Your kids may constantly bug you to take them out to a camping trip and while you want to take them as much as they do, workload either at office or at home may not permit you to.

Fortunately, there is an alternative to camping trips that is not as demanding and time-consuming. Backyard camping has gained popularity among kids who love the thrill of camping but cannot go on trips as often as they wish.

Even though backyard camping is not like the real thing (well, there are certainly no bears to come and get your picnic basket) there are some things you can do to make it just as fun.

Here are some tips on how to turn your kids’ backyard camping into a fun and exciting experience:

1. Pack your kid’s camping gear. Your kids will feel like they are going on a real camping trip if they pack their real camping gear for kids. Have them pack their tents, sleeping bags, lanterns, flashlights and the game boards that they love to bring to a camping trip.

Aside from making the backyard camping feel like a real trip, kid’s camping gear will also allow your kids to make the most of the backyard camping experience. For instance, with the Coleman For Kids Nature Viewfinder, they will have so much fun getting up close and personal with the little creatures of nature like bugs, and insects.

Be sure to include every kid’s camping gear and personal items that your kids need. Because if they have to rush back and forth to the house to get what they need, it would hardly seem like a real camping experience anymore.

2. When you and your kids are already in the backyard, ready to set up the campsite, ask your kids to imagine that they are in a real campsite and not just in the backyard.

3. Practice same camping methods and routine. To make your kids feel like they are in a real camping trip, do all the things you do when you’re going camping like cook their favourite grilled burgers and roasted potatoes or put away the picnic basket even though there are no bears that would actually come and get it.

4. Do traditional camping activities. Sitting around a bonfire while story-telling is probably one of the oldest camping traditions there is. Do the same in your backyard. While it’s not necessary to set up a campfire because it is quite dangerous, it’s better if you gather your kids around a Coleman 4D Lantern with Mood Light and take turns in telling spooky or funny stories.

5. Have them sleep in the tents. What’s a camping trip without a tent, right? Even though they could crawl back to the comforts of their bedroom after the storytelling around the campfire, it is certainly more like a real camping trip if they wake up the next morning inside their tents.