Summer camp at home: Week 7 -- Racing cars

With Cars 2 out this summer -- and also because my boys just love cars -- we had to have a week about car racing in our summer camp at home. Last time we went to Disney World, we had to visit Ridemakerz in Downtown Disney to check out the kinds of toy cars we could custom make. My preschooler made a ... well, a rescue dump truck. How's that for customization?

Anyway, this week will be about cars and racing. One thing I'd like to do is count the number of toy cars my kids have -- honestly, I have no idea. We will put them in rows of 10 for a real-world, hands-on visualization of numbers and counting. We can sort them by color, too. Other things on tap this week:

- Have a racing playdate. Invite friends to a park to have races. Everyone is a winner for participating!

- Dress up as race car drivers and pretend play/role play.

- Have kids draw pictures of cars they would like to drive. (I know mostly it will look like scribbles; that's OK.)

- Make a racing flag (perfect for the racing playdate!) and maybe even a craft trophy.

- Make a cardboard race car to play in (great for pretend play!).

- We might see Cars 2. Again.

- Read R Is For Race, World’s Fastest Cars, Hot Rod Hamster, If I Built a Car, Little Racing Car and other books from our public library.

I had wanted to take the kids to one of the local speedways (there are two about an hour away, one north and one south), but nothing is going on this week. Probably because it's too darn hot! If there is a speedway near you, a visit might be another fun activity.

Summer camp at home: Week 6 -- Out on the ranch

Summer is halfway over. It's hard to believe that in a month, I'll be lining up things my preschooler needs to go back to school. So we're going to enjoy summer while we have it -- a more fluid schedule and more impromptu fun.

This week, we're going to be cowpokes out on the ranch:

- Visit a local farm. There's a county park a couple cities away where we can see ponies, a pig, goats and even peacocks! We would ride ponies, too, except both of my boys shy away from them.

- Cowboy pretend play. (All you really need is a cowboy hat or a bandana!)

- Pretend a water park is an ol’ watering hole and cool off. As much as we love water parks, I can't believe we haven't been to one since we went to Aquatica in early June.

- We might make hobby horses. Here are instructions for making a hobby horse that don't look too hard.

- Read Charlie the Ranch Dog (by The Pioneer Woman blogger Ree Drummond), The Cow Loves Cookies, Good Night Cowboy, Cowboy Small and other books we come across at the library.

We are also going to go on playdates, play at the park, play with magnetic fridge letters and anything else we find fun to do -- cowboy related or not.

Summer camp at home: Week 5 -- World Traveler

With our patriotic "America, the Beautiful" themed week of summer camp at home a couple weeks behind us, it seemed natural to have a week focused on other countries of the world as well.

It's never to early to teach little ones about the world they live in, and that includes different cultures. Even if my four- and two-year-olds don't get everything we might explore this week, I think they will still learn something -- and they will have fun.

Each day, we'll focus on a different country. That's the goal, anyway -- we had an unusual day yesterday because of a doctor appointment and having family from out of town, so we didn't do any special projects at all. The boys were wiped out! But I plan to make them a little passport-type booklet to have "stamped" when we "travel." I'd also like to make a little suitcase that we can cover in stickers featuring various lands the way they used to. (That's where Google Images comes in and I can print out a little picture on sticker paper, then cut it out and use it like any old sticker.) We'll pretend to travel by airplane, train or ocean liner.

Other ideas for this week:

- Make simple costume props, and/or projects from Michaels craft store Passport to Fun craft projects from around the world.

- Listen to foreign music

- Do any coloring pages we have that feature other countries, or this It's a Small World coloring page.

- Have an “It’s a Small World” party with friends and dress up in traditional clothing from our favorite countries! (Please let me take this moment to acknowledge the extreme annoyance and even hatred some people have for this Disney ride, and the song, despite the fact most little kids love it. I'd also like to suggest that Disney sell toy dolls from this ride, as apparently it once used to. I found one Small World toy the last time my family went to Disney World, and it was a bathtub toy boat. One toy. If Disney can take the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and turn it into a popular four-movie series, just think what a Small World movie would be like for the preschool set. Come on, it would have to be at least as good as The Smurfs!)

- Read Country by Country Guide: Our World; A World of Wonders; Travels of the Zephyr and other books from the library about the countries we are going to learn about this week.

