name at the foot of the hill. The bishop asked for a sign that Juan Diego really saw her, and later she had him collect flowers that she blessed and take them to the bishop. When Juan Diego dropped the flowers, an image of Our Lady could be seen on his cloak, which is still on display in her basilica to this day.

The feast day is celebrated as mañanitas, which includes singing, indigenous music and dancing, and children presenting flowers to Our Lady. Juan Diego is remembered today as being humble, brave and faithful, and was the first indigenous American made a saint.

The book is colorful and tells the story in a clear way, and it’s fun to have it both in English and Spanish if you teach Spanish or speak Spanish at home or in the classroom. It’s a great way to learn the basics of the celebration and the story of Juan Diego and why he is still remembered today.

About the book: 40 pages, paperback, published 2024 by Loyola Press. Suggested retail price $14.99.

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