We love to pretend and camping is a perfect thing to role play with. Dramatic play isn’t just practice for future actors it’s practice for future adults. It gives children a chance to play out scenarios , engage in cooperative play and even problem solve. It also gives the imagination and kid’s natural creativity a great outlet ! This camping pretend play is so easy and offers lots of situations to act out, from traveling to the camp ground, hiking, fishing for dinner and telling bedtime stories. Of course those were just our ideas your child will come up with their own.The campfire craft is a great opportunity to drive home fire safety rules and procedures too !
Campfire Craft
- Gather your materials. You will need a long paper roll or a few shorter ones. We used a roll from wrapping paper. Also some orange , red and yellow tissue paper, some double stick tape , scissors and a brown marker. You may also want some clothes pins.
- Start by coloring the roll.
- Next cut in 3
- Rip your paper. Random ripping works best.
We were out of red so I cut some red cellophane that I had. - Add tape to your rolls in the middle and have your child add the paper. This is why I like using double stick, that way I can place the tape and it’s sticky and ready for him to add the flames.
- Next tape the rolls together. This is where I used the clothes pins. I used double stick tape then held it together with the clothes pins for 30 minutes before playing.
While that sat we made some snacks for the camping trip!
We made some trail mix ( cereal, dried cherries and pumpkin seeds) 
Then we packed some other favorites into our “cooler” aka my son’s lunch box.
We popped a sheet in a back pack, grabbed a lantern and made a car out of the kitchen chairs. Packed our stuff in the trunk and got buckled in.
Then drove for 51 hours to the campsite.
Unpacked.
Got settled with a snack 
Then told ghost stories by the fire. 
Time for bed!
It took 5 minutes of gathering items to have a fun morning of pretend!
What is your child’s favorite pretend play activity?
That is so fun! We haven’t made a fort in a while…might be time to bring out the sheets again. That fire is very cute.
Love this! I made lanterns for my nieces a couple of Christmases ago using peanut butter jars per Made By Cynthia Rae – they were very cute!
OMG! I love it! Especially your little baby in the middle. 🙂 I will be saving this for a rainy day!!
Love it! Especially how you turned the kitchen chairs into their vehicle. Can’t wait to do this!
This is SO cute–especially the picture of the two of them in the car!
That looks like so much fun! I love the “trip” picture with baby in the highchair.
Too cute! I remember my mom letting us play “bus” with the kitchen chairs whenever she was washing the floor. Such a fun memory. Thanks for sharing your “adventure”.
My son loves to put together two chairs, two bricks, two sheets of paper or anything of the same size, preferably form and colour (when he is out he can even use just his own hands). He slips them together and away, pretending they are shop door, bus door or train door (that move exactly the same way). When he wants to pretend door that open in and out, then he makes a right angle with these two surfaces that he has chosen. For this last activitity he doesn’t always need two surfaces of the same form – a book and a floor would do 🙂
http://smykowysmak.blox.pl
Superb! That is exactly what we played today but no fire-will use this idea for our next “trip”! its freezing here in Moscow (Russia) for weeks now…stuck inside and we play a lot of pretend games…”travels” is the favorite with both of my kids :-))) Love your blog and admire your creativity, especially timewise with two kids 🙂
I just found your blog from over on 365 day of TV Free Toddler Time (she hasn’t posted in a while, but I saw your blog, and I’m hooked!)
I am a big supporter of learning through play, and that’s what I blog about over on my blog. I’ve just started blogging about it, but I love to read other blogs about what you’re doing with your kids.
I absolutely love the alphabet crafts! We’re going to start doing it next week (I’ve finally subscribed to your blog, so I get the RSS feeds) I think it’s going to help a lot.
I also love the campfire! Cute idea! My little ones absolutely love tents. I think we might do this as we get ready for our big family backpacking trip this summer. Thanks again!
Becca – thanks, I will check out your blog. Swing back by Sunday to link up too!
Pretend campfire is a great idea, but I really loved the car with both kids going for 51 hours. My 4 year old loves playing Little House on the Prairie scenarios, but right now everything is about going to space on a shuttle.
what a cute idea! I have that table and chairs 🙂 gotta love ikea
How wonderful to camp inside! Love that you packed for the trip!
Allie,
That seems like so much fun. Out of all the pretend play you have on here, that one has to be my favorite!
I’m bookmarking this one…don’t ever get rid of it!! lol.
Right now I have an 19 month old that eats EVERYTHING. So I know that right now we can’t do this craft for maybe another year or so.
I used this campfire idea a while ago to go with out Oregon Trail crafts, but until just now I couldn’t remember where I’d seen it. Thanks!
http://swishina.blogspot.com/2011/03/craft-ideas-for-oregon-trail-game.html
http://swishina.blogspot.com/2011/06/indoor-camping-fun.html
I think this is very creative. And I love the 51 hour drive!!! LOL
I have a younger cousin, who is 4, and he is just like my younger brother. He is sleeping over at my house soon, and i am using the adorable campfire craft to have a campfire for out camp-in. Love the idea! Thanks!