Beat the boredom this summer by hosting your children at DIY Summer Camp! Sometimes the wallet needs a break from the pain. Enter – DIY summer camp at home! With these fun outings and affordable activities in Orlando, “Mom Camp”, as I’ve come to call it in my house, is going to be a surefire hit with your family.

Summer fun for less is the goal, so let’s dive into what you may need to prepare for a summer camp at home, a general agenda to keep everyone sane, and some great ideas to get the creative juices flowing!

In Case You’re Interested:

>> Super Fun Family Restaurants
>> Cheap Family Fun
>> Orlando Hotels with Waterparks

Even more ideas here: A-to-Z Summer Break in Orlando

DIY Summer Camp Prep

The weekend before your designated summer camp at home, you’ll want to prep some supplies and ideas.

First, make a list (we’ve helped with that below) of activities within your budget that utilize local coupons, make use of passes you already own, and also add in some fun things you used to do as a kid.

Set up and build tents in the living room, blow up inflatable pools, stock up on fun groceries, and grab a few fun crafts to get things rolling. One thing I’ve noticed at summer camps is that they are always bringing home creative crafts, so make sure you’ve got some good ones!

On day one or as part of camp prep, maybe even make tie dye camp tshirts! You can also pick up plain tees and just have the kids “paint” them with fabric markers. Easy peasy.

young girl making homemade lemonade - image by Maria DiCicco — Homemade lemonade – image by Maria DiCicco

Summer Camp Sample Agenda and Costs

This is how I did mine, being a stay at home mom that also has to work and write for a living. This allows for Mom breaks while there is downtime, but plan for a lot of AFK (away from keyboard) time!

Monday

Errands, but make them fun. Go to the post office, do the laundry, do the grocery shopping, etc. These things still need to get done, but front-load them and get the kids involved.

This will be a heavy TV day for the kids. Then pepper in doses of fun like a picnic at the park midday for lunch. Celebrate the first day of DIY Summer Camp with pizza and a board game night. (That’s right, this summer camp goes on from sun up to sun down, parents!).

Estimated cost = FREE

Tuesday

This will be an epic event day, with high costs. It gives the kids an idea that DIY summer camp is fun! Plan for this to be the spendiest day. For my epic day with my daughter, we parked at the AdventHealth garage and took the SunRail up one station to Winter Park. Kids ride free (under age 7) and it was a great time for both of us.

Once you arrive in Winter Park, browse the shops, and stop into the retro candy shop. My daughter loved spending her own money on a whopping 27 cents worth of candy.

Buying candy at Rocket Fizz Winter Park - image by Maria DiCicco — Rocket Fizz Winter Park – image by Maria DiCicco

From there, only about a block further, visit All Fired Up for an expensive but fun painting outing. Paint your own pottery and pick it up in a week. The average item costs around $25 (and includes painting and firing), however, we found pieces as cheap as $14 (for a thumb sized Mermaid) and $20 for a tiny little shot cup. In reality, pieces larger than these not only would have been more expensive, but they would have taken up a lot more time. We spent about an hour or so on our tiny pieces then moved on to lunch!

Winter Park is full of great options for lunch, but we love Japanese food so we shared a bento box at Umi for their lunch special.

Lunch specials are a great way to save money, and frankly – you are still clocking in less than real summer camp prices, so splurge! If you do eat at Umi, scan the QR code at the table and leave them a Google review and they’ll reward you with an awesome sweet treat as a thank you.

Finally, before hopping back on the SunRail home, be sure to visit Winter Park’s history museum. This free museum is a great way to cool off from the summer heat and to enjoy a touch of local history.

Estimated cost = $3.75 for one round trip adult train ticket, $38 for All Fired Up, $30 for lunch, $0.25 for retro candy buys = $72 for the day!

Wednesday

Coupon day. Burn those kids bowl free coupons, go for the cheap movie tickets, utilize passes you already have (Seaworld, Science Center), and other free or cheap things in Orlando.

We went to Aloma Bowl with our kids bowl free coupons and I have my own pair of bowling shoes, so all we had to pay for was $4.26 for my daughter’s cute little size 9 feet.

We got to bowl two games each and it was a perfect way to beat the heat and get away from afternoon rain showers. Bonus: it’s a great cardio activity!

Finish the day with $5 sushi from Publix and a themed dinner in front of the TV (may I suggest Kung Fu Panda, Karate Kid, Over the Moon, Red Panda, and other animated films set in Asia). Have your kiddo decorate the coffee table with origami paper or let them set it however they think is most fun! I have a little interior designer, so she always loves to pick out the plates and set the table (lucky me!).

Estimated cost = Less than $20

Thursday

This is another great day for free and cheap activities in Orlando. Visit the library for organized activities or just poke around the shelves.

Our local library happened to have a fun playdate going on so we joined in for that. Check your local branch for activities during camp prep to plan the best free library event.

Another great perk of visiting the library during the summer months is their generous free lunch program, which offers filling and healthy meals for all children under the age of 18, no questions asked.

Even further, our branch is always offering great crafts, scavenger hunts and activities to keep young minds active. This summer we are even doing their summer reading challenge, where participants get a free book for signing up. If you meet your reading goals of 600 minutes, you get a goody bag and get entered into a grand prize drawing for more great stuff!

It’s easy to spend two hours of your summer fun day at the library!

Optionally, spend part of this day doing some of the at home activities listed below.

Estimated cost = FREE

Friday

Water day! Whether you’re hitting up the backyard kiddie pool or heading to the local splash pad park, this should be a fun activity for the whole family! I recommend a precursor activity to get nice and hot first, like a visit to the playground, riding bikes around the ‘hood, or even planting in the garden.

Estimated cost = FREE

TOTAL COST = LESS THAN $100!