Grandma’s Camp Book
Chances are our grandma is more fun than your grandma! Okay, she’s not my grandma, but she is my mom, which makes my boys super lucky because she is their grandma. A few years ago she started Grandma’s Camp, and it is now the most talked about–most anticipated event of summer (I think after this year she’s starting to wonder what she’s got herself into!)
To announce the theme and dates for Grandma’s Camp she mails each family a book to read. And then on the designated day we hand the kids over to Grandma for days of fun! She keeps them for 3-4 days, including overnight, and has each day packed full of activities and they come home with a special edition Grandma’s Camp shirt. It’s a pretty big deal.
As a little thank you for the great memories my boys have made with Grandma I made her this Grandma’s Camp book that I hope turns from a scrapbook into a year book that the kids will sign as they get older. And I made each kid a mini version they can take to grandma’s camp with them every year too! Maybe we can convince Grandma to write special notes in each of their books.
To get started all I did was print the pages off on double sided matte photo paper (my favorite!) and used the Cinch to bind it together. The cover pages were Mod Podged onto chipboard.
Have you ever had a curling problem when using Mod Podge? I learned a trick in a class I took from Poppyseed Projects. They were talking about wood and paint, but it works the same with Mod Podge and paper. Ready for it?
Apply Mod Podge to both sides, even if you only need it on 1 side.
That’s it. The paper on the right has only been Mod Podged on the back and the paper on the left has it on both sides. See what a difference it makes? So I Mod Podged both sides of the chipboard and the end result is a flat cover–no warping!
The pages were made in Photoshop and all the products were from Crystal’s Sept 2009 collection. I put lines for the date, theme, and book and other than that left the pages empty for photos, doodling and notes. There are enough pages for 10 years– so Mom there’s no backing out of this now!
Once I had the cover Mod Podged I used The Cinch to put it all together. You may remember The Cinch from Kirsten’s Lucky Charm Notebooks, or Jamie’s inspiration and summer photo journals. I’m not going to show you how it works, but you can check out one of their tutorials for more info!
I asked the grandkids what the camp rules are and these are the ones they all agreed on. Rule #2, must be potty trained is the only reason my 2 year old is potty trained! Being potty trained means you are big enough to go to Grandma’s Camp and he really wanted to go!
The first year it was just 2 grandkids and they caught bugs and went fishing.
Year 2, three kids were able to go to the pirate themed camp!
And this year was a dinosaur theme that 4 grandkids qualified for.
On the back I added part of the bracket so it looks like a wrap around and thought it was a cute touch on the back.
Don’t you think Grandma’s camp is the greatest thing ever! What is the highlight of summer at your house?
Yes, I definitely think Grandma’s Camp is the greatest thing ever. What a wonderful and fun time I’m sure it is for Grandma and the kids. And a bonus: a little rest for Mom! 🙂
This is now at the top of my bucket list. I’m a Nana!!!!! I get to hold Summer Camp for our grands and great-grands. I need to get started TODAY for next summer. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this idea. Thanks so much!
That is such a great idea! And yes, I think you may have one of the best Grandmas (at least in the Camp Department!). Super special memories.
Glad our kids share the same grandma. They’re pretty lucky to have an Aunt Nik too!
I can hardly wait to get the book!
I love this. My mil always had “camp grama” for our boys until last summer. She was diagnosed with leukemia last April so her chemo prevented her from hosting. This summer she’s recovering from her bone marrow transplant, so we hope it starts again next summer. I know both she and the boys miss it terribly. I want to make a book like that for when it restarts. And maybe catch up from years past!
Three years after the last one, Camp Grama is up and running again. Cancer Free and ready to take on Summer!
Where does Grandma get all of her ideas for camp? My mom has been thinking about starting one for her grandkids (aka ~ my children!!) and I think she is a little intimidated because she doesn’t know where to start. Any suggestions?
I would love some ideas for a grandma camp!
