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Stay Home Summer Camp 2020 Archive: Building Week!

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By on Big Kids

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

BUILDING CAMP!

The “menu” for this week is longer than usual, because what you can build obviously depends on which building sets you happen to have at home. Below you’ll find specific suggestions for: Duplo, Lego, magnetic tiles (Picasso Tiles / Magna-Tiles / Magformers), and foam blocks. I’ve tried to give enough ideas under each category so you can make it through the week if you only have one or two of the above sets.

And what if you have different building sets? Like K’NEX, Tinker Toys, KEVA Structures, or just good old fashioned blocks? Don’t worry! I have a list of ideas you can try with whatever building set you have on hand! I also have a list of building challenges using household items. So please pardon the long menu this week – I wanted to try to have ideas for everyone! I’ve also included a free printable you can hang up at home while you work on this theme.

Download

NEW! Field Trip Ideas:

  • To several local playgrounds to look at different types of structures
  • To watch at local construction sites
  • To a downtown area to look at different types of buildings or bridges
  • To the library to get more books about building

Duplo:

  • Alphabet Challenge
    • Instructions: Challenge yourself to figure out how to build every letter in the alphabet, or every letter in your name, or to spell a secret message. (If you need a little help figuring out how to do some of the letters, here’s a free printable from Wildflower Ramblings.)
  • Bath Build
    • Instructions: Dump Duplo bricks in the bathtub – building in water is an exciting change!
  • Tower Game:
    • Instructions: Build the tallest tower you can – see if you can build it as big as you are or as tall as one of your siblings!

Lego:

  • Barrier game
    • Video showing how to play

Magnetic Tiles (Picasso Tiles / Magna-Tiles / Magformers):

  • Light it up
    • Instructions: Add battery tea lights, flashlights, or glow sticks to your construction. This is especially fun to do at night or in a dark room!
  • Loose parts
    • Instructions: Add other magnets and magnetic loose parts to your build (i.e. magnets from the fridge, paper clips, jar lids, binder clip, etc.)
  • Maze building
    • Instructions: Use a cookie sheet as a building platform and create a maze, then tilt the cookie sheet to try to roll a small lightweight ball through the maze. (We used a ball made of play foam but a bouncy ball or a ball made of playdough would probably work too. We also plan to try this with a Hex bug!)
  • Stained Glass
    • Instructions: Build with your magnetic tiles up against a window, so the light from outside shines through them.
  • Vertical building
    • Instructions: Use your refrigerator or other magnetic appliance (washer/dryer, dishwasher) as a vertical building surface. Some garage doors are made of metal or maybe you have a table with metal legs – see what surfaces you can use around the house!

Foam Blocks:

  • Add water
    • Instructions: put your foam blocks in your water table, bathtub, or baby pool. Challenge the kids to build structures that float.
  • Build with “cement”
    • Instructions: Use shaving cream for cement between the blocks. A bathtub or shower is a great place for this activity, because you can also use the cement to stick the blocks vertically to the wall – and cleanup is a breeze!

Any Building Set:

  • Add Toys
    • Instructions: Add other toys to create a building theme (i.e. build a garage for matchbox cars, build a zoo for animals, build a bed for a doll, etc.)
  • Bowling
    • Instructions: Build structures and then roll balls at them to knock them down.  You can try using different building materials as well as different sized balls.
  • Change the Environment
    • Instructions: Try building in a brand-new location, such as: in your backyard, in the shower, in the sandbox, in a baby pool, etc.
  • Create a Commercial
    • Instructions: Design and build a product (i.e. robot, vehicle, tool, etc.) and make up a commercial trying to sell your new product. Take a video of your commercial and send it to someone!
  • Different Levels
    • Instructions: Find small tables, boxes, and platforms to create different levels to build on.
  • Fine Motor Challenge
    • Instructions: Build a structure using only kitchen tongs to move the blocks around.
  • Make a maze
    • Instructions: Use blocks or a building set to create a maze, then drive try to drive a toy car or roll a ball through the maze.
  • MEGA-build!
    • Instructions: Combine several different building sets to make one giant structure or city.
  • Online Ideas
    • Instructions: Look online together for pictures of bridges or buildings and then try to recreate what you find.
  • Tallest Tower
    • Instructions: Build the tallest tower you can without it falling over, then measure it with a measuring tape, yardstick, or string.

Build With Household Items:

  • Marble Run
    • Recommended supplies: paper rolls, painter’s tape, marbles or small balls, scissors
  • Cardboard castles
    • Recommended supplies: toilet paper rolls & carboard boxes + paint or other craft supplies to decorate

On Theme Snacks:

  • Lego Brownies
    • Recommended supplies: brownie mix, vanilla frosting, food coloring, M&Ms
  • Lego Pizza
    • Recommended supplies: pizza dough, tomato sauce, cheese, mini pepperoni
  • Lego Jello Cups
    • Recommended supplies: lemon Jello mix, clear plastic cups, black construction paper and rubber cement (I think you could use a black sharpie instead!)

Time For A Break!

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Mariah is a writer, patient advocate, and mom of three living with rheumatoid arthritis and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. After learning firsthand how challenging and lonely it can be to face pregnancy and motherhood with chronic illness, Mariah became passionate about supporting women with chronic illness who are or want to become mothers. She launched Mamas Facing Forward in 2015 as a private Facebook support group, followed by this website in 2018.

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