Kids are home, school is weeks away, boredom has set in, and your kids typing fingers are the only things moving in your house. Now what? How about you and the kids plan some CAMP DAYS at home. Let your kids help you design some days that mimic favorite camp days. Perhaps they loved Christmas in July or backwards  day. Encourage them to share with you how those special camp days played out so you can recreate them at home.

Here are five easy camp activities that you can do with your kids at home:

1. Have an old fashion scavenger hunt. Make a list of what they need to find in the neighborhood or at the mall. Be creative based on your location. For example, a neighborhood hunt may include:

• Two acorns with their caps still on
• A leaf turning red or yellow
• A neighbor’s autograph
• A stick in the shape of a letter of the alphabet

2. Make tie dye tee shirts, look on the internet for instructions. Here is one way:

https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&p=how+to+tie+die+tee+shirts#id=37&vid=cc14074344b7c812dbdfb890353a07ce&action=view

3. Have a family or neighborhood water balloon fight. The newest style of water balloons allows you to fill lots at one time from the hose: https://www.target.com/p/zuru-8pk-bunch-o-balloons-block-party/-/A-52034623 Make sure to set the rules of the fight ahead of time like no aiming for the head and the physical boundaries. Follow the fight with everyone picking up the broken balloon scraps.

4. Get a outdoor grill or patio fire pit to cook hot dogs on sticks followed by roasted marshmallows for dessert.

5. Head into your backyard for a camp out or an evening under the stars with your kids. Share with your kids your favorite summer or overnight camp stories from your childhood. Have everyone talk about their experiences – name something that was scary, something that made each of you feel proud, something everyone thought they could not do but eventually did. Kids love to hear parent’s life stories, and it will prompt them to share stories of their own camp experiences.

The school year will start soon enough, so try to make that camp feeling last as long as possible. Only ten months to go until summer camp begins again!