Although I was a Girl Scout growing up, as I got older my love for the outdoors became less than. But if you have been camping in the past, especially with your family, you know it brings great memories for your future. I still am not a fan of sleeping outside, but the idea of camping is still an adventure. I would now prefer a glamping experience, that has running water and electricity within a 4 or 5-star resort.
I don’t currently have a private backyard. So like Daniel and I did our summer of 2007 during the day, we decided to bring the camp out inside this year! (Pictured below is our fun day date a few weeks after high school graduation).
Theme with Preplanning
The theme obviously is camping, but bringing it inside. I wanted to maintain a safe environment away from bugs, but at the beginning of our camp in, I found a huge spider inside our living room, the same room we were starting our camp in! It was very scary, but made the weekend a little more authentic!
The important part of the preplanning for this particular weekend is planning around the activities. You want to make sure everything goes smoothly and fully prepared as if you were really out in the woods and we couldn't run into our home for the little things we forgot. I also wanted to make us be eco-friendly by reusing as much as we had. It's time to be creative and use our Pinterest searching skills!
Activities
To start the weekend, prepare with the goodies. Then make your tent and say goodbye to cellphones! For the tent, find the sheets and light blanks of your house and put the chairs together. Or as Daniel did to our house, we used rope tied to our ceiling vents and our curtain rods.
Some of your kids might have a fun tent in their room. Try bringing that in the living space, and combine them with blankets and chairs, so the kids can still have their night area. Make it even more fun and pack some clothes in duffel bags or bookbags as if you were leaving and spending the night in your tent. We’ll allow you to use the house bathroom for the facilities. Don't forget to grab your flashlight for your night journey there!
Then when you arrive at your campout you need to build your fire. I found a few inspirational things on Pinterest and created our own craft.
Or instead of the craft, you can use your tv as a campfire through YouTube or Amazon Video. There are many different YouTube uploads depending on your mood, just search campfire on YouTube. Change it up during the weekend depending on the occasion, like their Lakeside Campfire with Relaxing Night Sounds.
I've included some activities below for your campout. I would suggest looking at them and printing out what you need before your weekend. Less digital is best for this weekend.
Would You Rather
Charades
Pictionary
Your favorite board game or card game - UNO was a childhood favorite at my house and at campouts.
Ghost Stories (I will be skipping this part of the weekend - I hate being scared)
Red Tricycle's Kid's Friendly Ghost Stories
Purchase a Goosebumps book
Purchase Scary Stories book (I heard some of the stories in the '90s at sleepovers. Some of the stories still give me nightmares. I don't look into a mirror at night in the bathroom afraid to see Bloody Mary.)
Then start to prepare the food! The key to this weekend getaway is using your imagination! Don’t forget to pack the games, snacks, and the cooler!
Food
I have found this to be a little tricky while I preplanned. If you have a firepit, this would be the time to make use of it or even a grill. I, unfortunately, don't have one, so for our Friday night activities, I took advantage of using the stovetop pretending it was the like cooking over an open fire. While doing research, I found having a cast iron skillet was key! So we cooked steak with sweet potato fries and baked beans.
without a Grill
If you are like me and don't have a grill, think stovetop cooking or foil cooking in your oven. On Saturday morning I had a brilliant idea to go to a local orchard. We bought fresh green beans, okra, apple cider, Amish popcorn, apples, tomatoes, and their new hard apple cider. On the way home, we stopped at the grocery store and bought catfish! I can't tell you the last time I have had catfish, I did some quick recipe checks, but many required a lot of seasonings. It didn't seem so camp friendly. So I made up my own! I melted two tablespoons of butter and mixed it with a half of a juice from a lemon. Put that on an aluminum throw-away pan put the catfish on one side, then flipped so each side could get a little bit of the sauce. Then I sprinkled Old Bay seasoning on each top of the filets. At 350, it only takes about 20 minutes to cook, depending on the size of the fillet. We also baked the okra and sauteed the green beans on a cast-iron skillet! It was a great lunch!
The rest of the evening we just snacked and played games in front of the fire.
with a Grill
If you do have a grill or firepit, this would be the time to make use of it, especially if it involves the family! But don't forget you'll need roasting sticks, even if you cook over your gas stovetop!
Since I don't have one, I decided to take a break from our indoor camp-in and go to my parents to spend some time cooking outdoors. We grilled some brats and fresh local corn by wrapping it in aluminum foil with butter and garlic salt (plus I added some dried parsley). We paired it with cottage cheese and local chunky apple sauce. I'm one of those people who add tomato under my cottage cheese for some extra summer flavor!
Music
While you are enjoying some family time, this would be a great time to turn on some music.
Country Campfire on Amazon Prime
Campfire Sounds on Amazon Prime
Movie or TV Show
I remember a time when my family went camping because I had them buy me a very large tent for my birthday. One year, I felt we had also got a new portable DVD player and with a storm on the horizon, it was safer for us to stay in our tent, so we watched a movie. Yes, camping is not about technology, but sometimes you still need to watch a classic. Here are some I found that relate to the outdoors!
On Sunday, after sleeping in and having some breakfast, pack it up and 'head on home' to get your week prepared! Or make it home in time for football!
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