Overnight Camps at the ARNOT FOREST
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Week #8: The Senses

Return to Summer Camp Themes & Ideas Page

Ideas on how to incorporate theme: 

  • Focus on one sense each day and learn a skill/play a game/hear a story for each 
  • Combine all the senses, and everything your flock has learned about them, on the last day for an epic challenge or quest 

Song suggestion:

The Freedom Song

Games/Activities:

Ideas for Sight:

  • Owl Eyes activity 
      • Have your flock stand in a circle and spread out so that there’s an arms length between each person 
      • Talk about how owls cannot move their eyes and instead have to move their heads when they want to adjust their perspective 
      • Ask your campers to fix their eyes on something in front of them and have them put their arms in front of them and wiggle their fingers
      • Next move your arms until they are straight out at your side and take note when your arms disappear from your sight 
    • Hide objects along a trail and ask your campers to try and spot them using their owl eyes 
    • “I Spy” can be a fun game to play during transitions 
    • Sit spot with the prompt – “how many things can you see?”

    • Some questions you could ask:
      What animals have good eyesight?

Ideas for SOUND:

  • Practice Deer Ears
    Have your campers cup their ears and notice how it can amplify sound

  • Blindfolded challenges
    Blindfolded rope walk to and from camp
    Partner up and have one person be blindfolded. Direct the blindfolded person where to go to collect firewood
  • Play Keeper of the Keys
    One person is blindfolded and is guarding something 
    Everyone else tries to sneak up on them and take one of the guarded objects 
    If the blindfolded keeper hears you, they’ll point to you and you’ll have to go back to the start
  • Sit spot with the prompt
    “how many things can you hear?”

  • Some questions you could ask: 
    What is your favorite sound? 
    Can you think of an animal that relies on its hearing more than other senses? 

Ideas for SMELL:

  • Create a Scent Trail using half an onion, or something that has a strong smell.
    Rub the onion on trees and ask your campers to follow the scent trail. Maybe the trail will lead to treasure! 

  • Mystery Smell
    Could be a fun way to introduce this sense
    Ask your campers to close their eyes and pass something around for them to smell and have the guess what it is 
  • Sit spot with the prompt
    “how many things can you smell?”

  • Some questions you could ask:
    What animals have a strong sense of smell? 
    What does the forest smell like? 
    Can certain smells bring back memories? 

Ideas for TOUCH:

  • Mystery Bag
    Create a mystery bag with something that has an interesting texture.
    Pass it around and ask your campers to guess what it is

  • Sensory Bin
    Create a sensory bin by filling several containers with different things like sand, mud, small pebbles, dry dirt, etc. and ask your campers to describe the differences

  • Some questions you could ask:
    Are there any animals that rely on their sense of touch?

Ideas for TASTE:

This is could be a good sense to save for the last day of camp 

  • Invite your campers to eat their snack or lunch blindfolded as see how that affects their sense of taste 
  • Harvest wild edibles 
    • Make sure to follow ethical harvesting and wild edible guidelines 

  • Some questions you could ask:
    (ask while eating) Describe what you taste