Summer Unplugged: Camping
Camping is one of those things I always imagined I’d do with my kids, and now that I have kids, the idea of trying to sleep outside (not to mention all the prep, packing, and hauling) is . . . not a bit appealing.
I prefer my camping to take place in picture books and chapter books. Maybe some s’mores made over the kitchen stove.
(P.S. If you’re looking for a summer reading list for adults, I put together a summer reading guide last week that I’m totally thrilled about).
Chapter and Picture Books about Camping
Picture Books:Â
- Let’s Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy by Jan Thomas – I think Jan Thomas is the master of very early comedic books. This one, about a cowboy singing a lullaby to his very skittish cows, is a family favorite.
- Postcards from Camp by Simms Taback – Michael is not a fan of sleepaway camp. And his postcards home to his father detail all the reasons he wants OUT.
- The Woods by Paul Hoppe – Ella can’t get enough of this book about a little boy who, at bedtime, loses his beloved stuffed animal and must venture into the terrifying woods to reclaim it.
- A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee – When they go to spend the week with grandparents, it’s supposed to be nature camp, but it turns out to be a lot of eating sugar and watching cartoons.
- Lucille Camps In by Kathryn Lasky and Marylin Hafner – When her dad and older siblings take off camping without her, Lucille and her mom decide to camp at home, complete with a tent and s’mores.
- Poppleton in Spring by Cynthia Rylant and Mark Teague – Embarrassingly, I’ve never read a Poppleton book until now, but I’m hooked. And apparently I really love books featuring pigs.
- Quiet Night by Marilyn Singer and John Manders – Marilyn Singer does such great books, and this one, about how noisy it is camping in the woods, delighted my daughters with all the sounds and rhythms.
- The Princess and Her Panther by Wendy Orr and Lauren Stringer – Two sisters (as you might have guessed, the younger is conned into being the panther) go camping. Doing so might require some bravery.
- The Lost Lake by Allen Say – I love Allen Say’s distinctive and Caldecott-winning art and storytelling, and this is no exception, about a boy and his very quiet father who set out to find a lost lake.
Chapter Books:
- Runaway Ralph by Beverly Cleary – Ralph is ready to go out on the road with his motorcycle and ends up at a summer camp when he’s captured by a lonely camper.
- Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters by Lenore Look and LeUyen Pham – The Alvin Ho series is fantastic (somewhat similar to Diary of a Wimpy Kid) and in this one, Alvin Ho is forced to confront all his worst outdoorsy fears. Poor guy!
- Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown by Jarrett J. Krosoczka – This is one of my favorite graphic novel series. They are so clever and funny; I’ve never met a kid who didn’t love them.
A Few Crafts, Activities, and Recipes:Â
- Have an indoor campout
- Make chocolate chip s’mores bars
- Tell ghost stories
- Make your own firefly with a soda bottle
- Make your own trail mix (get 5 or 6 different ingredients and let your kids assemble their own)
- Have your kids make each other maps and send each other on a treasure hunt
And if you’d like a printable copy of this list that you can take to your library or screenshot on your phone for easy access, just pop in your email address below and it’ll come right to your inbox!
And what is camping without singing?
We did backyard camping once. The kids had a blast and I'm sure we will do it again and/or go actual camping, but my least favorite part was the sleeping part. So uncomfortable.
Tumble Bumble is one of our favorite board books. Love it.
Camping is never something I imagined doing with my kids. I dislike it myself, and I know that doing it with my family just means a whole lot of work for me and very little sleep.
However. My husband is Mr. Outdoors, my older son is Mr. Junior Outdoors, I have another son who I'm sure is going to follow his older brother's lead, and one more kid on the way. With three kids, camping is probably the only kind of vacation we will ever be able to afford. As long I have a baby, I'm excused from camping, but as soon as Kid #3 is around two or so, all bets are off. I dread this, but am resigned.
I feel the same way…camping in a tent with kids sounds like a lot of work. Maybe a camp trailer? But that is expensive, so I'll just stick to other things.
I loved camping as a kid. I am kind of over it as an adult. BUT I do hope to do it with my kids for their sake. I agree it's a lot of work and discomfort, but the memories!
Runaway Ralph was one of my favorites (and I always loved the part where he was horrified at hearing the kids sing the song about bopping the field mice on the head!)
Camping is fun but it's also a lot of work, and I don't have any kids to add to the mix. I can only imagine what an endeavor that is!
One of our very favorite camping books is A Camping Spree With Mr. Magee. I wrote about it. doing them all summer!
I just got Lets sing a lullaby with the brave cowboy and loved it. In fact, we picked up many of the author's other books and enjoyed them immensely.
We just loaded up on books at both local libraries. My kids have read Bear in Underwear by Todd H. Doodler about a dozen times each and laugh themselves silly each time. It's not exactly about camping, but I think the woodland creatures theme fits right in.
We're deep into summer reading contests right now, so more books are always welcome! My two-year-old's favorite is Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site.
My son is obsessed with the llama llama books right now. We read Llama Llama Red Pajama every night before bed.
Sounds like fun! Thanks so much for your lists. I walk into the library with my 7 and 9 year olds trying to find chapter books both they and I will approve of without much luck. Your list gives me some sort of jumping off point.
We love camping, but I'm with you, it's a ton of work (for mom especially). I'm still figuring out my role of being in charge while camping — I always forget to pack a few things. At least I don't have set up the tent (that's my husband's department!),
You always post such great book lists — my boys and I thank you! And you may have just pushed me over the fence into getting the Kiwi crates. 🙂
They're worth it, Heather! I just renewed my subscription.
This sounds so fun! We do camping in the living room (just too hot in Az to camp in our backyard!)
My daughter really likes A Camping Spree With Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen
Summer Unplugged is a great idea. Thanks for doing the research for us all.
My son is in love with Duck on a Bike lately.
I feel the same way about camping. I grew up camping and always thought I would do it with my kids, but it sounds like so much work. 🙂