Do-it-yourself summer camp

Summer camps offer time to play games, try new things and bond with other campers. But they're also expensive and not feasible for some families.

But many parents have vacation time coming in the summer. Why not use that time off to have a camp experience and bond with your family?

Jodie Lynn, a syndicated parenting columnist who lives in St. Louis, says, "Creating an at-home camp environment is an excellent way to interact with your kids, learn how good their communication skills really are, find out things that they become overwhelmingly interested in, save money, and best of all, create lasting family memories."

Deborah Clemmensen, an Edina-based licensed psychologist, agrees.

"When we send kids to camp, they don't get much actual involvement in what they choose to do," she says. "They don't get that same sense of creativity that comes with planning these activities -- even just to rediscover how much fun it is to play a board game in the back yard, not to just get on a plane or train and go somewhere but to find some local resources and rediscover what a family can do together."

That's what Susan Zimmerling of St. Charles, Mo., did two years ago when she opted for a summer camp at home with her two girls, Sara, then 14, and Corie, then 11, and husband, Tony. Each family member picked what do to on her or his day of camp. For one of her daughters, it meant a day of board games; for another it meant exploring a museum and trails.

The only catch: no cell phones, no texting, no working and no friends over.

But, let's face it, kids become bored quickly, so make your at-home-camp different, educational (without them knowing it, if possible) and exciting. Here are some ideas:

Pick a theme. It can be for the whole week or a new one each day. Consider a Hawaiian luau with water games and playing in the sand. Serve fancy drinks with umbrellas. Learn the hula. Crack a coconut. Or try international day, where you learn about different countries and sample different cuisines.

Check your stress at the door. Organize your camp early so that when the week comes, you are not an unorganized mess. But have fun and don't stick to hard and fast rules.

Try role playing. At some point, let each kid take the reins, even if only for an hour (say, they get to plan what you do for a craft or an outing).

Make a T-shirt. Every good camp begins with a really cool shirt. Buy cheap tees at the dollar store and have kids decorate them with fabric paints or markers. Come up with a name for your camp, and put that and the year on there.

Go on a nature walk. Make a scavenger hunt out of it. Create cards ahead of time with photos (or, especially great for early readers, words) of things they might find on a trail. Have your kids mark off the item once they spot it.

Create a craft. Try to do this every day. It can be as simple as drawing a picture of the day's activities or a little more elaborate like a keepsake box, decorated with everything from stamps and stickers to ticket stubs and photos.

Learn at lunchtime. Kids can learn a lot about following directions, reading and math by working from a recipe. Even if your campers are young, they'll get a kick out of stirring some ingredients together. You could also use this time to introduce new foods to your kids. For example, choose an Indian food day and teach your kids about the spices that go into making those dishes.

Play some sports. Organized games are great. Soccer takes only a ball -- you can make goals out of driveways or garage doors -- and kids of all ages can play. Or try jump rope or hopscotch or four-square. But if you really want to get creative, grab all your sports equipment -- the bats, the nets, the balls, the hockey sticks -- and tell the kids to make up their own game.

Sleep outdoors. For at least one night, consider pitching a tent in your back yard, or even in your basement. Build a fire (if codes allow) or use your patio fire pit, roast marshmallows, play a harmonica and tell ghost stories.

But go on a field trip, too. The zoo, arboretum, museums, farms, science centers, lake and more offer obvious choices for field trips. But also try some places you might not have thought about, such as an animal sanctuary or nature center.

Stage a talent show. It will cap a great week. You could have your kids sneak away and plan one for you, or you could help them put on one for the neighbors. It can be as simple as singing the alphabet or as elaborate as a one-act play. Either way, give them a box of props (old hats, scarves, bags, Halloween costumes), and let their imaginations do the rest.