Camp Environmental Education Games

Learning about the camp environment can be just as exciting as living in it, and learning through games is a great way to keep people engaged. There are hundreds of educational games that can teach people about the environment, items in it or how to survive it. Games can be high-energy or calm, sit-down games. Depending on the players and the educational goals, there is a game for everybody.

  1. Balance of Nature

    • Players are split into three groups; grass, mice and bobcats. The bobcats chase the mice, the mice chase grass and grass chases the bobcats (when bobcats die, their bodies fertilize grass). The object is for players to tag members of the species they chase, which will convert that tagged player to their species. Often a team dwindling in numbers will make a strong comeback while other times a group may become extinct, eliminating the food supply of another group. The game teaches what happens in nature when the balance is disrupted and too much or not enough food is present. A variation can include the introduction of a hunter who hunts all species and cannot be hunted.

    Past and Future

    • This game is best played with a teacher familiar with an area. The setting becomes the topic of the game. Players are asked what they thought the area was like 100 years ago, and what they think it will be like 100 years from now. Players are challenged to think about what has and will change, such as tree heights, trails, animals and rivers as they attempt to condense hundreds of years of nature into a single moment. Players learn that even in nature there is a continuous cycle of change.

    Secret Smells

    • In this simple sit-down game, players are challenged to learn how to identify items found in nature based on smell. Items can include anything found at camp including leaves, bark, flowers, fruits or moss. Any number of objects can be used, with more making for a longer, more challenging game. Players are blindfolded and given a sack with a substance in it. They have to identify the object based only on smell; they are not allowed to touch the item in the sack. The player who can identify the most items wins.

    Trail Hide and Seek

    • This game combines a traditional kids' game with the campgrounds. Boundaries are established closely surrounding a commonly used trail within the woods. The goal is for the hiders to hide within the woods along the trail without being caught by the seeker. Players found by the seeker must join him in the hunt for others in hiding. The players learn they must adjust to nature and learn to hunt. Playing at night adds an educational twist as the players are challenged to learn their surroundings and navigate the woods while acclimatizing to the woods in the dark.