Camping at Home: Fun Ideas for Camping in Your Backyard
Planning fun and the entertaining gateway is no longer a worrying thing form most contemporary parents as you only need to step out to your backyard. It can be extremely tiring having to spend long hours indoors doing chores and homework when you only desire to take a breath of fresh air and unwind. Luckily, all families who have the privilege to own a small or large piece of green outdoor space can use it to organize a camping retreat. Camping in the comfort of your home and your backyard is one of the best ways to get the hands-on approach with numerous nature-based activities and to teach the kids useful survival skills – all while having loads of fun. Here are some cool ideas to make that happen.
Tent pitching – the start of a backyard party
Before you get all the camping gear out and start having fun, you ought to start by putting up a tent. This simple, yet complicated activity can be a real treat to the youngsters. Believe it or not, but kids absolutely love pitching up a tent and the sheer excitement that it represents. All family members pitch in to help, the young hold the poles, grown-ups put them together, and with the mutual effort, you will have your little special backyard sanctuary. If you feel a little bit more crafty, you can make a unique tent from simple blankets as a stand-alone teepee which kids would undoubtedly enjoy spending time in.
Get equipped with the best gadgets
There are a few camping essentials that you simply cannot imagine having fun without, even if you are in your backyard. No matter how fast you or your kids can run-up to the house to get some camping amenity that you might be missing, you should get perfectly equipped and bring out all the camping gadgets that you will need. Pack a rechargeable keychain flashlight and a torch for night lookouts, matches, sleeping bags or matters, vital tools, and other small but practical utensils. When it comes to parental enjoyment, don’t forget to get and bring out a comfortable folding chair for a real-life camping experience.
Don’t forget about the fun stuff
Camping at home is all about doing the cool and dirty things that you are not allowed to do inside. So, when kids said they want to pack or bring out a bucket, shovels, and even some metal cooking pots, let them do it. Using various tools to shovel dirt around the backyard or shifting sand from one place to another around the garden is a great way to live and act like you are in the real campsite. Get marshmallows for the camping fire, a guitar for a fun sing-along around the fire, and don’t forget to pack a camera to record all the fun you are about to have for future reminiscence.
Scout for the best action-packed camping objects
If you are up for a flabbergasting backyard camping getaway, then you certainly must find some interesting gadgets. One of them is the telescope. Nowadays, you can find a small-sized, children-adapted telescope that can equally help you with stargazing lookouts just as if you were using a real one. Another action-packed gadget is the binoculars. This seemingly tedious gadget actually holds innumerable hidden camping fun games and activities. You can go birdwatching during the day, observe the movements of various insects like ants and track their behavior, and at night you can zoom in the neighboring backyard for potential “war” threats, etc.
Go for a real hike
Just because you are in your backyard, doesn’t mean that you only have to sit in the tent. On the contrary, for a full camping effect, you can organize a trip or hike around the neighborhood. Pack your backpack with juicy treats, draw up a map with some cool and interesting sights to see and places to explore and hit the road. You can go to a neighboring playground and have an obstacle race there or play tug of war. For your next stop on your hike, you can visit a nearby parking lot and with chalk draw some of your favorite cartoon characters.
Let there be games
Any kind of camping experience wouldn’t be complete without playing nature-inspired games. Camping at home is nothing different, so get your frenzy mood on and incorporate some of these games to have even more fun in your backyard. Make and organize a riveting Scavenger hunt game that all generations, young and old, immensely enjoy. Try a treasure hunt game or build a polygon with various obstacles and challenging items to complete. In the end, you can always try to play the classic camping games like Duck Duck Goose, Tag, stacking stones, or an all-time favorite scary storytelling. Plus, when the nightfalls you can spread out a long white sheet and have a special shadow theatre play.
Include loads of delicious camping delights
There is no way to rule out camping food when planning a home-based campsite. Do your best not to run back and forth to the house and prepare all the outdoor things and food items that you would need for your home camping treat. Get a mini freezer to store cold beverages, hamburgers, or ice cream. You can cook most things on the grill like a barbecue or hamburgers. However, the real delight is to light a campfire and put a hot dish to slowly stir while you are having fun. Make a traditional beef stew that has to simmer all day long while you are playing other camping games. And of course, don’t forget about camping snacks and desserts. Hot dogs, waffles, pancakes, gooey treats, and the inevitable marshmallows.
For all families who strive to have a genuine and unforgettable read-deal camping experience in the comfort of their home must invite a few friends or relatives around. When you share your newly learned camping skills and when you do most preparation together, you will have more fun than you’d ever imagine possible.