You don’t need to go far to immerse yourself in the outdoors. Besides not having to pack, plan, or buy extra gear, backyard camping comes with access to your own bathroom just steps away.  Plan your outdoor adventure with these crafty tips, complete with s’mores ideas below! 

PITCH A TENT

If you don’t already own a tent, this is even more fun!  Make a fort by lining up some outdoor chairs across from each other, face out, as far apart as large as you want your fort to be. Drape some sheets over the chairs to create a “wall” and hold them in place with clothes pins. Drape a blanket across and voila! 

Lay a waterproof tarp underneath and fill your fort with plenty of blankets and pillows. For more cushion, use yoga mats to line your sleeping area. 

If you have large, flat boxes on hand, you can create a cozy nook for your little ones that resemble a teepee tent- it naturally forms a triangle shape when open.

SET UP CAMP

Lanterns- Create your own lanterns- empty jars are perfect for this! Fill some with glow sticks or use glow in the dark paint to paint inside of a mason jar. Plan ahead to allow the paint to dry and charge in the sun. 

Fire pit- If you feel like going flameless, you can mimic the look and feel of fire by arranging sticks into a triangle (tie them together at the top), propped up by rocks, and illuminating the center with battery operated string lights or tea lights. For a small, real flame, line a terra cotta pot with foil and fill with charcoal. Everyone can even have their own mini flame- perfect for making s’mores (recipes below!)

ACTIVITIES

Scavenger Hunt- use your environment as your guide by listing out plants, flowers, and insects

Lawn Twister- spray circles onto your lawn using washable contractors marking spray and a cardboard template

Ring toss- pick up some butternut squash from the grocery store to catch your rings and make rings out of rope

Sing-a-longs- it’s a bonus if someone in the family plays an instrument! 

Campfire stories- tell a story in-the-round, where each person takes turns to build upon the story as it goes

Stargazing- Bring pictures of constellations to search for or just connect the dots to find your own shapes

SNACKS

Keep it simple! Sandwiches, pinwheels, trail mix, granola, and fruit should be your go-to’s. To mix it up, make sandwiches on a stick by alternating bread, vegetables, and deli meat on skewers. Make a batch of nachos or warm up some quesadillas before you head out back. Spiced nuts, fruit leather, and yogurt dipped pretzels, all make for good snack options. 

S’MORES

THIS is what camping is all about! This classic dessert made with graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate, s’mores can be made even better using your own imagination. Think outside the graham cracker box! Substitute the graham crackers for your favorite cookie. Use a different type of chocolate. Add fruit, coconut, or nut butter. 

We filled bananas with mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, and bunny grahams, wrapped them in foil, and threw them on the grill for 8 minutes. For less of a mess, fill ice cream cones with chocolate and marshmallows and heat on the grill for a few minutes until everything is ooey-gooey! 

Happy camping!