No more “I don’t know what to do”! Discover how to plan summer camp activities at home or with a group of kids. Start a science summer camp club or have fun in the backyard! Over 100 fun activities for a fantastic summer camp are done for you.
Hands-On Summer Camp Activities
Summer can be a busy time, so we haven’t added any projects that require a significant amount of time or preparation to complete. Most of these summer camp activities can be done easily on a budget, with variations, reflection, and questions that extend the activity as time allows. Perfect for science clubs or camp activities!
💡Grab the Ultimate Science Camp Week Bundle [here] for a complete, printable resource you can use year-round. Perfect for school vacations too.
Best Summer Camp Activities
Click on the links below to learn more about each of these fun summer science camp themes and grab the free camp guide for each one.
Art Camp Activities
Art camp is a great deal of fun for kids of all ages! Create and learn with a week of colorful, sometimes messy, and unexpected, totally doable art activities.
Create summer popsicle art and ice cream art. Enjoy art inspired by famous artists with Frida Kahlo’s portrait and Pollock fish art project. Create a painting with a water pistol or nature’s paint brushes. Paint by blowing bubbles or with a fly swatter. Yes, really! Kids will love it!
Click here for… Summer Art Camp
LEGO Camp Activities
Bricks Summer Camp activities will be the highlight of your LEGO enthusiast’s summer! These fun science activities using building blocks are a great way to learn.
Build a marble run and then test it to see how it works. Use those bricks to build a dam, a zip line, and even a catapult. Make a balloon car that moves and combines a fun, fizzing chemical reaction and bricks to build a volcano.
Click here for… Bricks Summer Camp
Chemistry Camp Activities
Chemistry Summer Camp is an excellent opportunity for kids of all ages to explore chemical reactions and more.
These simple chemistry experiments will encourage the development of problem-solving and observational skills. Even the youngest of kids can enjoy a simple science experiment.
Blow up a balloon with a fun fizzing chemical reaction. Find out what happens when you add vinegar to milk. Make an erupting acid lemon volcano and more.
Click here for… Chemistry Summer Camp
Cooking Science Camp Activities
Cooking Summer Camp activities with a science theme. Did you know cooking is filled with way more science than you’d expect? Forget the cupcakes; kids will love these easy science activities they can eat!
Make colorful candy geodes and even an edible rock cycle. Bake bread in a bag and top it with homemade butter in a jar. Enjoy chilly ice cream in a bag, perfect for summer and more.
Click here for… Cooking Summer Camp
Dinosaur Camp Activities
These Dinosaur Summer Camp activities will take your kids back in time to when dinosaurs roamed the Earth! Kids of all ages will have a blast playing and learning with these dinosaur-themed science activities!
Play with fizzy dino eggs, go on a dino dig, make salt dough fossils, hatch frozen dinosaur eggs, and much more.
Click here for… Dinosaur Summer Camp
Nature Camp Activities
These Nature Summer Camp activities are fun for kids to get outdoors and explore. There are so many beautiful things to observe and learn from in our backyards.
Create a bird feeder to attract birds, build a bug hotel, or embark on a nature scavenger hunt. Collect some leaves and learn about respiration, and more.
Click here for… Nature Summer Camp
Ocean Camp Activities
Lots of us go to the beach for the summer, but what if we brought the ocean to you? This week of ocean-themed activities makes for a fun Summer Camp for kids!
Set up a beach erosion demonstration. Find out what happens to shells when the ocean becomes acidic. Create the layers of the ocean, explore how whales stay warm in very cold water, learn about glowing jellyfish and more.
Click here for… Ocean Summer Camp
Physics Camp Activities
This summer, introduce your science fans to physics with these physics-themed summer camp activities.
While physics may seem difficult, many scientific principles in physics are part of our everyday experience from a young age!
Make an air vortex cannon, play music with a water xylophone, and build a windmill. Experiment with a floating boat, a rising candle in water, and more.
Click here for… Physics Summer Camp
Sensory Camp Activities
We love sensory activities! Sensory play helps kids learn through their senses, touch, sight, smell, taste, and hearing, in ways they may not have experienced before.
Play with Magic Mud! Create with strawberry playdough, sparkly fairy dough, or a taste-safe Kool-Aid playdough. Get a bit messy and wet with soap foam. Get little hands playing with kinetic sand, sand foam, and more.
