Set Up an Indoor Camping Night in 20 Minutes

The forecast just turned. The real camping trip is off, and a small, disappointed face is looking up at you. Here is the good news: the best bits of camping have nothing to do with the weather, and you can bring every one of them indoors before the kettle has even boiled. Twenty minutes, a few blankets, and a sense of adventure are all you need to pitch a campout that feels every bit as exciting as the real thing.

Let’s set up camp.

Minutes 1 to 8: pitch the tent

Every campout starts with shelter, so the tent comes first. You do not need a real one. A sheet thrown over the dining table makes a classic A-frame, and clothes pegs along the edges keep it from sliding off. If you have a clothes airer, drape a doona over it and peg the sides for a roomier hideout. For the deluxe model, string a length of rope between two chairs, hang a sheet across it, and weigh the bottom edges down with books.

Toss every cushion and pillow you can find inside, layer a couple of doonas on the floor, and you have a den that is somehow cosier than any actual tent. Let the kids take charge of the inside. Arranging the bedding is part of the fun, and they will defend their handiwork fiercely.

Minutes 9 to 14: light the campfire

No campout is complete without a fire to gather round, and this is the part that turns a blanket fort into a proper adventure. An open flame indoors is obviously a hard no, so the magic here is a pretend one.

A pretend campfire with soft felt flames sitting on top of stacked logs gives you the whole campfire ritual with none of the worry. The kids can gather close, warm their hands, and best of all, toast marshmallows on a stick over the flickering flames. There is something about a campfire, even a felt one, that pulls everyone in and slows the whole evening down. Stories get told. Voices drop to a whisper. The lounge room genuinely starts to feel like a clearing in the woods.

If you do not have a campfire on hand, a torch standing upright inside a ring of red and orange paper does a surprisingly good job in a pinch. The point is to give everyone a glowing centre to circle around.

Minutes 15 to 20: set the scene

Now for the finishing touches that sell the whole illusion. Switch off the big lights and turn on every torch, lamp, and string of fairy lights in the house. The change in lighting does most of the heavy lifting, instantly turning your familiar room into somewhere new and a little bit mysterious.

If you have a star projector or even a phone torch shone through a colander, throw some stars on the ceiling. Cue up a soundtrack of crickets and a crackling fire, easy to find and free, and the transformation is complete. Your camp is ready.

The main event: things to do round the fire

The setup is half the joy, but the campout really comes alive once everyone settles in. A few ideas to keep the night rolling:

• Torchlit storytime. Take turns telling spooky (but not too spooky) tales, passing the torch to whoever is speaking. Hold it under your chin for maximum drama.
• Shadow puppets. A blank wall and a torch are all you need. Rabbits, dogs, and wild invented creatures all welcome.
• Toast the marshmallows. Real or pretend, the slow toasting ritual is half the fun. Compare whose is perfectly golden and whose has gone up in flames.
• Stargazing. Lie back, look up at your ceiling stars, and make up the names of brand new constellations.
• The dawn chorus. When it is time to wind down, announce that the sun is rising and the birds are waking, then ease everyone gently back to the real world.

Why kids love it (and why it is good for them)

An indoor campout is pure pretend play, and pretend play is where children do some of their most important growing. Building the tent calls for planning and a spot of teamwork. Telling stories round the fire stretches language and imagination. And the cosy, screen-free calm of a fort at night is a lovely change of pace from a busy, noisy day.

There is also something quietly special about it. Years from now, your child probably will not remember the camping trip that got rained off. But they just might remember the night the lounge room turned into a forest, the fire glowed, and the whole family squeezed into a blanket fort together.

So next time the weather lets you down, do not cancel the adventure. Move it indoors, and let it begin.