STEM Camp Activities to do With Your Kids While Camping

Inside:  STEM camp activities keep children stoked for science. Hiking in the forest or along lakes, rivers or ponds provides lots to learn about the unique biology, chemistry and physics of the outdoors .  *there are Amazon links contained in this post.  If you click I may make some coffee money at no cost to you of course.

Science is all about Asking Questions

STEM camp activities are a fantastic way to get in tune with the unique biology, chemistry and physics of the outdoors.  Science is all about asking questions and finding ways to figure out the answers.  Get your kids pumped about science by taking the lead from nature.  Use your kids’ natural curiosity to keep them engaged and learning during your next camping adventure.

Most science camping activities can be done with minimal equipment.  You don’t really want to add tons to the gear you already need to survive a camping trip with multiple kids in tow.  Have them pack some science essentials in their own backpack:

• a magnifying glass
• a pencil
• pencil crayons
• a notebook
• some small containers – tupperware or rubbermaid
• a divided container
• small vials
• a digital camera (for older campers)

Kids love to collect.  A divided container is great for keeping a precious rock collection organized.  If you are visiting an area with a beach, a small vial to keep a sand sample as a souvenir will be cherished.  Small containers are great for putting small creatures found during a hike.  Kids can observe and draw them in their notebook then gently release them back to the wild.

General STEM for kids while camping

1. Look under rocks and draw what you see.  Look for creatures hiding in the moisture and safety under a rock.
2. Collect rocks and add them to your divided container.  Take them home and try to discover what kind they are: igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary.  Try to identify mineral or crystal parts of your rocks.
3. Take a hike and write what you see in your notebook.  Take note of animal tracks, scat, trees and wildflowers.  Draw diagrams.  Take pictures with your digital camera.  When you’re back at the campsite or at home try to identify your discoveries.
4. Observe moss, leaves and wildflowers with your magnifying glass.  Draw diagrams in your notebook.  When you’re back at the campsite or at home label their parts.
5. When examining trees, use some paper and take a bark rubbing.  Can you identify the tree by the pattern its bark makes?  Do some investigation in a tree guide book or on the internet when you get home.  Looking at the leaves or needles also can help you identify the kind of trees in your camping spot.
6. Sit and listen during the day and again at night.  What sounds do you hear?  What difference in sound do you notice between day and night?
7. During the day, lay on your back and look at the clouds.  Draw what you see.  Can you identify thetypes of clouds you saw on your trip?  In the evening, lay on your back and look at the stars.  Can you draw the patterns you see?  Can you identify any constellations?

Try one or try them all.  Take a look at the ideas from Pinterest below.  All of the STEM camp activities in this collection are sure to please the very young.  Most of them can be modified to stimulate the older child as well.

STEM Camp Activities Sure to Stimulate young Minds

Camping near a beach.  Find some cool beach activities in 11 Amazing and Interactive Beach Science Activities.  Or learn how to investigate beach sand by reading How to Look at Beach Sand using Sand Science: Easy experiment

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