Veggie Tales
We did this camp during the summer of 2017. Nathan had just switched jobs during this season and had to do a training in Nebraska. Of course, we tagged along and postponed the camps we had lined up for the summer. We don’t usually watch a lot of videos during a road trip, but it was the perfect time to watch plenty of Veggie Tales shows. And, yes, I always sing along, 90’s-child that I am!
This is the one picture from that old post that I feel semi-comfortable sharing. (I have definitely improved on my photography skills over the years!) This bridge was ironically called the “Bob” Bridge.
Day 1: Hand/ foot-print Bob and Larry: You can either trace on construction paper and cut out or dip hands & feet in paint. Hand for Bob and foot for Larry.
Day 2: Veggie play & chopping: This was a last minute, “Who wants to help with dinner?” kind of thing. Super simple, but very fun! The kids spent a bit of time gathering cucumbers and herbs from the garden. After a bit of play and, of course, singing, the kids helped clean and chop the veggies. I used the herbs to make a simple dip with plain Greek yogurt.
Day 3: We read a book about growing pumpkins which had some activities in the back. This was another impromptu activity (I had several planned, but I’m all for those spur-of-the-moment science experiments!) The kids cut celery stalks, making sure they stalks still had leaves. Then, they added food coloring and water to several glasses. A celery stalk went in each glass. Wait several hours, or days…….and observe. And cut open celery. And talk about how water travels through stems.
Day 4: After discussing stems the day before, we took the learning a bit further. We read, Exploring Stems, then talked about the parts of plants. I gave the kids a plate of veggies and asked if they could create a plant based on the proper parts of a plant. (Example: broccoli- flowering bud, celery-stem, spinach-leaves, carrots- roots)
Day 5: Sink or float; fruit and veggie edition! What’s not to love about a sink full of water, kids in the kitchen and fruits and veggies. I used what I had in the fridge. We talked about what we thought would float or sink, then tested it and discussed why each food floated or sunk. Again, this happened around meal time, when we naturally gather in the kitchen!
Most days of the Camp, we watched a Veggie Tales movie and read the corresponding Bible story. We talked briefly about how we could use that story in our own lives. We also read, Syndey and Norman, written by Phil Visher, one of the writers for Veggie Tales.
The whole week was super relaxed and simple. We ended up still being busier than I had planned, so we didn’t get through every activity. Still, we learned a bit, spent focused time together and had fun!
Well that’s all for today, kids. Remember, God loves you and made you very special! Good-bye!!
You can find more great DIY Summer Camp At Home ideas here….
