Camp away from camp: a summer at home with the Gurock family

To say I’ve been looking forward to the summer would be putting it mildly. It’s not that I don’t love homeschooling (because I do, I totally do). It’s just that between homeschooling, cooking, and trying to help wherever I can with Magic Beans, I have very little time to myself. And I’m not even talking about leisure time, though that would be nice too. I’m talking about time to do the 1000 projects on my list that keep getting tabled in the whirlwind of day-to-day life.

Summer is the perfect time for projects, since the kids are in camp all day. So I banked on summer throughout the winter and spring, creating mental lists of all the things I was going to do once the days stretched out in front of me, long and free.

I ran into a problem, though, when my youngest informed me he didn’t want to go to camp this summer. He is gearing up to start kindergarten in the fall, and he is really feeling the weight of that transition right now. He’s also slightly resentful that he’s going to school while his sisters get to have school at home. When he proposed “homecamping” as a solution for this summer, I understood where he was coming from, and I agreed to try it. He won’t want to spend his summers with me forever.

So bye-bye to-do list, and hello almost-six-year-old. If you’re looking for us, we’ll be doing arts and crafts, riding bikes, whale watching, fishing, kayaking, swimming, and climbing to the top of the Statue of Liberty. And while I definitely won’t get as much done, I’m looking forward to the summer even more than before.

Want to try homecamping yourself this summer? There’s no formula – it’s about finding activities that match your child’s interest, and enjoying the time you get to spend together. If you’re looking for some tips on a more structured homecamping experience, check out this planning guide!

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