Our Very First Grammie Camp

 

A good friend of mine has done a week-long, overnight "Camp Mimi and Papa" with her grandchildren for years, and I have long dreamed of doing the same with my own grandkids someday. 

Well, this past summer I did it!  I joined forces with my friend Chris, and her 4 yr old grandson and 2 yr old granddaughter joined my 3 yr old grandson for our very first "Grammie Camp"!    Since the kids were so little and this was our first GC venture, we decided to start with just 4 mornings from 9:30am-12:30pm.  

The first two days were in Chris's backyard and the second two days were at my house.  Together we decided on a theme for each day, and then each planned the activities for when we hosted.  Chris did the 7 Days of Creation and Plants/Garden, and my themes were Animals and Oceans.  This gave us a direction for crafts, stories, snacks, etc, but they weren't actually that important. 

Each morning started with free play time in the yard with bubbles, chalk, sand, swings, balls, and other yard toys.  Then we had Circle Time on a blanket or inside (it was scorching hot in July!) for songs and a story, followed by Snack that the grammies prepared, then Crafts, directed play, lunch brought from home, and Water Play in the wading pool and sprinkler! 

To say this was a hit would be a gross understatement, and the kids have talked about it ever since.  So much so, that we decided to do a Spring Break Grammie Camp in March!

Here are pictures from our very first Grammie Camp, July 2023