Default Style Register
Daycare.com Forum
Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Is This Just Crazy?
Thriftylady 10:35 AM 04-19-2016
My youngest DCB right now just turned 5. So I have all SA kiddos right now. I was thinking about summer activities, and am thinking I want to do a mix between a daycare and a day camp as far as keeping the kiddos busy.

One of my ideas was to have some "countries" themes. Such as one week we could do English. We could have afternoon "tea time" perhaps and maybe a lunch from that country.

It sounds like a good idea, but then I got overwhelmed by the research and putting it together. Has anyone ever done such a thing? Am I nuts for thinking about it?
Reply
Rockgirl 10:38 AM 04-19-2016
I love the idea!
Reply
childcaremom 10:45 AM 04-19-2016
I've done it before. I had some families with different heritages (one was from greece). They sent in traditional foods one day. Delish! We picked a few different ones and did a week on each. Made a passport. Got a world map to mark it. Etc. It was tons of fun.
Reply
MunchkinWrangler 10:50 AM 04-19-2016
That sounds like a great idea! Keep it simple. I'm thinking countries mainly by food, Italian, Mexican, Chinese... Is that bad?

Canada you could do poutine for lunch, kids would love it!
Reply
CityGarden 10:59 AM 04-19-2016
I think summer is supposed to be fun I would keep loose themes so it does not get too expensive some ideas:

Pete the Cate / Dr. Suess Week (or other popular book/author)
The Old West
Stars & Stripes (4th of July week)
Little Scientist
Olympic Games --- GO USA!
World Chefs
We Love the Earth
Out on the Farm

What I find works best it a set routine where you just add the theme activities in a certain times.

On a side note if you have all school age what are you doing to ensure / transition new ones in for the fall when the SA go to school? Should you be offering some sort of programming that would attract a younger crowd?
Reply
LysesKids 11:03 AM 04-19-2016
Originally Posted by Thriftylady:
My youngest DCB right now just turned 5. So I have all SA kiddos right now. I was thinking about summer activities, and am thinking I want to do a mix between a daycare and a day camp as far as keeping the kiddos busy.

One of my ideas was to have some "countries" themes. Such as one week we could do English. We could have afternoon "tea time" perhaps and maybe a lunch from that country.

It sounds like a good idea, but then I got overwhelmed by the research and putting it together. Has anyone ever done such a thing? Am I nuts for thinking about it?
I actually do they menus from different countries starting April 15 every year thru Summer and I have babies; my littles have eaten Mexican (yesterday), today was suppose to be Turkish menu, but there was a water main break right at lunch so i had to switch last minute to a practical, no cook lunch for the most part... Wed is my hard day because not to many countries start with a W lol. Thursday will be Thai, Friday this week is French... next week I switch countries again and Monday will be Morocco and Friday will end with Finland lol

Last year the ethnic variety was crazy, but I don't have any picky eaters; I do breakfast, lunch & snack from the country of the day... makes some interesting eating - these kids have eaten stuff even their parents haven't lol. I look up my menus on Friday nights so I can shop for the week on Saturdays
Reply
Mike 11:05 AM 04-19-2016
Originally Posted by MunchkinWrangler:
Canada you could do poutine for lunch, kids would love it!
One of my favorite foods.
(I'm in Canada)

Sounds like a fun idea. Just keep it simple.
Reply
LysesKids 11:21 AM 04-19-2016
Just remember that Africa is a Continent... it has many, many countries just like South America lol
Reply
Blackcat31 11:24 AM 04-19-2016
Originally Posted by Mike:
One of my favorite foods.
(I'm in Canada)

Sounds like a fun idea. Just keep it simple.
Here too!

It's on the menu atleast once every two weeks.
Reply
Thriftylady 11:31 AM 04-19-2016
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
Here too!

