Pretend Camping With The Kids

Do your kids want to go camping? Does that sound like a terrible idea to you? Well, pretend camping is your solution! 

You can now camp with the kids, with no packing, no driving, no paying for campsite rental, no questionable bathrooms, and you can sleep in your own bed. 

Here's How! 

My kids are 6, 4, 2 and 2, and they had a great time pretend camping. I think camping with them for real would be very unpleasant at this age, and the amount of packing i would have to do would be INSANE!   :)

Step 1: Find your campsite.

We are very lucky to have woods in our backyard. We set up our tent in the shade. I let the children pick out the camp site.  Then they gathered some wood and rocks for our "campfire".  

If you don't have a backyard, you could go pretend camping anywhere: park, playground, you name it. 
You don't need a tent. You can just hang up a string and a tarp, or just lay out a blanket and "sleep" under the "stars". 

Comments

[RyanVannes]

Surely memories not soon forrgotten by you or your kids. something to cherish . Makes me proud to be a dad myself , you should give yourselves a pat on the back thats what real parenting is all about. Good to know there are good people out there still

[garypcom]

When my kids were young, I had purchased a small travel trailer. It looked like we could never go camping as much as we liked because I was working shift work and the kids were in school, etc,etc. Well, my wife got the kids together one evening while I was working and called a "Camping Trip" in the trailer in the yard.
There was no electricity or water hookup but they used flashlights and opened the windows for the night. The kids had a blast! They still remember this to this day.

[Penolopy Bulnick]

This is really just wonderful! What a great thing to do with your kids. I remember setting up a tent in our yard, practically right outside my bedroom window, to camp in, but always chickening out at night and being too scared to sleep outside :)

[fjordcarver]

We camp in the backyard too! and the loving room on occasion!
Nice Instructable, beautiful kids. Great job on both counts.

[fjordcarver]

erm...., that should have read living room, and not loving room.

[flyingpuppy]

Indeed a great idea. You can even do a version indoors. Let the kids sleep in sleeping bags on the floor. For some weird reason, it's a "treat."

[domestic_engineer]

I know! My oldest is always asking to sleep on the floor! Crazy!

[flyingpuppy]

Can I join your family?

[domestic_engineer]

Sure, what's one more? :)

[sunshiine]

Very creative mom there! I'll be the kids loved it! thanks for sharing your parenting skills! Sunshiine

[Momma_Bear]

This is fabulous! So great to see what fun kids are having outside using their imaginations despite the heat, instead of vegging inside the house in front of a video! Kudos to you for your Mom skills! I especially like the "rock wall climbing" in a skirt!