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Have you ever wondered how you start a summer camp at home? With a few supplies and a little imagination your children will have a summer filled with activities they’ll never forget!
Summer Camp at Home Activities
Summer camp can be a rite of passage for most kids and sure is a fun way to to meet new friends and gain some new experiences.
But they can make just as many memories if you hold a DIY summer camp at home, and it will be an experience the whole family can enjoy together.
Keep reading for some ideas to bring camp to your backyard this summer.
Dress the part
First up you’re going to need to dress for the occasion.
We love this Happy Camper shirt because it comes in all sizes from toddler through to adult and a variety of different colors too, so you can all have matching family shirts. You can even pay a little extra and Rachel the store owner will add your names to your shirts!
And you can’t go to summer camp without a pair of cut off jeans, so your first family activity together could be transforming your old denim jeans into fun shorts to wear!
Ooh and while you’re making those cut off jeans you might want to sew some camp patches on them too! I found this wonderful set at cubkids on Etsy.
I spotted this adorable Adventure Explore Discover drawstring bag over on Etsy too. It’s the perfect size to stuff with pjs for an overnight camping in the backyard experience, or for filling with treasures if you go on a nature walk.
Plan your summer camp at home activities
You’re going to want to plan some fun summer camp at home activities for your children to do together. Here are some ideas for you:
Become nature explorers
Have an arts and craft session with this cute little kit that will turn your child into a bug explorer. They can paint the bugs and decorate the magnifying glass.
This fun printable kit is filled with everything they need to become a nature explorer. Including a name badge and field notes notebook. Then you can go off on a scavenger hunt together in the backyard or at the local park.
Of if you have access to a local forest or woodlands to explore check out this amazing kit filled with flashcards and printables to help your child discover everything from forest beetles and lichen to animal tracks and trees.
Have a games tournament
Teach the family how to play the good old fashioned game of cornhole with this custom set that you can personalize with your family’s name.
Or challenge them to a game of giant jenga!
Turn your backyard into a waterpark
When the weather hots up you can turn your backyard into a water park for some more summer camp fun! Try this trampoline sprinkler.
This super fun splash mat. Yep mom and dad will have as much fun with this as the kids!
Or check out this collection of backyard water games for hours of fun including water whack pinatas, and paint and water war!
Make up stories
Download these free printables to add a bit of fairytale magic to your summer camp, kids of all ages can have fun filling in the blanks to make up their own magical story.
Go star gazing
Continue your summer camp at home activities after night fall with this fabulous star gazing kit. It’s a craft activity they’ll have as much fun making as they will using to see how many constellations they can spot.
Make a plan
Or if you want all of your themes ready planned out for you check out this neat printable Summer Camp planning kit.
Plan some tasty summer treats
All these activities are bound to work up an appetite so make sure you plan some summer camp at home snacks too.
You can’t beat toasted s’mores but you probably don’t want to light a camp fire in your backyard so let the kids make their own solar oven instead.
You do have to be patient though, when we tried this our s’mores took about an hour to cook! So this could be an excuse to treat yourself to a portable fire pit.
To cool off on a hot summer camp day you can’t beat an ice cream. Check out our collection of no churn ice cream recipes for a flavor you’ll all enjoy. Making the ice cream is the perfect family activity!
Since you’ll all be having fun outside with your summer camp activities now would be a good time to put your crockpot to good use with these family friendly summer slow cooker recipes.
At the end of your summer camp at home days it’s up to you whether you go back indoors to sleep in your own beds, or whether you pitch a tent in the backyard and sleep under the stars!
