Arizona Family Fun: Backyard Camping Ideas

September 5th, 2013

2 min. read

By Amy Rushia

Take advantage of the fall weather and invite the whole family out to camp in your Phoenix backyard living environment!

Who says that you have to visit a crowded campsite to have a great outdoor adventure when you have your very own backyard to explore?  All you need is a tent, some sleeping bags and an imagination, and you can have one of the best camping experiences right on your very own property.

Campground Fare

While you can always fire up the grill to cook some hotdogs and burgers, you can venture outside of the expected by making some simple s’mores and grilling some nachos.

Simple S’mores: For this delicious dessert that’s sure to please, simply warm up some chocolate sauce and pour it onto a plate shallow bowl.  Next, crush up some graham crackers (kids love to help out with this one!) and place those on another plate.  Roast those marshmallows, and then dip them into the chocolate followed by rolling them in the crushed graham crackers.

Grilled Nachos: Cut out a sheet of aluminum foil for each camper.  Now take a handful of tortilla chips and place them in the center of their foil.  Put out a selection of standard nacho toppings, such as salsa, grated cheddar cheese, black beans, avocado, olives and beans so each camper can make his or her own customized plate of nachos.  Fold in the corners of the foil to create a foil “pouch” and grill the pouch until the cheese has melted (approximately 10 minutes).

Fun & Games

Camping is all about fun and games!  Try to plan some different activities for before and after the sun goes down.

Poolside Fun: When the sun’s still high in the sky, little campers will love to play games in the “lake”.  Make up a fishing game, have bathers paddle their way from one end of the pool to the next using only their hands and a pool noodle, or see who can do the silliest dive off of the diving board.

Flashlight Fun: All you need to make things fun in the dark is a flashlight.  From uncovering treasures to playing tag and hide ‘n seek after dark, flashlights can be used to spot people and prizes hiding all over your backyard.

Shasta Pools is a Phoenix pool builder who provides a variety of services including swimming pool remodeling, commercial pool building, and pool service and repair. Since its establishment in 1967, Shasta has helped over 80,000 families realize their dream of pool ownership. By providing exceptional value, quality craftsmanship and superior customer service, the Shasta team continues to fulfill the corporate mission of astonishing and delighting their customers and exceeding expectations. You can learn more about Shasta Pools & Spas by visiting them online, or by connecting with them on Facebook or Twitter.