Do you love the relaxed feeling of sitting around a campfire at night with the stars shining and no noise except the brief breezes through the trees, cracking of the fire and the laughs from your family? That’s what many of us are craving right now, but have been asked to stay home, leaving us all craving the outdoors even more!
Luckily you don’t have to head to the top of a mountain or a coastal path to sleep under the stars, you could set up basecamp in your garden and create your own outdoor adventure for the night!
Start by packing all of your gear as if you were heading to the hills for an adventure. Instead of loading your car, take the shorter journey into your garden (or even your living room). Don’t forget to split the carrying across all of the family, children included! As you’re in the relative safety of your own home or garden, make of the most of it and use this as an opportunity to teach the younger ones how to pitch a tent, following the 5 W’s of tent site selection.
Take advantage of being so close to home and stuff your tent full of cozy sleeping pads, sleeping bags (make sure they’re clean), blankets and pillows. Don’t forget to set up a rug or tarp by the tent door for everyone to remove their shoes while regularly in and out!
Now that the tent is up, set up camp chairs around a fire pit, grill or even a virtual camp fire! If you turn off all the lights in the house everyone will feel like they’re in the wilderness, adding to the real outdoor experience! Ever heard of a virtual camp fire? Get a tablet and load up this awesome camp fire, with sound. Don’t forget to hit loop. If you would rather hear the wonderful sounds of nature try this babbling brook video or a very Nikwax rainstorm, without the actual rain! To make the light even more special why not add a strand or two of string lights and drape them over the top of the tent or around some trees for a little starlight.
Now you are truly ready for an adventure! Let the grilled food, campfire stories and stargazing begin! The magic of the outdoors can still be felt. For now, we just have to be creative and focus on ways we can access the things we love while following the government guidelines to keep us all safe.
#StaySafeStayActive