Backyard Camping

Lately there has been much chatter between online friends about tents and camping and gear and so on. This got me thinking - we take our kids camping a lot, but are they actually camping, or just bumping along. So when I got home tonight, I pulled out our trusty old tent and tossed it in the backyard. Then I told the boys that if they set it up they could sleep out in it.

When they came asking for help, I told them I was eaten by a bear. Here is the progress...

Step 1 - unpacking. No help needed. Fo' Sho'

Step 2: "Dad, he won't do what I say" Too bad. I was eaten by a bear.

Step 3: Assembling poles. The shock cords make this super easy. Even if you're seven and your four year old brother keeps pulling the other end.

Step 4: Assembly. here I had to step in to show him the tent was upside down. After that, feeding the poles through the sleeves was a non-issue. He did it without any prompts.

Step 5: Erection. I had to show him the way the poles fit in the corners, but then he put it up on his own. It was helpful to have a little brother stand on the opposite corner to keep the tent from moving.

Step 6: Getting the fly on took teamwork since the tent is taller than the boys. When they did get it on, it was upside down.

 Hammering pegs in takes loads of work. But he got 'er done.

The little brother helped clip the fly on to the tent.

Time to furnish the palace. I'm not sure how many blankets, sleeping bags, stuffies, pillows etc. are out there. Many trips were made.

And here we are ready for bedtime! I guess this means Mom and I have the house to ourselves!