I'm doing Mommy camp! Give me tips

amother

Tue, Jun 25 2024, 6:40 pm

I'm doing mommy camp this summer. Please help me with tips so I should stay sane and actually enjoy the experience.
Help me with rules and discipline so I should be a relaxed and present mommy, and also have time for self care.

Aurora

Tue, Jun 25 2024, 6:43 pm

Prep your kids with how you expect them to behave BEFORE you go to the place.
For instance: we are about to go to a restaurant. I expect you to sit on your chair, and eat your food with your knife and fork inside the restaurant. If you feel jumpy, let me know, and I will see if there is a good place for you to move around.

Public libraries usually have a ton of fun free activities.

Clue your kids into the schedule ahead of time. I like to schedule in a bit of quiet time after lunch - you can nap, or read a book, but we're all taking a short break - which includes Mommy!

amother

Seafoam

Tue, Jun 25 2024, 6:45 pm

Following! Doing mommy camp for 6 weeks for 5 kids ages 3-10. Not OP but I’ve never done this before. Part excited part terrified. Open to all tips and tricks. I live in Lakewood if that makes a difference…

amother

Ivory

Tue, Jun 25 2024, 6:45 pm

personally I find that I do best when I don't just push push push, if they are happy playing a board game for hours great. It doesn't always have to be some big trip. If I see they are playing nicely I will go in to my room (I can still hear them and youngest is 5 and I can get in 10 minutes of exercise.)
sometimes a trip to the library is enough to make them feel like they are doing something. I've learned to not stress if we get a little lost, or we are running late, the focus should be on just enjoying each other.

something else my husband introduced us to this year is a geocaching. which means you find a spot and drive there and then they have to find the item usually a box using a campus.

I make them clean up because I find that otherwise it gets too overwhelming.

crafts like perler beads... are great. my kids LOVE facepaint.

amother

Pumpkin

Tue, Jun 25 2024, 6:53 pm

I'm doing it too all summer! Did it in the past too. We go out every day, leave by 10 am which keeps everyone sane. We do a mix of parks, beaches, outdoor/indoor activities. Bring tons of snacks. When we come home we bake, do crafts, outdoor activities etc... if you keep your expectations low it can be a lot of fun. And remember some fighting/kvetching is normal.

TwinsMommy

Tue, Jun 25 2024, 7:27 pm

I did it with twins for a number of summers but both twins have special needs and each of them have very different personalities so I found that whatever I planned for the day, one wanted to do but one didn't and far too often we stayed home and did nothing after I made all the fun plans--- not fair to the twin who DID want to go. The only things the two would agree on were the mall, ice cream, and going out for lunch. Everything else became such a fight. It was so so so hard on all of us. Once I found an affordable daycamp that could accept them both despite all their needs, they WENT! Now the twins are 17 and one of the twins works at the camp!

GLUE

Tue, Jun 25 2024, 7:51 pm

hodeez wrote:

Doing it with my 9 and 8 year old daughters, what crafts would be good at that age (that lasts more than 10 minutes)?

needle point
knitting
latch hook
embroidery
diamond art

BusyBoys

Tue, Jun 25 2024, 7:57 pm

hodeez wrote:

Doing it with my 9 and 8 year old daughters, what crafts would be good at that age (that lasts more than 10 minutes)?

Do they enjoy science projects?

If so, I had great experience with kits from kiwico.com.- goes by monthly subscription but no commitment necessary.

Otoh- I’m doing camp mommy with a 5 and 6 year old boys. Following for some inspiration as well.

nicole81

Tue, Jun 25 2024, 8:05 pm

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.

amother

Orange

Tue, Jun 25 2024, 8:11 pm

All I can say is kol hakavod to all of you! It's day 2 of my kids home and I am exhauuuusted...
How do you do all this plus supper, laundry, housework, etc??

sweet

Tue, Jun 25 2024, 8:15 pm

Also having kids home, this summer iyh

8-10 , eat, dressed, daven, make beds, straighten up.. I send the kids to the basement to play then, I fill up water toys, fill up pool then..
10-12/12:30 out , library, urban air, beach, aquarium, trip, ..... I have taken them to dollar tree last summer too, amd they loved that..
12:30 lunch
1:00 naptime, quiet time, yes, sometimes toveedo then, summer h.w., prep dinner, bake crafts
3:00-8:00. Supper, We play outside,

nicole81

Tue, Jun 25 2024, 8:22 pm

OK found some stuff I did from one year. Notice I also started late and ended earlyish. My kids were tired out and so was I but it gave me time to sleep in and take care of dinner.

And these are all the activities I did for Color War (taken from a spreadsheet where I literally kept a running total). The fishing stuff... I had a baby pool and I bought a magnetic fishing rod, reel, and net set on amazon. If you have any questions about the specifics or what I did, let me know. I have a lot of ideas hyperlinked on my planning page. Also involved lots of cookie cutter sets lol.

mummiedearest

Tue, Jun 25 2024, 8:22 pm

I did it for years. I created a schedule in advance. Not just the daily routine, but the details. I scheduled around free library events, with one big trip a week. Make sure to schedule in some free time for the kids to just be siblings. It takes about two weeks for them to settle in—expect bickering in spades until then. Schedule in meal prep time while they play, do art, etc. Oriental trading is great for crafts. Keep a visual schedule so the kids know what to expect.

If you find other mommy camp families in your area, try to arrange a weekly meetup in a park. It’s good for you to have a chance to chat while your kids play with friends.

Assign chores. Be strict about this. It will save your sanity.

Have a strict bedtime.