LookLoveSend Blog

Ever heard of the Great American Backyard Campout? It’s a national fundraising event put on by the National Wildlife Federation officially scheduled for June 23, 2012. It’s mission is to raise funds while bringing families and especially kids into the outdoors. Individual families and groups can register online and get lots of tips and checklists to make their camp-out a fun, safe and successful adventure.

It’s also a great opportunity to throw your own camp-out party. Whether your purpose is a birthday party or just a fun reason to get kids and families together, you can do something good while you’re at it! Send out party invitations online or order custom party invites with info about the fundraiser. Let guests know they can choose whether to stay and sleep through the night, or to enjoy an ‘Almost Camp-out‘ type of event.

Throwing a Camp-out Party in Your Own Backyard

To make your party a success, rely on some of the tips NWF provides right on their website. We’ve pulled a few important ones if you’re doing a party, but these same things apply if you’re just camping out as a family on your own too.

Supplies

As backyard camp-out host, you’ll need to provide some basic things. But you’ll want to help guests know what to bring too. Here’s a helpful checklist from www.nwf.org that you can share with your camper guests:

• Tent (or a blanket and tarp)
• Sleeping bag (or a sheet and blankets)
• Sleeping pad or air mattress (or just a plastic sheet over old newspapers)
• Warm clothes
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• Insect repellent
• Bottle of water

Food

The usual suspects are hotdogs, hamburgers and s’mores. But other alternatives could include marinated chicken wings, shrimp or chicken kabobs, and a s’mores lasagna if you’re skipping the campfire. (the “lasagna” is simply layers of the graham cracker crust, melted chocolate or pudding, and marshmallow fluff!)

Games

As camp-out host, start some classic camp-fire games once dark falls. These might already be familiar to you:

• I’m going on a trip and I’m bringing...This is where one person (the game leader) privately decides on a specific rule that everyone has to follow when deciding what they will bring on this imaginary trip. Players eventually figure out what the rule is after listening to the leader agree or not agree what each player can bring to be allowed on the trip. (Example: Larry can bring Lemons and Betsy can bring Binoculars.)
• Two Truths and a Tall Tale. Each person gets a turn to tell the group three things about themselves, one of which is not true. Everyone else has to identify which one is not true.

Get started planning your own backyard camp-out. Invite the neighbors or your kids’ friends’ families. You’ll find custom party invites that you can personalize with your camp-out details at www.LookLoveSend.com. Sending invitations is a great idea if you want to formalize the event and perhaps start an annual tradition.