Camp Corner 2

It's time for another camp corner! I love working with children and I've worked at many different summer camps, child care centers and I will be student teaching this semester. This section is devoted to introducing you to new (or reminding you of old) ideas to use with your kids, as you teach, as you work as a summer camp counselor, as you work at a daycare, etc.

Toddler Activity

Parachute games. With toddlers you want a small parachute. You can do little activities such as shaking the parachute fast, shaking it slow, making big waves, making small waves, "flying" to the sky, lifting it all the way up, etc.

Toddler Tip
To easily wash toddler/infant toys, throw all of the non-battery operated toys into a mesh bag and wash the whole thing in a water/sanitizer solution. This works so much quicker than washing little things by hand! Then, just lay the toys out on a towel overnight, and they should be dry by morning.

Kids Activity

Car-lot. This is a super popular game among our kids at camp. Even if not every child understands the game, they still enjoy running back and forth across the gym. To play, have all children line up on one end of a gym or field. Give them a couple of options of cars they can be, for example, limo, motorcycle and jeep. Pick a couple of children to be "it." Children who are "it" stand in the middle of the gym. Then, call the car types one by one. When the child's car type is called (or "car-lot" is called, and all children run), they run across the gym and try not to get tagged. Children who are tagged must sit where they are - they become "speed bumps" who can tag other children passing by, but they cannot move from their spot. The last child(ren) standing win. This is a great game to get kids moving.

Kids Tip

Engaged kids are kids who aren't getting in trouble.

Product Spotlight

Speed Stacks

Source

These huge cup stackers are a ton of fun and are super versatile. As you can see from the picture, they are quite large, which makes them fun for the children to use. They can be used to make castles and pyramids. Children love seeing how high they can be stacked, and then knocking them down. You can also use them as baskets/buckets for throwing games. If freely set out for a child's use, they also become hats, seats, peg-legs and basketball "ice-cream cones." Unfortunately (as my kiddos discovered) they don't work very well with the "cup song."

Have a great week!