We have a busy week ahead in addition to learning about other countries. Playdates, invitations, playing in parks, running errands.... It seems we've just gotten used to it being summer, and after this week it will be half over already. How's summer going for you?

Summer camp at home: Week 4 -- Space

With the last space shuttle launch happening on Friday, this is the perfect week to focus on space for summer "camp" at home.

We live about a three-hour drive away from the "Space Coast" of Florida and plan to go there to get a better view of the launch. (We can sort of see it where we live, but it still looks like a shiny blip.) Years before our children were born, my husband and I had it on our bucket list to see a shuttle launch up close -- so this is our last chance.

(We didn't call it a bucket list back then. I think we called it a life wish list.)

Our boys are so young now they might not remember seeing the last shuttle launch, but they can still say they were there.

Here are some other ideas for space week:

- Visit a local planetarium or science museum

- Build a cardboard rocket ship

- Dress up like astronauts for pretend play / role playing (I don't think I'll make a costume this week. An astronaut costume revolves around the helmet, and my boys usually don't like to wear things on their heads. We'll still have fun playing, though.)

- Build a solar system model (I like model #3 on the linked page, made with food, which I think preschoolers would probably get because food is something they're familiar with. Also, no mom can resist teaching their kids "My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas.") If you prefer not to make one, check out this glow-in-the-dark solar system model.

- Learn more about the planets.

- Wish upon some stars

- Read The Best Book of Spaceships, The Space Shuttle, Living On A Space Shuttle, The Complete Book of Our Solar System, First Space Encyclopedia and other books from the local library.

When we're not "spacing out," we'll go on playdates, swim in the pool and play in the park.

Hope you're having a fun summer!

Summer camp at home: Week 3 -- America, the Beautiful

There's a long holiday weekend ahead! Independence Day is next Monday. I know lots of folks will be traveling or barbecuing with friends and trying to stay cool. In my plan to keep my boys entertained and learning something for the 10 weeks of summer at home, we're going to keep things simple this week -- not too many activities, both to recoup from my baby's birthday party last week and also because his actual birthday is this week -- but more relaxing and just playing.

Whatever happened to just playing?

In addition to playing and going on playdates, we'll also be learning a little bit about our country for America, the Beautiful Week:

- Look at maps of America and our state. Start learning how to read a map.

- Make construction paper flags.

- Sing patriotic songs while doing crafts or playing.

- Use glitter glue to draw fireworks on paper.

- If you're interested in more Fourth of July crafts, check this out.

- Rent and watch DVDs "An American Tail," "This is America, Charlie Brown" and "All Aboard America."

- Read A Is For America; America: A Patriotic Primer; America Is; The Scrambled States of America; America the Beautiful; Good Night America or other books we find at the library about America that are age-appropriate.

And of course we'll watch fireworks next Monday when the actual holiday rolls around. Have a fun Fourth!

Summer camp at home: Week 2 -- Camping

My family loves camping, and because Saturday, June 25 is the day of the Great American Backyard Campout, next week seems like the perfect week for a camping theme for our summer camp at home.

My love of camping started early. As a kid, my family camped at a state park and national lakeshore near our house. Later, my husband and I were invited to go camping with friends two months after we were married. We bought a little dome tent (in the picture) for $50 on clearance. He and I had such a good time that we ended up camping in several places throughout Florida. Most recently, we took our boys camping in the Everglades.

If you're following along on my nerdy plan to do summer camp at home with a different theme each week, here are some ideas for you and your kids. It's going to be kind of a light week for me with the activities because I also need to prepare for my little one's second birthday party. So you might come up with more ideas than I've listed.

- Build a blanket-and-chair fort every day for pretend camping in the family room. (I would have loved trying to make a teepee out of cardboard boxes, but I don't think I'll have the time. Someone should try it!)

- Lead an ABC nature walk. As you head down a trail, look for things that start with each letter of the alphabet. Take photos or notes of each item if you like.

- Make crayon rubbings of leaves by placing a sheet of paper on top of a leaf and coloring over it to make the shape of the leaf appear on the page. Older kids can make several rubbings of different leaves and find out which leaf comes from which tree.

- Color pictures of wildlife and talk about their characteristics.

- Make toilet paper tube "binoculars."

- Make rock necklaces out of the best rocks the boys can find. (My toddler is so fascinated by rocks and carries one around with him if he finds one he likes.) These pressed flower pendants are pretty, and I like these sea-bling rings too -- hey, people camp by the beach!

