Camping Day: A collaborative adventure in reading and learning

At the heart of every great learning experience is a spark—something that ignites curiosity, joy and a love for discovery. At Patch Elementary School's Camping Day, that spark was lit by the imagination, dedication and teamwork of kindergarten teachers who turned an ordinary school day into an extraordinary reading adventure.

The tradition began at Stearley Heights Elementary School in Okinawa, where kindergarten teacher Stefanie Thompson shared her desire to create a camping-themed literacy day. Since then, the idea has evolved and spread across DoDEA kindergarten classrooms, including at Lakenheath Elementary School in the United Kingdom, Bob Hope Elementary School in Okinawa, and Patch Elementary School in Stuttgart, Germany. Known in some places as Camp Read S’more or Camp Read Aloud, the initiative aims to inspire a lifelong love of reading through hands-on activities and immersive experiences.

The vision for Camping Day at Patch was born from a collaborative effort by kindergarten teachers who understood that reading is more than decoding words on a page—it’s about connection, creativity and community. Together, they designed an experience that supported early literacy and math skills while making learning fun and memorable.

Each activity station was designed to combine academic concepts with playful, themed activities. From reading tents to forest-inspired fishing games, every corner of the classroom buzzed with excitement as students engaged with books and interactive challenges.

Campers went on a Teen Number Bear Hunt, searching for hidden bear cards marked with numbers from 11 to 19. They worked together to read and build numbers, reinforcing number sense in a fun, storybook-style adventure. Under a pretend starry sky, students created 2D constellation shapes, merging geometry with imagination. During S’more Counting to 20, students used mini marshmallow erasers to build number sets—an engaging way to practice counting and number composition.

No camp would be complete without s’mores. In the Five Senses S’mores activity, students described their gooey creations using sensory words, helping them develop descriptive vocabulary and understand how authors bring stories to life.

Armed with magnetic fishing poles, young students went fishing for consonant-vowel-consonant word cards. They read the words aloud, matched them to pictures and practiced sound blending—key skills for early reading. Other stations offered sight word fishing and addition fishing to reinforce quick word recognition and math fluency through movement and play.

Camping Day was more than fun and games. It was a strategic, intentional effort to show students that reading is an adventure. Through themed stations and real-world connections, the event made literacy meaningful and accessible.

The collaborative work of these educators created a supportive, joyful environment where students felt empowered to explore books, develop new skills and see themselves as readers. By transforming classrooms into literary campgrounds, these teachers demonstrated the impact of creativity and teamwork in education.

Camp Read S’more wasn’t just a fun day, it was a spark that lit the flame for a lifelong love of reading. And as the (imaginary) campfire flickered and the last marshmallow was toasted, one thing was clear: on Camping Day, the joy of learning burned bright