Mamas Facing Forward Stay Home Summer Camp was a project I developed during the isolated summer of 2020. For each theme I provide a menu of options to choose from, including: virtual learning resources, easy craft & snack ideas, simple activities, books, and movies/TV.
Trust me, whether you do it for a full week or just for a day, there’s something magical about doing a bunch of activities that all share the same theme. In fact, even though my kids will be traveling and attending regular summer camp this year, they’ve also requested some Stay Home Camp – so stay tuned for a couple of new themes!! I’ve also added “field trip ideas” to themes from past years as well.
I hope these ideas will provide your family with a little fun – while at the same time making summer a bit easier for you!!
Love, Mariah
LIGHT & COLOR CAMP!
Below you’ll find a menu of ideas for learning, crafts, activities, books, and things to watch that all focus on light & color. I’ve tried to keep ideas pretty simple and make use of items you may already have – while also making it fun for the kids! I’ve also included a free printable you can hang up at home while you work on this theme.
NEW! Field Trip Ideas:
- To the local science museum
- To the local art museum
- To see a movie and talk about how the projector works
- To a local waterfall to see if you can spot a rainbow in the mist
- To the library to get more books about light and color
Things To Learn:
- How to draw (Source: Art for Kids Hub)
- Explore together online
- Brain POP Arts & Music (If your school does not provide you with a BrainPOP account already, you can request free access during school closures)
- National Geographic Kids
Things To Make:
- Butterfly Sun-Catchers
- Recommended materials: black paper, tissue paper in rainbow colors, scissors, glue stick
- Instructions: Mini Eco
- Fine Motor Rainbow Art
- Recommended materials: white cardstock, school glue, salt, droppers, food coloring
- Instructions: Life Over C’s
- Fruit Loops Rainbow
- Recommended materials: fruit loops, glue, large paper or poster board, cotton balls (optional)
- Instructions: Give each kiddo a bowl of fruit loops and let them sort the colors into different piles. Make an arc out of glue on the paper, and glue all the red fruit loops down. Then make another arc out of glue and repeat with each color to make a rainbow. You can glue a few cotton balls at either end of the rainbow for clouds. Obviously the kids are going to eat a few fruit loops too so this can be a sort of snack/treat activity as well!
- Kaleidoscope
- Recommended materials: paper towel tube, colorful translucent beads, tape, hot glue gun, clear plastic (can be scrap like a fruit container), scissors, aluminum foil, empty cereal box
- Instructions: SheKnows
- Rainbow Paper
- Recommended materials: clear nail polish, black construction paper or black cardstock
- Instructions: The Science Kiddo
- Rainbow Spin Mixing
- Recommended materials: Tempra paint in primary colors, large white coffee filters, salad spinner
- Instructions: Babble Dabble Do
Things To Do:
- Bubble Rainbow Science
- Recommended materials: empty clear bottle, liquid dish soap, water, straw
- Instructions: Preschool Powol Packets
- Hand Shadow Puppetry
- Recommended materials: a light to cast a shadow
- Instructions for hand shadow puppets: ClipArt ETC
- Instructions: Use a stencil or draw the silhouette of a shape, cut it out, tape it to a stick, and use it to make fun shadows on the wall. Tell a story!
- Make Your Own Rainbow Experiments
- With a glass of water – Instructions: Science Kids
- With a CD – Instructions: Exploratorium
- Rainbow Clean Mud
- Recommended materials: baking soda, water, food coloring
- Instructions: Put about a cup of baking soda into a bowl. Get a glass of water and add a few drops of red food coloring. Slowly pour the water into the baking soda while mixing with your hands to create a mud-like paste. (You can always add more baking soda or more water). Once the mud is a consistency you like, form it into a ball and set it aside so you can repeat the process with the other colors of the rainbow. Put all the colors into a bin and let the kids play!
- Rainbow Fruit Skewers
- Recommended materials: skewers, kiwi, mango, strawberries, grapes, blueberries (or other fruits for the colors of the rainbow)
- Instructions: Eats Amazing
- Shadow Play
- Recommended materials: materials to build towers, chalk
- Instructions: Kathy apRoberts
- Skittles Rainbow Experiment
- Recommended materials: skittles, white plate
- Instructions: Raising Lifelong Learners
- Sugar Water Density Rainbow
Experiment
- Recommended materials: sugar, food coloring, baster
- Instructions: Little Bins for Little Hands
- Water Play Color Mixing
- Recommended materials: water, food coloring, droppers or turkey baster
- Instructions: use three containers and food coloring to make water in the primary colors – red, yellow, and blue. Give kiddos a dropper or turkey baster and some empty containers and let them experiment with mixing colors.
Time For A Break!
- Books to read
- A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni
- All the Colors of the Rainbow by Allen Fowler
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? By Bill Martin Jr
- Color Kittens by Margaret Wise Brown
- Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni
- Mix It Up by Herve Tullet
- Monsters Love Colors by Mike Austin
- Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoli Walsh
- The Black Rabbit by Philippa Leathers
- The Crayon Box That Talked by Shane DeRolf
- The King Who Banned The Dark by Emily Haworth-Booth
- The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle
- The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle
- Documentaries to watch:
- Movies to watch:
- TV shows to watch:
- Bill Nye The Science Guy
- Season 1: Episode 16
- Season 2: Episode 7
- Sid the Science Kid
- Season 2: Episode 10, 11, 12, 13
- The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That
- Season 1: Episodes 10a; 16a
- Season 3: Episode 4a
- The Magic School Bus
- Season 3: Episode 5, 7
- Bill Nye The Science Guy
