Summer Camp 2026
Daily Operations Kit

Opening Checklist

All three of us in at 8:30. That hour before drop-off is what makes the day calm instead of scrambling.

Date    Theme week    Group tier today (1 / 2 / 3)

The open, minute by minute

Drop-off roles

Assign Kid Greeter & Tabletop in the 8:35 huddle (note it on the prep sheet). Trade off across the week so both counselors learn both.

Closing Checklist

Standard pickup is 2:30. Abigail hands the extended crew to Gianna, then shuts down foam pit, teen loft & cocina (30 min after kids leave, before her shift ends). Gianna runs the late crew to 4:00, then vacuums the turf (scheduled to 4:15). Nicole shuts down the quiet zones, bathroom & AC, and locks up — leaving at 4:15 with Gianna.

Date    Final count out

The Camp Day

Same rhythm every single day. The theme changes the content; the structure never moves. Predictability is regulation.

The daily flow

How it flexes by headcount

You asked to keep this flexible — here's the rule. The times never change. The only thing that scales is how many groups you split into and who leads each. Decide the tier from the morning roster count.

Clubhouse Mornings × Camp

On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Clubhouse Mornings (infants–age 5) runs in the building at the same time as camp. Here's how they share the space without colliding.

The non-negotiables

• Mornings runs 9:30–12:30. Pickup at 12:30 — that staffer then rolls into camp's afternoon.
• Mornings move on a fixed track: foam pit 9:30–10:15 → cocina snack 10:15–10:30 → outside 10:30–11:15 → turf 11:15–12:00 → cocina lunch 12:00–12:30 → pickup. Camp rotates around whichever space Mornings is in.
• The teen loft is a camp space — Mornings never use it. The Blue group uses it for the 9:30 opening craft/board game.
• Camp is drop-off only. Mornings parents may be in the building (loft); camp parents are not past drop-off.
• Three bands: 18 mo–3 (Mornings), camp 4–6, camp 7–10. Keep them distinct — don’t merge the Mornings littles into camp mid-morning.

Zone plan during the overlap window

Staffing & coverage

The Week at a Glance

The daily timeline never changes — that's the point. What rotates is which group is in which zone, so no one's stuck and nothing double-books.

The daily timeline (same Mon–Fri)

The block rotation — who's where in Blocks 1, 3 & 4

Three rotation blocks, three zone types. Each group cycles through all three so everyone gets the foam pit, a table block, and the turf — every day. This is the fixed pattern (it works around the Mornings track):

Scaling the rotation by headcount

Where the themed "make" happens

The themed creative work happens during each group's table block — Blue at Block 1 (9:30), Yellow at Block 4 (11:15). Set the make-space per the week (cocina for Top Chef, studio for Color Blast — see the Idea Menu). The foam pit, turf, and outdoor blocks are the active half; the table block is where the day's make happens.

Transition mechanics (rough timing)

• Budget ~5 minutes per transition. 2-minute warning → "freeze, eyes on me" → quick space reset → move as a group.
• Stagger groups by 2–3 minutes so doorways and zones don't jam — littles move first, bigs follow.
• Reset before you leave a zone, not after you arrive at the next one. The space should be ready for whoever's in next.
• No dead time. The next block's lead is set up and waiting before the group arrives.

A Day, Mapped

A worked example of how the three bands move through the building without colliding. This is the structure — where each group is and when. What they do in each space is the counselors' call (see the Idea Menu).

Ratios: keep the Mornings (18 mo–3) band smallest. If Monday's 18 splits roughly 5 / 6–7 / 6–7 across the bands, that's about 1:6 with three staff — tighten the littles' group first if you can.

Reading & Math Boosters

Optional, paid add-on: 2×/week, 30 minutes, small groups of 3–5. Families opt in at registration. Always optional, never the point — but for the families who pay for it, it should feel worth it.

When & where

• Tuesday and Thursday, during Choice Time (1:15–2:00). The booster is the 4th station — pull the opted-in kids to the nook/studio; everyone else picks Sports, Craft, or Game.
• Reading happens in the book nook (calm, your library is right there). Math at a maker-space table (room to use manipulatives).
• Group by level, not just age — your special-ed read on a kid in five minutes is the whole advantage here. Keep groups to 3–5.

The 30-minute shape (same both subjects)

Show parents the value

A paid add-on needs a visible return. Send a quick note home on booster days — three lines is plenty:

Who leads boosters: Nicole or the counselor with the strongest academic background. Lock the lead on the weekly prep sheet.

Weekly Rollout

Two counselors, one simple loop. The goal: by Monday morning, nobody is guessing. Everyone knows the theme, their group, and the day's blocks.

The weekly loop

Roles, kept simple

Weekly Prep Sheet

Print one per week. Nicole fills the top; counselors run the day from it.

Week of   Theme

This week's goal / feeling

Weekly Idea Menu

This is a menu, not a script. Gianna & Abigail own the day — pull an idea from here, riff on it, or run something better of your own. It exists so the week never depends on anyone handing you a plan. Every idea uses spaces, rooms & supplies we already have (see the Materials Library).

90s Summer Staples

Old-school fun, new-school design. The screen-free classics you can drop into any week — when a block ends early, the weather flips, or a theme just needs a breather. Don't reinvent the wheel; reach in here.

The weekly self-portrait — a recurring anchor

Every week, each camper builds one self-portrait, layering a new technique each day. By Friday it's a mixed-media piece they're proud of — and pinned together, they become a "wall of us" that grows all summer. Lives in the 1:00 afternoon block, low-prep, works for every age.

The staples bank

Our Equipment, by Block Type

Everything we own, sorted by where it fits in the rotation. When you're staring at a block and blanking, pull from the matching column — nothing here needs buying or building.

Quiet, game & choice-time picks

Two Weekly Fixtures

Two things run every single week regardless of theme — build them into the prep sheet so they're never an afterthought.

1 · Pizza day — every Thursday (make + bake)

A make-your-own pizza is a weekly anchor — kitchen skills, teamwork, and a payoff everyone loves. It runs every Thursday in the cocina: kids build personal pizzas, bake them, and eat them at lunch.

2 · Water-play day — every Tuesday

One set day each week so families always know when to pack for it. Tuesday is the pick — it's a no-Mornings day, so the building's clear of the littles and camp can splash big without crossing tracks (and it keeps Thursday open for pizza). Water guns and turf/outside water games, woven into the afternoon recess & choice time.

Extended Day Ideas

The room's already reset and kids trickle out as parents arrive, so extended day stays in the turf, outside, and waiting area with activities that pack up in under two minutes. Pull one, switch when energy shifts — this is a menu, not a plan.

Materials Library

Everything in the building, sorted by how it's used. Pull from here to fill a choice station, an active block, or a theme tie-in — no buying, no guessing.

Choice Time stations (1:15–2:00)

Three stations, one lead each. Here's what to stock each from:

By zone & block type