The Great American Backyard Campout!

We’ve got our hotdogs, buns, and sauce. The graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate are set for some wicked s’mores-making. The tens are ready, the bedding is all here, and we are set for the Great American Backyard Campout this weekend!

Or, we were, until there was a heat advisory issued.

Backyard camping is something free and fun most families can do. It’s a great way to get away from work for a while and play with your kids. You can teach them all about nature and camping at home in a comfortable setting—and if you don’t know much about camping, you can learn together.

But if you’re like me and it’s hot enough to completely melt your s’mores before you roast your marshmallows, you can still have a great camping adventure inside. Here are some tips for having your own indoor campout when Mother Nature has other plans.

Set the scene. Make sure the TV and any other electrical devices are kaput if you want a real campy feel. (If you don’t and want to make it a hybrid camping/movie night, that’s fine too!) Get a CD full of nature sounds and play it, identifying what you hear with your kids. If you have little kids, let them pick out some of their favorite stuffed animals to place around the room for a bit of nature, and if you have houseplants, bring them all around for a more outdoorsy feel.

Pitch your tent. Set up a real tent if it will fit; if it won’t, just drape some sheets over a line of rope or tall furniture to make a tent. We secure ours with chip bag clips. Use sleeping bags if you want, or just drag in your bedding materials from your bedrooms.

Make your hotdogs and s’mores. You can do this the conventional way, over the stove or in the microwave, though I do know it’s possible to roast marshmallows over candlelight from personal experience! (It does take quite a bit longer.) If you want to avoid the mess inside, you can get tons of s’mores-flavored treats this season, from Teddy Grahams to Goldfish crackers.

Play games and have some fun! You can still tell ghost stories with a flashlight, and you can take a “nature walk” with little kids, having them make noises and “finding” the creatures (their stuffed animals) who make them. One of my daughter’s favorite games is to say “What’s that noise?!” in a scared voice and have me make an animal noise so she can guess what it is.

Be sure to schedule a date for an outdoor adventure as soon as it’s cool enough to be safe for your little ones—while your indoor campout may have been fun, outdoor camping is definitely not to be missed!