The weather is getting better so it’s time to get the kids outside. Why not create a fun DIY backyard camping trip for the family. If you don’t have a tent, you can just take some sleeping bags or blankets and make a campsite in your backyard.

DIY Backyard Camping Games

Ring Toss

This is a fun craft to create and play with outside or inside. You may have all the items in your home that are needed to create this craft. If not just head to your local craft store, or grocery store.

Items Needed

• 6 Paper pates
• 1 Paper towel tube
• 1 Soup can cleaned
• Card stock or construction paper
• Glue dots or hot glue
• Deco Art paint – red, blue, and yellow
• Sponge brushes

Directions

1. Cut the center out of each plate, making a ring.
2. Paint 2 plates blue, 2 red, and 2 yellow.
3. Let the plates dry, you should only need one coat.
4. Cut the card stock to fit around the paper towel tube and glue it to it.
5. Place the paper towel tube into the can and fill it with rocks or something heavy to hold it in place.
6. Toss the paper rings around the paper towel tube, 1 point for every ring that goes around the tube, high score wins.

Plate Toss Game

Tossing anything for points is fun, and this game is fun to make too. It’s inexpensive and quick to make, no paint needed for this one, just a few items you probably already have, and a little creativeness.

Items Needed

• 5 Paper or Styrofoam plates
• Card stock or construction paper
• Glue dots or craft glue
• Felt or any material
• Rice or beans
• Hot glue gun

Directions

1. Cut numbers out of the cardstock or paper, you will need a 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50.
2. Cut squares out of the felt or material, 3 inches wide and 6 inches long.
3. Glue the numbers to the plates with the glue dots or craft glue, each plate has a value, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50.
4. Hot glue the felt together into a square, leaving one end open.
5. Fill the felt square with rice or beans.
6. Seal the open end of the felt square with hot glue. (use the band-aid trick, put a band-aid on our fingers so you don’t burn them doing this)
7. Place the plates far from each other and toss the bean bags.
8. Highest score wins.

Ball & Can Toss Game

Items Needed

• 10 Cans, cleaned out, they can be any size or all the same size
• Card stock or construction paper
• Glue dots or hot glue
• Ping Pong ball or golf ball, you can even use a wadded up paper ball

Directions

1. Cut the card stock or other paper to fit the cans.
2. Using the glue dots or hot glue, stick the paper to the cans.
3. Cut a small square of paper for each can, this will be used to write what points you get.
4. Place the cans in a triangle.
5. Toss the ball into the can, high score wins.

Grilling Banana Boats

Oh my gosh, this is my favorite camping treat ever. We used to make banana boats when I was in Girl Scouts, yah, a few years ago. I still make them to this day, made them with my son when he was little, and sometimes I will just make them as a treat to eat.

Items Needed

• Bananas, yellow bananas work best
• Chocolate chips
• Mini marshmallows
• Tin foil

Directions

1. Keep the banana in the peel and slice it down the center, not all the way through, just enough to make a pocket.
2. Fill the banana pocket with chocolate chips and marshmallows.
3. Wrap the whole banana in tinfoil, completely covering it.
4. Put it on the grill for 10 minutes, or in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
5. Eat with a spoon and enjoy.

Make sure you have plenty of water, these water bottles from Contigo are great, they are BPA free, spill proof with an autoseal. There are many makes and models, I like this 2-pack with the Smokey grey and Monaco blue. Keeping hydrated while enjoying your DIY Backyard Camping is key to having a safe and wonderful time.