Fun indoor camping ideas

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Camping indoors could seem a little eccentric, but what better way to have a holiday at home? Plus, if the weather is bad, you won’t end up getting covered in freezing cold mud up to your knees while you’re wringing out six pairs of socks and trying to keep the portable campfire alight… yes, we’ve been there. Instead, if you’re camping inside, you can cover yourself in much yummier features of camping, like s’mores. From creating your very own tent to snacking on outdoorsy fare, here are some of the best DIY indoor camping ideas.

Make your own tent for camping in the living room 

If you have the space, you could really pitch a tent in your living room. But if that option isn’t available to you, it can be just as fun to make your own. Just arrange your dining chairs in a square and throw a large sheet over the top. Doesn’t matter if it looks a bit makeshift – the messier the better!

Then, all you have to do is fill it with the essentials. Not only does this set the scene for the perfect trip camping inside, but it also teaches kids about what they’d need when sleeping outdoors. Here are some ideas:

• Sleeping bag
• Blanket
• Torch 
• Map
• Compass
• Food – we’ll come on to that in more detail later
• First aid kit
• Plenty kitchen paper. Even indoors, camping can be a messy business – especially when you’re having fun!
  
  

Activities for indoor camping for kids

Even though setting up your tent and filling it with the necessary supplies is an activity in itself, you’ll want some other fun things to do up your sleeve too. Give these indoor camping ideas a try:

• Build a “campfire”. Strips of cardboard make good firewood and orange tissue paper is great for faux flames.
• Sing songs round the “campfire”.
• Tell ghost stories using props from around your home – or just stories, if you don’t fancy being scared.
• Set up a scavenger hunt. Make a list of household items to find and get the kids out into the “wilds” to find them. If you’re camping in the living room, the “wilds” could be a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, or even the garden!
• Virtual cooking around the campfire – you can’t actually cook over cardboard and tissue paper, but you can pretend. And with a roll of Plenty on hand, you can certainly eat around your campfire, which takes us onto indoor camping food ideas…
  
  

Indoor camping food ideas

No decent list of indoor camping ideas for kids would be complete without food. You might have to use the hob, grill or oven to actually cook it, but that doesn’t mean you should sit around the table to eat: sit around the campfire, of course! Hot, satisfying camping food is best eaten with abandon, so keep a couple of sheets of Plenty kitchen paper on hand to wipe sticky hands and faces.

Here’s some foodie inspiration:

• Hot dogs and beans – classic!
• Mugs of hot chocolate
• Burgers with a good squidge of BBQ sauce
• Buttery corn on the cob
• S’mores – you can actually toast marshmallows over a tea light (with adult supervision). Sandwich them between a couple of chocolate biscuits for a really melty, squidgy treat.

These ideas for indoor camping for kids can help you to set up an exciting adventure in your very own home. Enjoy the great indoors!