Family camping during the coronavirus can be just as much of an adventure as camping in the woods, but with the added bonus of being just steps away from your own kitchen and bathroom. 

If you find that your kids are going stir crazy during these times and you are running out of creative ways to entertain them, then pop-up a tent in your backyard to entertain your kids for a night or two of backyard camping during the COVID-19 social distancing period. The evening can include some simple food and entertainment already at your disposal: smores, movies, popcorn, board games, arts and crafts, and star gazing. 

Any tent will charm the kids, but the larger the better if you want to join them. Our large canvas tent can be purchased or rented and provides over 200 square feet of space for you and the kiddos to spread out. We will even come and set it up for your if you are in Portland or San Diego.

FURNISHINGS & DECORATIONS

Once up, you will want to think about the furnishing and decorations. You can go with a standard camping theme, or get creative and design with a theme in mind (e.g. Super Hero, Pink Party, Balloons, Disney, Sports, etc.). Here are some suggested basic furnishings and gear to include:

• Cots or air mattress

• Sleeping bags or blankets

• Pillows

• Lanterns

• Flashlights

• Rugs

• End table

• Floor pillows

• Night light

• Walkie-Talkies

• Slippers

• Robes

• Paper towels

• String lights

• Firepit

ACTIVITIES

Birthdays Camping! @jaceydupris

Backyard Camping

Music inTents!

Learning inTents!

Movies inTents!

photo: @couldIhavethat

Create a plan of activities to help keep the little ones entertained during their backyard camping adventure. Here are is quick list of possible backyard camping activities to consider:

• Movie time (on a table, laptop, or projector)

• Board games

• Arts and Crafts

• Video games

• Classroom

• Scavenger hunt

• Yard games

• Karaoke

• Star gazing

• Group sing-a-long

• Campfire stories

SNACKS

Here are some quick snack options that you could include along with the backyard camping adventure:

• Popcorn

• Smores

• Trail mix

• Hot chocolate

• Mountain House adventure meals

• Granola

• Cookies

• Fruit salad

• Cooler with beverages

Once you have it all set-up, you can keep it up for a few days and transform the sleeping tent into a fun fort for the kids to hang out for hours of entertainment. You will discover that you don’t really need to come up suggestions for the kids, as the space alone will inspire their own creative ideas for using the backyard camp site. And with coronavirus locking us down, backyard camping is a simple solution to help the family to spread out and give everyone much needed mental space!