Our Five Ring Circus: Camp Mom: Summer Activities for Kids

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Camp Mom: Summer Activities for Kids

Welcome to Camp Mom!

Summer Break is in full swing and we're already working our way through our Summer Bucket List!
I have my 4 kids at home, plus my great niece is with us each weekday. Every Thursday I also watch my best friend's two boys. It really does feel like I'm running a day camp!

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To prepare for a fun (and busy) Summer, I created a calendar full of activities to do with the kids. I scheduled something fun for each weekday. Although I might switch the activities around each week depending on the weather, the formula is the same: 1 craft, 1 recipe, 1 outing, 1 sensory or learning activity and 1 outdoor game.

To prep for the week, I check my calendar and make sure I have all the items needed for those activities. In addition to what I scheduled, there will also be regular Storytime and Summer Reading programs at our local library and lots of playdates!

The first week of Camp Mom was a huge success! I plan to share those ideas every Tuesday throughout the Summer!

CAMP MOM - Summer Activities for Kids

Camp Mom Day One: Rootbeer Floats

We toasted the first day of Summer Break with good old fashioned Rootbeer Floats! 

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{Tablecloth & Ice Cream Spoons - Target}

There isn't anything special about this recipe!  It's just 2 scoops of homestyle vanilla ice cream topped with rootbeer. I told the kids how to make them and I let them do all the work. They ended up adding some chocolate sprinkles on a whim after they started drinking them and they said that the sprinkles make them so much better!

Rootbeer Floats

Camp Mom Day Two: A Trip to the Park

Our week wouldn't be complete without at least one trip to the park! For day two, we met up with our friends for a playdate!  The first picture in this post is what I wish it was really like all the time, but the reality is this:

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Yep. One kid tweening, one kid bleeding after her toenail ripped halfway off, one kid constantly running and one kid making a face. At least my bonus Summer kid is happy. (Probably because she's thankful that she's an only child!)

Camp Mom Day Three: Water Balloon Baseball

Due to the fact that I had enough kids at my house for a baseball team on day three, we decided to play water balloon baseball!  This was a hit and they ended up playing it several times over the past week!

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Items needed:
  • 10 water balloons per child
  • bucket or bowl to hold the balloons
  • plastic bats
 The kids loved this activity so much and it was definitely fun to watch!

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 Water Balloon Baseball
WaterBalloon Baseball
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Camp Mom Day Four: Make an Initial Drawing

On day four, we made a simple craft that doubled as a keepsake!

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Items Needed:
  • Paper or a canvas
  • Painters Tape
  • Colored Pencils

Initial Drawings

This is an easy craft for kids of all ages. Have each child form their initial on a piece of paper or a canvas with painters tape. Color the entire canvas, then peel off the painter's tape! 

Camp Mom Day Five: Cotton Candy Soap Foam

Cotton Candy Soap Foam is an easy and fun outdoor sensory activity!

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Items Needed:
  • Bubble Bath (1/2 cup per batch)
  • Water (1 cup per batch)
  • Neon Food Coloring
  • Large Bowls

Decide how many different colors you want to use, then make a batch of soap foam in each bowl. Pour 1/2 cup of bubble bath and 1 cup of water into each bowl. Add a few drops of food coloring to each batch. I chose neon food coloring in order to make the foam cotton candy colored. Now mix each batch with a hand mixer on medium speed until it forms into a lot of foam. It took me 1-1 1/2 minutes per batch. I made four separate batches of soap foam in four separate bowls, then dumped each bowl into the water table.  Enjoy!

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Cotton Candy Soap Foam
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We ended Camp Mom Week One with an Ice Cream Social at the Library to kick off the Summer Reading Program!

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Camp Mom is off to a great start and we have so many fun activities ahead of us!

Coming up this week:
  • Teddy Bear Beach Party Jello Cups
  • Pictures made from cut up straws
  • Shaving Cream Twister
  • Contact Paper Murals
  • A Special Outing
Stay tuned!

What is on your Bucket List this Summer?


LET'S CONNECT!

 
Linking up for Tuesday Talk.

29 comments:

  1. My goodness that was one fun week. I love all of the photos from the baseball game. Looks like a blast. :) can't wait to hear how this week goes.

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  2. So much fun! I am so happy you are going to share your ideas with us so I can copy you, making me half as cool :).

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  3. I did Grammie Camp last week and to see this melts my heart. I love it. I do hope you'll join me back on Thursday for Party at My Place for my all things summer theme. Thanks for linking on Tuesday Talk this morning.

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    1. That is awesome! Your grandkids are so lucky to have you. Thank you for reminding me. I will be sure to link up a post on Thursday!

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  4. So fun! I had plans to put together a summer bucket list, but I've yet to do so! I better get on it!

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    1. I always have plans to make a bucket list and I never actually post it. I'm hoping that the calendar I made holds me accountable for posting!

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  5. I love these ideas! They are fun, but easy to pull off. Thanks for the tips (keep them coming!)

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  6. So fun! I love having things planned for them because I find it helps our day go by a lot smoother.

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    1. I completely agree. Even if it's just something little it still helps!

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  7. I love this so much! You are such an awesome fun mom! I'm for sure going to borrow some of your ideas!! Thanks so much for sharing!

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    1. Thank you so much, Kendra! I like easy ideas. The easier the better...haha!

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  8. Fun ideas! I love your root beer float glasses. Very Mad Men-ish. I am going to add the cotton candy foam to our to do list next week. Have you made Cloud Dough? We made it over spring break and it was a huge hit with my littles. It's just flour and baby oil. Have a great week!

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    1. Oooo, are you a Mad Men fan? I miss that show!
      I hope your kids enjoy the foam. It lasts surprisingly long! We have made cloud dough before. Lily loves it!

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  9. Holy moly, Stefanie!! You have SEVEN kids on Thursdays?? That is pure insanity! Haha. All of these ideas are great. I especially love the cotton candy soap foam idea... my babies would love this!

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    1. It is insane, right?!? My husband likes to tell me that frequently. But once you have 4 kids, I swear you barely notice any more!
      You should definitely make the soap foam. It only takes a few minutes to make and my kids had a lot of fun with it!

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  10. Umm.... wow!!! You are amazing!! I am loving all the fun activities.... and it is now clear that I need a water table!!
    PS... being an only child isn't all its cracked up to be ;)

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    1. You absolutely do need a water table! We use ours year round!

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  11. Nothing says summer like root beer floats! You guys are off to a great start!

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  12. Oh so fun! I love the bubbles in the water table!!

    Becky
    www.bybmgblog.com

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    1. The kids really enjoyed that one! The two older girls played the most!

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  13. You are such a fun mom! I always love your water table activities! How you have the energy to wrangle extra kids, bless you ;)

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  14. It's great to see you embrace messy fun! Some parents are too afraid to go there and their kids miss out. We have cousins over today for a sleepover. The children had a big water fight in the garden and they absolutely loved it! Now they're all quietly crafting away in the kitchen...I might get 5 minutes with a cuppa and a book:) Love your Blog, lovely family: well done!

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