Family Literacy Night Ideas in a Camping Theme – Camp Read a Lot
One of the goals of my campus literacy program is to get parents engaged in enjoyable speaking, listening, reading, writing, and thinking activities with their kids.We try to do this is many different ways, but my favorite by far was our Family Literacy Night event.
Every year, we host a family night event where parents, kids, and their families were invited to participate in fun themed family literacy night activities.
All they needed was to show up. We provided the stations, a snack, and a free book to each student! (Access to books matters!)
The first Family Literacy Night I ever hosted was camping themed. I called it Camp Read-a-Lot and it was so much fun!
We had a good turnout and the families who came seemed to really enjoy the activities!
Want family literacy night ideas and stations? Read on, and you can grab my free planning guide at the bottom of the post!
Family Literacy Night Ideas for a Camping Theme
This is the book we read aloud to all of our guests. It was a fun, romping read that kept kids engaged! Get it here.
Our teachers loaned us sleeping bags and set up tents on the back patio and field behind the school. Aren’t they incredible? What a fun way to read with your kids!
Once it got dark, the kids used flashlights to read! They had a blast.
Dice Retell Station
Roll the dice and retell that part of the story! With the dice template, students cut and glue to make retelling dice. Then they can use it to retell the story you read aloud (in this case, A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee) and later take it home to retell any story!
Puppets Characters from the Story
Our kids made puppets from the book: Dee the dog, and the bear!
Fun Fishing Word Work Station
Fishing for rhyming words! We taped an index card with a word on the floor. Then kids used their fishing poles made of branches, string, and magnets to fish for words that rhymed!
Following Directions to Make S’mores Station
S’mores station was a big hit. We used graham crackers, chocolate, popsicle sticks, and marshmallow fluff. The kids followed the directions to make a S’more and then wrote about it on their five senses sheet.
Game Night Station
At our Game Night station, students and parents practiced a lost art. Playing games together. We put out Connect Four, Trouble, Candyland, and some others, and the kids and parents chose which game to play. It was so nice to see the kids and their parents interacting around a fun game.
Hands-on Word Building Station
Our Building Words station was a big hit, too. I don’t think I’ve seen parents getting more competitive than they were at this station! They kept adding words to their list, shouting when they thought of a new one.
I put out sentence strips and had parents write “A Camping Spree” in large letters. Then they cut between each letter and manipulated them to build words!
Want to learn more? Check out my How to Plan an Awesome Family Night video!
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Want some more great camping ideas? Check out the Comprehension Connection’s Thematic Thursday: Camping! There are bunches of neat ideas for hosting a great Camping Week!
How adorable! Looks like a BLAST!
Love it!