Summer Camp Curriculum

Ages 3-5

Elephant and Piggy

Learning Objectives:

• Introduce Elephant and Piggy books to Children.
• Compare and contrast Piggy and Elephant’s personalities using adjectives, practice charting.
• Pre-writing activities involving dictation, plot construction, character development
• Learn to love Elephant and Piggy and have loads of fun!

Activities:

• Read several of the Elephant and Piggy books
• Create our own Elephant and piggy comics and share
• Do a “There’s a bird on your head” race with nests and eggs
• Discuss characteristics of Elephant and Piggy, make a chart
• Elephant and Piggy lost and found game
• Make bird on my head hats to take home

A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni

The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carl

Objectives:

• Focus on the value of illustrations in writing.  Discuss what they add to the story. 
• Provide time and resources to create our own illustrations
• Talk about warm and cold colors

Activities:

• Introduce book, read together, respond together
• Watercolor Paper plates with chameleon overlay to create a color changing chameleon.
• Go on a color search in the backyard
• Create our own “Color Books” reflecting what colors we would be and why
• Listen to music and dance with color streamers

The Rainbow Fish

Objectives:

• Talk about how books can teach us to think and change.
• Notice the illustration style and discuss
• Play games that involve sharing to illustrate moral of the story

Activities:

• Introduce book, read together, respond together
• Play fishing game with fabric fish and magnetic pole
• Make toilet paper roll rainbow fish
• Play cooperative sharing games
• Create an ocean scene

Pirate Boy by Eve Bunting

Objectives:

• Study how pirate vocabulary enhances the story
• Focus on choosing descriptive words for our own stories
• Follow simple written directions
• Practice pre-reading and pre-writing skills

Activities:

• Treasure hunt in the back yard following maps
• Dig for treasure in sand bucket
• Create pirate book that each child can read independently.
• Create pirate snack together
• Color pirate bandanas and flags to take home

A House for Hermit Crab

Objectives:

• Discuss pattern writing and how that creates a story
• Practice counting objects
• Discuss sequence of events

Activities:

• Create our own hermit crab homes
• Play with play dough and ocean shells
• Build a collection with natural items found in the backyard and count
• Play in boxes and pretend to be hermit crabs

Ages 6-8

Flat Stanley

Objective:

• Work on letter writing through Flat Stanley Mailing project
• Imagine what it would be like to be flat Stanley
• Work on the pros and cons of being flat

Activities:

• Read the first Flat Stanley book together
• Flat Stanley soccer game
• Life size flat students!
• Write a letter to a friend, include a flat Stanley

Harry Potter

Objective:

• Introduce the first book of the series, read chapter where Hagrid tells Harry he’s a wizard, ask students to imagine being Harry.
• Help students absolutely love Harry Potter

Activities:

• Quidditch in the backyard
• Wand making
• If I were Harry story
• Design a patronus
• Golden Snitch tag
• Make butterbeer floats

Iggy Peck, Architect

Objectives:

• Discuss lessons of Iggy Peck-to follow your dreams and talents,
• Everyone has value
• Discuss and try multimedia art
• Build, build, build!

Activities:

• Marshmallows and toothpick buildings
• Build towers together using duplos
• Create tunnels for wooden train sets from cardboard
• Create buildings on paper with paint chip “blocks”
• What’s your talent paper and discussion

The Pirates Next Door

Objectives:

• Study how pirate vocabulary enhances the story
• Focus on choosing descriptive words for our own stories

Activities:

• Treasure hunt in the back yard following maps
• Create pirate book using pirate vocabulary
• Create pirate snack together
• Color pirate bandanas and flags to take home

Dragons Love Tacos

Objective:

• Books can be silly, what makes this book great? Engage kids through play.
• Introduce Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher chapter book

Activities:

• Dragons Love Tacos card game
• If I had a dragon story
• Fire on the wall pictures
• Marshmallow catapults
• Dragon Tag