Get Your Children Camping in The Garden

Garden Camping for Kids: The Perfect First Adventure

Introducing your children to camping doesn’t have to start with a long drive or a weekend in the countryside. You can enjoy camping near me without leaving your street! One of the best ways to spark a love of the outdoors is by setting up a camping experience in your own back garden. Garden camping is safe, affordable, and filled with fun, giving children their first taste of adventure under the stars.

At Herding Hill Farm Camping & Glamping Site near Hadrian’s Wall, we welcome lots of families every year who have practiced camping at home first. Here are our top tips to help you turn a simple night in the garden into an unforgettable family adventure.

What child-friendly facilities are there at Herding Hill Farm?

• Campsite playground
• Ball field
• Campsite with farm animals
• Fire pits at our Dark Sky Friendly campsite
• Camping BBQ hire
• Stargazing kits for hire - teach younger family members about the constellations and famous dark skies of Northumberland. For more ideas check out our Herding Hill Farm is a child-friendly campsite blog article.

Why Try Garden Camping with Children? 

• Safe introduction to camping – Camping at home means no worries about getting lost or being too far from home comforts
• Low cost – You can use a simple tent, sleeping bags, and things you already own
• Builds confidence – camping at home helps kids get used to sleeping outdoors, listening to night-time sounds, and trying something new
• Memorable fun – Children will remember their “first campout” for years to come
• Test new equipment - use your time camping near me to see what works best

How to make garden camping fun

Introduce a healthy element of competition

Get the children involved in putting the tent up if you are camping at home. Why not pit them against each other in terms of who can assemble the poles quickest or blow up the air bed the fastest? If they are old enough why not let them sleep in their own tent, with adults in another to give them a taste of independence? And of course, get them to do the outdoor washing up. Set some rules for fun for camping near me. No sneaking back inside unless it’s really needed! Keeping to the “camping spirit” makes the experience of garden camping exciting.

Plan outdoor games 

Classic garden games, scavenger hunts, or bug-spotting adventures keep little campers entertained. Or what about some outdoor craft activities or face painting? Put away the electronic devices and bring out the board games – the old family favourites can bring young and old together. Why not teach the young ones some card games? 

Make your pitch look pretty and welcoming

Layer the beds with plenty of blankets, cushions and throws, get out the picnic rugs and camping chairs and decorate the garden with fairy lights and candles or solar lights. If you want to stargaze whilst camping near me make sure you keep the lighting low. Why not ask the children to make some pretty home-made bunting using colourful spare fabric and string to decorate the tent? Perhaps you could give them a theme to decorate each tent and award a prize for the best one?

Storytelling under the stars 

As darkness falls, use torches for shadow puppets, tell campfire stories, or do some stargazing. Encourage the children to use their imagination by making up stories and if you are musical why not bring out the guitar have a camp-fire sing-a-long? Some children might enjoy performing a play or a dance for their parents. Kids love spotting constellations and making up names for them (and Northumberland is a designated Dark Sky Park, so you can try the real thing on your next visit!). Read our blog on Stargazing for Kids in Northumberland for some hints and ideas. Herding Hill Farm is a dark sky friendly campsite.

Make cooking an adventure

If you have a firepit or BBQ, why not enjoy burgers or hot dogs when garden camping. Otherwise, a picnic tea or sandwiches eaten in the tent feels special. Involve the children in the meal preparation and make sure you keep the fire or BBQ going long enough afterwards for the youngsters to enjoy marshmallows or s’mores (marshmallow sandwiched between chocolate coated biscuits such as digestives). Get the children to decorate the outdoor table with handmade centerpieces and colourful crockery.

Enjoy the outdoors at all times of day

Whether it is stargazing under clear dark skies, waking early to enjoy the sunrise and dawn chorus from the door of your tent or getting the children to serve you drinks and nibble whilst you watch the sunset, ensure that you benefit from the different times of the day whilst being outdoors at your very own campsite near me. Get the children to identify the birds from their plumage or their call.

If you are stargazing make sure you allow your eyes the time to adjust to the dark skies and then the stars will appear. Avoid the use of white light from things such as mobile phones. Keep an eye out for the brightest “star” which may in fact be a planet. A mobile app such as Stellarium is a fun way to discover which star constellation or planet is which when camping near me.