Summer Exploration: Camp Fun At Home!
Fun + educational ideas for kids this summer.
Learning doesn’t have to stop in the summertime—as long as it’s fun! If you’re looking at cancelled camp or limited activities this year, check out these ideas for creating your own exciting and educational experience at home!
Meet A Faraway Friend
Corresponding with a friend from another country can teach kids so much about politics, culture, and even the nuances of language! Reach out to your local library to see if they offer a pen pal program for children and help kids start writing. Need ideas to break the ice? Download these quick questions to ask and answer. After a few weeks, you’ll find kids running to check the mail.
Stationary starting at $.49
Go to the Museum—In France
Since the pandemic began, museums across the world have quenched our cultural thirst with tours that allow us to see the greatest works of art right from our computers. Check out the works in the British Museum in London or Paris’ Musee d’Orsay among others. Then, have a cool and cultured summer.
Blue light glasses starting at $4.99
Desk accessories starting at $1.99
Study Botany
Your garden holds a whole host of wonders for kids to explore. From seeds they plant themselves to the leaves that line the trees, this summer is their chance to dive deep into botanical studies.
Gardening gear starting at $.99
Win with Water
Playing with water is a tactile, relaxing activity that even big kids can enjoy. Fill a large storage bin with water and stick it outside along with some small toys, bowls, and objects kids can wash, move, and build with. Challenge older kids to construct water-powered towers using household objects like spatulas and spouted cups. Please, make sure little ones are always supervised around water, no matter how shallow it is.
Storage bins starting at $2.99
Bowls starting at $1.99
Get to Know Your (Buggy) Neighbors
What’s living in and around your garden? Challenge kids to spot critters and draw them in a notebook, then describe what they see. You may be surprised by what your scientific studies reveal—just stay away from skunks!
Camp Cooks-A-Lot
Help kids create their own diner for a day! Encourage them to create a menu and show them how to build a shopping list. Assist little ones in the cooking and encourage them to design their own dining area with decorations they’ve made themselves. Then, enjoy their work—and help handle clean up! Extra credit: Use herbs they helped grow in the garden!
Cooking gear starting at $.99
Go on a Night Hike…
The world is full of a different kind of wonder once the sun goes down. Bring your flashlight and your favorite sweatshirt and hit the trails or beach for a nighttime walk together. Try this camp time classic: Bring a pack of Wint-o-Green or Spearmint Lifesavers with you and at the darkest part of your walk encourage each member of your family to bite one—you’ll see a spark! You can offer this quick science lesson: The spark is the result of triboluminescence, which occurs when molecules (like the sugars in the candy) are crushed and electrons are forced out of their atomic fields. Once they’re out, they bump into nitrogen molecules in the air, giving them energy and causing them to vibrate. The molecules emit light to get rid of their excess energy. Science + candy = a perfect night!
Flashlights starting at $2.99
Candy starting at $.99
Sweatshirts starting at $3.99
…And See the Stars
Your night walk with your family is the perfect opportunity for an astronomy lesson. Bring a blanket and lay underneath the stars and use an app or map to help kids find and learn about the constellations above them. Help them spot Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, or the Virgo constellation. Go often to see how the sky looks different during each moon phase. Keep your notes in a special notebook. Bonus: If you’re near the ocean, visit the shore during the new and full moons to see the horseshoe crabs as they emerge from the surf.
Blankets starting at $1.99
Notebooks starting at $.99
Create Camp Shirts
We always loved Tie Dye Day at camp—and your camp won’t be complete without your own custom shirts! Have kids decorate a plain white tee with fabric-safe markers and follow the directions on your tie dye kit for optimal results. Our camp slogan: Camp Mom Rules. (Feel free to steal it).
Tie dye kits starting at $3.99
T-shirts starting at $3.99