Cheap Summer Camp Planning for Homeschool Co-Ops

Planning a do it yourself Summer Camp Co-op just might be easier than listening to a periodic chorus of “Mom, I’m bored.” Can you think of at least four other families with children the same age as yours? If so, then you have the makings of an awesome do it yourself summer camp.

Planning your Cheap Summer Camp

To begin with, choose a week that’s most convenient for you. If you’re flexible, it will be easier for the other families. If you’re not then you might have to search harder for families whose “available” days coordinate well with yours.

Begin making contact with the other families, making a general list of the days during that week that each family is willing to host the camp. Yours can be a day-camp or an overnight camp. If each of five families agrees to host the camp for a 24 hour period or a one-day period, then each set of parents ends up entirely kid-free for the other four days. Compare the cost of having a bunch of kids over for one day to the cost of sending your child away to camp for a week.

Have a Summer Camp Planning Meeting

Before you have a meeting with the other families, you might want to make an informational piece of paper with a phone directory on one side and the details of your camp calendar on the other.

Your meeting will have two purposes; one is so that all the families can get to know each other. A second purpose of meeting together is to make financial arrangements. A cooperative situation can consist of everyone contributing a few dollars to the host each day, or simply that each family bears the financial burden for the day they sponsor.

Summer Camp Safety Considerations

If your group of children ends up being more than you can provide supervision for, then consider having each adult sign up for a “helping” day at another family’s house. Before your day of summer camp, make sure each child’s parent has signed a medical release and provided you with all of his or her emergency contact information. Have an emergency contingency plan, with backup childcare arrangements and additional help that can be available in a pinch.

Do a safety walk through your home and take care of anything that might be a physical safety or health hazard. Prescription medications should not be accessible, nor should cleaning products or other chemicals. Loose wires and long cords should be secured and your homeowner’s insurance policy should be up-to-date.

If you’re planning to use your swimming pool, consider paying your regular babysitter to lifeguard the event.

Summer Family Fun and Games for Kids

You might want to consider messy fun, like making tie-dyed camp shirts. Sports are fun, and having a schedule of basketball, football, baseball and ping-pong would definitely keep them busy. You could make cool projects, like birdhouses or window box planters. You could enlist the help of a guest speaker or use the time to do a service project, like pulling weeds for a neighbor. Consider water play, like sprinklers or a balloon war.

Whatever activities or fun and games you plan to provide, your DIY summer camp is sure to be a memorable experience. Roasting marshmallows by a campfire, pitching a tent in the backyard, or watching Shrek on the big-screen TV is always more fun with friends. Enjoy finding more ideas for your summer camp ideas.