Camp Grandma, Virtual Camp for Kid Crafters

Master N is back at all-day preschool; Miss T is enrolled in online programs. And grandma is trying to create a virtual summer camp to help out.

With little N having started school, we are distancing ourselves from the grandkids for the next couple of weeks. So Miss T and I connect via FaceTime.

Summer can be long and sometimes boring for a seven-year-old, homebound, without physical day camps or playdates to enjoy this year.

So, I’m formalizing our FaceTime calls by launching Camp Grandma. The ideas will originate from my craft room where Miss T and I would have spent time together making things in the pre-covid world.

Planning Camp Grandma

Camp Grandma won’t start for at least another week. It will be intermittent, to fill the space between the programs Miss T is registered for and her online summer school.

This is the introduction to a series of kid-tested, virtual craft camp activities I’ll be posting from time to time this summer.

If you’d like to try Camp Grandma with your grandchildren, here’s how I’m approaching camp:

• Propose projects that the child can do without parental help so parents gain some free time. Right now, I’m struggling to find a cooking project–preferably dessert–that won’t require an electric mixer, food processor, or stove. (An oven is acceptable because it just requires a parent to put the food in and take the food out.)
• Assess the capabilities of the child. Our paper doll project will require small, sharp scissors. At seven, Miss T has the dexterity to handle such a tool responsibly. Also, select projects that fit the attention span of the child.
• Create kits. First, think through all the materials that will be needed by making a list. Determine which items you will provide and which items parents need to have on hand. Then package each craft kit attractively to stimulate interest.
• Ideally, you should have the same materials as you give the child, so you can demonstrate how to do the project. Also, when you work together on the same project at the same time, you connect wonderfully with the child, even while apart.
• Consider ready-to-craft kits for kids. For example, I found an all-inclusive embroidery kit that we will try so I can teach Miss T a simple back stitch. After she becomes proficient, she might want to learn other stitches.

What’s on the Camp Grandma Program

Here’s what’s on the Camp Grandma schedule at the moment:

• Paper doll and paper doll dress designing from patterned paper swatches.
• Gift tags using cardstock and paper scraps.
• Dessert–possibly a no-bake cheesecake.
• Learning to embroider.
• A hanging room ornament using tissue paper, sequins and other decorative elements.
• Cascarones, confetti-filled eggs.

After we do a project, I’ll post specific instructions on where to source materials, how to package each camper kit, and what your grandchild can learn from the activity.

Other Projects to Incorporate

Here are some other activities that might work for your own Camp Grandma curriculum from our “Call Me Grandma!” archives.

• Pompom cannons are easy and can be “shot” at each other by aiming at the video screen.
• Make puppets from magazine cutouts.
• Fashion people from pipe cleaners.
• Create a book from magazine images.

Stay tuned for more projects as they unfold at Camp Grandma!

.

Don’t forget to sign up for my email newsletter! Every Wednesday, I’ll give you a new idea for an activity or insight to nurture the little ones in your life. Come visit!