indoor camping

We’ve been doing a lot of this lately because the weather has been not much fun (either hot and sticky or raining).
What you’ll need:
a tent – you could have a blanket fort like we’ve made or you could pitch a real tent inside
a campfire – I got my idea to go indoor camping and my campfire inspiration from itty bitty love (her fire is much prettier than mine so I won’t give you my tips for making one, go and read itty bitty love).  You might want to combine this with marshmallows for (pretend) toasting.
torches
sleeping bags – lots of fun to be had wriggling around like worms and crawling through a sleeping bag tunnel
What can you do once you’ve set up camp:
tell stories or sing campfire songs (again, itty bitty love has a song and game)
go fishing with this magnetic fishing game from the Powerhouse Museum
look at the stars in a pretend planetarium.  2 ways to make one are suggested in Making Make-Believe by MaryAnn F. Kohl. 

1. Spray paint the inside of a cardboard box black.  Place glow-in-the-dark stars inside.  Climb inside and explore the night sky.
2. Make a star projector.  Draw dots to represent a constellation on the bottom of a paper cup.  Poke holes through the dots.  Turn off the lights and shine a torch through the dots to project the constellation on to the wall or ceiling.

hide some rocks or treasures in a tub of sand or around your house and go fossicking
place stuffed toy animals around the house and go on an animal safari
and the ultimate adventure – spend the night in your tent.