Anyone ever plan a camp out b-day party???

[Mom3girls]

Trying to do something different. I have three kids and I think we have had every type of B-Day party available. I had an idea of buying a large tent from Target and letting DD have about 6-7 friends over for a swim/camp out party in the yard. Any FUN things to plan or FUN food to have?? Obviously we will have s'mores and I would like to show a movie on projection screen. Any ideas??

 

[mom2boys]

My son did this one year. He & his friends had a great time. We left the back door unlocked all night so they could use the bathroom or come in if they decided not to sleep outside.
Don't forget - Flashlight Tag & catching lightening bugs. I was able to find insect cages at the dollar store for party favors - glow sticks add to the fun too.

 

[stm61]

are you able to have a camp fire and let them roast hot dogs and marshmellows? You could have pizza available as a back-up to the hot dogs. Don't forget the bug spray and some kind of lantern/big flashlight to keep in the tent with them. DD7 just went to a birthday party where the mother set up a blow-up screen in the yard and showed a dvd movie. It was from 7-10 pm, she provided pizza, some options like salad, sandwiches, lasagna for the parents that stayed, cake, ice cream, and drinks. They ate and ran around a bit, then she started the movie. By the time the movie ended it was time to go home. The kids had a good time and it was something different that noone had done before.

 

[NHdisneylover]

*Tie Dye pillow cases or t-shirts
*flash light tag (I saw it was already mentioned)
*make banana boats in the coals of the campfire
*borrow a simple telescop and do some star gazing
*"spark" wint o green life savers (if you chew them with your mouth open in the dark others can see a spark sometimes--I'll look for a link explaining it, I always take rolls of Wint-o-Green lifesavers to camp trips for this and the kids love it.
*can someone play guitar and lead a campfire sing along?


Show a camp related movie. The Parent Trap (either old or new) could be fun.

 

[polkadotsuitcase]

*Tie Dye pillow cases or t-shirts
*flash light tag (I saw it was already mentioned)
*make banana boats in the coals of the campfire
*borrow a simple telescop and do some star gazing
*"spark" wint o green life savers (if you chew them with your mouth open in the dark others can see a spark sometimes--I'll look for a link explaining it, I always take rolls of Wint-o-Green lifesavers to camp trips for this and the kids love it.
*can someone play guitar and lead a campfire sing along?


Show a camp related movie. The Parent Trap (either old or new) could be fun.

I wanna come to your party! These are great ideas.

OP, can't add to the great ideas already suggested, but wanted to mention my son's all-time favorite birthday party was the backyard campout/pool party. The kids are going to love it!

 

[mjkacmom]

We did this - movie outside, fire for smores, tents, flashlight tag (dollar store flashlights were the favor), scavenger hunt.

 

[Mom3girls]

Thanks for all the great ideas! My kids are over the moon excited!! Definitely gonna use the ideas given. One last thing, the girls DO NOT want me to sleep out there and ruin all their fun!! Yard is fenced and locked and I will sleep right inside family room near sliding glass door. Would you be worried if your child was invited and sleeping outside without adults? Ages are 10 and 11.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Thanks for all the great ideas! My kids are over the moon excited!! Definitely gonna use the ideas given. One last thing, the girls DO NOT want me to sleep out there and ruin all their fun!! Yard is fenced and locked and I will sleep right inside family room near sliding glass door. Would you be worried if your child was invited and sleeping outside without adults? Ages are 10 and 11.

I'd be okay with it if you were checking in often (though some of the girls might chicken out midway through the night). Do you have a baby monitor that you could leave outside to better keep an "eye" on them?

 

[pixiewings71]

My DD's friend does this every year for her bday. They sleep outside and eat S'mores and everything. They love it.

 

[Mom3girls]

Well, just got back from buying the new tent. The girls are jumping out of their skin. They want me to put the tent up right now!!! I kind of do too, but there are some scattered thunderstorms to come through tonight.

NHdisneylover- No I don't have my baby monitor to listen in but that's a good idea. They said they want to play truth or dare all night. I hope that the swimming and water games we play somehow tire them out!!!

