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Backyard Camp-out

Fun roughing it at home from FamilyFun

In This Article

Flashlight Adventures

It takes little more than a crackling campfire and a starlit sky to set the mood for a camp-out. Add a flashlight, and you've got instant, nightlong entertainment. (Just remember fresh batteries.)

CATCH A JAR OF FIREFLIES

Is there a child alive who isn't mesmerized by these flashy flit-abouts? By collecting a few fireflies, your child can harness their candlepower and create a lantern inside a jar. Since the lightning bug's spark is actually a mating ritual, it's possible to call in a male by imitating the female's signal.

MATERIALS
Flashlight
Clear glass or plastic jar
Sheet of paper
Rubber band
Toothpick
Pan of lukewarm water

In a place where fireflies hang out, have your child hold an unlit flashlight close to the ground. When she sees a flash, she should wait two seconds, then switch on the flashlight for one second. She can continue this pattern until the fireflies draw close enough to be cupped gently in her hands and placed inside the jar. Cover the opening with the piece of paper and secure it with the rubber band. Poke holes in the paper with a toothpick. To speed up the tempo of the flashing, immerse the jar partway in lukewarm water (not hot!), being careful not to let any water seep in. The increase in temperature will quicken the fireflies' pulsing—just compare it to that of the slowpokes still in the grass. When you're through, release your accommodating creatures back into the night.

FLASHLIGHT TAG

After the sun goes down, your children can flicker their flashlights in this nocturnal game. As they play, they'll learn how fireflies communicate—the lightning bugs send signals of blinking light to attract mates.

To begin, players should pair off and create a flashlight signal (one short and one long flash, three short flashes and so on). Partners must then separate and go to opposite ends of a large, open playing area (a park is ideal). Players are given one minute to scatter before they may begin flashing signals. Each pair tries to reunite as quickly as possible by sending flashlight signals to partners. The first pair to reunite is the winner.

SEND FLASHLIGHT MORSE CODE SIGNALS

Flash messages to one another on the tent ceiling using Morse code's alphabet of dots and dashes. The dash represents a signal three times longer than the dot.

TELL GHOST STORIES

No camping trip is complete without a few scary stories. Try holding a flashlight under the storyteller's chin to give her face a creepy glow. Make your stories even more animated with a flashlight mask (see Homemade Lanterns and Other Crafts).

MAKE WILDLIFE SHADOWS

Cast shadow creatures on the tent walls with your hands. Below is a sampling from THE LITTLE BOOK OF HAND SHADOWS by Phila H. Webb and Jane Corby (Running Press).