It's on the menu atleast once every two weeks.
Off to look it up. Maybe it will lesson my other frustrations.
Reply
Thriftylady 11:33 AM 04-19-2016
Wait a second. Are we seriously talking about french fries with gravy here? I mean really?
Reply
EntropyControlSpecialist 11:40 AM 04-19-2016
That sounds FUN! You could make it as complicated or simple as you would like.
Reply
Thriftylady 11:46 AM 04-19-2016
Originally Posted by EntropyControlSpecialist:
That sounds FUN! You could make it as complicated or simple as you would like.
I guess I was thinking it would automatically be hard. But if we are talking about things like french fries with gravy, well I guess I overthink things and think they must be hard.
Reply
Blackcat31 12:03 PM 04-19-2016
Originally Posted by Thriftylady:
Wait a second. Are we seriously talking about french fries with gravy here? I mean really?
Yep.
Attached: image.jpg (114.5 KB) 
Reply
MunchkinWrangler 12:07 PM 04-19-2016
Originally Posted by Thriftylady:
Wait a second. Are we seriously talking about french fries with gravy here? I mean really?
And cheese curds!!! Trust me they're hearty and so good. Make sure the fries are crispy though, obviously.
Reply
Thriftylady 12:40 PM 04-19-2016
Originally Posted by MunchkinWrangler:
And cheese curds!!! Trust me they're hearty and so good. Make sure the fries are crispy though, obviously.
I have never even seen cheese curds, unless cottage cheese is similar? But I never dreamed anything so easy. My kiddos don't really even try gravy but maybe on fries they would.
Reply
LysesKids 12:42 PM 04-19-2016
Originally Posted by Thriftylady:
Wait a second. Are we seriously talking about french fries with gravy here? I mean really?
You would be surprised at some of the meals & snacks I find for different countries; there is a lot that is simple stuff just put together differently than what we do... I mean For France it's as easy as a croissant, fruit & milk/cocoa for breakfast, for a Finland lunch try Rye bread with cheese & smoked Salmon and some pickled veg (my older kids eat it). Crazy how simple some of the menus can be
Reply
Mad_Pistachio 01:02 PM 04-19-2016
want a recipe for my go-to Russian vegetarian salad? if I go for a pot luck, this is what I bring about 90% of the time (it takes about an hour to make, so if I have that hour, I go with it).
not sure if children will want to eat it, but it also comes with a weird name and a story of how it got it, so who knows
Reply
LysesKids 01:06 PM 04-19-2016
Originally Posted by Mad_Pistachio:
want a recipe for my go-to Russian vegetarian salad? if I go for a pot luck, this is what I bring about 90% of the time (it takes about an hour to make, so if I have that hour, I go with it).
not sure if children will want to eat it, but it also comes with a weird name and a story of how it got it, so who knows
Even if she doesn't want it, I DO!!!. Russia is one of my Wednesday countries...
Reply
Mike 01:14 PM 04-19-2016
Originally Posted by Thriftylady:
Wait a second. Are we seriously talking about french fries with gravy here? I mean really?
French fries with cheese and gravy. Different places make it different ways. Most common is curd and gravy, but some use mozzarella instead of curd. One chip wagon used both for a little while. I was in London (Ontario) several years ago and one chip wagon used cheddar instead. One chip wagon where I live goes to the extreme. They offer several different extras, like hamburg, sausage, mushrooms, onions, and 2 or 3 others.

I used to eat one of those 4 or 5 times a week, but a couple years ago, when I first decided I wanted to go into daycare, I realised I need to work on my health and eating habits. Now I only eat poutine a couple times a month.
Reply
Thriftylady 01:16 PM 04-19-2016
Originally Posted by Mad_Pistachio:
want a recipe for my go-to Russian vegetarian salad? if I go for a pot luck, this is what I bring about 90% of the time (it takes about an hour to make, so if I have that hour, I go with it).
not sure if children will want to eat it, but it also comes with a weird name and a story of how it got it, so who knows
I would love it! I bet others here would also.
Reply
Mike 01:28 PM 04-19-2016
Originally Posted by Mad_Pistachio:
want a recipe for my go-to Russian vegetarian salad?
I do.

I've had an interest in Russia since /95. I was the Sunday School bus driver for the church I went to and we had a few families who brought children over from Belarus. One year, we were picking up one of those little girls on the bus and it bothered me that nobody on the bus could talk to her, so I started studying the language and by the end of her 8 weeks visit, I was able to say a few simple things and understand simple answers. By the following summer, we were able to have small chats and she loved it.

The end of the 2nd summer, the family was getting ready to send her back home and I got a call. The girl wanted to see me before she left. I went and said goodbye, in Russian of course, and got a hug I have never forgotten. I never saw her again. One of the many children in my life that will be in my memory forever, even if I get Alzheimer.
Reply
Laurel 01:52 PM 04-19-2016
Originally Posted by Thriftylady:
My youngest DCB right now just turned 5. So I have all SA kiddos right now. I was thinking about summer activities, and am thinking I want to do a mix between a daycare and a day camp as far as keeping the kiddos busy.

