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
RAINFOREST CAMP!
Below you’ll find a menu of ideas for learning, crafts, activities, books, and things to watch that focus on rainforests. I’ve tried to keep these 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 local playgrounds with animal features
- COLORADO: Rainbow East Park
- To the zoo to learn about rainforest creatures
- To the library to get more books about the rainforest
- To the closest woods to talk about how it might be different than a rainforest
Things To Learn:
- Explore together online
- Kiddle
- LiveScience
- National Geographic Kids
- Save Our Rainforests!
- PBS Kids
- PBS Nature
- Rainforest Alliance
Things To Make:
- Blue Morpho Butterfly Craft
- Recommended supplies: paper plates, scissors, blue and turquoise tissue paper, glue, black paint
- Instructions: Kid World Citizen
- DIY Rain Stick
- Recommended supplies: thick cardboard tube, hammer, small nails, dry beans or rice to put inside, decorations for the outside
- Instructions: The Imagination Tree
- Origami Frog that Jumps
- Recommended supplies: paper
- Instructions: itsybitsyfun
- Paper Plate Toucan
- Recommended supplies: paper plate, scissors, pencil, paint, tape
- Instructions: Pink Stripey Socks
- Paper Plate Sloth
- Recommended supplies: paper plate, paint, cardstock, markers, stapler, scissors, glue
- Instructions: Our Kid Things
- Wiggle Pasta Snakes
- Recommended supplies: dry ziti pasta, dry ditalini pasta, pipe cleaner, hot glue, paint
- Instructions: The Pinterested Parent
Things To Do:
- Ants on a Log
- Recommended supplies: celery, peanut butter, raisins (though there are many other variations for ingredients in the post!)
- Instructions: Healthy Little Foodies
- Monkey Mayhem Cracker Snacks
- Recommended supplies: round crackers, peanut butter, banana, cheerios, pretzels, chocolate chips
- Instructions: All About Learning Press
- Rainforest Animals and Plants Coloring Page
- Recommended supplies: free printable
- Instructions: Rainforest Alliance
- Rainforest Bingo
- Recommended supplies: free printable, something to mark the squares (pennies work!)
- Instructions: Life Over C’s
- Tropical Rainforest Biome Cards
- Recommended supplies: free printable
- Instructions: Preschool Powol Packets
Time For A Break!
- Books to read
- A Walk in the Rainforest by Kristin Joy Pratt
- Amazon Alphabet by Martin and Tanis Jordan
- Nature’s Green Umbrella by Gail Gibbons
- Rain Forest by Helen Cowcher
- Sloths Don’t Run by Tory McGee
- The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry
- The Rainforest Grew All Around by Susan K. Mitchell
- The Umbrella by Jan Brett
- Tree of Wonder by Kate Messner
- Welcome to the Green House by Jane Yolen
- We’re Roaming in the Rainforest by Laurie Krebs and Anne Wilson
- Yara’s Tawari Treerai by Yossi Lapid
- Documentaries to watch
- Planet Earth
- Season 1: Episode 8
- Tiny World
- Season 1: Episode 2
- Planet Earth
- Movies to watch
- TV shows to watch
- Reading Rainbow
- Season 18: Episode 1
- The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That
- Season 1: Episodes 7a; 7b; 12a; 15b
- The Magic School Bus
- Season 3: Episode 11
- Wild Kratts
- Season 1: Episodes 16; 38
- Season 2: Episodes 7; 11
- Season 4: Episodes 1; 11
- Season 6: Episodes 7; 10; 11; 12
- Reading Rainbow