How to Plan a Backyard Camp Out

For many families, camping is a summertime rite of passage. However, everything that comes with traditional camping, including all the necessary camping gear, traveling to a campground and dealing with far-away restrooms, can be stressful and chaotic with kids in tow. Camping in your backyard offers a happy medium -- your kids will get the basic experience of camping while you save time, money and your sanity.

Things You'll Need

  • Tent
  • Sleeping bags or blankets
  • Pillows
  • Air mattress
  • Fire pit (optional)
  • Trail mix
  • Popcorn
  • Grill, gas or charcoal
  • Hot dogs
  • Hamburgers
  • S'mores

Instructions

    • 1

      Pitch a tent. Decide if you are going to set up a large tent that can fit the whole family, or perhaps a couple of smaller tents so the kids can have their own to share. Consider the age of your kids, as older children will likely want their own tent, while little ones may want to stay close to Mom and Dad. The area where you pitch your tent in the backyard should be flat and free of any bumps and obstructions that could make sleeping uncomfortable.

    • 2

      Decide what you are sleeping on. You can give everyone individual sleeping bags to sleep in, but you can also use a bunch of blankets and pillows if you don't have sleeping bags. You might also want to consider small air mattresses, if you can fit them into the tents, for added comfort.

    • 3

      Set up a campfire. If you have a legal fire pit in your backyard, you can set up a real campfire with firewood and kindling, at least 15 feet away from the tents. Consider the age and maturity level of your kids when it comes to a real fire, as younger kids may either be frightened by the fire, or get too close. You can also opt to set up a "pretend" camp fire using real wooden sticks with construction paper flames glued to them. Place large stones around it to create a fire ring. Find or purchase small logs to put around the campfire for seating.

    • 4

      Prepare snacks and beverages. Offer bowls of simple snacks such as trail mix and popcorn, which your kids can help you prepare. Give everyone their own water canteens that they can refill from a large beverage dispenser. If you are not using a real campfire, you can simply grill hot dogs and hamburgers on a gas or charcoal grill. If you are using the campfire, give everyone long metal roasting sticks to cook their hot dogs over the fire, as well as marshmallows for s'mores.

    • 5

      Choose camp games and activities. Decide on camp-themed activities based on the amount of family members and the ages of your children. While it's still light out, you could take young kids on a nature scavenger hunt around the backyard, looking for insects, leaves and flowers. Kids of all ages will have fun with potato sack races and three-legged races. After dark, older kids could play flashlight tag and hide and seek in the dark. Start a sing-along around the campfire and stargaze with the kids, pointing out some of the major constellations. Wind the evening down by reading to your kids in their tent by flashlight.

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