One of my ideas was to have some "countries" themes. Such as one week we could do English. We could have afternoon "tea time" perhaps and maybe a lunch from that country.

It sounds like a good idea, but then I got overwhelmed by the research and putting it together. Has anyone ever done such a thing? Am I nuts for thinking about it?
One summer I did a 'states' thing. It was like a vacation in the U.S.A. We had a map and 'traveled' the U.S. but actually only got through a few states because it is a lot but we had a ton of fun!
Reply
Josiegirl 02:28 PM 04-19-2016
Originally Posted by Laurel:
One summer I did a 'states' thing. It was like a vacation in the U.S.A. We had a map and 'traveled' the U.S. but actually only got through a few states because it is a lot but we had a ton of fun!
We did the same thing; maybe you were the one that gave me the idea!!
I had each dck pick a state, we got books from the library, found out what popular regional foods they had, and tons of facts. We made an A-Z chart and listed all the things we could think of pertaining to that state, did lots of crafts, it was a blast. All ages enjoyed it but it was a lot of work and the kids, towards the end of the summer, were just done with it. So I think the last couple weeks we just played.
Hmmm, maybe I should talk to the dcks this week and see what they think about doing it again. It's difficult though, when you've got all ages.

The country thing sounds like fun though too!
Reply
Ariana 02:34 PM 04-19-2016
That is an awesome idea and I am totally stealing it!

I also love that half the replies are about Poutine YUMMY!!
Reply
MunchkinWrangler 02:43 PM 04-19-2016
Originally Posted by Thriftylady:
I have never even seen cheese curds, unless cottage cheese is similar? But I never dreamed anything so easy. My kiddos don't really even try gravy but maybe on fries they would.
Cheese curds are kind of a chunk of cheese and the state fair fries them up(mmmm) They can come both ways but usually people use the unfried version for poutine. I've seen mozzarella in place of cheese curds also. I'm in MN and the best come from Ellsworth Wisconsin IMO. I guess it's just where I am. We have a lot of cheese here
Reply
Thriftylady 03:10 PM 04-19-2016
I kind of like the states idea also. Wondering if I could find enough regional foods to do something like that. My kids are not really into trying new foods, so I am trying to find some fun ways to encourage them to try some. It is amazing when I get them to try things and they like them. I have one who was afraid to try baked potatoes. Swore up and down she hated them. Now she asks for them lol.
Reply
Mad_Pistachio 03:35 PM 04-19-2016
Originally Posted by LysesKids:
Even if she doesn't want it, I DO!!!. Russia is one of my Wednesday countries...
... and also the quotes from Mike and Thrifty that I was too lazy to put in here

so, okay.
beets, carrots, potatoes, and pickles need to be cut in small cubes (almost diced, but not mashed). beans need to be drained and washed. sauerkraut goes as it is.
the trick: first, put the beets into the dish, then mix it with oil. beets leak color onto everything, and mixing it with oil first makes the salad multi-color instead of beet-red. doesn't affect the taste, but may make it look more appealing. then mix everything else in.
letting it stay in the fridge for a few hours or overnight makes it better (probably because it's cold).
I eat it with meatballs and bread. or just with bread (I prefer rye).

the salad is called Vinaigrette. has nothing to do with the dressing.
there is no official document about how the name came about, but I found this legend.
a French dude was visiting Russian palace. he wandered away from the royal part of the palace (again, the legend didn't clarify why; maybe he was looking for a bathroom) and got lost. he came into the kitchen, and the cooks didn't know French and got scared... so they decided that whatever that French man says, they will agree with (smart, I know). if he is a spy, at least, he won't have a reason to complain. he sees someone making this salad, and the salad smells of vinegar (from pickles and sauerkraut). he comes up to the table and asks, "oh! vinaigre?" and the cooks start happily nodding and saying, "vinaigre! vinaigre!"
eventually, the French guy finds his way back to France, comes home and tells his cook that those Russian people make this yummy salad, but he doesn't know what it's called. probably vinaigrette because it has vinegar in it.
somehow, Russian cuisine has quite a few dishes with French names: olivier salad, Napoleon cake, vinaigrette... I wonder if that French dude from the legend had a hand in those, too.
Reply
Mike 03:54 PM 04-19-2016
Looks good. Thanks for sharing.
Reply
Thriftylady 04:23 PM 04-19-2016
Thanks for sharing. Not sure my kids would touch a beet or sauerkraut. If I do it I may have to make a very small "just tasting" recipe. I get the feeling my DCK''s hardly ever see a veggie.
Reply
KarenSue 06:31 AM 04-20-2016
Great idea! This sounds so fun! I would make a poster of some fun facts and then make the favorite foods of the country for lunch.
Reply
Josiegirl 11:01 AM 04-20-2016
I talked with the older kids this a.m. and asked if they'd like to do states again or countries. They were excited about countries and picked England, Mexico, Spain, and either China or Russia. I told them they could pick 4.

