The buzz of summer vacation is here! A favourite time of year for many kiddos, summer is revered as the perfect time to explore, create, be social and spontaneous. It’s also full of opportunities to keep learning!
HomeLearners Network (HLN) guides are passionate educators dedicated to helping kids discover new passions and build new skills. They also create inclusive spaces for home learners to meet friends and make connections! Our guides have been working hard to create a ton of incredible activities designed to keep your young adventurer engaged throughout the holiday.
“We curate learning experiences that weave in multiple subjects and are designed to spark creativity and connection,” says Tanya Baker, an HLN guide. “This lends itself to an immersive, rich experience, with oodles of hands-on engagement!”
Tanya says summer activities at HLN range from one-hour singles to five-session summer camps, and plenty are perfect for filling up family downtime. “HLN activities keep kids seamlessly learning through the summer months, and we even have some activities that are perfect during family road trips.”
For example, in Journal Buddies with Alecyn, kids will craft and decorate a special journal they can bring along to capture thoughts, art and writing. Art Explosion with April will have your kids create colourful and expressive artwork using paper and markers! Or they can learn how to hand-bind a nifty Nature Sketchbook with Amber, sew an adorable Sock Monkey with Heather, and bring these skills on the go.
“We are also running a Mad Libs activity where kids can create funny fill-in-the-blank stories while travelling, and a Friendship Bracelets activity where kids can continue applying techniques to make unique patterned bracelets even after the activity ends,” says Tanya.
Keep reading for a list of activities that incorporate arts and crafts and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) learning, encouraging skills like critical, creative and reflective thinking!
Adventures in arts and crafts
🗿Claymation Camp with Alecyn:
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- July 2-4
Kids ages 7-12 will have a blast creating their own claymation movie. They’ll craft clay characters, build dioramas, explore lighting and photography concepts, and use digital software to bring their stories to life.
📕 Stickerbook Camp with Amber:
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- July 2-4
Kids ages 8-10 will learn to make handmade stickers using paper, wax paper and other standard art supplies. Then, they’ll learn to bind a book to keep their collection together.
✍️ Nature Sketchbook with Amber:
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- July 23-25
Kids will learn loads of creative skills in this activity, which is perfect for ages 8-10. Check out new sketching, watercolour and observational drawing techniques, combine poetry and mixed media to explore themes of land stewardship, sanctuary, and ecology. Kids will keep all of their work in a handmade sketchbook!
🧸 Felting Friends Camp with Heather:
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- July 23-25
Kids ages 8-13 will learn the fundamentals of needle felting, including safety and shaping techniques, to create charming animals. They’ll use fibres to interpret the theme of “flowers, fruit, and friends” to create a felted scene.
Exploring the magic of STEAM
🦋 Metazooa + Metaflora Camp with Heather:
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- July 23-25
- August 13-15
Kids ages 9-13 who are confident in their plant and animal knowledge will put their skills to the test in this group challenge! Explore taxonomy, use research to uncover clues, and collaboratively identify secret plants and animals.
🧑🏽💻 Coding Camp with Augusta:
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- July 22-25
- August 26-29
Perfect for kids ages 8-11, this activity will help kids master the fundamentals of coding using the Scratch learning platform. They’ll tackle a new weekly challenge to make their characters move or perform particular tasks.
🔬 Building Science Creations with August:
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- July 10-12
- July 29-31
Kids ages 8-12 will innovate and construct three scientific inventions:
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- A robotic hand
- A seismograph for measuring earthquakes
- An anemometer for gauging wind flow
They’ll use their robotic hand to pick up objects around the house without touching them, simulate earthquakes and measure their magnitude with the seismograph, and take the anemometer outside to watch it spin in the wind!
▶️ And browse all of our activities here!
