let’s camp out - activities

Let’s Camp Out!
#408
$69.99

With a tent, sleeping bags, and lantern, you’ve got everything you need for a family camping trip—in your own backyard! Roll the case out the back door, set up your campsite, and try some of these fun “after dark” activities:

Light Up the Night

  • Firefly Friends—Here’s a perfect after-dark activity for a group of children! Make sure each child has a lantern or flashlight and explain that they are going to pretend to be fireflies. Set up teams of 2 or 3 children and have each team decide upon a pattern of light flashes to use as their signal, such as 2 quick flashes followed by one longer flash. Then, have children scatter to the edges of the camping area. When you give the word, firefly teams try to find each other by blinking their lights in their own special pattern.

  • Shadows in the Night—Shine the lantern on the tent wall or other surface. Place your hand between the lantern and the tent wall to make shadows in the beam of light. See if you can make some of these animals!


  • Spooky Faces—Hold the lantern below your chin to make a scary face. Try it while you’re telling a ghost story—and no one will sleep a wink!

Star Gazing

Who needs television when you’ve got the night sky?

  • Wish Upon a Planet—Be sure to wish on the first star you see, but keep in mind that it probably isn’t a star at all! The “evening star” is usually a planet, such as Venus or Saturn. Because they are so much closer to the Earth, planets shine with a steady light, while true stars are more likely to twinkle. If you’re very lucky, you may see a shooting star, which is actually a chunk of rock and metal called a meteor.

  • Find a Constellation—Ancient people saw many pictures in the stars, and so can you! Look for patterns and shapes and give them your own names. See if you can spot the ladle shape made by the stars in the Big Dipper. The two stars that form the front edge of the ladle can be used to find Polaris, the North Star. It’s located on the same line as those two stars, to the north of the Big Dipper. Once you find it, watch the sky around it for a while. You’ll see that the other stars appear to revolve around Polaris as it hangs in one place over the North Pole.