Why drive for hours to go camping when you can have the outdoor experience right in your backyard? Camping out in your backyard is convenient and if planned properly, will be the same experience as if you were miles away. For any great camping trip, there are some essentials you should have to make it a backyard campout adventure.
1. Plan fun games
Every campout requires fun games and activities to enliven everyone participating in the great outdoors. One of the best games to play in a backyard is hop and crawl, which creates an obstacle course out of the garden hoses and flowerpots scattered throughout the grass. Use your creativity to utilize what you have in your backyard for a fun outdoor game.
2. Pack the essentials
Even though you’ll be in your backyard, no campout is complete without all of the essentials: sleeping bags, tent, backpack, and flashlights. If you are camping with kids, make sure they also pack a change of clothes, toys, and pajamas. You want to enhance the experience of the campout without having to go inside your house for extra items. To really boost the experience, bring out binoculars and a compass to gaze at the stars and look up to find constellations.
3. Build the campsite
Once all of the activities are planned and packing is complete, let the fun begin! Enjoy the whole experience with everyone participating by setting up the campsite together. Get the campfire and grill started for dinner and make sure you have everything necessary for the night in case you need to make one last trip inside.4. Creative meals There are so many creative foods you can cook to match your backyard campouts such as grilled cheese tents and campfire fries or grilled nachos using aluminum foil. For a late night snack, change up the typical s’more and create s’mores on a stick! Melt chocolate and crush graham crackers so when you roast your marshmallows all you have to do is dip them in the chocolate and graham crackers.
5. After-dark activities
The fun does not stop when the sun goes down. After you spend some time stargazing and discovering constellations, you can play ghosts in the graveyard. Designate one person to be the ghost and hide in the backyard, or graveyard. Have everyone else gather at a home base to count from one o’clock to midnight when they shout “Midnight! I hope I don’t see a ghost tonight!” Then have everyone look in the graveyard for the ghost. When the ghost is spotted, shout, “Ghost in the graveyard!” Everyone then runs to the home base away from the ghost. If the ghost tags someone, that person joins the ghost in hunting for more victims in the next round.
Camping out in your backyard is an enjoyable experience for everyone, whether it is with kids or college friends. Just remember to plan ahead and avoid any unforeseen obstacles to a great night, such as rain or mosquitos. If you’re worried about mosquitos ruining your outdoor adventure, call Platinum Mosquito to install an at home misting system.