- Make bird seed ornaments.

- Play with our well-used explorer kit. (This one looks fun too.)

- Read camping-themed books every day, like Curious George Goes Camping, When We Go Camping, S Is For Smores or other books we can find at the library.

- Pitch a tent in our backyard for the Great American Backyard Campout!

If you don't have a tent, ask family or friends if they can loan you a tent for the night. Frankly, I'm not sure if my family will be able to sleep outside all night long because it is H-O-T! But I know the kids will have fun trying.

Where we live in southern Florida, it's best to camp December through mid-April or so because of the heat and mosquitoes. So a week of camping activities in the summer will be a fun way to tide my family over until we can camp again for real.

Summer camp at home: Week 1 -- Mr. Popper's Penguins

Today begins the first full week of summer for my preschooler. I've got big plans for our summer together, which lasts 10 weeks. If you are looking for things to do with your children over the summer and ways to keep them entertained, please check out my initial post about having summer camp at home. I will post what we are doing each week in more detail.

This week, the movie Mr. Popper's Penguins comes out. It's based on the book by Richard and Florence Atwater that was first published in 1938. The movie, starring Jim Carrey as Mr. Popper, is a modern take on the book.

My preschooler loves penguins -- actually, he owns 12 plush penguins and several books so he's officially obsessed! -- and we have been reading Mr. Popper's Penguins leading up to the movie. It's been fun.

Reading books is going to be a big part of our summer. In addition to the bedtime reading we already do, I want to read books with my boys about our theme of the week after we have lunch every day. Here are other projects I hope we can do this week:

- Make reverse-stencil penguin T-shirts (to wear to the movie!).

- Visit Jungle Island, the closest place to see penguins.

- Make a penguin mask out of a paper plate.

- Do more penguin crafts and activities based on Mr. Popper's Penguins.

- Go on a couple of playdates.

- Pretend we are penguin researchers in the southern hemisphere.

- Play at a different park every day, or swim in the pool at home.

- Go to the cinema to see Mr. Popper's Penguins!

We'll also do regular playtime activities like drawing with chalk, playing with Play-Doh, working with puzzles, etc. I am also going to work with my preschooler on writing his name every day.

I think this could be the most fun summer yet for my kids!

Summer camp at home: the 10 weeks of summer plan

It's hard to believe there are only a few weeks left of preschool for my oldest boy and that summer break is starting. It doesn't seem like that long ago, it was spring break, and all the ads and buzz about summer camps were pushing themselves into parents' awareness. ("Hey! Wake up! Get your kid into our camp now for the most awesome summer, or you will be stuck with him for three miserable months!")

Most camps are for older kids, not preschoolers, and cost more than I want to spend. Besides, my oldest is going into his last year of preschool this fall, and he will be gone every day of the week (not just three days a week like now) I feel this summer will be my last chance to have both my kids together for a significant amount of time until ... well, until next summer. So I told myself we'd have "camp" at home and have our own "most awesome summer," thankyouverymuchsummercamppeople.

(And then I stumbled across a super-cheap day camp at a church nearby and signed up my preschooler for two weeks. I'm still going to do camp with my little one and friends, though.)

My guy will have 10 (or maybe nine?) weeks of summer break, I realized when I looked at the calendar. So I started brainstorming, making lists and poking around the Internet, and I developed a 10-week summer camp at home for my boys. Some of our friends are going to join us, too, which I think will make it more fun.

Here's a preview of our 10 weeks of summer, in case you'd like to have some fun with us, too -- virtually. You can use this as a jumping-off point for your own ideas, or just a few weeks here and there, or however you want to use it. I start each week on a Monday and give each week a theme. I will post more details of each week the week before, so you can get organized for the week ahead.

Summer camp at home: 10 weeks of summer

June 13: Antarctica. Use this site for penguin activity ideas. Visit local animal park to see penguins (and other animals). Make a paper plate penguin mask and/or walrus mask. Top off week by taking kids to see Mr. Popper’s Penguins movie on Friday, June 17. We have been reading the Mr. Popper's Penguins book a chapter a day; we'll read the additional penguin books we already have.

