If my kids had their way, they’d spend all of summer in front of screen. I’m not a fan of that, so I needed some kind of structure to help them get outdoors and learn new things in a fun way. When I looked for summer camps that they’d enjoy, everything was so expensive! So that gave me an idea.
What if I created an outdoor-focused, online summer camp for kids age 3-7 that would actually help families explore outdoors?
What’s in Summer Camp?
So I did! I’m so excited to announce the Mountain Mom and Tots Summer Camp and I hope your family will join me. Here’s what summer camp includes:
- Weekly themes related to the outdoors with daily outdoor activity ideas
- Exclusive read along videos for camp participants
- Coloring pages and printables that kids could complete ON THEIR OWN (giving Mom a 10 minute daily break hopefully)
- Weekly video-led outdoor activities
- A nature journal download for kids
- Book lists related to the weekly topic so you can continue the outdoor exploration during family reading time
- Suggestions for additional family activities related to the topic
- Occasional live video meetups with ME
- An online sharing page so you can post your outdoor explorations to the summer camp community.
The focus of summer camp will be to ACTUALLY EXPLORE OUTDOORS so you can expect easy outdoor activities that require little to no preparation, printables and coloring pages that encourage using natural materials and weekly exclusive read alongs – because reading outside is a joy worth sharing.
Parts of Summer Camp
Mountain Mom and Tots Summer Camp supports learning in these fun ways.
Outdoor Activities
The primary goal of summer camp is to help your family explore outdoors. Each week will offer easy, kid-led, outdoor activities that require little to no prep. These outdoor activities can be as involved as you and your child want them to be. Each week there will be a video-led activity from me that focuses on the weekly theme.
These summer camp activities designed for 3-7 year-olds support early science and engineering learning.
Live Weekly Connection
From June through August my Mountain Mom Monday lives (10 am at facebook.com/mountainmomtots) will focus on the summer camp activities for that week. This live video offers a chance for all summer campers to interact IN REAL TIME with me, ask questions and get excited about that week’s activities.
In addition to weekly facebook lives, summer campers will have access to an exclusive online bulletin board where they can share their nature discoveries with other campers. We want to see how your family completes the summer camp activities!
Read Along Picnic
One of the best parts of summer for me is reading in our hammock. I want to share that love of reading with more families! That’s why each week of summer camp your family will get an exclusive video read along with me.
In addition to a video read along, you’ll get a weekly reading list so you can dive in deeper with that week’s subject. Check out books from your library or buy a few for future reading, take them outdoors and have a weekly reading picnic!
This reading emphasis of summer camp supports literacy skills for young kids.
Nature Journal, Printables and Coloring Page
Exploring outdoors means making new discoveries. With the exclusive nature journal, printables and coloring pages provided in Mountain Mom and Tots Summer Camp, your child can make outdoor discoveries every day.
The nature journal, printables and coloring pages are kid-led and designed for kids to complete with very little help from Mom. They support drawing, writing, observational and science skills.
Nature Collection
The Mountain Mom and Tots Summer Camp encourages kids to engage in the outdoors. One of the best ways to do that is to collect bits of nature for future study. Rocks, sticks, pressed flowers, feathers, seashells and more, can give kids an up close look at how the world outdoors works. We encourage all Summer Campers to have a nature collection according to their parents’ permission. I get it. There are only so many interesting sticks I can stand hiding under my son’s bed.
How Does Summer Camp Work?
The Mountain Mom and Tots Summer Camp is managed through my patreon page. You can sign up at anytime, even if it’s the middle of winter (although the activities may be hard to complete with snow on the ground). Once you sign up, you’ll get instant access to all the weekly packs that I’ve posted, plus you’ll receive weekly emails with the printables and activities for the next 8 weeks.
You may be thinking, “That sounds great, Mountain Mom, but what exactly is patreon?” Well I’ll tell you.
Mountain Mom on Patreon
Patreon is a platform where people can financially support their favorite creators for as little as $1 per month. It offers a place to provide exclusive content all in one place, gives me a chance to connect with my favorite people (that could be you!) and helps fund projects like the Mountain Mom and Tots Summer Camp, and Monthly Outdoor Adventures.
Based on feedback from patrons and members of my FREE Helping Families Explore Outdoors facebook group, I’ll be offering three levels of involvement for Summer Camp through my patreon page.
Summer Camp in my Mailbox (NOT AVAILABLE 2021)
People are busy. That’s why with the Summer Camp in my Mailbox tier on patreon, you can get summer camp printables and supplies mailed directly to you. Receive a package with all of the weekly activity pages so outdoor exploration is as easy as grab-and-go.
In addition to receiving physical copies of printables and some supplies you’ll have access to exclusive videos through my patreon page, be eligible for the monthly outdoor adventure prizes, and receive a monthly essay about outdoor exploration with kids. You’ll also become one of my favorite people.
Summer Camp in my Mailbox is open to residents of US and Canada. It only costs $40 per month for the months you participate. You can cancel anytime.
Summer Camp
The Mountain Mom and Tots Summer Camp staple. In the Summer Camp tier on patreon you’ll receive exclusive videos through the patreon page, and have access to weekly Mountain Mom Monday lives and the digital summer camp sharing page. You’ll also get printables, activities, a nature journal, coloring pages and reading lists as exclusive digital downloads. Just print and enjoy!
You’ll also be eligible for my monthly outdoor adventure prizes, and you’ll get a monthly essay about outdoor exploration with kids. You’ll also become one of my favorite people.
The Summer Camp tier is $20 per month. Cancel anytime.
Creative Partner
As a Creative Partner of Mountain Mom and Tots, $8 per month patrons receive one week’s worth of summer camp content each month. In addition to this, they receive a monthly essay about exploring outdoors with kids and are eligible for monthly outdoor adventure prizes.
Creative partners support Mountain Mom and Tots for just $8 per month and are my favorite people (along with all of my other patrons).
Mountain Mom and Tots Summer Camp
If you have kids that need a little outdoor fun this summer, join the Mountain Mom and Tots Summer Camp now. It’s designed to help your family explore outdoors more.
Still not sure? Check out some sample printables from the Mountain Mom and Tots resources page and see what you think.
Just enter your email in the box below!
I really think the Mountain Mom and Tots Summer Camp will help your family explore outdoors. Sign up today!
See you in the outdoors!
~Mountain Mom