Glad my baby shares such an awesome grandma with those cute cousins! Yay for Grandma P!
I just want to know how you get them to do number 6! 😉 Super cute!
Ha! I would like to know how she gets them to pick up too! They said that Grandma set them down at the beginning and has a “rules meeting”–I’m wondering if a rules meeting would work at our house.
Wish I could meet your Mom!! We call ours “Cousins’ Camp” with a different theme each year. Since I have 5 granddaughters who all live away from Mimi and Granddaddy and each other, we wanted them to have a chance to really play and become best friends, something quick holiday visits didn’t offer enough of. The first year was a tea party theme for 3, last year was ‘water’mellon themed for 4, and this year we had a “real” camp theme–Green Acre Camp for Girls (CCIII Week) for all 5 because the 2 year old potty trained herself for Cousins’ Camp, too (she had no idea what it really was but it sounded fun and if everyone else was going she wanted to, too). The girls always make a camp-themed shirt that they wear on our excursions and we have a “Mimi and Me” themed party for all of my friends who have granddaughters. The girls go home with a scrapbook full of pictures of our week–I don’t know who has more fun camp week, Mimi & Granddaddy or the girls. Maybe your mom and I could exchange ideas for next years camp–I’m already planning as I’m sure she is too! Isn’t it fun to be a Grandma!!
Cute! Can you share what fonts you used?
I lOVE this idea!
http://onerowblog.blogspot.com/
I hosted my first Necy Camp last July. My grandkids Caleb and Lucy, both 5 had a blast. Will be adding 3 year old Ellie this year. I would highly recommend Anne Dirks book Granny Camp. She gives lots of theme day ideas and has lots of practical information as well including medical release forms, daily menu ideas rules, etc. It was excellent!
Wow!!! When my children were younger we had “cousins camp” and the cousins still talk about the things we did there. I have 4 grand kids and this is the best idea ever- I feel a new tradition coming on!
Would you be able to share the titles of the books she sends to the kids each year? This is such a fun idea.
I love the camp book! We have 5 grands that have come for a week for 3 summers. Evan at ages 5, 5, 7,7 and 9 years old. They have built a tree house, crow’s nest and a zipline with their PawPaw each year , respectively. We have been crabbing, camping, and taken a Cajun swamp tour in addition to a lot of swimming, outdoor play, making tents, eating favorite meals & laughing! I have the photos so thanks for the inspiration! Now that I am retired, I’ll get busy on that ” MawMawPaPaw Week”scrapbook! I’ve never scrapped on computer; just the traditional way. However, I have a new 27″ Mac, so now is the time!
Hi..I have my 2 granddaughters come to my Camp Grammy for 2 weeks every summer..it includes swim lessons and 2 weeks on the farm…we have daily activites, charts and a book and they love it…they are 11 and 8 and have been coming for four years already..fun times and memories <3
This is my first year of Camp Grandma Cracker (my granddaughter’s nickname for me) for my five year old granddaughter and my grandson (her cousin) who is nine. We have had our camp on most Fridays this summer. We actually have a campsite set up near our woods with an old Boy Scout tent, cots, a lantern, canteens, camp stools – the whole thing. I saw the camp idea in a Martha Stewart magazine about a year ago and knew I had to have it. I honestly think this is more for me than the kids!
We have had a lot of fun and the best part for them is the undivided attention I give them. I don’t even plan to do anything else that day. I need some good ideas for activities around the camp. We will NEVER stay overnight as we have an occasional bear at our bird feeders at night, so we are strictly a day camp. School is starting soon and we will continue into the fall one day a week after school before it gets cold and the tent comes down. Then it will go back up as soon as the snow is gone in the spring. This is for sure the start of a tradition.
Omg!!!! I so wanna do this Mom/Grandma camp for my son & granddaughter!!! this is such a wonderful idea, and the book to go along with it is just priceless!!!