RV Camping is the Ultimate Science Camp Adventure!
Unfortunately this year’s pandemic with shelter in orders, closing of schools, working and teaching from home, many kids will not get to go to science camp. The children have been looking forward to science camp since their older siblings have gone, and some have already fund-raised the trip.
RV Camping is the ultimate Science Camping Adventure. Long before this was available to schools, nature trips happened from your own campsite. With so many things available right under our noses why not turn around that lost trip and make it a family exploration of nature and science. Kids love to explore and with a little guidance from you and some planning, this could be the best field trip of the year. The shelter in orders should be lifted very soon, so lets get started planning your trip.
Below are just a few examples. The possibilities are endless. Each day could be a new adventure.
Nature Walk – Scavenger Hunt
- Pack a lunch and head out for an all day nature walk.
- Look for trees and the different colors.
- Bring an extra ziploc bag and collect leaves from different trees, so you can learn about them.
- Look for moss and all the places it grows. Explain to your kids how it grows and where it grows.
- Find mushrooms, as they grow in some unusual places. Count mushrooms.
- Find rocks of different colors and sizes.
- Go on a scavenger hunt. Print one out before your RV trip so you have it handy.
- Create your own scavenger hunt. A brown paper bag, put colors on the outside and have the kids find leaves, sticks, etc. that match and put in the brown bag.
Bugs and Insects
Take a day to explore bugs and insects.
- Banana Slug – Depending on what area you go to banana slugs are always a hit.
- Lady bugs
- Spiders
- Snails
- Crickets (listen to them signing at night)
- Ants! As much as we don’t like ants, especially in the kitchen, they have a great story. They work hard to protect their queen. They work as a team to provide food for all members. They can carry up to 100 x their weight, and more.
Amphibians
- Explore frogs, toads, and hopefully find some tadpoles. Explain how they grow from tadpoles to frogs.
- Explain the difference between a frog and a toad, see if you can tell the difference in the croak.
- Lizards. Catch a lizard, create a lizard catcher out of a long piece of grass.
Wildlife
Some of the things you might find.
- Deer
- Wild Turkey, you might hear them running through your campsite very early in the morning
- Racoons
- Elk
- Squirrels (what’s camping without a few)
- Goose
Fishing
- Teach them to fish.
- How to bait a hook and different types of bait.
- Teach them different types of fishes and how they eat and what they eat.
Campfire
If they are old enough, teach them how to start a campfire.
Why not make this the best science camp adventure possible while creating great memories with your family. It doesn’t matter if you go for a weekend, a week or an extended stay.
