Written by Jessica Grant, former CSC camper and counsellor, and 2021 Float Staff. Jess also joins the Cave team for summer camp preparation this May and June!
It’s been over a year of trying to minimize our contact with others to keep our community safe and healthy, and you may be running out of fun things to do with your kids! But don’t worry, Cave Springs Camp has got your back! Here are 10 fun things you can do as a family, while maintaining physical distance from others to keep everyone healthy.
Geocaching!
Geocaching is a fun way to get your kids out in nature. It is like a treasure hunt, and there are geocaches all over Southern Ontario! Some of them you can bring things to trade for, and others you can sign a logbook signifying that you found it. You can find the geocaching app for free in the app store, or by clicking here. Just remember to put the geocaches back where you found it when you are done. Psst… there’s even a Geocache along the Bruce Trail at Cave Springs – you can get there through the Cave Springs Conservation Area.
Play Freeze Dance
What is one thing that most kids have in common? Their silly and energetic nature of course! One fun thing to do that can help them release a crazy amount of energy is play freeze dance! It is so much fun to turn on the music and release all the built-up energy, and then stop as soon as the music does. It is a great activity for kids and can make for such good memories.
Introduce your kids to Mad Libs
One of my personal favourites as a kid was the wacky game called Mad Libs. Mad Libs are these word games where you add random nouns, verbs and adjectives and it makes a funny story.
I used to laugh so hard at them, and it was a great way for me to learn my word classes. You can download the app for free in the app store, or buy a Mad Libs book online at Indigo. Here’s a sample from the Mad Libs website for you to try out!
Have a family movie night
Another one of my personal favourites as a kid was a family movie night. We would stay up an hour late and pick out a movie and enjoy popcorn as a family. I would always get so excited, and brag to all my friends that we were gonna have a movie night! It was something small, but as a kid it meant the whole world! So break out the popcorn and Netflix and enjoy it!
Go on a Nature walk!
Nature walks are great things to do right now, you can never get enough Vitamin D! Living near the escarpment means that there is so much nature around us, which is perfect for a nature walk! There are so many trails that you can find with a simple google search, and you can even find them at both low and high intensity. Perfect for the family!
Dust off the old board games!
Board games can be so much fun, and yet are overlooked when looking for something to do! Many of us have tons of board games stashed away somewhere in the house, and if you don’t, then it’s the perfect time to make your own using cardboard and markers! The kids will be overjoyed and it will be a fun afternoon well spent.
Build the world’s best blanket fort (and if you’re willing- camp in it!)
Another crazy memory from my childhood was building super intense blanket forts with my siblings and cousins. We would tip over the couch and connect them to chairs and hang blankets off of them, and then have popcorn and a movie night before camping out in them. This created so many fun memories and I encourage you to try it as a family! The kids will find it so cool, and have so much fun! You will spend the evening making great laughs and memories.
Bake Maggie and Chad’s Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies!
In the spring of 2017 two of our former staff, Maggie and Chad, spent two months trying to create the most perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. In March of 2021, their secret recipe was leaked on our blog!! Their final recipe was easily the best cookie recipe I have ever tasted, and it is the recipe we currently use to make our cookies at camp!
Go on a picnic (and bring the cookies!)
It is never a bad time to get outdoors and enjoy a picnic (unless it is raining of course!) What is better than sitting on a blanket in the grass and enjoying a sandwich in the sunshine with your loved ones? You can do it in your backyard, a local park, or even on a hike! Just don’t forget to bring the cookies!
The floor is lava!
Lastly, I introduce to you a classic childhood and family game! The Floor is Lava! All you need for this is items you can put on the ground to walk or crawl across, while pretending that everything else around you is lava! Feel free to put on some action music to make the game as fun and intense as you can! It’s the perfect game for a rainy day spent inside!
