I'm doing Mommy camp! Give me tips

amother

↑ Oak

Wed, Jun 26 2024, 5:58 am

Oh, wow! Thank you @dankbar! You definitely gave me lots of (animal) food for thought!

↑ dankbar ↓

Wed, Jun 26 2024, 9:57 am

Zebra- black and white.

Choco/vanilla sandwich cookies, one side white, one side black, play Othello on a large cardboard with the cookies flipping over.

Board games, Othello, chess.

Black/white day and night.

Pillows one side mode Ani on white felt. One side shema Yisrael on black felt.
Mode Ani posters
Krias shma readers with diamond art, and Kris shma holders made from popsticks
Night lamps
Rugs, and negel Vassar. Negel vasser hand towels decorate with rhinestone studs to create initials.
Shadow games, light, dark, create side profiles, by shining flashlight against side of face, onto black cardboard stuck on wall, outlining and cutting out.
Black and white, good deeds and bad. Like simple Simon yetzer Horah or yetzer tov.
Mitzvah aveire card games. Like guessing an act. Or jumping on black and white color paper, when you say some mitzvah jump onto white paper and vice versa.

↑ dankbar ↓

Wed, Jun 26 2024, 10:01 am

Farm animals.

Old fashioned shtetel day.

Like set up a well with water.

Games shtetel, it's like labyrinth but in shtetel going to tailor, Smith etc.

Ticket to ride, Jewish game, called a trip to shtetel taking you to old time shtetels.

Chassidus, shtetel life, trivia.

Making a family tree of ancestors

Doing interviews, calls, cards, letters, visits to Bubby, to old age home. To rabbis.

Doing stuff before modern inventions.
Doing some weaving like weaving looms sewing art.
Lame tes melachos exhibit to view or set up miniatures.
Rotary phones crafts, with fruit loop cereal with marshmallow cream on a rotary phone image. cup string telephones.
Records, decorating A CD.
Recording and making an audio cassette.

yachnabobba

Wed, Jun 26 2024, 12:34 pm

Schedule your out of the house time in middle of the day.

amother

↑ Ivory ↓

Wed, Jun 26 2024, 7:25 pm

yachnabobba wrote:

Schedule your out of the house time in middle of the day.

depends. I find outdoors can get very hot midday so I like to do it early but everyone's different

amother

Navyblue ↓

Wed, Jun 26 2024, 11:50 pm

amother Ivory wrote:

depends. I find outdoors can get very hot midday so I like to do it early but everyone's different

True. It can be but I do things like the local library or similar indoor…
A blend of outdoor and indoor activities is important

amother

↑ OP ↓

Thu, Jun 27 2024, 9:06 pm

Help! It's day 2 and I'm very very exhausted. Any tips ?

↑ dankbar ↓

Thu, Jun 27 2024, 11:34 pm

What did you end up doing?

Of course caring for kids all day, feeding them cleaning after them, without entertaining them is lot of work.

amother

↑ OP

Fri, Jun 28 2024, 7:58 am

I have a schedule and we basically followed it.
I think I have to follow it more precisely, also lessen the outdoor time and do more indoor things because outdoors makes me exhausted cause it's so hot.
The only thing is how do I have self care time at all? My baby naps during the day but that's when I cook and do housework. How can I do it better so I have time for myself too and not just at night when I'm too exhausted to move? Or should I just accept the fact that I won't be able to have self care time?
Also do you have a good sample schedule including baby napping midday?
Thanks!

amother

Freesia ↓

Fri, Jun 28 2024, 8:11 am

Firstly, I posted my schedule with baby napping on the first page.
When I had her napping early, 11-1 we went out in the afternoon. Now I try for naptime from 1-3 and we go out in the morning.

And neither I nor my kids found it easier to have a theme. We are very chilled, go with the flow,

amother

Currant

Fri, Jun 28 2024, 8:16 am

Self care is good question... I would love to help with that, but I got nothing!

By my house, it's not all the kids but a couple teens and a toddler and a baby. (Rest at camp).

This is the seventh year for mommy camp, but this year we are calling it "family camp" because my teens are doing it with me. However it's not actually making it that I have more time for myself, or even housework.

Definitely some adjustments need to be made!!

amother

↑ Navyblue

Fri, Jun 28 2024, 8:28 am

Consider incorporating a chesed activity

amother

Hydrangea

Fri, Jun 28 2024, 9:06 am

We love mommy camp! Been doing it for years. This year doing it with kids age 12, 9 and 5. Will try to post tips and ideas when they're not needing me Smile

↑ dankbar ↓

Fri, Jun 28 2024, 9:25 am

amother Currant wrote:

For what ages is your mommy camp? You're saying you have teens and babies that are home?

amother

Phlox

Fri, Jun 28 2024, 9:29 am

Are your children good at free play? Or do they need to be entertained. That's what makes mommy camp work or not work. My oldest needs constant structure. She cannot be home more than a week or 2 without real structure or she will go crazy. My other children figure out how to entertain themselves for a few hours even on shabbos. Planning the trips ahead of time is important partially because some places are only open a few days a week. Or have set hours. You also need time to yourself so try to arrange that.

↑ dankbar

Fri, Jun 28 2024, 9:53 am

You should chill while you're kids are doing certain activities so you get to relax instead of bring actively involved in every single thing they do.

Let's say, when they are swimming in kiddie pool just sit on side to watch them, you may listen to something with your earpods, instead of every single time splash them or whatever.

If they are in the park, it's OK to just sit and schmooze with other mommies sometimes and not actually helping them on the monkey bar or catching them on the slide of swinging them each time.

If they are coloring, or playing with toys, you don't always need to color either them or play with them.

