Great American Backyard Campout – June 28, 2008

Create some great memories this summer – take your kids camping. Pitch a tent, roast some marshmallows, and reconnect with your family. A fun way to preserve your camping memories is to compose a family campfire song. Ask each family member to write a verse. To help younger family members, suggest a “theme” for their verse such as wildlife, trees, insects, etc. For more information about environmental song lyrics, check out Project WILD’s “The Power of a Song.”

---

Book List
Grades PreK-2
Arnosky, J. 1993. Crinkleroot's Guide to Walking in Wild Places. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Baltuck, N. 1993. Crazy Gibberish and Other Story Hour Stretches from a Storyteller's Bag of Tricks. Shoe String Press, Incorporated.
Bauer, M.D. 1996. When I Go Camping With Grandma. Troll Communications.
Brillhart, J. 1997. When Daddy Took Us Camping. Albert Whitman & Company.
Capogna, V.V. 1999. Did You Ever Wonder about Things You Find in Your Backyard? Marshall Cavendish Inc.
Carle, E. 2007. My Very First Book of Animal Homes. Penguin Group.
DK Publishing. 2007. Backyard Bugs. DK Publishing, Inc.
Drake, J. and A. Love. 1998. Kids Campfire Book. Kids Can Press, Limited.
Eckart, E. 2003. I Can Go Camping. Children's Press.
Eastman, P. 2005. Fred and Ted Go Camping. Random House Children's Books.
Fleming, D. 1998. In the Small, Small Pond. Henry Holt & Company Incorporated.
Fonte, I. 2007. Animals of the Forest. Barnes and Noble.
Frazee, M. 2008. A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever. Harcourt.
Fredericks, A.D. 2001. Under One Rock: Bugs, Slugs and Other Ughs. Dawn Publications.
George, K. 2001. Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems. Clarion Books.
Giogas, V. 2007. In My Backyard. Sylvan Dell Publishing.
Holm, J, L. and M. Holm. 2007. Camp Babymouse. Random House Children's Books.
Hundal, N. 2002. Camping. Fitzhenry and Whiteside.
Hunter, A. 1999. What’s In the Pond. Houghton Mifflin Company.
James, H.F. 2007. S Is for S'mores: A Camping Alphabet. Sleeping Bear Press.
James, S. 1996. Wild Woods. Tandem Library Books.
Jones, C.C. 2005. Camping in Green. Picture Window Books.
Kalman, B. and T. Everts. 1994. Animal Homes. Crabtree Publishing Company.
Lansky, B. 2006. Oh My Darling, Porcupine: And Other Silly Sing-along Songs. Meadowbrook Press.
London, J. 2008. Froggy Goes to Camp. Viking Children's Books.
Mayer, M. 2001. Camping Out. School Specialty Publishing.
Rey, M. 1999. Curious George Goes Camping. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Robertson, K. 1986. Signs along the River: Learning to Read the Natural Landscape. Rinehart P.
Rotner, S. 1992. Nature Spy. Atheneum.
Ruurs, M. 2007. In My Backyard. Tundra.
Ruurs, M. 2004. When We Go Camping. Tundra.
Ryder, J. 2000. Each Living Thing. Harcourt Children's Books.
Rylant, C. 1999. Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Selsam, M.E. and J. Hunt. 1991. Keep Looking! Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Seeberg, T.J. 2004. Camping. Child's World, Incorporated.
Selsam, M.E. 1999. Big Tracks, Little Tracks: Following Animal Prints. HarperCollins Publishers.
Shapiro, I. 1976. Smokey Bear's Camping Book. Golden Press.
Stern, M. 1998. Acorn Magic. Greenwillow.
Stewart, M. 2008. When Rain Falls. Peachtree Publishers.
Van Dusen, C. 2003. A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee. Chronicle Books, LLC.
Ward, L. 1993. A Walk in the Wild: Exploring a Wildlife Refuge. Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.
Warren, J. 1995. Huff and Puff Go to Camp. Frank Schaffer Publications.
Wiesmuller, D. 2003. In the Blink of an Eye. Walker & Company.
Willow Creek Press. 2006. What Camping Can Teach Us: Life's Lessons Learned From The Great Outdoors.
Williams, V.B. 1984. Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe. HarperCollins Publishers.
Wood, A. J. 2003. Beetles and Bugs: A Nature Trail Book. Silver Dolphin Books.

