I made this file folder game for Kade back in August when we were getting ready to go on our big camping trip to the Giant Sequoias and Yosemite, but it continues to be a huge hit.  I figured if he enjoys it this much, your kids might too.  It’s SUPER simple and easy, so hopefully you can whip one up before camping season starts in a few months.

I started with 2 file folders and a few scraps of felt that I had lying around.  To begin, I cut some random scenic shapes out of the felt and sewed them directly onto the first folder in layers.  Then for the “cover” I used the second file folder as a stencil and cut out one large piece of brown felt.  Now because I had already sewn the felt on the inside, the first folder was a bit thicker than the second.  So to enable the second folder to give a bit and wrap around everything without pulling, I split it down the center fold.  Then I stitched the large piece of felt to the now 2 pieces of folder.  I then attached a square of felt to act as an outside pocket for the pieces, and then finally stitched the two folders together back-to-back.  Voila!  An outdoor scene!

Next, I googled “animal silhouettes” and “camping silhouettes” and came up with 2 sets to play with, separately or combined.  Above are my wild mountain animals.  We were going to bear country so I cut out three different bears, these ended up being the only bears we saw on our entire camping trip.  Below is the camping set.  I just sketched out what I couldn’t find on Google and modified to what I new we had (ie. Jeep SUV and pop-out trailer).  My caffeine addiction apparently knows know bounds, as I included a coffee pot and cup as essential camping supplies.  I also decided to take some freedom with my creative expression and dressed “myself” in a red sundress.  I’m pretty sure I’ve never worn a dress in the wilderness, but who’s to say it can’t happen.

Either way, Kade seems to love it.  He makes up stories about the animals chasing each other and how they try to hide in our camp.  It’s probably one of the simplest and cheapest toys  we have and still a hit.  So embrace the felt, succumb to the creativity and cut out your story – it’s sure to be fun!