As we mentioned on Friday, our colleague – and awesome mom buddy – Peggy Spear wrote a great story the other day about hosting your own DIY Summer Camp. Such a great idea – and some of these themes would be great for a birthday party too!) So here’s Peggy’s great idea for Day 1, followed by some variations on the theme.

Day 1: Neighborhood Olympics

• Pick a house with a big backyard or proximity to a park.
• Design a poster or mascot. Assemble or create flags from many nations — or they can represent neighborhood streets or local cities.
• Design score cards for judges and have the kids design the medals
• Have a bucket of water bottles and easy-to-grab snacks handy.
• Then let the games begin! Peggy suggests wheelbarrow races, limbo, tug-of-war, basketball free-throws, water balloon toss, whiffle ball, ping-pong, or relay races.
• We’d like to argue for the inclusion of Statues, Shark and Sardines as Backyard Olympic Sports.
• Scholastic.com suggests including a torch run through the neighborhood – love that! And Family Fun Magazine has instructions for making the perfect torch.
• And finally, don’t forget closing ceremonies – a little procession, some glorious awards, perhaps a kazoo concert, and a hot dog cookout.

We’ll share Peggy’s day-tripping day 2 idea on Wednesday, but meanwhile, have you ever done a backyard olympics party? Or backyard summer camp? Share your tips here!