Today’s post comes from Learning and Education Leader Laura Myers.
Daydreaming about camping?
Here are 12 ways to make it feel like you’re camping, all from the comfort of home!
As you would with any camping trip, start packing!
Here’s a list of supplies you will need for your indoor camping adventures:
- tent, sleeping bags, and pillows OR make an indoor tent with sheets, bedding, and poles
- flashlights and lantern (safe for indoor use)
- camp mugs and tea, coffee, or hot chocolate
- s’mores ingredients (marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers)
- board games or cards
- art supplies
- headphones and laptop or cell phone
Don’t have everything on the list? No problem! A little imagination goes a long way.
1. Pick your campsite
Look around your house, inside and out, to find the perfect campsite!
Pitch your tent and make it beyond cozy with your sleeping bags and lots of blankets and pillows. Pack games and enjoy time in your tent.
There’s no limit on how much you can bring since you don’t need to fit it in a backpack, canoe, or car.
Tip: String little lights in your tent to make it feel like you’re sleeping under the stars!
2. Try out a camping recipe
Camping food is some of the best food. Discover new camping recipes from the comforts of your full kitchen set-up.
Check out our outdoor cooking blogs for inspiration!
3. Use your camp mugs
Get out your favourite camp mugs and brew a cup of coffee, steep tea, or make hot chocolate!
Enjoy it indoors or outdoors.
Have a camp chair? Pop it up and sit back and relax with your hot beverage.
4. Make indoor s’mores
Camping and s’mores go hand-in-hand!
Indoor s’mores will give you a little taste of camping whenever you’re craving a camping adventure.
Directions: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread out graham crackers on the parchment paper, place your choice of chocolate and a marshmallow on top of each cracker. Bake for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. Complete your s’more with another graham cracker and savor the moment!
5. Watch the sunrise or sunset
Watching a sunrise or sunset is always a camping trip highlight. Look up the sunrise and sunset times for your area, and set an alarm to head outdoors and appreciate the array of colours from your backyard.
Check out this sunrise and sunset calculator!
6. Flip through your photos from past camping trips
Relive your camping memories through your photos.
Take some time to sort your camping photos and maybe print a few for the fridge or set one as your background on your device!
Share your favourite Ontario Parks photos with us on social media by tagging @OntarioParks.
7. Listen to nature sounds
Close your eyes and think of the sounds you hear while camping. What comes to mind?
Perhaps it’s birds calling in the morning as you begin to wake up or frogs calling in the distance as you sit around your campfire during the springtime.
Listening to nature sounds will be sure to make it feel like you are in the great outdoors. Take some time to listen to nature in your backyard or get out your head phones and tune into some soundscapes from across Ontario Parks here.
8. Play board games or cards around a lantern
Gather up your favourite board games or a deck of cards.
Turn on your camp lantern and turn out the lights for that perfect camping ambiance.
Grab your camping spoons for a fun round of Spoons or keep it classic with Crazy Eights!
9. Learn a new campfire song or tell campfire stories
Listening to songs and stories around a campfire is a quintessential camping experience.
Dust off your guitar and learn some new campfire songs. Tell your favourite campfire story or perhaps write new stories to share.
Why not plan a campfire video call with some friends or family and take turns singing songs or telling stories? Get out your Ontario Parks hoodie and a camping blanket to set the scene.
10. Identify things in your backyard
Connect with nature and get to know the plants and animals that call your backyard home!
Look high and low, on leaves, and under logs to discover the biodiversity of your backyard or balcony.
Download the iNaturalist app to help identify and submit your sightings!
11. Paint or sketch your favourite Ontario Parks scene
Get out your art supplies and channel your inner artist!
Paint or sketch your favourite camping scene, memory, or even a natural element from your home or backyard.
Check out this blog to try nature journaling.
12. Go stargazing!
Turn your eyes to the skies and go stargazing! After the sun goes down, head out to your backyard or balcony with your sleeping bag to view the wonders of the night sky.
Want to learn more about astronomy? Check out these astronomy blogs.
How do YOU bring parks to your living room?
Share your indoor camping adventures with us on social media by tagging @OntarioParks!