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Indoor Camping Adventure!
- Patria Lincoln Posted On Mar 26, 2020 | STEM
Time to bring outdoor fun indoors during this springtime sequester. Make the best of it by planning a family camping adventure inside with the three “F’s” of fun: forts, flashlights, and food. With no bugs and access to running water, sounds like a perfect combination for some memorable family time!
Below are ideas to plan your overnight, indoor excursion – complete with a delicious S’mores recipe!
FORT
If your family is already campers, you can always pop your outdoor tent inside. Fill it up with sleeping bags and you’ve got a home away from home…inside your home.
No tent? No problem! Build your own fort. Have the kiddos grab these supplies for creative, engineering fun:
- Folding or kitchen chairs
- Blankets
- Sheets
- Pillows
- Books (for weight) or clips
- Twinkle lights
Set up chairs about 4-5 feet a part, backs of chairs facing each other. Throw blankets down on the “floor”. Make it as fluffy and comfortable as possible. Drape a sheet over the chairs as a roof. Secure the ends of the blanket wit heavy books or clips. String up twinkle lights as your stars, or grab your Primary Science® Shining Stars Projector to shine the heavens on the walls of your fort.
FLASHLIGHTS
Turn of the lights and let the fun begin. Have the kids grab their flashlights or lanterns and host a shadow puppet show or flashlight scavenger hunt. Shine the lights across each other and play flashlight limbo (the light beams serve as a pole). And if space allows, play everyone’s favorite nighttime summer game: flashlight tag!
Grab the Pretend & Play® Camp Set - complete with battery-operated lantern – creates the perfect glow for all your indoor camping needs.
FOOD
Plan for an indoor picnic during your campout. (Bonus! No chance of rain!) Have the children help you pack it all in an actual basket! Or maybe you can fire up the grill outside for some real campsite food. Either way, spread out a blanket by your tent and make it special.
Since no campsite is complete without this mainstay, here’s a S’mores Dip recipe, minus the fire!
Ingredients:
- A skillet
- ½ tablespoon of butter
- 1 ½ cups of chocolate chips, or 5 chocolate bars diced up
- 15 jumbo marshmallows cut in half, or a quarter of a bag of mini-marshmallows
- Graham cracker squares
(Little ones can help prep this delicious treat, but be sure all handling of the skillet and oven are done by a grown-up).
Place the dry skillet in the oven and turn on to 450 degrees. In the meantime, chop your chocolate (if using actual bars) and measure out your marshmallows.
Once the oven has reached the desired temperature, take out the hot skillet with an oven mitt. Again, keep little hands away from this part! The skillet will be extremely hot.
Throw your pad of butter in the skillet and swirl it around.
Pour in your chocolate, and top with your marshmallows. If you are using jumbo marshmallows, you can place in a uniform pattern around the skillet to ensure every inch is covered, just sure to steer clear of the hot pan.
Place in the oven for five to seven minutes. Break up your graham crackers into “dippable” serving pieces.
Remove dip from the oven and let the skillet sit on the counter for a good 10-15 minutes. Because your skillet is your serving dish, you’ll want it to cool off. Enjoy!
After everyone is fed, takes turns playing cards like Go Fish, or an old-fashioned game like Charades or Telephone. And just because there isn’t a campfire doesn’t mean there can’t be stories. Bring out your favorite books to read by flashlight or lantern.
The idea is just to be together…and make some fond memories during this unique time!
Happy Camping!
Spring Cleaning Tips & Tricks To Do With Your Kids
All cooped up at home? Now is the perfect time to disinfect your home and teach your kids healthy habits to keep things clean. And, if you’re of the spring cleaning persuasion, tidy things up! But whether you’re scrubbing the floorboards and shaking out rugs or just doing your weekly cleanup, you don’t have to do it alone! Kids as young as two can help with simple chores, which gives them a sense of accomplishment and belonging! Plus, you’re priming them to pitch in as they get older. Read on for some age-appropriate chores and motivation.
Preschoolers Can…
Yes, they require a bit of supervision, but with your encouragement and guidance, two-, three-, and four-year-olds can help you:
- Pick up toys and put them in a basket – Add a layer of learning (and make it more fun!) by asking them to pick up anything red first, then blue, then green. Or anything soft, then hard.
- Take their dirty clothes to the laundry basket – Count the pieces together as they go in, e.g., one shirt, two shirts… Or shoot a quick game of hoops with your balled-up socks!
- Help feed and care for the family pets – You may not trust your little one to fill the water bowl, but they can hold the hamster while you clean the cage and fill a scoop of dry food.
*Bonus idea! Pretend play sets, like New Sprouts® Clean It!, is perfect for imaginary play and give little kids a way to enjoy the cleaning fun!
Kindergartners Can…
Again, you’ll need to be on hand to help, but four- and five-year-olds can be hand helpers when it comes to chores like:
- Keep craft supplies tidy – A place for everything and everything in its place! Putting away pencils, markers, glue, and scissors is easy with the Create-a-Space™ Mini-Center, a portable craft station that’s easy to store! If you need a more prominent organizer, try the Create-a-Space™ Storage Center.
- Setting the table – You set out the glasses and plates, then show your kiddo where to put the silverware and napkins.
- Sorting the laundry – Little kids are great at sorting the laundry! Show them what counts as white, medium, and dark, and leave the rest to them.
Big Kids Can…
Many six- and seven-year-olds are old enough to handle simple chores without supervision. A chore chart can be motivating at this age to manage tasks like:
- Making their bed – Don’t expect miracles here; practice makes perfect! Pulling the sheet, blanket, and comforter up and placing pillows at the top is an excellent start.
- Emptying trash cans – Show your kids how to start with the biggest can and carry it to the smaller ones around the house, dumping as they go.
- Putting their laundry away – You fold, they stash or hang!
Bigger Kids Can…
Older elementary-school-aged kids can do so many things! Aside from managing their schoolwork, brushing their teeth, and getting dressed for school, these kids can:
- Wash dishes – Yup! The day has come! Fourth and fifth graders can rinse and load the dishwasher and scrub dishes and silverware (skip the knives and delicate dishware).
- Vacuum and rake – Whether indoors or out, your older kids can easily run the vacuum and rake. Plus, if they’re doing it, they can’t complain about the noise it’s making when you’re doing it!
- Run the washer and dryer – You may not want them folding quite yet, but big kids can toss a load in the washer, add detergent, and turn the machine on.
In Conclusion,
Although it may be easier to do things yourself, the sooner you make chipping in with chores an expected part of your kids’ routine, the easier yours will be in the long run. A good rule of thumb is that kids can follow as many instructions as years they are old. For example, a three-year-old may be able to pick up their shoes, put them in the closet, and close the door. A timer is also a great motivator, as is a clean-up song. Choose something you love, play it loud, and work as long as it plays. When the music’s over, so is the clean-up!
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