Written on February 14th, 2009 by Kim
Finding things to entertain your children through the long winter months, especially those that are very active outdoors when it’s warm, can be challenging. So why not think inside your box and have a camp in. I’ve not met a kid yet that cared if their s’ mores was made over a campfire or in an oven.
Here are a few ideas on how to set the stage and enjoy some family time:
- Campfire - most of us have one built right in; it’s called a fireplace.
- Sleeping arrangements- for young kids, pitch a tent in the living room, the kind that pop to life. For everyone else, arrange sleeping bags on the floor.
- Ghost stories -leave the television off for a night and tell ghost stories to each other. And if you just must have the television, make it a movie night without cell phones or computers.
- Goodies - serve all the same things you would if you were outside: hotdogs, marshmallows, hot chocolate, popcorn.
- Night sky - pick up those peel-n-stick stars that glow in the dark. I know what you’re thinking, “I’m not putting those on my living room ceiling.” Don’t peel off the backing, instead use some double sided tape or a hot glue gun to attach them to the ceiling and they’ll pull right off with no damage in the morning.
- Breakfast - don’t let the fun end as soon as the sun rises. Have breakfast together and leave the outside world at bay as long as you all can resist.
Tags: campout party, family winter activity with kids
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Written on November 7th, 2008 by Kim
These are sooo fun and could be perfect for a campout party.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 roll (18 oz.) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 20 whole cashews
- 1/2 cup chocolate frosting
- 1 cup M&M’s Peanut Chocolate Candies
- 2 cookie sheet pans
- Plastic wrap paper
- Resealable plastic bag
And here’s how you make them:
- Divide the sugar cookie dough in three pieces. Knead the flour into one piece of cookie dough until smooth, set aside. Combine the remaining two pieces of cookie dough and knead in the cocoa powder until smooth, set aside.
- Roll the lighter colored cookie dough into a 1-inch round log about 10 inches long, and move it off to the side. Roll out the chocolate cookie dough on a lightly floured surface to a 10 x 4-inch rectangle. Place the light colored log of cookie dough on top of the chocolate rectangle. Wrap the chocolate cookie dough completely around the lighter colored log. Pinch edges to seal and roll the log smooth. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut the cookie log into 1/4-inch slices. Place 2 slices, side by side, on sheet pans. Press a cashew into cookie at the point the slices touch. Repeat with remaining cookie slices. Bake for approximately 8-11 minutes, or until cookies are just beginning to golden. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Spoon the chocolate frosting into a resealable bag and snip a small corner from bag. Using the photograph as guide, pipe eyelashes and a dot to secure candies. Add the M&M’s for eyes.
Thanks brightideas.com!
Tags: campout party cookies, hoot owl sweets, night owl cookies
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Written on October 20th, 2008 by Kim
These owls were so much fun to make and easy enough for little helpers. Here’s what you need:
- Brownie mix (we used puree apricots in the place of egg and filled the cups ¾ full)
- Oreo cookies
- M&Ms (replace with Skittles for egg and dairy free)
- Cashews
- Chocolate sprinkles
- Cream cheese icing
While your brownie cupcakes are cooling, tint your cream cheese icing orange and divide your Oreo cookies (we removed the white filling, but you could leave it). Next, ice each cupcake, apply your cookies face up, sprinkle the top of the cupcake with chocolate sprinkles to resemble feathers and add the cashew as the hooked nose. Finally, using a toothpick, place a small amount of icing on the back of the M&Ms and apply as the owls eyes.
(Tip: Oreos tend to get soggy when not kept in airtight containers. Plan to ice and decorate within an hour or two of serving.)
Tags: campout treats, egg and dairy free, halloween goodies, owl cupcakes
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Written on August 11th, 2008 by Kim
My oldest has been asking to have a campout ever since we staged the photo shoot for our campout party theme. So on Friday, we gave in. For treats we created a cupcake version of the campfire cake I posted a few weeks ago. Instead of Twix bars for the wood we used pretzels and instead of marshmallows for the fire we used yellow and orange icing.
And for those moms out there with little ones that suffer from food allergies like my youngest does, here’s how you can make them egg and dairy free:
Using a Duncan Hines brownie mix (yields 12 cupcakes), add water, oil and egg (I use 2 pureed apricot halves instead) per the instructions. Once the brownies have cooled (because they will fall slightly) decorate them:
- Fire - prepare a mixture of orange and yellow icing and place a dollop in the center
- Rocks - apply pecans or walnut pieces to the outer rim
- Sticks - break small pretzel sticks in half and carefully prop them against the fire
Idea source: Original
Tags: campfire cupcake, campout party
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Written on July 30th, 2008 by Kim
Over the past few days I’ve shared some fun ideas about how to pull together a great campout. But really, the first thing you need is an invitation to get everyone excited. We designed just the one, from the owl to the campfire to the cool blue moon, this invitation is sure to be accepted. Who hoo could resist?
Check out the invitation and the party decor.
Tags: campout party, owl invitation
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