Activities for Great Outdoors Month 2009

My children love to go on family camping trips but time doesn't always allow us to go. A demanding work schedule and unexpected things can come up. I know many families experience these same issues and just give up on the week end get-a-way idea. Check out some easy ways to enjoy a family camping trip without having to travel further then your backyard and celebrate the great outdoors month.

How about a breakfast picnic! You can sleep indoors or camp right in your backyard and in the morning cook breakfast just like you would if you went out camping. It's a great way to start the day together outdoors drinking hot cocoa and coffee, watching the sunrise. My kids will sleep in the tent and actually love to get up early to do this and they even like doing the dishes outside with the hose, bonus for mom!

If you don't have to get up early how about a secret mid-night meeting outdoors, sleep in the backyard tent or just set your alarms to get you up around 11:00 p.m. Make sure everyone has an item they must bring, like a blank, flashlight, snacks etc. My daughters and I do this during the summer and no boys are allowed, it's our girl time to stargaze, talk about girl stuff and enjoy a mini camping experience for just a couple of hours letting us have an outdoor adventure without going very far.

With the same basic idea as above you could meet with a group of friends and family late in the evening to tell scary stories by a backyard bonfire. Get active and play flashlight tag or play a game of night time hide-n-seek. Kids love this activity, adults get to feel carefree for a couple hours and the whole family gets outdoors to enjoy the warm night air.

Spend a family day at a local park enjoying the fresh air, getting exercise hiking and having fun doing a photography scavenger hunt. Each person or group should have a digital view screen camera or instant Polaroid camera. A list of a dozen or more items- example: item #1 should be yellow, black and green. At the end of the day compare each person/groups item list photos. This is a great family outdoor activity and if you're crafty you can make it into a nature walk scrapbook.

So turn off your T.V., cell phones and mp3 players for a couple of hours and plan an outdoor activity together. Remember whether you choose to do backyard camping, backyard outdoor activities or outdoor adventure scavenger hiking always take plenty of water and make good safety rules for everyone to follow. It's great to do activities during great outdoors month but even better to do them all year round.