Tips for Camping in Your Living Room!

It's official that Texas schools are closed for the rest of the school year.  This was disappointing news. My children miss their teachers and friends. They also miss going to their weekly activities, the library, and parks. In today's post, I'll share a fun activity that hopefully helps to boost your family's spirits - a Living Room Camp Out Acitivity. We found the Antsy Pants Starter Set and Tents which are perfect for staycations and little imaginations!

Tips for Camping in Your Living Room!
1. Set up tents.
We used the Antsy Pants Starter Set and Tents for our children. They each have their own tent and the Antsy Pants Starter Set.  (The Starter Set is versatile because there are plenty of pieces that allow you to build extra things with other covers that they sell or even by covering structures with your own extra blankets.)

The Antsy Pants sets are really cool. Let's start with the concept. Antsy Pants sells many kits that use poles, connectors, and covers to create fun play tent structures such as pirate ships, construction trucks, firetrucks, club houses, ice cream trucks, and more. Each kit contains poles, connectors, and covers that are child-friendly for them to follow instructions to build a set.  

My children used the Starter Set and Tent Covers to create the tents below. They spent quite a while building these tents, but then even longer playing in them!  They adore these little tents. 

In addition to the tents, I should also mention that the supplies give them an open ended opportunity to also create their own customized designs. For instance, my children reconfigured the poles and connectors and then threw a sheet over the structure. They called it a camp store.  The Antsy Pants concept is really cool because the set is modular and allows them to follow the instructions or create their own designs. There is a combinatorial explosion in the number of possibilities!  Visit the Antsy Pants website for memorable play sets to create happy childhood memories while you are at home during the quarantine! 

2. Turn on the fireplace.

We turned on our fireplace to give a special "campground" feel in the evening. (Of course, we kept the tents and our children a reasonable distance from the fireplace.)

3. Bake S'mores Cookies.

I have to admit that I will not give my children S'mores in the living room. It's too messy for them. Instead, we made S'mores Cookies together which we think are even more delicious than S'mores.  Get the recipe here.

4. Make it a movie night!
Watching movies in the living room from a tent is the best!  My boys love their special space with snacks and a movie. We watched the Woody Woodpecker movie. It was filmed in the woods which made it perfect for our camp out. I think that they will have happy memories of camping and watching movies together in the living room!

5. Provide flashlights.
When you are a little kid, flashlights are awesome! Turn the lights out and provide flashlights!

We hope that you enjoyed our tips.  This is the perfect timing for a Living Room Camp Out with your children. It's a fun opportunity to have fun and bond during the quarantine.  Plus, the Antsy Pants Starter Set and Tents that we mentioned are not only perfect for a living room campout, but they are also versatile for little imaginations to do a variety of other creative activities with the pieces.