The Tutor House: Lil' Baker Summer Day Camp

It's done! After many hours of testing each recipe and being on the brink of giving up, I finally hunkered down and finished my Lil' Baker Summer Day Camp. This camp is awesome. Each recipe is tried and true. I wanted recipes that anyone could do! I went through a lot of recipes and at one point, I thought this project was out to get me...but then I had a break through.

Who is Lil' Summer Day Camp Made For?

Just about anyone! I started doing my own summer day camps last summer and had a blast. The best part was being able to do them with my kids. There is something special about setting a time and place to make magic happen. Lil' Summer Day Camp could be just that for your family. I also kept those in mind that want to run their own day camps, but don't want to spend hours of planning to get an amazing and memorable camp experience. Read more about starting your own day camp here.

What's Inside?

I included 5 days of lesson plans for you to create and explore baking with a science perspective. Each camp day is allotted about 2 1/2 hours of time. The recipes all fit with in that time frame, given that the kids don't get too crazy on you!

Here's a sampling of what recipes and science you'll get:

Style your own apron and hat
No-Bake Cookies
The Science Behind Cookies
Cake From Scratch
Measurement Games
Freezer Jam
Homemade Butter
How Yeast Works
90 Minute Bread

If you want to use the day camp as part of a real day camp setting, I included a super helpful estimation sheet to help you decide the cost of each day camper attending. You can pick up a copy of Lil' Summer Day Camp for $10! That's cheaper than taking your kids to the movies and this camp will build lasting memories too. If you buy this for business, include the price of this into your day camp fee.

Rave Review from Lauren of Literacy Mom of 3, "Oh, my goodness, this packet is incredible! You have included so many content areas into this plan with such fun activities."

A Peek Inside

I will share with you one of the fun activities that you get to do in this summer day camp. Homemade Butter! I asked my kids where butter came from and surprisingly, they actually knew cows were involved. I was expecting them to just tell me, "the store".

The ingredients for butter are simple, heavy whipping cream and a little salt. We used Ziploc containers that hold about 4 oz of cream. Fill the container about 2/3 of the way full and drop in a clean marble. Why a marble? This helps as they are shaking the container to hear when to stop.

Snap the lid on and tell them to get shaking! My kids were such wimps, after 5 minutes they were worn out. It takes about 25 minutes to make butter. Check out the pics to see each little step of the process. You'll love my technical terms!

Please share on your favorite social media outlet with others that liked this post as much as you! I appreciate you coming by today.

3 of you have a chance to win a copy of this summer day camp right now! Starting today, leave me a comment (with your email address) on this blog post telling me your favorite kitchen memory as a kid. I will pick a winner at random on Monday, June 10 2013 at 11:00 PM MST. Winners will be notified by email and given 3 days to reply before another winner is chosen.

13 comments:

Wendy BlairJune 4, 2013 at 4:47 PM
Hope this is the right place. Absolutely shattered! My favourite memory of cooking as a kid was back in the 60s when my Mum used to have a day every week when she baked all sorts of goodies - cakes, sausage rolls, scones. I was always given a bit of the dough to roll out and cook. I used to play with it until it went a bit grey looking before it went in the oven with the other bits. My Dad always ate my offerings though :o)
brookend@sky.com
kristenJune 4, 2013 at 4:50 PM
This looks awesome! I always begged to make short bread cookies then ate half the dough before it was cooked!!
UnknownJune 4, 2013 at 5:56 PM
This looks great! I would love to try a summer day camp in the future! My favorite childhood cooking memory is of baking bread alongside my great-grandma. She was an amazing cook who made everything from scratch, but bread was her specialty, along with pies and kraut buns. I remember learning to knead the dough and let it rest and being in awe at all the things she could make that we bought at the store.
lizyilk@gmail.com
debraJune 4, 2013 at 6:12 PM
My favorite kitchen memory is making cookies with my sister. We made chocolate chip cookies and after the first few batches were done and our tummies were full, we never really wanted to finish making the other batches!

Love the idea of a summer baker day camp!
Julia@June 4, 2013 at 6:42 PM
My favorite kitchen memory would be helping my only Grandmother in the kitchen as a child. I'm sure I was only helpful in making a mess, but as her only Granddaughter, it never seemed to matter. Although she's gone, I still have the handwritten copy of her Chocolate Marble Cake she made for us as birthday cakes. Divine! What a wonderful way to honor her at a Baking Summer Camp to serve it.
UnknownJune 4, 2013 at 9:45 PM
I remember a crazy aunt of mine cooking Thanksgiving dinner. That morning, she had placed the turkey in a pillow case with about 17 pounds of butter..seriously, there must have been 17 pounds of butter in that random pillow case. I'll never forget my sisters and I shocked that she was allowed to put bedding in the oven and we weren't even allowed to use an easy-bake without a parent over our shoulders.
To this day, I still have never met another person that uses this technique to make their bird!
greg.king87@gmail.com!
UnknownJune 5, 2013 at 4:46 AM
I was blessed as a child to be in the kitchen all the time helping my mom. We would cook, bake and create together all the time. We use to snitch cookie dough when she was not looking. In the Fall we would can vegetables. I am thankful she had me help her as I can in th Fall and remember the times we would can bushes of tomatoes and other foods.
Debbie81992@gmail.com
KimJune 5, 2013 at 5:43 AM
One of my favorite kitchen memories would be learning to make a roux and being old enough and tall enough to stir it with a wooden spoon. Most of my favorite recipes begin with "First you make a roux". Priceless.
Bare Sock Studio June 5, 2013 at 5:09 PM
Your blog is great! I homeschool my son , so your ideas are really usefull.
My favorite cooking memory is of my brother and I helping my Mom make flour or corn tortillas. It was so much fun! It was like playing with play dough, then the smell of the tortillas and eating them fresh was just the perfect ending.
AnonymousJune 7, 2013 at 5:51 PM
Love the idea! I've always loved to cook and bake. My first "recipe" I followed myself was for Kraft Mac and cheese. I helped my mom bake homemade pies and lots more. Jsmcswain@Aol.com
AnonymousJune 8, 2013 at 5:22 PM
You've got some great stuff on here! I'm a preschool teacher and this year I'm doing a little chef summer camp. My favorite kitchen memory is cooking with my Dad. He was ill my whole childhood and passed away when I was nine. He was an excellent cook and he would have me put the recipes together while he directed me from his seat (he couldn't get around very well). I think that's why I love to cook and bake now.
Leslie (lesking3870@gmail.com)
Welcome to our nestJune 9, 2013 at 10:30 PM
What a great giveaway! I can remember helping my mom make her chocolate chip cookies and also "helping" with her homemade apple pie by eating the apple peels! (moandchrissy@yahoo.com)
AnonymousJune 10, 2013 at 12:08 AM
Whoopee, awesome idea and would love to see the full curriculum! My favorite kitchen memory, believe it or not, was cleaning up. As much as I loved to bake, my mother was always hesitant to trust me in her kitchen because I was a messy kid in general, and I just got such an empowering boost out of proving her wrong! LOL. A couple of things put away, a damp paper towel over the surfaces, wash down the mixer, and I felt so proud to see everything sparkle.