It'll be nice to have them involved with some activities but I always ask myself when do I get to enjoy the 'hazy lazy' crazy' days of summer.

So if anyone does do this and picks any of those countries, ya got any ideas?
Reply
LysesKids 12:38 PM 04-20-2016
Originally Posted by Josiegirl:
I talked with the older kids this a.m. and asked if they'd like to do states again or countries. They were excited about countries and picked England, Mexico, Spain, and either China or Russia. I told them they could pick 4.

It'll be nice to have them involved with some activities but I always ask myself when do I get to enjoy the 'hazy lazy' crazy' days of summer.

So if anyone does do this and picks any of those countries, ya got any ideas?
I've got menus for all of them lol... breakfast, lunches & snacks; I love to cook, so there will probably be some new stuff your kids have never tried.
Reply
Laurel 06:52 PM 04-20-2016
Originally Posted by Thriftylady:
I kind of like the states idea also. Wondering if I could find enough regional foods to do something like that. My kids are not really into trying new foods, so I am trying to find some fun ways to encourage them to try some. It is amazing when I get them to try things and they like them. I have one who was afraid to try baked potatoes. Swore up and down she hated them. Now she asks for them lol.
We kept it pretty simple, maybe 2 things from each state. We only ended up doing a few states. We started with our own state, Florida, and made fresh squeezed orange juice. Then we baked a 'beach' cake another day. Sand was brown sugar, ocean was blue cotton candy, the beachgoers were teddy grahams lying on fruit stripe gum 'towels'. Some fish crackers were in the sea.

Then we did Kentucky where they have a lot of caves so I got a video from the library about spelunking. We darkened the playroom, moved furniture, used blankets and such to make a 'cave' to explore. We crawled around and under things, etc. with a flashlight.
Reply
Laurel 06:58 PM 04-20-2016
Originally Posted by Mad_Pistachio:
... and also the quotes from Mike and Thrifty that I was too lazy to put in here

so, okay.
  • beets (cooked) - 1-2 cans
  • carrots - either 1 can cooked, 2-3 large cooked or steamed, or 8-10 baby cooked or steamed
  • potatoes - either 1 can cooked whole or 2-3 whole, peeled and cooked
  • pickles - the official recipe says "2-3", I used more like 4-5 kosher dills (larger ones), but I like it pickly
  • sauerkraut (I use German or Bavarian, but again, it's the taste preference) - 7-10 tbsp...? okay, I just grab a huge serving fork and plop 2-4 of those into the dish. do not drain it.
  • beans - 1 can of any white variety.
  • oil - 3-4 Tbsp (but again, see how much salad you have in the dish and feel free to add more if it's too dry); I use avocado oil, but any you like will work.

beets, carrots, potatoes, and pickles need to be cut in small cubes (almost diced, but not mashed). beans need to be drained and washed. sauerkraut goes as it is.
the trick: first, put the beets into the dish, then mix it with oil. beets leak color onto everything, and mixing it with oil first makes the salad multi-color instead of beet-red. doesn't affect the taste, but may make it look more appealing. then mix everything else in.
letting it stay in the fridge for a few hours or overnight makes it better (probably because it's cold).
I eat it with meatballs and bread. or just with bread (I prefer rye).

