Indoor Camping Craft for Kids
Create your own campfire, marshmallow roasting sticks and S’mores!
With restrictions in place this summer, you may not have the chance to go on that fun family camp weekend you were planning. Fear not, because we have a fun craft that brings camping right into your living room! So get your blanket fort ready because this craft will show you how to make your own indoor “campfire,” as well as some other ideas to go along with your indoor adventure!
Campfire Craft
Materials Needed for Campfire
- 3 pieces of 4.5” x 9.5” brown construction paper
- 6 pieces of tissue paper (2 red, 2 yellow and 2 orange)
- Glue stick
- Tape
- Black marker
- Clear plastic cup
- Push light
Directions for Campfire
1. Roll the 3 pieces of 4.5” x 9.5” brown construction paper into cylinders/tubes. Then tape along the seam (where the two edges of the paper meet.) These will become the logs for your campfire.
2. Using the black marker, draw lines on all of the tubes to make it look like bark on wood.
3. Glue the 3 tubes together to form a triangle shape. One end of each tube should be on top of another, and one end should be below another tube. Squeeze the ends of the logs together for at least 20-30 seconds, then put aside to dry.
4. While the glue is drying on your logs, you can start making the flames for your fire. To make the flames, you will need the 6 pieces of tissue paper (red, yellow and orange). Using one 1 piece of tissue paper at a time, hold it over a slightly open fist and use the index finger of the other hand to push down on the center of the tissue paper. The paper should start to go into the opening of the fist. Then crease the paper into a somewhat tube shape. (This is similar to if you were putting tissue paper into a gift bag.) Repeat this process until all 6 pieces of tissue paper are the same shape.
5. Tape the bottom ends of the tissue paper around the clear plastic cup. Alternate between colors for the best results (red, yellow, orange, red, yellow, orange) until the cup is fully covered by the tissue paper.
6. Time to put the flames in the logs. Place the triangle of logs over top of the flames (as if putting thread through the hole of a needle) and then fluff out the tissue paper to make it look more like flames.
7. Turn on the push light and place under the cup. Now you are ready to camp indoors with your amazing camp fire!
Marshmallow Roasting Sticks Craft
Materials Needed for Marshmallow Roasting Sticks
- 4 Cotton balls
- 2 Sticks
- 1 Chopstick (Optional)
Directions for Marshmallow Roasting Sticks
1. Using a chopstick, poke holes through 4 cotton balls. (These will be your marshmallows.) If you do not have a chop stick, anything that can make a hole all the way through a cotton ball is fine!
2. Put two marshmallows (cotton balls), one on top of the other, on each of the sticks. Fluff them out and you now have 2 marshmallow roasting sticks to use with your campfire!
S’mores Craft
Materials Needed for S’mores
- 2 pieces of 2” x 2.5” cardboard
- 1 piece of 1.5” x 2” cardboard
- 2 Cotton balls
Directions for S’mores
1. Using the brown marker, fully color both sides of the 1.5” x 2” piece of cardboard. This will be the chocolate for you S’more.
2. Place the chocolate on top of 1 of the 2” x 2.5” cardboard pieces. (This is one of your graham crackers.) Then, place two marshmallows (cotton balls) on top of the chocolate and top it off with another graham cracker. Yum! *Though it may look delicious, this not edible. Please do not consume it.*
You are now ready to “set up camp,” complete with your indoor campfire, marshmallow roasting sticks for two, S’mores and hopefully even a blanket fort! Turn the lights off, and let the glow of your fire fill the room. Maybe you can even sing some songs or tell some stories around your campfire. Enjoy and happy camping!
