Living Montessori Now

Montessori Inspiration for Parents and Teachers

Free Camping Printables and Montessori-Inspired Camping Activities

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I’m really not a camper, so I’ve put off doing a camping unit. But I discovered that it’s so much fun! I’m happy to share some fun and educational camping resources with you for the end of the school year or any time in the summer.

Here, you’ll find links to free camping printables used to prepare hands-on activities and a new Montessori-inspired camping pack for our free newsletter subscribers’ resource library! This unit has resources for preschool through early elementary.

Free Camping Printables and Montessori-Inspired Camping Activities

Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links (at no cost to you). 

Montessori Shelves with Camping-Themed Activities

Montessori Shelves with Camping-Themed Activities

Montessori Shelves with Camping-Themed Activities

You’ll find Montessori-inspired camping-themed numbers, letters, and and more (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber) Note: The Montessori-inspired camping pack isn’t designed as a complete camping unit but as supplemental materials. I design the packs using realistic images that I’ve often looked for when preparing a unit study (such as font cards and phonogram cards featuring the letter and phonogram related to the theme and math cards with realistic images that fit the theme and can be adapted for math activities at a variety of levels.)

You could mix your camping-themed activities among your shelves according to curriculum area. Or you could have a special camping-themed area something like the one pictured. My shelves at the beginning of our unit have a mixture of skill levels. Many of the activities can be adapted for a variety of levels. If you’re a homeschooler, just choose the activities that work for your child’s interests and ability levels. If you don’t have room for all the activities you’d like to do, simply rotate them.

Montessori Shelves with Camping-Themed Activities and Campfire Site, Yosemite, Art Print

Montessori Shelves with Camping-Themed Activities and Campfire Site, Yosemite, Art Print

Notice the framed illustration  Campfire Site, Yosemite (1873) by Albert Bierstadt. It’s a free download from Wikimedia Commons.

For our monthly featured art print, I purchased a Li’l DAVINCI art frame that opens in the front for easily changing a free art masterpiece printable or vintage illustration to fit with the month’s theme. The frame can be switched from horizontal to vertical without changing the hanger, which is perfect!

If you’re wondering about the rugs and rug box I use, both the rugs and wooden rug holder are from Montessori Services. I love the Montessori Services rugs and rug holder! I used to use an umbrella stand something like these. I loved that for 1-3 rugs, but I needed something different when I had more grandchildren and some projects that needed more than one rug.

Favorite Shelves, Trays, Baskets, and More for Montessori Homeschoolers

I often get asked about the trays, baskets, etc., that I use, so I published a post with many of the items. You can find lots of helpful resources here. They’re not all essential, so don’t feel you need to have everything. Just choose what’s best for your budget and your unique family’s needs. You’ll find more ideas in the Living Montessori Now Amazon shop

Books for a Camping Unit 

Even though I have books on shelves, I usually have many of my themed books in a forward-facing display after placing a plant where the themed book basket was before. Most of my seasonal books are now in that book basket. Most of the books and activities in this unit are for preschool through elementary.

For toddlers and preschoolers, about ¾ of the books I use are typically Montessori friendly (focusing on reality without smiling or talking animals or smiling or talking vehicles). This unit has more fun fiction than normal, but it’s for the end of the school year or summer!

Books for a Camping Unit

Books for a Camping Unit

Top Shelf of Themed Shelves: 

  • The Backpack Explorer seriesis lots of fun for nature explorers. These books have many beautiful photographs and engaging illustrations along with lots of ideas for nature activities. I have the 5-book set, which also includes a nature collection box to display nature treasures.
  • Adventure Skills for Kids is a good book, but it’s best for for ages 8-15.
  • On the cookbook easel, I show two danger plant pages from another Backpack Explorer book Discovering Plants and Flowers (not part of the 5-box set).
  • DK Animal Atlas is a great book!

Top Shelf of Forward -Facing Display:

2nd Shelf:

3rd Shelf:

4th Shelf:

Bottom Shelf

You can see many camping books here: Camping Books for Kids (including books as they’re published)

Bird Watch and On the Nature Trail Books with Bird Scavenger Hunt and Camping Games

Bird Watch and On the Nature Trail Books with Bird Scavenger Hunt and Camping Games

Bird Watch and On the Nature Trail Books with Bird Scavenger Hunt and Camping Games

The Backpack Explorer series is lots of fun for nature explorers. These books have lots of beautiful photographs and engaging illustrations along with lots of ideas for nature activities. I have the 5-book set, which also includes a nature collection box to display nature treasures.