Grades 3-5
Amato, C.A. 2002. Backyard Pets: Activities for Exploring Wildlife Close to Home. Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated.
Arnosky, J. 2002. Field Trips: Bug Hunting, Animal Tracking, Bird-watching, Shore Walking. HarperCollins Publishers.
Arnosky, J. 1983. Secrets of a Wildlife Watcher. HarperCollins Publishers.
Art, H.W. and M.W. Robbins. 2003. Woods Walk: Peepers, Porcupines and Exploding Puffballs! What You'll See, Hear and Smell When Exploring the Woods. Storey Books.
Bateman, R. 2005. Bateman's Guide to Backyard Birds. Barron's Educational Series, Incorporated.
Bishop, N. 2002. Backyard Detective: Critters Up Close. Scholastic, Inc.
Bishop, N. 2004. Forest Explorer: A Life Size Field Guide. Scholastic, Inc.
Boring, M. 1999. Fun with Nature. T&N Children's Publishing.
Brenner, B. 2004. One Small Place in a Tree. HarperCollins Publishers.
Brunelle, L. 2007. Camp Out!: The Ultimate Kids' Guide. Workman Publishing Company, Inc.
Burnie, D. 2005. Bug Hunter. DK Publishing, Inc.
Burns, D.L. 1996. Berries Nuts and Seeds. T&N Children's Publishing.
Cole, J. 1995. Magic School Bus Hops Home: A Book About Animal Habitats. Scholastic, Inc.
Doolittle, B. 2001. Reading the Wild. Greenwich Workshop Press.
Encarnacion, E. 2008. The Girls' Guide to Campfire Activities. Cider Mill Press.
Green, J. 2002. In a Backyard. Crabtree Publishing Company.
Keller, K.T. 2007. Camping: The Great Outdoors. Edge Books.
Klein, A.G. 2008. Camping. Checkerboard Books.
Kranz, L. 2002. My Nature Book: A Journal and Activity Book for Kids. T&N Children's Publishing.
Montgomery, R.G. 2001. The Living Wilderness. Caxton Press.
Morrison, G. 2004. Nature in the Neighborhood. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Norsgaard, E.J. 1990. Nature's Great Balancing Act: In Our Own Backyard. Penguin Young Readers Group.
Paul, T. 1997. In Woods and Forests. Crabtree Publishing Company.
Ross, M.E. 1997. Wildlife Watching with Charles Eastman. Lerner Publishing Group.
Russo, M. 1998. Watching Nature: A Beginner's Field Guide. Sterling Publishing Company, Incorporated.
Roy, R. 2006. Detective Camp. Random House Children’s Books.
Shedd, W. 2002. Kids' Wildlife Book. Williamson Kids Can Series.
Squire, A.O. 1996. 101 Questions and Answers about Backyard Wildlife. Walker & Company.
Sterry, P. 2005. Nature Explorer. Running Press Book Publishers.
Studelska, J.V. 2008. Camping for Fun! Compass Point Books.
Swinburne, S. 2003. The Woods Scientist. Houghton Mifflin Company.
White, L. 1998. Sleeping in a Sack: Camping Activities for Kids. Gibbs Smith.
White, L. 1996. Cooking on a Stick: Campfire Recipes for Kids. Gibbs Smith.
Whitehouse, P. 2003. Hiding in a Forest. Heinemann Library.

Grades 6-8
Brunelle, L. 2007. Camp Out!: The Ultimate Kids’ Guide. Workman Publishing Company, Inc.
Forgey, W. 1998. Campfire Stories: Things That Go Bump in the Night. Globe Pequot.
Griffin, S.A. 1994. Camping for Kids: A Family Camping Guide. Northword Pr.
Kusz, M. 2004. Fun with Scavenger Hunts. Publish America.
Maddox, I. 1998. Campfire Songs. Globe Pequot.

Grades 9-12
Dinsmore, S.J. 1995. Iowa Wildlife Viewing Guide. Falcon.
Harrison, G. and K. Harrison. 1987. America's Favorite Backyard Wildlife. Fireside.
La Tourrette, J. 1997. Watching Wildlife: The National Wildlife Federation Guide to Observing Animals in the Wild. Henry Holt & Company, Incorporated.