We made the decision many years ago that we would spend our summers together as a family, and make it fun and festive by planning our own DIY summer camp at home! Mainly it was because we didn’t want to have to adhere to a set schedule of having to get out of the house by a certain time each morning after a busy school year of early morning band and orchestra practices in addition to getting to the bus stop on time.
Quick Links to the Info in This Post!
And I feel that getting to spend the summers with my kids is a built-in bonus of living my life as a stay at home Mom…. one that I want to make sure that I take advantage of. And finally, it is certainly a lot more frugal to conduct your own summer camp at home than to send all six kids to day camp- even the town camp gets expensive when you are sending such a large crew!
We like to call it “Camp Rowley” at our house… and we just can’t wait to get started! And to share it with you!
How to Start a Summer Camp at Home!
I'll be the first to admit that it takes some upfront planning to run your own summer camp at home! The posts below include some great planning printables you can use to brainstorm ideas with the kids (and they're FREE!)!
- Why We Hold Our Own Kids Summer Camp at Home
- 10 Summer Hobbies for Kids {that they can learn themselves!}
- 10 Summer Ideas to Make This Your Family's Best Summer EVER!
- Free Family Summer Bucket List Printable
- Free Printable Summer Schedule
- How to Stay Organized This Summer
- Summer Chore Chart for Teens and Tweens (free printable!)
- 4 Tips on How to Avoid the Summer Slide
- Organizing Sunscreen and Sunglasses– So You Don't Forget To Use Them!
DIY Summer Camp Kick-Off:
- 10 Last Day of School Ideas {to Start the Summer Off Right!}
- Free Printable Sunglasses Gift Tag {A fun way to celebrate the start of summer!}
Activities for Summer Camp at Home:
As you know, the key to any good summer camp experience is to have the right activities planned. I find that it helps to actually schedule activities on the calendar- because it gives you and the kids something new to look forward to every day!
- 50 Fun Summer Activities, Crafts, and Field Trips (From Pre-K to Teens!)
- 10 Awesome Backyard Games for Tweens!
- The 12 Best Board Games for Tweens!
- 12 Tips on How to Grow a Vegetable Garden with Kids!
- Create a DIY Roller Coaster Ride
- Teach Your Kids How to Play Crazy 8's!
- Have a Bring a Friend to Dinner Night!
- Attracting Hummingbirds to Your Yard
- Kids Karaoke and Family Dance Parties!
- Fun Family Activity: Riding Bikes & Scooters!
- Water Activities for Kids!
- How to Build a Backyard Zipline!
- How to Build a Backyard Labyrinth!
- If you want to give your summer camp at home a theme- here are 6 different kinds of camps you can do at home from ParentMap!
DIY Summer Camp Field Trips:
During our summer camp at home, I like to plan one or two local “field trips” every week. I made sure that these are outings (even when the kids were very young) that I could do all by myself.
- Hiking with Kids: How we created a “Sunday Morning Hiking Club” and a free printable hiking tracker!
- Take your Kids to Play Mini Golf!
- Summer Bowling with Kids
- Tips for Geocaching with Kids
- Visiting Caves with Kids
- Taking State Parks Field Trips with the Kids!
- Tips for Visiting a Water Park with Kids!
- Factory Tours for Kids!
- 5 Reasons to Take Your Kids to a Minor League Baseball Game
- Hike to a Waterfall this Summer!
- Tips for Family Camping (and our visit to the Herkimer Diamond Mines!)
- Visit Zoos, Aquariums, and Wildlife Parks this Summer!
- Field Trip Idea: Visit a Science Center
- Visit an Outdoor Sculpture Garden
DIY Summer Camp Crafts:
I really look forward to crafting time with the kids each summer- because during the busy school year with all of the lessons, activities, and sports seasons- there never seems to be enough downtime to just create. I think summer camp crafts just help to open that creative side of kids' brains!
- Teach Your Kids How to Draw This Summer!
- Make Your Own Lava Lamp
- CD Case Mazes
- Melty Bead Crafts
- How to Make Giant Bubbles at Home!
- Make Your Own Wooden Tops
- Make and Paint Birdhouses
- Create a Glass Pendant Necklace
- How to Make Your Own Summer Camp T-Shirts
- Stamped and Decoupaged Rocks
- How to Make Invisible Ink {fun summer craft!}
- Jeans Pocket Notebooks
- How to Make Ice Cream in a Bag! (think of this as an edible craft!)
DIY Summer Camp Wrap Up:
It's always fun to celebrate the end of a great summer together!
- Create a Gratitude Wall
More Resources for Busy Moms!
- Get Organized! A Busy Mom's Ultimate Guide on How to Organize Your Life, Your Family, & Your Home!
- How to Throw Your Own Kids Birthday Parties at Home
- Parenting and Large Family Life
- Ideas for Great Family Road Trips
- Recipes That Your Kids Will Actually Eat
I hope that you found this to be a great resource for you to plan what you'd like to do with your kids this summer!
