This summer is looking a little different. With summer camps getting canceled and some even going virtual, it was time to switch it up and make the best of it. I’m super excited to partner with Quaker Chewy to share how our family is recreating a few of my favorite camp activities in and out of the home. While enjoying one of my all-time favorite snacks growing up.
Parents can also find fun camp-themed ideas to help their families continue to enjoy their own Camp Chewy at home at NoCampNoProblem.com. Parents can visit NoCampNoProblem.com from 6/30/20 to 7/21/20 to enter and share what camp activity they would like to replicate or how they’ll keep their family playing this summer for a chance to win $250 of “Play Money” in the form of a gift card and Camp Chewy gear. Five hundred winners will be selected via a random drawing. Limit 1 entry person/email address. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. See Official Rules at website for more information on how to enter and prize details.
Disclosure: Quaker Chewy-Sponsored Blogger. All opinions are my own.
Take a Sunrise Walk
When camping I remember there was no sleeping in. Always start the day bright, early, and something to do. As a family, we always take our walks daily. So instead of our usual evening walks, we switched it out for a sunrise morning walk around the neighborhood. We live in Arizona and usually right when the sun rises, it’s already at 80 degrees or higher. With sun like this, first step is skin protection. My husband and I apply a good amount of sunscreen to all of us. You got to stay hydrated and have something for our tummies, so we fill our water canteens to the max, pack our snacks, and yummy lunch while my lil girl and hubby scoot and I push Enzo.
Explore the Neighborhood
We typically bring out our double stroller just in case someone gets tired from riding her scooter. Surprisingly this time around between walking and scooting, she went on for about 1 mile strong on her own. My daughter loves to stop and smell the flowers while also inspecting everything interesting to her. One activity we did is she brought her basket to place her nature findings and a magnifying glass to look at anything close up, especially the bugs.
While we were taking our time looking around we came across the cutest disc swings that were hanging from tree branches. We have walked passed by them so many times and never noticed it. This girl loves the swing! She loved how different, unique, and how the motion was. I’m not sure if she’ll ever go back to a regular swing after that. That swing totally reminded me of something you’d find in the mountains or on a fun hike.
Nature Findings
During this walk, Cataleya led most of the way. We took our time letting her observe because she wanted to inspect looking at things through her magnifying glass. She found some pine cones, leaves, rocks, sticks, grass, and a few different flowers. She didn’t bring home any bugs that we saw, but that magnifying glass came in handy, totally inspecting all her nature findings.
Picnic
After all that fun and adventure it was time to rest and refuel. Before heading back home it was snack time plus I know we were most likely all going to take an afternoon nap. So we found a nice spot we have been eyeing on our walks. I laid out our mat on these pavers that overlooked the lakes, pulled out our lunch boxes to get our snack time on. It felt great to lay down under the shade and relax for a little.
Of course, I had to add a little treat, one of my faves growing up, a couple of Classic Quaker Chewy bars in the Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate flavors to snack on. So convenient to always have on hand for on the go. Love how they are made with 100% whole grains and other delicious ingredients. Classic Quaker Chewy bars have at least 9g of whole grains in each bar and 100 calories or less per bar.
Evening Play
After a much-needed nap, with adults included obviously! Cataleya was checking and sorting out all of her nature findings. Another fun activity was we had some sidewalk chalk to get our creative juices going. We drew out a hopscotch template and some “artwork” on the concrete. She LOVED it and I must say, girl got hops!
S’mores
After a dinner meal what’s camping without S’mores?!? Since we couldn’t light a real fire in front of our home, we modernized our approach by using a culinary torch to crisp up our marshmallow outside on our patio. I prepared a delicious S’mores board filled with marshmallows, pretzels, dark chocolate, cookies, peanut butter spread and why not add Quakers S’mores Chewy bar for a double down on our S’mores evening! Jezriel and I used the torch to heat the marshmallows on a wood screwer and then handed it off to Cataleya for her to make her very own custom S’more. She doubled down on it as well making a S’more and adding the Quaker S’mores Chewy bar within it! That sweet tooth she definitely gets it from her mommy and daddy!
Bedtime Routine
After our bellies were full with dinner and dessert, we prepped ourselves for bedtime. I always enjoyed the storytime when I was camping. To recreate at home, we grabbed a sheet from our linen closet, our electric lantern and Cataleya picked out her favorite book.
To get the camping effect going, I threw the sheet over our heads (Cataleya in total awe). I turned off the lights so it was completely dark in the room and turned on our lantern. That gave us a cool little setting for us to read the book she picked out.
It was the perfect way to end the evening and I know she had fun! Plus it was something we did as a family so we all had fun.
Quaker Chewy believes that nothing should stop playtime. With many camps cancelled or going virtual, Camp Chewy is a great way to bring the fun to families..
I hope this gives you some inspiration on how to bring some classic camping activities that were my favorite to your own home.
Disclosure: This is sponsored by Quaker® Chewy. I have been compensated to create this post, however, all opinions are my own. I only recommend products I’ve personally used and love! This post may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you.
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Such a great way to still enjoy the summer and create memories
The memories here are pricesless