 

[C.Ann]

Thanks for all the great ideas! My kids are over the moon excited!! Definitely gonna use the ideas given. One last thing, the girls DO NOT want me to sleep out there and ruin all their fun!! Yard is fenced and locked and I will sleep right inside family room near sliding glass door. Would you be worried if your child was invited and sleeping outside without adults? Ages are 10 and 11.

My biggest concern would be the pool..

Sounds like a fun idea for a birthday party!

 

[mjkacmom]

Make sure you have a tarp under the tent.

 

[krcit]

On the Today show this morning they had ideas for kids parties and one was a camp-out. most of the ideas here were already mentioned but the invites she had made were adorable. Just a piece of wrapping paper folded to open like a tent attached to plain paper. All the info was inside the tent. I hope I'm explaining it ok. She also had canteens as the party favors.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Sounds like a fun party but my concern would be the pool. You don't know if you have a sleep walker in the bunch.

 

[suzannecstarr]

I saved this from a disney site about a year ago. I loved the idea.

Backyard Camp-out
Birthday party ideas from FamilyFun
Print Share

Any scout can tell you what makes the great outdoors so great--the cool accommodations. At this party, sent in by reader Lauren Gudonis, the action centered around a large tent set up in the yard. It was, she reports, a big thrill for the kids who attended her daughter's seventh birthday. "They couldn't get over the tent," she says. "It wasn't a sleepover party, but they all wanted to sleep over."

THE HIT OF THE PARTY:
This campsite cake will lure even the most hardy campers out of their tent for a taste. Let each child decorate one sleeping camper on top of the cake.

DECOR:
A simple tent pitched in the backyard (or even the family room) is all you need. Lauren also added a few streamers to spiff up the inside of her tent.

FUN & GAMES:
Young kids will enjoy the summer camp-type games below; older kids may prefer the thrill of just hanging out tentside, minus the 'rents.

•Make camp crafts. At Lauren's party, the girls all made beaded ornaments, but gimp key chains, Popsicle-stick boxes or any other camp craft would also make memorable take-home favors.

•Have a campfire. A real fire (or even just a hibachi) can set the mood for games, songs or marshmallow roasting. Any fire, obviously, requires close parental supervision.

•Flash your lights. Lauren gave each guest a tiny flashlight. Everyone crawled into the tent and took turns telling ghost stories and lighting the flashlights under their chins as they spoke. Use a more powerful flashlight for a game of flashlight tag.

FAVORS:
Tie up a mini flashlight, glow stick and a little ziptop bag of gorp in a bandanna.

EATS:
Hot dogs (especially grilled over a fire), bug juice (Kool-Aid), gorp and plenty of s'mores.

CAMP-OUT CAKE
2 baked 9-inch round cakes
4 cups green frosting

DECORATIONS: Graham crackers, gumdrops, pretzel sticks, Necco wafers, chocolate cookie crumbs, marshmallow trees (see recipe below), colored frosting and gel icing

Layer the cakes and frost them green. Build a campfire with graham cracker-crumb ashes, gumdrop flames and pretzel stick logs. For the campers' sleeping bags, frost graham cracker quarters with bright colors and decorate with gel icing. Draw a camper's face with the icing onto a Necco wafer and place on top of each sleeping bag. Arrange the campers around the "fire" and add a sprinkle of cookie dirt and a few marshmallow trees.

 

[Mom3girls]

No need to worry about the pool. It's 52" above ground pool with a locking ladder enclosure with the ladder in the up position.

The kids are eating popcorn and drinking juice boxes in the tent as we speak. They brought out TONS of games and cards and books (and stuffed animals). Looks like I will have some very sleepy girls tomorrow!!!

I didn't use a tarp underneath! Didn't see this post til midnight. Oh well!!!

 

[Mom3girls]

just wanted to update...I awoke around 4:15 am to thunder and lightening and ran out in the rain thinking the kids were asleep and i wanted to close up the tent windows. They took everything they owned out there and I wanted to make sure the tent didn't leak. They had closed all the windows and had packed up their stuff. They came inside because of the lightening. They can't wait to do it again!!!!

 

[Kimberly]

Small campfire (if the town allows you!, contact the city hall or FD first!), and smores would be a great place to start!