Free Printable: Bird Scavenger Hunt from ScenicHudson.org

Free Printables: Camping Games and Activities from Camper Champ (I have some of these pages on the clipboard beneath the bird scavenger hunt. There are some fun games like charades, campground I spy, and camping riddles.)

Since we started bird watching 5 years ago, our child-size binoculars (not a toy) have gotten a lot of use and still work well. I love this clipboard with elastic for outdoor activities, but it isn’t available right now. I’m hoping it will be again soon. 

Exploring Nature Activity Book for Kids with Basket Containing Compass, Binoculars, and Magnifying Glass

Exploring Nature Activity Book for Kids with Basket Containing Compass, Binoculars, and Magnifying Glass

Exploring Nature Activity Book for Kids with Basket Containing Compass, Binoculars, and Magnifying Glass

Adventure Skills for Kids is a good book, but it’s best for for ages 8-15. In the shelf photo, it was holding space on the shelf until my Exploring Nature Activity Book for Kids arrived. It was lost in shipping, so I had to reorder it.

In the basket are the binoculars I mentioned, a compass (mine is the brass compass from the Earth Exploration Toolbox from Montessori By Mom although there are compasses on Amazon), and magnifying glass for outdoor nature walks and other activities.

Danger Plant Pages from Discovering Plants and Flowers with Nature Hunt Cards and Bear-Themed Materials in the Background

Danger Plant Pages from Discovering Plants and Flowers with Nature Hunt Cards and Bear-Themed Materials in the Background

Danger Plant Pages from Discovering Plants and Flowers with Nature Hunt Cards and Bear-Themed Materials in the Background

On the cookbook easel, I show two danger plant pages from another Backpack Explorer book, Discovering Plants and Flowers (not part of the 5-box set).  In the background, you can see some activities from 3 printables I absolutely love from the Survival & Forest Schooling Mega Bundle. See below.

Sand Writing Tray for a Camping Theme

Sand Writing Tray for a Camping Theme

Sand Writing Tray for a Camping Theme

Free Printable /l/ for lantern font cards (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my free newsletter to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber). They come in print, D’Nealian, and cursive. 

Free Printable /ing/ in camping (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber). They come in print, D’Nealian, and cursive. 

You’ll see a variety of simple letter writing trays in my previous unit study posts. I often used the wooden tray from the Melissa & Doug Lace and Trace Shapes. You can use whatever tray or container work best for you, though.

The sandpaper letters I use with younger kids are available in print or cursive.

I typically now use this lovely spelling/alphabet tray from FamilyTreeWW on Etsy. I like it for writing more than one letter or spelling words. (Note: That sand tray is currently unavailable, but you’ll find lots of other options for Montessori sand trays on Etsy.) I found some colored sand in 12 colors on Amazon that I started to use instead of salt or colored salt. I love it because it’s so soft and feels great! 

If you would like help with introducing phonetic sounds, introducing objects with sounds, or beginning phonics in general, check out my DIY Beginning Montessori Phonics with Preschoolers.

More Ing Materials

Free Printable: /ing/ in camping (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber)

During our bird unit, we had /ing/ in hummingbird and used the free printable The King of Ing Phonics Reader by Caitlyn Hynst at TPT. The King of Ing is a fun way to reinforce /ing/ in words for kids who are working on the green language series. It’s not on the shelf right now, but I can easily get it out of storage.

Miniature Camping Lantern Pencil Sharpener and Tracing Activity

Lantern Pencil Sharpener and Tracing

Lantern Pencil Sharpener and Tracing

I found this cute lantern pencil sharpener on Amazon. I used one of the cursive lantern font cards from our Montessori-Inspired Camping Pack for an introductory cursive tracing activity.

Tent Alphabet Cards in Print and Cursive

Free Printable: tent alphabet cards (part of my subscriber freebies, so just sign up for my free newsletter to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber). 

There are so many ways the alphabet cards can be used! This is just one idea for children who are focusing on both spelling and learning cursive. 

The tent alphabet cards in print and cursive are easily adaptable, depending on the child’s level. They can be used for a variety of activities, such as matching letters with sandpaper letters, matching print to cursive letters, or movable alphabet word building. 

