Mama's Summer Adventure Camp - Our Summer Schedule

School is officially out for the summer, and I'll be honest, it is Oh-So-Tempting to send my son to Summer Day Camp.  There's literally hundreds to choose from in our area.  Problem is that I don't see a point in paying so much money to send him to a place to run around in the sweltering sun all day when I can provide him an enriching and fun summer of adventures myself. 

So, this year I am instituting "Mama's Summer Adventure Camp!"  I took out a calendar and sat down with the Internet to discover what awesome and CHEAP/FREE activities there are to do in my area.  I was surprised at how much I found!  In fact, I filled the calendar with a daily activity clear through to September! 

Here's a sampling of our July Adventure Schedule:

July 4th - March in Community Parade, Picnic
July 5th - Wildlife Ambassadors, Free Event
July 6th - Nature Hike & Picnic @ Lake Needwood
July 7th - Community Pool
July 10th - Nature Hike & Picnic @ Black Hills Park
July 11th - Unicycle Lady, Free Event
July 12th - Pick Your Own Blueberries, Make Jam ($25)
July 13th - Community Pool
July 18th - Catoctin Wildlife Zoo ($27)
July 19th - Magic Show, Free Event
July 20th - Visit A Different Community's Playground
July 21st - Community Pool
July 22nd - Shakespeare in the Park, Free Event
July 25th - Miniature Train Ride & Playground @ Cabin John ($5)
July 26th - Song Imagineer, Free Event
July 27th - Adventure Park, Frederick ($40)
July 28th - Community Pool

I took care to only schedule one "Adventure" per day - mostly in the mornings when it's cooler outside. The afternoons will be spent by the kiddie pool in our backyard, with a movie, doing some summer homework, cooking with Mama, or playing a game.  Summer should be for relaxing, too!

As you can see from our schedule, we will be taking advantage of the great, free Parks & Recreation we have locally, as well as many of our Community Sponsored Events. Of course, not everything is free, but I'll only be spending $97.00 for the month of July on activities.  Let's compare that to Summer Day Camp and see what we'll save:

The Fake-It Yourself Breakdown:

"Mama's Summer Adventure Camp" ($100/Month)

Total Fake-It Cost: $300/10 Weeks of Summer "Camp"

Bar-T Camp (most economical in my area) ($305/week, plus $250 registration fee)

Total Fake-It Savings:  $3,000.00