An Amazing at Home Summer Camp – Weeklong Butterfly & Bugs Theme

Looking for something for the kids to do while at home?   Planning a DIY at-home summer camp to help prevent that summer slide? There’s plenty of things to find online, but I’ve found my kids are a bit more engaged when there’s a theme to the day.   Whether you just need a day or two of at home play, planning a themed at home summer camp with Bugs and Butterflies, or are throwing a party, try picking one from each category or mix and match – whatever works for you!

WHAT TO WATCH 

First off, there’s quite a few movies and videos out there for kids ).  We tried to show them a few that were a bit older or not as well known to give them that ‘new’ or ‘wow’ factor.   Here are a few that grabbed my kids attention: 

• These were some movies we watched just for fun:
  • The Bee Movie
  • I’m a Creepy Crawly.  There’s a set of short videos on Amazon Prime if you have it.  Each episode focuses on a little critter. 

• With everyone at home during the pandemic, there’s been plenty of people posting videos of books read aloud.  While, this is never a replacement for reading to your child, this did give them a few minutes of entertainment during the day: 
  • Are you a Bee?  (youtube)
  • Bee by Britta Teckentrup: 
  • Backyard Bugs

FOOD CRAFTS / SNACKS

If your kids are like mine, they’ll eat food they prepare for themselves way more readily than if I make them.  Here are a few that were fun and easy for them to put together:

• Fruit Dragonflies. We used apples for the wings and grapes or blueberries for the body. 

• Fruit Caterpillars.  Green grape bodies, melon balled watermelon for the head, and mini chocolate chips for the eyes. 

• The Children’s Museum put out an experience to ‘eat like a bee’, which was extremely fun for our kiddos cause they got to get messy with puffy cheetos!  Take a look here: Real Science Powdery Pollination

• This was another fun experiment from preschoolpowolpackets where kids learned how butterflies eat.  Wh.ile we didn’t’ cut the straws in half, they got the idea: Butterfly Food Sensory Challenge

EDUCATIONAL GAMES (Online and Printable)

If your little kiddos are in the mood for a little bit of learning and fun, try out a few of these online or printable games: 

• Pbslearningmedia has quite a few interactives that are fun and also have an educational quality to it: 
  • Butterfly Life Cycle – this online interactive lets kids explore the butterfly’s life cycle.

READING

It’s no secret that reading helps prevent that summer slide. Some even say this is the most important. Here are a few butterfly & bugs theme: (Books start off for younger crowds and move upward)

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• The Very Clumsy Click Beetle by Eric Carle
• The Grouchy Lady Bug by Eric Carle
• The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle
• My Oh My a Butterfly by Tish Rabe

WRITING & WRITING PROMPTS

Just like reading, writing helps prevent that summer slide by both encouraging their creativity but also their motor skills and penmanship.

If you’ve got a little one, have them trace words related to the theme: Egg, Larva, Chrysalis, Caterpillar, Butterfly, Bee, Dragonfly, etc.

If you’ve got older children, have them write a sentence or two up to a page or two (depending on their age). Encourage them to be creative AND give reasons for why they made certain choices.

• If you were a butterfly, what would you think it would be like to fly?
• What part of the dragonfly life cycle would you think is the most fun? Why?
• If you were a bumble bee, what type of flower would you like to land on and why?

THANK YOU!!!

Thank you for checking out our at home play / summer camp guide! If you enjoyed this article, please let us know what you think in the comments below and/or follow us on Pinterest

Also, if you haven’t already, check out some of our other at home play / summer guides: Frolicking Fox Cubs – At Home Play / Summer Guides.

Happy Planning!