Homemade Camps : Families put together summer co-op outings and activities for children that are inexpensive, fun and educational.

There’s one fact most parents won’t dispute: Summers are long.

No matter what options a family has for filling those vacation days with fun and enriching activities, the choices often fall short of the time allotted. Not everyone can afford nor does every child want traditional summer day camp.

So some parents are creating their own team summer camp, rotating a small group of children among parents, like a child-care co-op for camp.

Sharon Bollini of Agoura says she got the idea to try homemade summer camp from a cousin in Northridge who had done it several years ago when her children were 8 and 9.

“This home-based camp is an alternative, an opportunity to create with several other families a cooperative day camping experience that is inexpensive, fun, educational and very manageable,” says Bollini, 41.

Bollini and three neighborhood friends are putting together their own four-week co-op camp for their five children this summer.

She says the concept involves some upfront planning--making sure that the children and the parents are compatible, agreeing on basic rules and the expense of craft projects and day trips, confirming schedules and hours. But after that, she said, it should easily fly. The cost can be as little as $50 per family to cover crafts and activities.

Participants can opt to make the camp a half-day or full-day affair for as many days a week as they wish. And unlike some traditional camps, the schedule can be adjusted to the jobs and other responsibilities of the parents involved. One week the camp could be Monday, Wednesday and Friday; the next week it could be Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and so forth.

Depending on the participants, Bollini says, the co-op camp can offer enough flexibility for parents who work part-time or even full-time, depending on the days for which they commit. The parents initially meet once or twice to discuss the schedule and divvy up the activities. At the end of the Northridge team camp, the families got together and a video the children had made was shown.

Unlike traditional day camps, the co-op camp gives parents a chance to see their children playing and creating with their peers.

One benefit of the smaller co-op camp experience, Bollini says, is that many excursions and activities too big for larger groups work well for four to five children. A trip to the local pizza parlor to see how pizzas are made, a rehearsal at the local small theater, an at-home cooking class or a hike are all ideal for small groups of children.

Some children will thrive in the small-group environment of a homemade summer camp. Such an experience is well-suited to those who already enjoy a network of friends or are less excited by the big-scale camp experiences, says Shirley Walch, executive director of the Southern California chapter of the American Camping Assn.

When choosing a traditional summer day camp, Walch says, most parents want a safe environment, a nice location with a range of activities and the opportunity for children to have fun. Those features can be found in a co-op camping experience if parents plan the activities and crafts carefully.

Bollini also encourages parents to consider the co-op camp alternative in coordination with other available activities. A child could attend a traditional camp for a few weeks, for example, then be part of a co-op later in the summer. Parents can plan a co-op effort to coordinate with other commitments, such as swim lessons or summer school.