Even during summer vacation, many students (and their parents) are reluctant to take a vacation from school work. Of course, that doesn’t mean camp has to feel like a school. For many children, camp provides a refreshing alternative learning experience, featuring a low-pressure environment, a higher student-teacher ratio, and; best of all; No homework!
Let’s take a look at some of the best educational camping supplies on the market:
1. Craft Kits
It’s so important to nurture creativity throughout childhood, and arts and crafts camp supplies are a great way to get those creative juices flowing. Plus, it’s easy to turn any craft project into an educational activity. Help your campers reinforce world history with dioramas of important events, or explore other cultures by creating Asian and African-style masks. Create a simple (and temporary) mural with sidewalk chalk, or have fun getting messy with tempera paint, feathers, and glitter.
Are you still looking for ideas? You can create a fun activity and increase the safety of your camp by listing your campers to create educational posters. This allows children to be creative while reinforcing important concepts like maintaining good hygiene, recycling waste, and respecting others.
2. Educational CDs
Music is a great way to get kids excited about a lesson or concept. Whether you’re looking to teach a foreign language or just help your campers memorize all 50 states, musical educational school supplies can help.
Additionally, many counselors and instructors use CDs to help teach children about fitness and lead them toward a healthy lifestyle. Children are much more willing to do jumping jacks, sit-ups, and other simple activities with a fun beat in the background. For an even simpler time, invest in a kids’ CD designed specifically for exercise; It will have the activities and instructions built in!
3. Books
If it is not broke, do not fix it. Children have been learning from books for years and that’s not going to change anytime soon. Of course, workbooks are a great way to test kids on basic skills like math and grammar, but for a more relaxed teaching method, many camp counselors prefer storybooks.
For young children, reading a picture book aloud is a great way to educate children about sharing, persevering, and a variety of other topics, as well as more concrete concepts like animal names. Older children can read independently, but can still benefit from group discussions of the material. For example, high school students love The Giver by Lois Lowry, a Newbery Medal winner who uses her compelling plot to illustrate the importance of memory and choice.
Regardless of the age of the campers you’re dealing with, reading in a group will help your children realize that reading can be just as much fun as going online or playing computer games.
The school year may be winding down, but for camp counselors and instructors, the learning has just begun. For you, camp supplies are more like back-to-school supplies; Helpful tools and materials that will keep your kids learning all summer long!