S’mores Cards and Counters

Free Printable: S’mores number cards and counters (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my free newsletter to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber).

Note: The printable circles are designed for wood slices 1.5″  in diameter. I printed mine out at 67% to fit better on my tray with 1″ wood slices and with the math cards. Either way is fine, although I definitely like the 1″ s’mores for a cards and counter activity! You’ll need 55 counters if you want to have cards and counters 1-10.

S'mores Cards and Counters with Odd and Even Labels

S’mores Cards and Counters with Odd and Even Labels

For children who are already secure with counting 1-10, I like to add the odd and even labels from our Montessori-Inspired Camping Pack.

Also, check out the compass counters, from our Me on the Map unit. They would work well for a camping unit along with plain numbers.

S’mores Greater Than, Less Than Activity

S'mores Greater Than, Less Than Activity

S’mores Greater Than, Less Than Activity

This activity uses the same printables except that only 19 compass counters are needed if you use combinations of the numbers from 1-10. Here I’m showing teen numbers, since many children need more work with them than other numbers. I just have the bead bars I’m using from our decanomial box in a little cup or other small container.

The bead bars aren’t necessary for this activity, but using them is simply another way to focus on counting with the bead bars. Check out my greater than, less than alligator math posts for fun ways to introduce greater than, less than.

There are so many different activities you can prepare using the math cards! You’ll find many ideas in our previous units.

Building a Campsite and Adding Noun Labels

Adding Noun Labels to a DIY Campsite

Adding Noun Labels to a DIY Campsite

Free Printable: Editable & Printable Auto-fill Name Labels by Early Childhood Connection – Heather Cacak at TPT

This is an activity my 6-year-old grandson, Caleb, is in love with! I ordered a 15-piece camping cake toppers set that had lots of fun camping miniatures. I like the set except that the deer family had spots on the fawn, doe, and buck. I painted over the spots on the adult deer, since that bothered me otherwise. Caleb is a real LEGO lover, and he had some camping LEGO sets: LEGO Friends Forest Waterfall Camping Adventure Set and LEGO Creator 3 in 1 Beach Camper Van Building Kit. You’ll find quite a few LEGO camping sets on Amazon if you’d like to add LEGO fun to your unit.

You can see the Forest Waterfall on display on the top shelf and the LEGO camper van (without beach apparatus) on the tray on the bottom right shelf. Caleb built the LEGO sets for our activity and used the miniatures and LEGO pieces to create his campsite. (He built it a number of different ways.) 

He then added the noun labels to each of the pieces. It was a great activity for him!

Camping Activities on Another Shelf

Wild Things Poster with Nature Hunt Cards

Wild Things Poster with Nature Hunt Cards

If you purchased the 2024 Survival and Forest Schooling Mega Bundle, you have the resources on this shelf already. The Wild Things Poster is from the Bushcraft 101 Guide by Barefoot Child. The Nature Hunt Cards are wonderful! They include adjective cards and noun cards with beautiful adjective photos and labels such as rough or green and noun photos and labels such as leaf or feather. There are so many ways to use these either as cards or made into a booklet. 

I’m leaving them as cards right now so that my older grandkids can search for items on the cards to gradually make a nature tray for their new cousin/Caleb’s new sister.

Bear-Themed Materials

Bear-Themed Materials

The bear-themed materials I’m using are from the 76-page Bear Safety Unit Study by For the Love of Homeschooling. It’s amazing! Bears have been a big topic on social media lately, and you’ll find wonderful information and activities in the unit about bears you might meet camping along with lots of bear safety information. These are just a few of the printables from the bear safety unit, so I’ll rotate them throughout the month.

The black bears and grizzly bear are from Schleich, and the book is the DK Animal Atlas (a great book)!

Free Montessori-Inspired Camping Pack

Montessori-Inspired Camping Pack

Montessori-Inspired Camping Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).

Related Nature Resources and Activities

Montessori-Inspired Camping Printables for Preschool Through Elementary

Montessori-Inspired Camping Printables for Preschool Through Elementary

If you’d like ideas for calendar-based themes throughout May and June, see my May Themed Activities for Kids. and my June Themed Activities for Kids.

Have a great end-of-school-year and summer!

Deb - Signature

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