Have you ever planned a trip and prepared everything only for it to get rained out? Do you want to take your young children camping but want to introduce them to it before taking them out into the wild right away? Do you want to have some fun indoors? You can bring all of the fun and thrill of camping in your own home.
The thrill of sleeping in a tent or fort, the gooey and chocolatey treat of roasting marshmallows, and the important quality time with family that camping gives you can all be brought indoors.
Setting up your campsite
First and foremost, you will need to clear out your campsite. Pick up all of the toys on the floor and move any furniture that you can to make some space. Next, you should decide whether you want to use an actual tent or build your own fort.
If you decide to build your own fort, you will need some necessary material:
- Lightweight sheets – I recommend not using fitted sheets.
- Something to hold them up so everyone can sit underneath, like a tall chair or ladder.
- Tape. Painters tape for taping to the wall and masking tape if taping to other objects.
- Lights or lanterns. Stringing lights or using lanterns will give that campsite feeling when the lights go out.
- Lots of blankets and pillows to put on the floor for comfortable seating.
You can build forts in many different shapes and sizes – this may be a lot of trial and error. My dad and I built this fort by taping the sheets to the wall and bookcase then attaching it to a chair.
Roasting Marshmallows
After your tent is set up or your fort is built, it’s time to make some s’mores! S’mores are a delicious and messy treat made of:
- 1 Graham Cracker broken in half
- 1 Marshmallow
- 2 Squares of chocolate
When making s’mores in a microwave, it is VERY important that you only leave it in the microwave for 10 seconds; any longer and that messy treat will just be a mess. The marshmallow will expand during that time due to the heat.
Place the mallow on 1 of the halves of graham cracker and place it in the microwave for 10 seconds. Then, take it out and put the 2 squares of chocolate on the mallow. Finally, add the second half of graham cracker on the top and squish it down.
After you’ve got your s’mores, it’s time to unwind with the family. The best part of camping is the quality time you get to spend with the people you love. Play some card games or board games in your tent or fort. Tell some camping stories, listen to some music and sing some campfire songs, read a couple of books together. Whatever you choose to do, have fun, and make some memories. Happy Camping!
