2026 Camp de Vida has begun! This is our third year of doing this really unique thing as a family. There is something special about family time – the spontaneous moments that let you feel what true joy is like. But there is also something really special about the more structured times too – the intentional ones – that take effort but are so worthwhile. Camp de Vida is a lot of work for me but I have faith and hope that it will one day be memories that all of us look back on with fondness.
Day 1 was so much fun. It truly lasted ALL day! We didn’t call it a night until about 9:30! WHEW!
Read HERE if you want a recap of what Camp de Vida is and why we decided to do it.
Overview and Introducing the Theme
The “color” of Camp de Vida has become quite the highlight! It’s the little things, right? So we started the day at breakfast with me “unveiling” the color – BLUE! We all got changed into our shirts and handkerchiefs and gathered back together.
Our family theme this last year has been, “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophesies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.” (2 Nephi 25:26) We’ve been saying these words almost every day for the last year – we wanted it to be our year of Jesus.
So this week is all about REJOICING IN CHRIST.
Morning Devotional
I love our morning devotional. Each day is going to look a little different. But day one was about reminding each of us WHY we chose this theme. And our hope that our children will choose to dedicate their life to Jesus Christ. We encouraged the kids to ponder on their relationship with the Savior and how they want it to grow and develop.
We shared this quote from President Russell M. Nelson:
“My dear brothers and sisters, in a coming day, Jesus Christ will return to the earth as the millennial Messiah. So today I call upon you to rededicate your lives to Jesus Christ. I call upon you to help gather scattered Israel and to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord. I call upon you to talk of Christ, testify of Christ, have faith in Christ, and rejoice in Christ!
Come unto Christ, and “offer your whole [soul]” to Him. This is the secret to a life of joy!”
Preserve and Protect the Environment
We kicked off our first activity with some service. We talked about how important it is to help and preserve our environment. Mark and “the bigs” went and picked up trash around our neighborhood and by the high school.
Emergency Shelters
Once everyone came back and cooled off (it was so hot!) we did a little lesson on emergency shelters.
Accidental Fires
Then Mark gave a lesson about what to do with an accidental fire – whether that is you catching on fire, wind blowing sparks onto dry vegetation, or a grease fire.
Fire Without Matches
Then Mark showed the kids how to make a fire without matches.
Family History Bingo
This was so fun. I love that these kids are so familiar with the names and faces of their ancestors. We played THREE rounds of this BINGO and they probably would have kept going. It was a hit.
Homemade Bread
I haven’t bought store bread in a long time. I made a goal to make our bread from home, and I really enjoyed it. It tastes amazing and makes our home smell divine. So I thought it was time to pass the torch. The kids were all really excited about learning!
Family Game Session
Something we wanted to do on our summer bucket list was a family game night and I thought it fit very well into our camp. We talked about having fun and being good sports and had the BEST afternoon and evening. We just kept playing and playing!
“The bigs” each picked a game – and they each picked a long one! We played Ticket to Ride, Cartographers, and Wingspan.
