At-Home Camp

Whether summer camp is closed, you are spending longer stretches at home, or you just want some quality time with your family – an at-home camp is a great option for filling days away from school. It can last a long weekend, a single day or an entire summer. Here are some tips for creating a successful at-home camp.

Come up with a theme.

A theme gives structure to a week of camp and allows campers to delve into a particular subject or series of activities. It makes at-home camp feel more like “real” camp; it makes it more official. Themes can inspire not only the projects, crafts and activities you do during camp, but also your food choices, free time and even clothing attire.

Click on the theme weeks below for a detailed look at how our family spent the very unique summer of 2020. Recreate these themes and activities or use them as inspiration for your own version. If an entire week of camp does not fit your needs, pick and choose individual activities to try on weekends or rainy afternoons.

Outdoor Survival Camp

Art Camp

Find opportunities for special moments.

Create your own gallery at the end of Art Camp. Throw a red-carpet film premiere for the conclusion of Movie Camp. Purchase special gifts like a compass or kid-friendly swiss army knife for Outdoor Survival Camp. Present your campers with a certificate of achievement at the end of each week. Small touches like these will make your camp special, memorable and fun.

Make connections.

Just because you are doing camp at home, doesn’t mean you can’t involve friends and family from afar. During LEGO Camp, challenge cousins to a building battle over FaceTime. In Art Camp, do a watercolor project together over zoom. Invite grandparents to join in Classic Camp by watching a magic show on skype. With so many ways to connect online, there is no reason that at-home camp needs to be isolating.