Did you enjoy our animal-themed summer camp? Summer camp can be so expensive, but doing it yourself can be the affordable way to keep the kids entertained — and make some great family memories! But 21 Days of DIY Summer Camp at Home is all done now.
Let’s look back at what happened over the last 3 weeks.
Recap The First Week: Backyard Birds
On Day 2-6 of the 21 Days of DIY Summer Camp, we started with our bird theme of the week. First, we went looking for the birds, with some backyard birdwatching! We made binoculars, created a field guide of all the birds we saw, and we played some fun bird games. Check out All About Backyard Birdwatching here in case you missed it!
Then we fed the birds. Try Feeding the Birds with us by reading the post! Next, we looked at Birds as Pets. Read about our backyard “Angry Birds” game on Day 4 here. On day 5, we tried flying like a bird. Get all the birdy details on Day 5. And day 6 was about what birds actually are. You can grab the games and worksheets from Day 6 here.
Recap The Second Week: Reptilian Fun
On Day 8-13 of the 21 Days of DIY Summer Camp, we moved on to our reptile and amphibian theme of the week. First, we played with slithering snakes, by making our own! We played with bubbles, made bead snakes and paper snakes, and watched some cool videos about snakes. Check out Slithering Snakes here in case you missed it!
Then we navigated with the turtles. Make some baby turtles with us by reading the post! Next we stomped with the dinosaurs. Track down dino fun here. On day 11, we got down and dirty with the alligators and crocodiles. Get the slimy details here. Day 12 let us taste and smell like lizards do, and you can take the temperature of that post here. And finally, we hopped along with froggy fun, because we just couldn’t get enough!
Recap the Third Week: Exotic Animal Fun
On Day 15-19 of the 21 Days of DIY Summer Camp, we traveled around the world playing with exotic (and not-so-exotic) animals on every continent. First we went to the jungle, to play with the lions and monkeys. Check out our roaring-ly gorgeous masks here.
Then we went over to the farm, to milk cows and herd sheep. Can you snort with the pigs too? Next, we played with our pets, and we had to make our own paws just like them. Try puppy chow with us. On day 17, we hopped down under to Australia, to grow coral and watch the boxing kangaroos. Day 18 was a quick trip to South America, to learn about animal adaptations and make some amazingly beautiful butterflies. And finally, we cooled off with a dip in the polar ice — staying warm like the walruses do!
Don’t forget to read this summer!
For every week, we picked a book of the week to read aloud. Here’s our complete list:
- Mr. Popper’s Penguins
- Sticky Beak
- A Wheel on a School
- The Last Egret
- Hiss-s-s-s!
- The missing ‘gator of Gumbo Limbo
- What the Tortoise Told Alice
- Willard Price: Python Adventure *Note: suspenseful!
- The One and Only Ivan
- The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate
- The Last Wild
- Emmaline and the Bunny
Some of these turned into family favorites that my kids will read again. And others are fun titles that we can’t wait to get into later this summer.
We learned so much this summer about animals!
Every day, we learned a bit more about how animals move, life, eat, and sleep. We learned about baby animals and habitats. And we had a ton of fun too!
Did you have a favorite week or activity? We’d love to hear about it!