Click here for… Sensory Summer Camp
Slime Summer Camp Activities
Slime Summer Camp is going to make summer for your kids one to remember! Kids LOVE slime, and they’ll be slime experts by the end of these summer camp activities. Additionally, making slime is one of our all-time favorite science activities!
We’ve spent years perfecting our slime recipes and will teach you how to make and have fun with all types of slime this summer.
Enjoy light and fluffy cloud slime. Try smooth as butter slime. Add one special ingredient to crunchy slime. Play with chalkboard slime, magnetic slime and more.
Space Camp Activities
These Space Summer Camp activities will take your kids on an out-of-this-world adventure! Obviously, we can’t travel to space. The next best step to a hands-on learning experience with space is these science and art space theme projects.
Make edible Oreo moon phases. Enjoy a fizzy moon STEAM project. Learn about the constellations you can see in the night sky. Test your engineering skills while you build a space shuttle and a satellite, and more.
Click here for… Space Summer Camp
STEM Summer Camp
STEM activities are a great way to spend time with kids during the summer! Projects don’t have to be big, detailed, or extravagant for them to present learning opportunities that stick with kids as they learn and grow.
These STEM summer camp activities include engineering projects, science experiments, and STEM challenges. Make a catapult, build a marble roller coaster, and blow up a balloon with a chemical reaction. Take the spaghetti tower challenge, the strong bridges challenge, and more.
Water Science Camp
What’s more fun in summer than learning and playing with water? The Water Science Summer Camp is a great way to explore science and have fun with various water experiments.
Investigate melting ice, test out what dissolves in water, watch water walk, take the penny lab challenge, and more.
Click here for… Water Science Summer Camp
Quick Tips for Setting Up A Summer Science Camp
Summer is the perfect time to spark your kids’ curiosity and explore fun science activities. If you’re ready to embark on a summer science adventure, our free camp themes are here to help! Here are some quick tips for setting up your science camp weeks and maximizing the educational experience.
Plan Ahead
Start by downloading your weekly themes and reviewing the materials list. Gathering all supplies in advance will save you from last-minute trips to the store and ensure you have everything you need to keep the activities running smoothly.
Create a Schedule
Outline a daily schedule that includes start and end times for your camp sessions. Mixing hands-on experiments, outdoor exploration, and breaks will keep the kids engaged and excited throughout the day.
Organize Your Space
Designate a specific area in your home or backyard for science activities. Ensure the space has easy-to-clean surfaces and set up different stations for various experiments to manage space and resources efficiently.
Safety First
Safety is crucial when conducting science experiments. Ensure all safety gear, such as gloves and goggles, is available and used correctly. Clearly explain safety rules before starting any activity to ensure everyone understands how to stay safe.
Get the Kids Involved
To boost the kids’ enthusiasm and curiosity, involve them in setting up the experiments. Encourage them to ask questions, make predictions, and actively participate in the scientific process.
Document the Fun
Capture the magic of your science camp by taking pictures and videos of the experiments. Create a camp journal or scrapbook to track progress and memories, giving the kids something to look back on and be proud of.
Stay Flexible
Be prepared to adapt activities based on the kids’ interests and attention spans. Having a few backup activities ready can save the day if something doesn’t go as planned.
Encourage Exploration 🔍
Prompt the kids to consider the “why” and “how” behind each experiment. Foster a sense of wonder and discovery through open-ended questions and discussions, enabling them to explore concepts in depth.
Printable Ultimate Science Camp Bundle
What’s inside our complete Science Camp?
💡 6 Full Days of “Done for You” Science and 12 Mini Weeks! Keep the fun moving along with a daily schedule of activities!
Themes include:
- In the Kitchen
- Take It Outside
- Real Reactions
- Physics Fun
- Candy Lab
- Special Bonus!
Each day includes the following with full instructions and pictures:
- Science Snacks: Make a snack using science that you can eat!
- Science Games: Try biology bingo, matter mazes, and more!
- 3 Science Experiments: Includes full instructions, pictures, and YouTube video links where applicable!
- STEM Challenges: Simple challenges for all ages to work on together!
- Science Toys: Homemade toys for playing with science!
- STEAM Projects: Art and science combined!
- Supplies List: Know what you need to get ahead of time!
BONUS: What else will you get in your Summer Science Camp?
- DIY Summer Science Camp Template (design even more science weeks)
- BONUS CAMPS: 12 Mini Camp Weeks for extra themes!
- Boredom Buster STEM Pack with EXTRA STEM challenges