Also schedule in quiet time, like resting and reading for everyone or if you give them something to watch and you take a break.

Another thing, you can make yourself a time limit of how long you are entertaining them. You don't have to do it all day. For 2-3 hours you can provide them with entertainment, rest of time they have to find what to do on their own. Or go play with neighbors or friends.

You can give them crafts to do on own like either easy craft kits, or create your own with supplies, and take easy then.

This way you don't burn out.

I enjoy leading the daycamp and be actively involved, but it's not all day, every day, entire summer for me.

My girls are home now for 10 days.

One day I did a daycamp with my girls and their friends, and I was actively involved, we even had teams and cheering, with diff activities, crafts, games, food decorating.

They were so excited and cooperative, ( it's not their mommy lol) and all same age.

We did it for 2-3 hrs only. With break in middle. They don't have patience longer. And these were 8 yr Olds.

They were OK on break, while I cleaned up from craft table to transition to food table. Just to snack, schmooze.

Another idea is to collaborate with other families and make a rotation. You have 4 moms each taking one day to have all the kids and other 3 days you're free. So one day you work harder but then you have the other 3 days where your kids are out.

If you are in a place where people keep kids home.

With them all week home, one day my dgtr joined a trip to pool, one day her classmate made a goodbye party because she's moving, one day was daycamp by me, with her friends, one day was shopping for my boys for camp and grocery store, and they came along. I took her to an appt and then we had ice cream together. One day when I had appt for myself, someone took them out.

Otherwise they helped with cleaning, entertained themselves with coloring, board games, summer homework, organizing her school stuff. Vacation mode, they slept in, until they got dressed......

I was OK with that when they didn't have a schedule that they needed to be ready for, that way I was even able to able to slip out to my weekly class while they slept.

amother

Steelblue ↓

Fri, Jun 28 2024, 11:00 am

Op thank you for your post..
(My first time I'm trying this, my older daughter is married, my youngest 3 are little girls) Neighbors are telling me I'm crazy to do this, so I was getting nervous, but really I think I will enjoy it (and my kids will too)

I think a routine is important, but to take it easy if it doesn't go exactly as planned. Just going with the flow.

Im strong

Fri, Jun 28 2024, 11:09 am

Keep a routine. Prepare LOTS of food. Food sets the mood. (you can make some food with them too, such as homemade pizza, salads, cookies, etc.)

Include calm activities and movement activities every day- such as a craft and dancing, or food decorating and trampoline, etc.

Try to alternate: Food, calm, movement, food, calm, movement, food, calm
For example: Breakfast, Daven, Sprinkler, Lunch, crafts, Outing, Supper, chill and bath
or Breakfast, Daven, Moonwalk, Lunch, Puzzles, Dancing, Supper, chill and bath

Some quiet activities:
decorate camp chairs (they sell them in Bingo for $5). Use fabric markers or iron ons
Paint ceramics (they sell them on amazon for about $20 for 20 pieces
Diamond art (about $5 on Aliexpress) Keeps them entertained for HOURS
Puzzles
Paint by number
Decorate wooden brushes- paint/ markers/ stickers
Make bracelets
Perler beads

Some movement activities:
Buy a moonwalk or waterslide (about $200). You can use it daily
Swimming
Trampoline
Sprinkler
Ball
Make a twister board and play twister
Spa day

Some easy trips:
Park
Ice cream store
Trampoline park
Beach

Enjoy every minute!

basmelech2

Sun, Jul 07 2024, 7:11 pm

nicole81 wrote:

Have a daily routine that you keep to, is
Davening
Arts and crafts
Snack
Parsha learning/project (that can take you through the week)
Lunch
Bunk time (ie relaxation/quiet time)
Water activity
Snack
Dance or games or baking
Dismissal

Plus a trip day once a week.

You can even do color war. I did that with camp mommy and can give you some ideas.

Come up with a theme for each week like "under the sea" or "on the farm" and come up with a week's worth of crafts, dancing, baking so you have a daily activity. Google for ideas. There's also a lot of animal dances and other fun dances for kids on YouTube. Plus beginner ballet lessons.

Buy lots of craft supplies and paint and small canvases and everything you need to do all the activities. But the main point is plan, plan, plan. If you have a solid routine and plan for each day, the kids are way more likely to behave and stay actively engaged.

I also put out weekly theme teasers every Sunday so the kids would be excited. If I can find any of my stuff I'll post, it was a few computers ago lol.

This is exactly what I do.
I actually bought a great Velcro schedule on Amazon so my children can see exactly what is going on.

I make sure to have lunch at 12 sharp. Children (7,3.5,2) make their own lunch so that’s an activity too. Pizza bagels, omelets, wraps, tuna mayo, cut veggies etc

Schedule goes like this:
Davening
Arts and crafts
Snack
“School work “
Lunch
Swimming
Nap
Snack
Playtime

Parsha and parsha craft is on Thursday.
Last week my oldest wasn’t there and the theme was clowns. They painted a clown, cut and glued a nose, bow and hat, made a clown with pompoms on a plate, had balloons activities. Etc

I might sign them up for extracurricular activities on outschool.com if I see they need a little extra

amother

Mistyrose ↓

Sun, Jul 07 2024, 8:36 pm

Here is what my schedule is this year:
Wakeup
Get dressed
Daven
Breakfast
Summer Homework
Snack
Backyard Fun ( Swingset, Trampoline, etc).
Swimming
Lunch
Arts and crafts
Snack
Chalk and bubbles
Showers
Free play

I go with the flow, so last week my kids asked instead of a dance party to make a fort . As long as they are happy, so am I!