We decided to have a Cousin Camp, now that the cousins are getting older. There are six little boys between the ages of 4 and 7 on my side of the family. We thought Bigfoot would be the perfect theme! It was so much fun! It was more like a Bigfoot Party, but that's just how we wanted it! We figured out what worked best for us, and I complied a cousin camp tip list. Hopefully it will help you if you are planning your first cousin camp!
TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL COUSIN CAMP
1) MAKE SURE THE FAMILY IS ON BOARD & WILLING TO HELP
Help, is key with these kinds of activities. It's way too much work for one person to do it alone.
Talk to grandparents, and adult family members and make sure they are willing to help, and happy to have the kids involved.
2) CHOOSE YOUR THEME
Take into consideration the ages and interests of all the cousins involved.
We decided on Bigfoot because we have so many little boys in the family, and thought they were at the perfect age for Bigfoot fun!
If you have a big age difference with your cousins, you may consider having two camps, a cousin camp for younger kids, and an activity for the older kids on a different day. We have three older cousins, and none of them were interested in coming, so they just came to parts of the Cousin Camp.
Gear your activities to the ages involved.
3) DECIDE ON AND DIVIDE THE ACTIVITIES
Decide who will be in charge of games, activities and food.
Make an outline of activities and put them in the order that works best for the time you have allotted for Cousin Camp.
My mom, sister-in-laws and I did this, and it really helped us as we prepared and it helped us stay focused on the day of cousin camp.
Each of us were in charge of 3-5 activities. I have a brother who couldn't make it, but his kids came, and we asked him to pick up food for Cousin Camp lunch. He dropped it off to me the night before. It worked out great!
We staggered out outdoor and indoor activities, so no one got too hot. We would do an active outdoor activity, followed by a craft or calm game.
4) DECIDE ON YOUR LOCATION
You can have it in a home or at a park, or another venue. You can get creative. You might not even have it in a home, and go somewhere together as a group. That's up to you!
I offered to host, because one of the activities involved going outside to look for signs of Bigfoot, and I have a field behind my house, that was perfect for the hunt.
5) SET YOUR EXPECTATIONS
There may be some disagreements, crying, or kids that need a break. That's okay. Schedule breaks, and some time for the kids to just run around, if you think you'll need it. We did, and it was nice to get a break for the mom's too, haha.
I hope this helps, and wish you luck planning your own cousin camp. Ours was such a success that we plan to have it every summer, and possibly more often. We are already talking themes. At the end of the day, one cousin said it was, "the best day of his life," another said it was, "better than Christmas," and another said it was, "the most fun thing he had ever done!"
Be sure and check back for details of the fun, food, crafts, games and activities.
Thanks for stopping by!
Have a Happy and Creative Day!
Risa