June 20: Camping. This will lead up to Great American Backyard Campout on Saturday, June 25, when families will be pitching tents in their backyards or local parks. Make a cardboard teepee. Take an ABC walk, make crayon rubbings of leaves, color pictures of wildlife, make toilet paper tube "binoculars," etc. (Read Curious George Goes Camping; When We Go Camping; S Is For Smores)

June 27: Space. The last space shuttle ever is launching on Tuesday, June 28, in the afternoon. We plan to go to Kennedy Space Center this day (about three hours away). We might not see the launch, but if we don't it will be timely anyway. If you don't live near a space center, you can watch the launch on TV and/or visit a science museum. We can dress up like astronauts, learn about the planets in our solar system, build a solar system model, build a cardboard rocket ship, visit a planetarium, etc. (Read The Best Book of Spaceships; The Space Shuttle; Living On A Space Shuttle; The Complete Book of Our Solar System; First Space Encyclopedia)

July 4: America, the Beautiful. Maps of America and our state -- start learning how to read a map. Make flags. Sing patriotic songs. Do a fireworks craft. Maybe make some day trips around our state to our favorite places. Rent “An American Tail,” “This is America, Charlie Brown” or “All Aboard America.” (Read A Is For America; America: A Patriotic Primer; America Is; The Scrambled States of America; America the Beautiful; Good Night America)

July 11: World Traveler. Each day, we'll focus on a different country and have a passport stamped each day and a little cardboard suitcase that we'll make covered in stickers featuring different locations. We can pretend to take a trip by airplane, train and cruise ship, make simple paper costume props, listen to foreign music, do coloring pages, etc. Maybe have an “It’s a Small World” party. (Read Country by Country Guide: Our World; A World of Wonders; Travels of the Zephyr)

July 18: Out on the Ranch. We'll try to visit a farm. Dress up like cowboys. Pretend a water park is an ol’ watering hole. Go to the local children's art musuem. Make and ride hobby horses. (Read Charlie the Ranch Dog; The Cow Loves Cookies; Good Night Cowboy; Cowboy Small)

July 25: Car Racing. We'll try to visit a local speeday. Have a racing playdate. Dress up as race car drivers. Go see Cars 2. Have kids draw pictures of cars. Make a racing flag. Make a cardboard car. (Read R Is For Race; World’s Fastest Cars; Hot Rod Hamster; Little Racing Car)

August 1: Train Depot. Visit local hobby store that has fun train layouts. Visit local railway museum. Do the Thomas & Friends magazine “really useful engine” checklist through the week (where kids try to accomplish a helpful goal each day). Have a train party at our house. Ride the local commuter train with friends. (Read Shark Vs. Train; The Goodnight Train; honestly, we already have lots of train books)

August 8: Treasure Sailors (aka pirates that don’t pillage). X marks the spot, and we need to find the treasure. I'll plan a treasure hunt from place to place where the kids will find new treasure maps at each stop. That will lead us to the beach, where they will discover cute little cardboard treasure chests with coins or other treasure. Do a message in a bottle. Visit a marina and take a ride on a real boat. Make a cardboard ship. Dress up like a pirate/sailor/treasure hunter. (Read Shiver Me Letters; Do Pirates Take Baths?; The Great Pirate Activity Book; Pirate’s Activity Book; On A Pirate Ship; Pirates Don’t Change Diapers; Minton Goes Sailing; Hugo the Lifesaving Sailor)

August 15: Wildlife Rescuers. Some schools start this week. We can learn about our favorite wildlife. Visit our local wildlife rehabilitation place, which has a visitor center. Watch wildlife DVDs. (Read Rescue! Bindi Wildlife Adventures; The Animal Rescue Club; Baby Owl’s Rescue; Dolphins on the Sand; How To Heal A Broken Wing; Diego books)

In addition to the themed activities, I plan on working with my preschooler on his handwriting and other preschool skills. You can get skills workbooks at bookstores and even dollar stores.

Also, at the beginning of the summer, the kids will make a paper bag album. Each week, I'll let them pick their favorite photo of what we did, and they can paste the print into their albums. Then by the end of the summer, they will have a book they made about what they did all summer.

This is going to be a fun summer, and those 10 weeks are going to fly by!

South Florida summer camps

The heat index is now well into the 90s, so you know summer has arrived in South Florida. And summer for parents means considering summer camp. If you're looking for a summer camp for your children, check out the ultimate summer camp guide at SouthFlorida.com. You can do a detailed search and even watch videos on choosing a camp. Then this summer, the Morning Show will be broadcasting live at summer camps! Check out the show Wednesdays from 5-9 a.m. on Channel 39/Comcast 11.