Pretend Camping: Creating a Fun Place to Read

The other day I surprised my kids with a pretend camping trip (which will be the only camping trip they ever go on if my husband gets his way.  He usually doesn't.)  I pitched a tent (Thomas play tent with a blanket over the top), got our supplies (flashlights, pillows, play lantern, and camping books), and prepared our rations (junk food campfire).

Needless to say, the junk food campfire was the big hit.  It's swiss cake roll logs, with fruit roll-up flames.  For some reason, the fruit roll-ups had writing all over them (trivia facts or something), but the kids didn't care.  I cut them into flame shapes with kitchen scissors and threaded them through a toothpick to get them to stand up.  Then I put mini marshmallows on toothpicks for pretend roasting.

The kids ate the campfire while we read the books.  The favorite was  Into the Outdoors because of it's short, interesting text and beautiful illustrations.  The author emphasizes prepositions while describing a peaceful camping trip.  We also read Splat the Cat: Good Night, Sleep Tight and Ruby's Sleepover.

Because I was too lazy to clean up the tent wanted to encourage more imaginative play, the tent stayed up until...well, it's still up.  Anyway, after dinner that night I knew the kids were plotting something because they were in the other room together and not fighting.  Eventually they came out and asked for a plate, which I gave them.  Then a few minutes later they asked for some toothpicks, and then came out again later for something to put the toothpicks in.  They surprised me with my own edible campfire.

And by then it was also dark enough to make some shadow puppets.

I would say it was a very successful camping trip.

Have you created any fun places for your kids to read?  I'd love more ideas.

Linking to Link & Learn, Children's Bookshelf, Tuesday Tots, Sun Scholars