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Saturday, June 25, 2011

Today is Great American Backyard Campout!



National Wildlife Foundation has created this Great American Backyard Campout night to create awareness to American children to help lead a longer, healthier and happy life.  Funds raised from this event support vital programs like Green Hour, Nature Find, Trees for the 21st Century, Certified Wildlife and Schoolyard Habitats that get kids outside, for a healthier generation.

You can donate to our Campsite by visiting HERE.  OR   To create your own Campsite and help raise money for this cause visit HERE.  You will then be able to view all there creative camping ideas and recipes.  Here is just a SMALL amount of ideas for you...

Campfire Breakfast:

Bacon and Eggs in a Paper Bag

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
  • Two strips bacon (thick)
  • one paper lunch bag
  • one egg
  • one stick
Preparation:
Cut bacon strips in two, place at the bottom of the paper bag, covering the bottom. It is important that you have thick strips of bacon as thin ones will stick and adhere to the paper bag when cooked. Crack egg and put in paper bag on top of the bacon. Fold lunch bag down three times and poke a hole through it with the stick, so that the bag is hanging on the end of the stick. Hold over charcoal and watch the grease from the bacon protect the bag and cook the meal. 
  
A Farmer's Breakfast

  • 6 Slices of bacon, diced
  • 1 Tbsp of butter or margarine
  • 1/2 Tbsp medium sized green pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 Small onion, chopped
  • 2 Medium potatoes, cooked and chopped
  • 4 Eggs
  • 1 cup of milk
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Pepper to taste
Preparation:
Fry bacon slowly in frying pan. Pour off some of the rendered fat and replace with butter. Add green pepper, parsley and onion. Cook until just starting to brown, then add potatoes (or brown them with onion if you prefer). Stir frequently to prevent burning. Beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture into frying pan, stir just enough to incorporate evenly, then cook over low heat to simmer until set. Cut into wedges and serve hot. Serves 4.


Campfire Snack: 
Trail Mix
Whether you call it gorp, birdseed or trail munchies, it's all the same--high-energy food that can be eaten on the go. Offer each child a sealable plastic bag and let him fill it with a handful of his favorite dried fruits and nuts. Figure that you will need 1/2 cup to 1 cup of trail mix per person, per day. Here are a few of our favorites.

GORP
An acronym for "good old raisins and peanuts," gorp is a camping trip essential. Offer your child a sealable plastic bag and let him fill it with a handful of peanuts, raisins and M&M's (which are not in the purist version). Seal the bag and let him shake away.

RAIN FOREST MUNCH
Mix the fruits of the rain forest in a sealable, plastic bag: dried pineapple and papaya pieces, unsweetened coconut flakes, macadamia nuts, cashews and chocolate chunks.

BIRD SEED
This bird food for humans includes hulled sunflower seeds, raisins, peanuts and dried dates (the pellet-shape ones, rolled in dried milk).

TRAIL MIX EXTRAS
In addition to raisins and peanuts, try sweet banana chips, dried apricots or apples, corn nuts, mini-pretzels, cereal, pumpkin seeds, walnuts and butterscotch or carob chips.

Campfire Dessert:

Smore's of course!!!  Click HERE to see our National Smore's Day Blog Post 

Stir-fry brownies:
Make brownie mix according to directions. Pour a spoonful of oil into a skillet. Cook the batter like scrambled eggs.

Grilled Bananas
Ingredients:
  • bananas, 1 per serving
  • mini marshmallows
  • mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • walnuts, chopped
Preparation:
Slice banana lengthwise with peel still intact to make a slit in the banana (do not cut all the way through). Stuff each banana with marshmallows, chocolate chips, and chopped walnuts. Close banana up and wrap tightly with foil. Place banana into campfire and heat. The skin of the banana should be nice and brown when it is done. Use spoons to scoop out the banana and all the extras

Campfire Dinner: 

Hamburger Foil Dinners
This recipe is wonderful because the cleanup is little. You can add what one person likes and omit what another dislikes.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
  • ground beef (enough for one patty per person)
  • potatoes, sliced
  • onion, sliced
  • bell peppers, sliced (optional)
  • carrots, sliced (optional)
  • salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation:
Make a hamburger patty and lay in the center of a piece of aluminum foil. Slice potatoes and onions on top of meat. Season with salt and pepper. Fold tin foil up around it all and lay on top of grill. Can cook over the coals or on the grill. Vary the cook time according to size of hamburger patty.

Camping Craft:

Terrarium
Supplies
  • Plastic 2 liter soda bottle with cap
  • Very sharp scissors or craft knife
  • Dirt or potting soil
  • Seeds
  • Water
  • Permanent black marker
Instructions
  1. Remove the label from the bottle. Discard label. Save cap!
  2. Wash and rinse out the bottle and cap.
  3. Cut the bottle close to the bottom. I found a "line" about at the end of the label and cut there. You can cut it higher if you wish.
  4. Lightly place dirt or potting soil in the base.
  5. Plant a few seeds in the dirt.
  6. Lightly water.
  7. Put the cap on the bottle.
  8. Cover the base with the top of the bottle. You will have to fiddle with it a bit to fit back inside the base.
  9. Place in a sunny spot and watch for your seeds to grow.
  10. When the plants are ready, repot them or plant them in your garden.
  11. Enjoy!
 Campfire Songs: 
Shake My Sillies Out
I've gotta shake, shake, shake my sillies out,
Shake, shake, shake my sillies out,
Shake, shake, shake my sillies out,
And wiggle my waggles away!
I've gotta clap, clap, clap my crazies out…
I've gotta jump, jump, jump my jiggles out…
I've gotta yawn, yawn, yawn my sleepies out…
I've gotta shake, shake, shake my sillies out…

Listen to the song

Print out the lyrics
 Tom the Toad
Oh Tom the toad, Oh Tom the toad,
Why are you lying on the road?
Oh Tom the toad, Oh Tom the toad,
Why are you lying on the road?
You did not see the car ahead,
And now you're marked with tire tread.
Oh Tom the toad, Oh Tom the toad,
Why are you lying on the road?
 Notes: If the tune seems familiar, that's because it's sung to "Oh Christmas Tree." This song may seem rather morose and gross, but it's a campfire favorite.In the case of the kindergarteners, at first they did not see the humor in the song. They could not understand why we would sing this. 
But within minutes, the "ewgross!" factor kicked in and this became a favorite.

Listen to the song

Print out the lyrics

Free Camping Printables:

You can print out free Camping Bingo Cards - HERE













Campfire Cootie Catcher - Click Download this PDF, print, fold and pack in your camp kit.

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