Originally posted by Merrie Jo: For my fall "Welcome Back Roundup" I had cutesy names for each of the stations, any ideas there for the eating area (I'll serve hot dogs, etc). I'm imagining red checkered camp style tablecloths & what else would make that area look "campy"?
What about something to do with Ants? (For the name of the eating area) Like Ant's picnic area or something along those lines. I'm not thinking of anything creative at the moment other than Ants though, sorry.
How about flashlight style lanterns for the table. Maybe place some fake bugs here & there. Another game idea....a snake pit (fake snakes (or bugs) in slime that the kids can put their hands in & touch. Have fun!
Thanks ladies for your fun ideas. The sleeping bag game will be great and letting the kids use binoculars to ID the birds is a unique idea. I'm hoping to have a local master gardener do one station and focus on how families can learn all about butterflies by planting a butterfly garden. For my fall "Welcome Back Roundup" I had cutesy names for each of the stations, any ideas there for the eating area (I'll serve hot dogs, etc). I'm imagining red checkered camp style tablecloths & what else would make that area look "campy"?
Maybe set up one station with a bunch of different shapes of leaves or you can post photos of different trees and see if the kids/families can identify them. Simple, inexpensive and fun.
Also, you can do the same thing with identifying different birds. To make it fun, make a poster with small photos of birds, hang it on a wall. Then set up a table a couple of feet from the wall and place a couple pair of binoculars on the table. Direct kids/parents to use the binoculars to find the birds and then to try to identify them.
What about a relay similar to the shoe relay PTO today has in their Family Fun & Games night? Except instead it's who can roll a crumpled sleeping bag the fastest?
Another thing I've seen (but not done) is looking at different life cycles of the butterfly (maybe you have one unique to your area?) and doing an activity like www.atozteacherstuff.com/pages/276.shtml
with Pasta.
Do you have a local recycling center? Could a rep come out and talk about things that are recyclable and maybe give a quick word scramble or something?
Do you have a local botanical garden? Could they have a volunteer come out and share some different native plants with the kids?