the salad is called Vinaigrette. has nothing to do with the dressing.
there is no official document about how the name came about, but I found this legend.
a French dude was visiting Russian palace. he wandered away from the royal part of the palace (again, the legend didn't clarify why; maybe he was looking for a bathroom) and got lost. he came into the kitchen, and the cooks didn't know French and got scared... so they decided that whatever that French man says, they will agree with (smart, I know). if he is a spy, at least, he won't have a reason to complain. he sees someone making this salad, and the salad smells of vinegar (from pickles and sauerkraut). he comes up to the table and asks, "oh! vinaigre?" and the cooks start happily nodding and saying, "vinaigre! vinaigre!"
eventually, the French guy finds his way back to France, comes home and tells his cook that those Russian people make this yummy salad, but he doesn't know what it's called. probably vinaigrette because it has vinegar in it.
somehow, Russian cuisine has quite a few dishes with French names: olivier salad, Napoleon cake, vinaigrette... I wonder if that French dude from the legend had a hand in those, too.
I think I'll try this. It sounds so weird and such a weird combination of things together that I'm curious to see what it could possibly taste like. Thanks!
Reply
Laurel 07:02 PM 04-20-2016
Originally Posted by Josiegirl:
We did the same thing; maybe you were the one that gave me the idea!!
I had each dck pick a state, we got books from the library, found out what popular regional foods they had, and tons of facts. We made an A-Z chart and listed all the things we could think of pertaining to that state, did lots of crafts, it was a blast. All ages enjoyed it but it was a lot of work and the kids, towards the end of the summer, were just done with it. So I think the last couple weeks we just played.
Hmmm, maybe I should talk to the dcks this week and see what they think about doing it again. It's difficult though, when you've got all ages.

The country thing sounds like fun though too!
I didn't do quite as much as you but it was fun!
Reply
Josiegirl 02:20 AM 04-21-2016
Originally Posted by Thriftylady:
I kind of like the states idea also. Wondering if I could find enough regional foods to do something like that. My kids are not really into trying new foods, so I am trying to find some fun ways to encourage them to try some. It is amazing when I get them to try things and they like them. I have one who was afraid to try baked potatoes. Swore up and down she hated them. Now she asks for them lol.
We didn't stray too far from what I suspected they'd like. We did Alaska for one state and we had salmon. Maine was another state so blueberry pie, Massachusetts has baked beans. Vermont maple syrup. For Vermont we made butter out of cream. It's fun and even I learned new stuff.
Reply
Mad_Pistachio 06:47 AM 04-21-2016
Originally Posted by Thriftylady:
Thanks for sharing. Not sure my kids would touch a beet or sauerkraut. If I do it I may have to make a very small "just tasting" recipe. I get the feeling my DCK''s hardly ever see a veggie.
The recipe is very forgiving. If someone doesn't like beets and/or sauerkraut, then just skip those.
I like to add chopped red onions (about 1/2 of a large one), but, for instance, my brother hates onions, so if we make it for where he will be, we just go without them. Same can be applied to any other ingredient, really.
In 18-th century, they could add hard-boiled eggs or shrimp to it. I never tried those.
Reply
Mad_Pistachio 06:50 AM 04-21-2016
Originally Posted by Laurel:
I think I'll try this. It sounds so weird and such a weird combination of things together that I'm curious to see what it could possibly taste like. Thanks!
My favorite description of Russian cuisine is "whatever's left from last night gets chopped and mixed with mayo" (this is the only one I can easily recall without loads of mayonnaise)
Reply
Laurel 09:59 AM 04-21-2016
Originally Posted by Mad_Pistachio:
My favorite description of Russian cuisine is "whatever's left from last night gets chopped and mixed with mayo" (this is the only one I can easily recall without loads of mayonnaise)
That is how I make soup. Just throw leftovers in some broth. Usually it turns out wonderful. Someone else said they call that 'Once in a Lifetime' soup. Love that name!
Reply
Miss A 10:08 AM 04-21-2016
Originally Posted by LysesKids:
I actually do they menus from different countries starting April 15 every year thru Summer and I have babies; my littles have eaten Mexican (yesterday), today was suppose to be Turkish menu, but there was a water main break right at lunch so i had to switch last minute to a practical, no cook lunch for the most part... Wed is my hard day because not to many countries start with a W lol. Thursday will be Thai, Friday this week is French... next week I switch countries again and Monday will be Morocco and Friday will end with Finland lol

Last year the ethnic variety was crazy, but I don't have any picky eaters; I do breakfast, lunch & snack from the country of the day... makes some interesting eating - these kids have eaten stuff even their parents haven't lol. I look up my menus on Friday nights so I can shop for the week on Saturdays
Can I eat with you? I love different ethnicity's food, and would eat my way around the world if possible!
Reply
LysesKids 10:16 AM 04-21-2016
Originally Posted by Miss A:
Can I eat with you? I love different ethnicity's food, and would eat my way around the world if possible!
This is the next closest to eating around the world as far as I know lol... I'm using Wednesday as my odd letter day; any country that doesn't start with the letter of the week - most of my littles love spices so that's the easy part... today we had a Mild Mussaman Curry for lunch. This afternoon it's dumplings for snack... my 3 eaters are all under 14 months
Reply
Tags:summer activities, theme - summer
Reply Up