Backyard Camping

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Planning and What to Pack

We were so excited to take all six twins on their very first camping trip… but that didn’t quite happen. After we had planned and packed for our camping trip in the mountains, we received an email that our reservation was canceled! With the two year old twins so happy to bolt in opposite directions and there was a lake nearby, we were a little relieved and thought maybe our backyard would be an excellent backup option. We were already planning to go all out and bring all of the food and be completely unplugged so we decided to do our best to make it an authentic experience, as much as we could. Just like everything we do with our big family with six littles, we preplanned, made lots of lists and were so happy we did!

First we planned an itinerary and menu plan for the two night trip. For a family of eight, we needed big quantities and a way to cook it. Here are the copies of the packing list, menu and itinerary for our trip along with blank copies if you’re interested.

Packing List PDF
Menu Plan & Itinerary PDF

The Backyard camping rules

Since we were trying to be as close to authentic camping as we could be, we decided come to an agreement on what we would and wouldn’t allow for the kids and adults. We made sure to get input from all family members (who can talk) on what our rules should be. Here’s what we came up with:

No phones (except for photos, videos and music)
No toys (except for drawing boards, sketch pads, books and a soccer ball & football)
Meats and cheeses could stay in the normal fridge and we could go inside to get those once at meal time
The toilets and shower was an option for anyone who wanted
All cooking had to be done outside
Stay outside
We can go in to make coffee

Chili for the first night’s dinner was delicious!

Itinerary

Camping Menu

Favorite part

I loved how the cooking went and having so much prepared but my favorite part was how the kids did with no screens and very limited toys. They played creatively and cooperatively, used nature and bonded so much. They spent longer kicking a ball and drawing than I’ve seen in some time and the amount of down time for everyone was so uplifting. I loved the break from the phone and technology/Wi-Fi anything and have since toned it down significantly because it brought me in the moment and allowed me to spend more quality time with the kids, which is pretty much the most important thing. I really do recommend trying to camp in your backyard and see how it gives you a reset and how wonderful “boredom” truly can be. Getting back to nature wasn’t boring, it was like going back in time and sharing this appreciation with our kids and they loved it. They didn’t miss the toys, screens and when we were “done” and could go back to normal, they opted to just stay outdoors and I haven’t had to “make” them turn the tv off and go outside and play since.

To see more of our Kidventures, click here.

More Kidventures

Backyard Camping Must Haves

We brought a lot of gear and supplies. These are the favorites that made it such a special time for us, in case you can use them for your family backyard camping, too! I hope you give backyard camping a try. It’s great practice for the real thing which we are going to try again for soon. Lol when we are brave enough.