Summer may seem like it is months away, but it would definitely be a good idea for parents to start thinking about it now. Since more and more families are on tight budgets this year, it may be difficult to send your child off to a day camp. So why not consider starting your own in home day camp. This will give you the opportunity to have plenty of summer activities for your kids, and the best part is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money.
To get started with your summer camp adventure, it would be a good idea to give it a fun name. Children truly enjoy the idea of a fun name for any type of activity. Once you have your name you can start putting your ideas down onto some paper. You can create hats, and t-shirts for your camp. Have the children help you with this task. It can even be one of your projects on the first day of camp. Depending on how many children you have you may want to invite some of their friends over to be part of the summer adventure camp. Take the time to speak with their parents. Most parents would be happy to leave their children at a reliable friends house as oppose to a day camp. The best part is that you do not have to charge a fee. Your kids will have a few additional children to play with, and participate in summer activities. I would just recommend that you have the parents provide some snacks, and of course their lunch if they are going to be there for the entire day. Be sure to have some sort of start day for your own summer camp and let the parents know. I have found it best to make your summer camp begin as soon as the public schools end.
Now comes the fun part of planning age appropriate activities for your kids. One place where you can find a long list of ideas on activities is the internet. There are plenty of websites that offer tips and suggestions on what activities are fun for kids during the summer months. Create a list of activities, and then make up a list of items you will need for each of these activities. During the mid spring months you will begin to see summer items on sale. This would be a good time to start picking up a few items that you will need for your activities. I have found stores like Wal-mart to be a great bargain with families who are on a budget. They have plenty of activity kits that you can purchase, and set up in your home for under $10. If you try to incorporate items that you already have lying around your home into your activities you will save even more money. Remember that older kids can also have outdoor fun making snacks. I have found that kids love the idea of a snack table with items they can make and create. This type of activity is lots of fun and certainly takes care of snack time.
Once you have your list of items and start shopping, pick up a storage bin to store all of the items in. You can purchase these types of bins for just a few dollars at your local Wal-mart or Target stores. These are just a few ideas and suggestions on how you can make your home a summer adventure camp without breaking the bank.
