The first CAMPOUT party we planned was for our son. We thought about a bunch of boys in our backyard and their ages, and camping out seemed the perfect activity. As my husband and I began to do Rock Paper Scissors for who would be sleeping outside with ten 9-year-olds, we thought up a new plan. How about a “Father-Son” CAMPOUT! Perfect for me as it meant that I would be sleeping in the comfort of my bed inside but equally beneficial to my husband because he now had additional support outside. This did not mean I got away scot-free from this party. Oh no, that meant my sleeping conditions were more to my liking. Once we came up with this plan, we sent out simple invites. We requested that our campers bring their camping tents and sleeping bags (pillows, etc.), and we would provide the rest and a ton of fun!
Creating the Campout Feel with Decorations
Outdoor parties are our favorite type of party because of how great we can make things look with very simple and basic decorations. For this particular party, we strung white Christmas lights in the trees above where their table was and hung balloons with glow sticks in them. These decorations were perfect because they couldn’t see them in their entirety when they first arrived, but as the sun went down, they all loved how the area was lit up (even the dads).
One simple decorating hint is to utilize what you have in your surroundings. If you have a fence, make or buy a small, “Happy Birthday” sign (Fun Happy Birthday Sign). If you have trees add balloons hanging down. Place bunches of balloons throughout the area and voila your area is decorated. Balloons are hands down our favorite decoration. There is so much you can do with balloons and they are inexpensive. We will say our new best friend is the electric balloon pump (Balloon Pump we love). We can whip out so many balloons quickly which helps when setting up and there is no need for helium (which is an added cost).
What to Prep for Camper Check-In!
When we set up we created a welcome area for our campers for when they arrived. We used a dry-erase board for our “Welcome”/”Check-in” sign. You could use a chalkboard, poster board, or print a sign; a sign of any sort is just a nice finishing touch. Included at the check-in area we had a table set with most of the items that they would be using throughout the night. Each camper was given the following items.
- Walking Sticks – For our party before the guest’s arrival my son collected walking sticks for each of our campers from the woods. This is a simple and free addition, just watch out for the poison ivy when searching!
- Water Bottles – We have begun to write names on water bottles whenever we have had parties recently. This comes from always finding half-finished bottles or water bottles just opened laying around. So many bottles have been wasted because no one knows where they put their water. If we are feeling fancy we will make labels for everyone, if not a simple sharpie marker does the job.
- Brown Paper Bags – We attached two bags to their clipboard. One bag was to collect things for the scavenger hunt on their nature walk. The second was to make their trail mix in.
- Mini-Clipboards – Attached to the mini-clipboard we included a copy of the nature hike scavenger hunt along with a pen. (Mini-Clipboards)
- Flashlights – This is pretty self-explanatory. It is a CAMPOUT after all!
- Baby Powder Bottles – AKA Manhunt detector (see the activities for more explanation, we promise it is fun!).
Suggested Shopping List
Food, Snacks & Beverages:
- Hamburgers
- Hotdogs
- Hotdog Rolls
- Hamburger Rolls
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Relish
- Individual Chip Bags
- Large Marshmallows
- Chocolate Bars
- Graham Crackers
- Cupcake Mix
- Cupcake Mix Ingredient (eggs & oil)
- Frosting
- Candles
- Cupcake Liners
- Trail Mix Items
- Water Bottles
Non Edible Items:
- Glow sticks
- Travel Size Baby Powder
- Or you could use flour in bottles
- Mini Clipboards
- Scavenger Hunt (printed on paper for the clipboard)
- Brown Paper Lunch Bags (2 per child)
- Bug Spray
- Plates, Napkins & Utensils
- Table Clothes
- Balloons & Ribbon
Fun Outdoor Activities for your Campers:
Nature Walk/Hike – Think about your surrounding area, do you have a wooded area nearby to explore? Can you take a walk down the street? Your “hike” can be as complex or simple as you would like, even just exploring the backyard! For our party before the guest’s arrival my son collected walking sticks for each of our campers from the woods. This was a fun addition to the hike making it seem more “grown-up”. Each camper then picked out their walking stick at check-in. Some other things you may want to gather for this activity include water bottles, trail mix & bug spray. Our go-to “bug sprays” are actually wipes; Babyganics DEET Free Wipes or Aunt Fannie’s Mosquito Wipes. They are super easy to apply! Then off you or they go!
Scavenger Hunt – Either while your campers are on their Nature Hike or as a separate activity scavenger hunts are easy quick prep activities. Attached to mini clipboards at check-in was a simple nature hike scavenger hunt with a pen or pencil and a paper bag to collect the belongings. You can make a list based on your yard or campout area. Some items on our lists included:
- Find a fun shaped rock
- Find a wild flower
- Find an acorn
- Find two different shape leaves
- Find one multi colored leaf
- Spot an insect and write down a description of it (because they can’t take one with them)
Trail Mix Making – Before the “Nature Hike” we set up a trail mix station where we have multiple bowls with different trail mix ingredients for the campers to make a fun trail mix to snack on. You can adjust it based on the theme of the party or the season. Remember at check-in we included two bags attached to each camper’s clipboard with their names on them, one is for their trail mix.
Fall Trail Mix
- Bugles
- Candy Corn
- Whoppers
- Pretzels
- Cheese Balls
- Popcorn
- Reese’s Pieces
Spring Trail Mix
- Craisins
- Popcorn
- Pastel M & M’s
- White Chocolate Chips
- Pretzels
- Cheese Balls
Summer Trail Mix
- Popcorn
- Pretzels
- Goldfish
- Marshmallows
- Chocolate Chips
- Skittles
ManHunt – Many may remember this classic game of the past, hide and seek in the dark. We play it with a fun little add-on. We give each child a bottle of “ManHunt Detector” (aka baby powder or baking flour in a ziplock bag). This powder can be used to throw on opponents during the game. This allows players to see each other more (something you don’t particularly want during this game). Simple rules to follow; one group hides and the other seeks. When the whole group is found that round is over!
Campfire Stories – We are sure that the dads will have a scary story or two up their sleeves. Here is a simple way to include your campers in creating their own story. Have the campers sit around your fire and ask everyone to add a sentence or phrase to a story. For example, the first camper could say “Once upon a time…” or “One stormy night…”, the next camper would repeat the first person’s phrase and add their own (“Once upon a time a little lizard hopped through the forest…”, or “One stormy night I was riding my bike home…”) It can be funny or scary depending on how the campers feel.
S’mores – What camper doesn’t love s’mores! We have found that individually bagging everyone’s s’more kits before the party makes things so much easier. We always bag two “s’mores” for each person in a sandwich bag. This way there is no mad dash for the marshmallows and chocolate. It also helps cut down on the “Can I have one more?” pleas that are bound to come up (because who wouldn’t want just one more).
So breathe in that fresh air, set up a tent, make a fire, go for a hike, roast a marshmallow (or two), and don’t forget to catch some fireflies. Enjoying the simplicity of nature is the best part of this little adventure. We all need more of these experiences in our lives to show the next generations how peaceful our world can be. As always we are always looking for new ideas to share so let us know any modifications you made to make this party work for you! We can’t wait to hear about your UNFORGETTABLE CAMPOUT party!