A few years ago, I started doing something with my kids that has become one of my favorite parts of our summer: at home camp week.
The idea is simple. Instead of sending the kids off to an actual summer camp, we pick a theme and go all in on it for a full week- one activity a day and it has to be tied to the theme. We do about five of these each summer, back to back, so the summer gets started off on a high note. One week might be cooking. The next, art. We’ve done space, nature, music. Each week is its own little world and has held such a special place in my heart.
Each day of camp week has its own name too, and they’ve become part of the tradition (and while I’d love to take credit, I saw this list of names on Pinterest and thought it fit summer camp perfectly):
Make It Monday - we do a craft, or 4…
Taste It Tuesday - something food-related that pairs with our theme
Water Wednesday - anything wet and outdoors
Theatre Thursday - a movie or show tied to the theme
Fun Friday - the big finale activity, aka a field trip because every good summer camp has a fun outing
What started as a way to fill the summer has turned into something so much bigger than that. I honestly thought my kids would outgrow it by now but they keep begging me to keep the tradition going, so who am I to argue with that?
This summer, we started off our first week strong with my 7 year old’s newest obsession and week one was baseball week… and it might be my favorite one yet.
Here’s how each day played out, and how you can steal it for your own family.
We kicked off the week with a craft. We grabbed plain white and pink (my four year old insisted hers be pink) tees and fabric markers, then hand-drew baseball stitching all over them. I then whipped out the old cricut and put our last name and a number of their choice on the back so we had our own little team jerseys.
They turned out very cute and it was a fun and simple craft that didn’t take up too much effort.
How to do it: Pick up a pack of blank tees (Michaels has them for $3) and some fabric markers. Look up “baseball stitch pattern” for your kids to reference, then let them go.
If you aren’t feeling shirts, we also contemplated designing our own baseball hats but we landed on jerseys at the end.
I cannot take full credit for the idea, because once again Pinterest inspired me to create one of these and honestly it turned out so cute and it’s probably the one time my kids CLEARED their lunch plate.
On a grass-print plate( I got it from Michaels), I arranged cucumber slices, strawberries, oranges, cheese squares, deli meat, and crackers all laid out around the “field.” The kids thought it was the coolest thing they’d ever eaten.
This one basically explains itself. We filled a big bucket with water balloons, grabbed a plastic bat, and headed outside. The kids pitched the balloons, someone swung, and chaos ensued. I put out bases too and we all tried to see how many bases we could run before getting hit by balloons.
It was wet, it was silly, and my kids now want to do it every single day.
The setup: Self-sealing water balloons (Bunch O Balloons are worth every penny) and a foam or plastic bat. Keep the bucket in the shade so balloons don’t warm up and pop early. You can also use reusable balloons, I’ll probably do that next time!
Last year our Thursdays were “Thinking Thursdays” where we did more stem activities, but this year I decided we’d have a movie day instead because we homeschool year round and I felt like we needed one night where we were all relaxing and connecting. I wanted to watch The Sandlot this week, but then realized it probably wasn’t appropriate for my four year old so we queued up Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch on Disney+. Was it cinematic gold? NOPE. Did the kids think the baseball playing dog was hilarious? You bet. Kids are honestly super easy.
The grand finale: we ended our week with a trip to the ballpark to watch a minor league game. We went with friends, spent way too much on merch, got ice cream, and stayed up until way past bedtime and honestly- we loved every second of it.
Ending camp week with a “field trip” that ties everything together is something I’d recommend for any theme. It makes the whole week feel like it built toward something, and every good summer camp has a field trip day.
For your area: Minor league baseball games are almost always affordable, family-friendly, and genuinely fun. Check milb.com to find a team near you. Most games are under $15 a ticket, and the experience is every bit as magical as the big leagues for little kids.
Three years in, I can tell you: camp week doesn’t have to be expensive, elaborate, or perfect. Just pick a theme, pick one activity a day and watch everyone get so excited!
If you want to start your own camp week tradition, even just one week this summer, baseball is a great place to begin. The activities are easy, the supplies are cheap, and nothing beats ending the week at a ballpark under the lights.
If you’re a paid subscriber I’m giving you a little planning sheet, supply list, and books to pair with your camp weeks (plus little activities you can pull out if you need a second).
Up next: Medieval / Rainbow Unicorn week. This is what happens when you let your kids pick the theme…. Stay tuned. 🏰🦄
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.