Do It Yourself Summer Camp Ideas
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An at-home, do-it-yourself summer camp can be an inexpensive and fun way to help your children grow intellectually, artistically, socially, and spiritually over the summer.
Think of the goals you have for your children this summer. This summer, I want my children to _________________ . (Fill in the blank.) Would a summer camp at home help meet your goals?
DIY Summer Camp Ideas
Now consider your children’s interests, ages, and if you want to invite other friends. Then, look over my brief list of summer camp ideas and see if one is right for your family this summer.
Sport Camp
Introduce a new sport! Every week try something new. Even lesser known sports.
We just purchased Spike Ball so that we have a new family backyard game. But first, we need to learn how to play it! So, we head to the how-to videos online. Then, we play and hopefully, will add in some friends. What other sports could you try?
- frisbee golf or a frisbee game like Kan Jam or Giggle and Go
- badminton
- horseshoes
- ping pong
- rock climbing
- fencing
- flag football
- volleyball
- skateboarding
Arts and Crafts Camp
Bring out your glue guns and have some fun.
Try parent-child artists dates. Ideas here.
Search Pinterest for ideas and pick 5 to do, 1 for each day of the week. Help kids make their own t-shirts, paint pictures, bead necklaces, design clay pots, braid key chains, build bird houses, or make dreamcatchers.
Why not make it easy and order a craft kit? Try one of these:
Lastly, craft subscription boxes can make your summer craft camp exciting and easy, too. Here are some of our favorites:
Kiwi Crate
ages 5 – 8
Monthly thematic science activities, arts and crafts, and imaginative play. CLICK HERE TO ORDER
Little Green Kid Crafts
ages 2 – 10
Gift this monthly box for hands-on science & art learning experiences that includes eco-friendly materials. This subscription box is perfect for science and art loving kids because it’s educational, imaginative, and creative. CLICK HERE TO ORDER
We Craft Box
ages 3 – 9
Every month is a unique theme plus all the art materials for projects that can be shared between two children! With 3 or more crafts and easy to follow photo directions families can enjoy a stress-free creative experience together. CLICK HERE TO ORDER
Find Your Wings by Fashion Angels
ages 6 – 12
My girls love Fashion Angel. Now they can get a monthly box filled with craft activities, bath, beauty and on trend fashion accessories. CLICK HERE TO ORDER
Drama Camp
Write skits to perform, hold a puppet show, host a talent show, or develop film making skills in a DIY Drama Camp.
Cooking Camp
In this DIY summer camp, try different international foods, learn to make new recipes, write a kids’ cookbook, learn about the nutrition food plate. –>Best cookbooks my kids actually use.
Nature Camp
Visit a nature preserve, make leaf collection books, learn about animal tracks, become a bird watcher, learn to read a compass and map and go for nature hikes.
Community Camp
Find a project to do in your community like read to young children, plant flowers, clean-up litter or help an elderly neighbor.
Museum Camp
IF the museums are open, visit a different museum every day in person, especially museums you’ve never been to before. We want to go to the Doll Museum, for example. But, if the museums aren’t open yet, try virtual tours.
Olympics Camp
Get together with a few other families and compete in your own DIY family Olympics camp.
Every year, Denver mom Stephanie Klein plans a Family Olympics. She plans activities for all different age groups of kids, events like relay races and egg tosses. The parents’ events include the popular daddy hula hoop contest and the blindfolded “mom call” where each mom must find her own child who is calling out, “MOM.”
“All the families have family t-shirts and decorate a family flag. We do a presentation of flags with Olympic music,” Klein says. She adds that everyone wins ribbons and trophies but only one family is the year’s winner. The day ends in a pool party and dinner. “Our kids live for it!” Klein says.
Science Camp
Learn more about science with hands-on experiments!
How about trying Harry Potter science experiments like you’re in a potions class!? Get directions for the experiments.
The book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, nicely lends itself to candy experiments. Get the ideas here.
Buy a good science experiment book like The Curious Kid’s Science Book? Read more here.
Order the Groovy Lab in a Box monthly science box containing all the supplies for activities, experiments, and design challenges. CLICK HERE TO ORDER
Which do it yourself summer camp will you want to try?
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I love these ideas and how you organized them. I’d like to do something like this in a few summers (when my little ones are a bit older). Thanks for sharing at the summertime fun party.
Great ideas! I’m doing something similar with my kids, but it’s geared around them creating their own online media content (mine are over 10 years old, but they started playing with video when they were 6 and 8). It’s great that it only goes for a day at a time – kids have no stickability.
want to guest post what you did? PLEASE??? 🙂
Love these ideas. I am hosting our 2nd annual cousin camp next week and will definitely be using some of your ideas!
http://bloggingwithboys.blogspot.com/search/label/Cousin%20Camp
that sounds so fun! How many kids will be there?
These are wonderful ideas…for all year round too!
Love these ideas Melissa!!