Theme Days

Theme Days

Ideas and resources for daily themed activities (virtual backgrounds, dress-up days, etc.) to build camp spirit. Use this to plan fun, inclusive themes that strengthen house pride and create memorable moments throughout camp.
Theme Days are camp-wide or House-specific celebrations where scholars (and ILs!) dress up, decorate their spaces, or participate in themed activities. They're a simple, powerful way to:
  • Build excitement and anticipation throughout camp
  • Create shared experiences and inside jokes
  • Build House pride (Virtual) or camp-wide identity (In-Person)
  • Give scholars a joyful break from intense coding

Planning Theme Days

Theme Days are low-effort, high-impact ways to build community and create joy. We encourage you to have at least 3 theme days throughout camp. Day 1 of camp should be the only day you don’t have a theme, and even then, creating a unique virtual background for your House will give scholars a sense of belonging before camp even starts. We recommend 3-5 theme days throughout camp.
Please keep in mind that theme days should always be appropriate and should not be based on any concept that could be interpreted as insensitive to any identity groups.
Themes don’t have to be elaborate! They can be as easy as choosing a color of the day or using a virtual background and fun emojis (e.g., 🐠🌊☀️ for “Under the Sea” day). While Instructors or Co-IAs usually choose the theme in the beginning, by Days 2-3, it’s best practice to let scholars vote on upcoming themes.
💻 Virtual Camps
  • Make it easy to participate by creating or sharing virtual backgrounds. Use Canva or Google Slides to create custom virtual backgrounds.
  • Theme days are even MORE important for building House pride and identity. Create friendly competition between houses and encourage house pride.
📍 In-Person Camps
  • Be mindful that we share our camp locations with working professionals. Please choose themes that respect this environment and ensure we maintain a balance of fun and professionalism.
  • Not all scholars can bring themed clothing from home. Make participation accessible by providing options for scholars to participate with camp materials.

More Planning Tips

  • Give scholars time to prepare by announcing the theme for the next day in Closing Circle and posting details in Slack.
  • Capture the moment! Don’t forget to take a group photo to create memories scholars will want to look back on.
  • ILs should participate! When scholars see you dressed up or using themed backgrounds, they feel more comfortable doing the same.
  • Never force scholars to participate in theme days. Some scholars may not have the resources or feel comfortable with certain themes.
💻 Virtual Camps: Guess the Theme Game
Make theme days more interactive with a Cloud-level guessing game:
  1. Instructors say, “Everyone except House X, go camera-off.”
  1. Give 30-45 seconds for scholars to guess the theme.
  1. The IA reveals the actual theme!

Theme Day Library

Meme Day 🤣
Dress as your favorite meme, recreate a meme pose for a photo, or use a meme-themed virtual background.
Disney Day 🏰
Dress as your favorite Disney character or use a Disney-themed virtual background.
Sports Day 🤾‍♀️
Wear your favorite sports team's jersey, colors, or athletic gear.
On Wednesdays We Wear Pink 👚
A KWK favorite! Wear anything pink (inspired by Mean Girls).
Kode With Klossy Green Day 💚
Wear KWK green (#007052), lime green, or any shade of green to show camp pride.
Tacky Sweater Day 🧥
Wear the tackiest, most ridiculous, or ugliest sweater you own (bonus points for holiday sweaters in summer!).
Fun Hat Day 🎩
Wear any fun, silly, creative, or interesting hat—or make one out of paper!
Super Hero Day 🦸‍♀️
Dress as your favorite superhero or wear superhero colors and accessories.
Dress to Impress Day 👗
Dress fancy like you're going to a big event or presentation (Demo Day is a great moment for this one!).
Blast From the Past / Throwback Day 🕰
Dress in fashion from a past decade—70s, 80s, 90s, or Y2K styles.
Disco Day 🕺
Channel the 70s with bell bottoms, platform shoes, sparkles, and groovy patterns.
Celebrity Day 🤩
Dress as your favorite celebrity, musician, actor, or influencer.