"Home, home on the raaange."
Camping, campfires, and
campfire songs are so much a part of the American
summer.
Kids especially love this stuff. "Can we go camping, Mom/Dad? Can we? Can we? Can we?"
Don't have the
budget/energy/time to drag the whole family to a real campground? Consider
building a stay-cation-style camp site at
home. You can do this inside, or try setting up outside on the
lawn or on your
porch, deck, or
patio. Invite all the kids' friends and make a
party out of it!
Fake
fire will be your
centerpiece. I found suggestions on building a faux campfire at
TheMeBuilders.com and at
Cadvisor.com. This basically involves positioning a
fan and some red-colored lightbulbs underneath your "campfire" (bundle of
logs). A piece of colored silk scarf flickers and billows when the fan is turned on.
Never, ever leave the setup unattended in case the bulbs overheat.
For real campfire ambiance, you'll need to turn the lights off and start a sing-a-long of campfire songs. Serve chili, hot dogs, and s'mores... on plastic or tin camping plates if you have them. Finally, get a woodsy and/or campfire
smoke scented candle burning. To go all-out, invest in
a CD of campfire sounds, for realistic wood-burnin' crackling noises.
Want the real deal instead? Check out
Anna's post on outdoor s'more grilling, and
Francesca's campfire-building tips!
Source
Judi Roaman: We Talk Endlessly About the Next President,…
