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I don’t recall ever hearing about “core memories” when I was growing up but I sure do have some amazing core memories centered primarily around family vacations. I’m a big supporter of the take-the-trip mentality but also a firm believer that it doesn’t have to be expensive to be amazing.
My favorite example of this is our Magical Mermaid Camp Beach Trip. It was an ordinary trip made special by a little advanced prep which turned the trip into something my daughter still talks about 5 years later!
Step 1: Make invitations and decorations
Receiving an invitation says, “They thought of me!” Start off by using this FREE PRINTABLE to let your kids know that this is not an ordinary beach vacation but something extra special to look forward to! Hang it up wherever you are staying, even if it’s your own house for a “staycation.”
Step 2: Plan a small daily activity or craft so it qualifies as “camp” around the mermaid theme. The suspense of looking forward to each day’s surprise activity made our trip! I’ve done all the planning for you! Just gather your supplies and go!
- Activity 1: Magical Mermaid Slime
- This is by far our favorite slime recipe! It’s not sticky and turns out perfect every time. All you need is clear glue plus blue food coloring and glitter or you can cheat with this glue. You’ll also need baking soda and saline contact solution like this. Be sure to bring some straws to blow bubbles in the slime!
- Activity 2: Sand Art on the Beach
- Simply grab this sand castle printable and throw your coloring pages and a bottle of glue in your beach bag. When the kids start fighting over sand toys or just need a distraction, have them trace the lines with the glue and then sprinkle sand on the picture. The sand will stick to the glue for some fun art the kiddos will be proud of!
- Activity 3: Mermaid Craft
- Activity 4: Mermaid Craft 2.0
- Activity 5: Foot Print Painting
- Using canvases, paint a beach scene with enough sand on the bottom half for your child’s footprints. This is a great basic paint set for this project. You’ll also need a darker tan for the footprints and maybe some white for waves.
- Activity 6: Keepsake Handprint Craft with Seashells
- This is a great way to end the week and give purpose to the shell treasures gathered through the week.
- Mix a simple sand dough recipe of 2 cups sand, 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/4 cups salt and 1 1/4 cups warm water. Add water slowly as you might not need all of it. Divide into 4 parts and roll into circles on a floured surface. You can put them on a paper plate for easy transport or put them on a cookie sheet if you want to speed dry them in the oven at a low temperature.
- Have children decorate the dough circle with their handprint and shells.
- Once dry, these can be displayed nicely with a frame stand.
- Activity 7: Wooden Boat
- Our sailboats were a lucky find at the not-actually-a Dollar Tree store but this set might actually be cuter!
- Snack Time: Edible Sand Dessert with Gummy Fish
- You can often find seasonal dessert mixes in the summer. We used Jello Creations Dessert Kit Beach Cups that we found at Aldi which had everything we needed besides milk. You can easily make your own using pudding and vanilla wafers too!
- Field Trips Ideas Camp isn’t complete without a little adventure. Check your beach area for what is available.
- Pirate Cruise: We found a company that offers a Pirate Adventure cruise which was so fun and of course ended in finding buried treasure!
- Aquarium
- Waterpark
- Bonus Activity Ideas:
- Whether you are homeschooling or simply want to add in some summer bridge activities, you can find mermaid themed counting and letter games online.
- Watch The Little Mermaid
- Relax with mermaid face masks
Step 3: Have fun and be flexible!
