Backyard Camping

If you’re like me, you love the idea of camping, but you’re just not crazy about buying the big tent, lanterns, cots, the mess kit and caboodle. A simple, backyard camping experience may be just what your family needs.

You don’t have to be Grizzly Adams to give your family the experience of camping out. If you’re not a regular camper and don’t have a lot of camping supplies, borrow a tent and some all-weather sleeping bags from a neighbor or friend and you’ve got an instant backyard camp experience.

How to Build a Campfire

If your yard is big enough and you’re not Type A about keeping it in pristine condition, a permanent campfire site is a versatile addition to your property. When you’re not using it for backyard camp-outs, you’ll have a place for outdoor party bonfires.

Build a campfire in a back corner of your yard but not near a fence or other structure. Dig out the grass in a circle with an 8-10-inch deep center, and surround the circle with a ring of rocks. Keep a bucket of water, a fire extinguisher, and a shovel nearby to put out any fire that gets out of control.
According to LoveTheOutdoors.com, you’ll need three types of firewood: tinder - small twigs, wood shavings, dry leaves or grass, dry needles, bark, or dryer lint; kindling - small sticks 1-inch in diameter or smaller; and fuel – larger wood that keeps the fire going.

Start with a small pile of tinder. Light it with a match and gradually add tinder to keep the fire going. Then start to add kindling, increasing the size of the sticks. When you have a good fire going, add fuel, one piece at a time.

Baby, It Might Get Cold Outside!

When planning your camp-out, remember you may feel colder when the sun sets. Despite the cold weather, be sure your campfire is put out before you go to sleep. Use heavy, cold-weather sleeping bags if the weather is chilly. Wear loose layers of warm clothes. Hand and foot warmers are nice at a time like this, too!
If you’re having warm weather, try sleeping under the stars, sans tent, for a real outdoor adventure.

Camping Fun

For camping activities, take some tips from Girls Scouts and Boy Scouts of America. Their Web sites are chock full of games and outdoor fun using a minimum of equipment.

Roast marshmallows and make S’mores by placing a hot marshmallow on top of a graham cracker, topped by part of a Hershey chocolate bar and another graham cracker.

Set up a nature scavenger hunt by giving everyone a list of things to find – a flower or blossom, something red, something scratchy or pinchy, a feather, a rock that looks like a face, a spider web, or anything you can come up with.
Flashlight games are fun for everyone. Play Flashlight Tag, where you’re “it” if you get spotted in the beam of another player’s flashlight.
Inside your tent, play Flashlight Disco: Whip a flashlight back and forth as fast as you can while someone else dances and moves. The moving flashlight creates a strobe light effect.

Tell scary stories, but beware! Even older children may get scared by a story told outside in the dark. Keep your stories lighthearted!

Breakfast Over a Fire

As tempting as it will be to go inside and plug in the coffee maker first thing in the morning, try to resist!

A coffee percolator (found at a camping supply store for less than $20) set over the campfire will provide the smell and taste of a perfect camp-out.

To cook breakfast for your campers, keep it simple and remember: Everything tastes good cooked over a fire and after a night outdoors.

EarthEasy.com has an easy recipe for bannock that requires no pots and pans.

Bannock

Mix together in a bowl 2-3 cups flour, 1-2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2-3 tablespoons oil, butter or lard. Mix with your fingers until crumbly. Slowly add 2/3 cups water and mix until dough feels soft. Keep working the dough until it holds together. Take a small handful of dough and wrap it around the end of a green stick. Knead it so it stays together. Cook over coals for 10-12 minutes, rotating to cook evenly. Eat it plain or with a little jam or honey.

Campfire Skillet Breakfast

Use a cast iron skillet for this all-in-one breakfast dish.

˝ pound bacon
4 potatoes, cubed
˝ small onion, diced
6 eggs, beaten
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cut raw bacon into small pieces and place it in the skillet. Place over the campfire and cook until bacon is crisp. Drain some but not all of the bacon grease. Add potatoes and onion to the skillet and continue to cook until potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add eggs and stir and continue cooking until eggs are firm. Add cheese and continue cooking until cheese is melted.

~Diane Laney Fitzpatrick

Diane Laney Fitzpatrick is a former newspaper reporter and editor who writes about children, parents and families. She enjoys the simple life in Lexington, Kentucky, with her husband, two sons and a daughter.