Backyard Adventure

I am a very last-minute planner. I invite friends over at 4 p.m. for dinner at 7—and book airplane tickets a couple of weeks before departure, so I can’t even get two seats together for my family of four. The pressure of planning the perfect summer vacation can be daunting—so much so, in fact, that I have decided not to plan one at all this summer. Instead I’m all about pitching a tent on my lawn, projecting movies onto the side of our house, and roasting marshmallows over a fire pit. Sometimes you needn’t look any farther than your own backyard to find adventure. The key is to make it as fanciful for you as it is for your kids, and that means exporting all necessary (or just plain old fun) creature comforts outdoors:

1. Set the scene. Camping doesn’t have to mean Arctic-proof technical equipment. Your campsite can be more romantic—think mosquito netting or a tent dressed with colorful fabric or remnants of ribbon or trim. In other words, abandon adult inhibitions and let loose. Encourage the kids to help; their imaginations probably aren’t as rusty as yours.

2. Don’t be stingy. Since you are steps from your home, you can afford to bring out real pieces of furniture. Mine the inside of the house as well as the patio or deck for chairs, side tables, hurricane lanterns, and big throw pillows. Lay out colorful blankets and cushions on the grass to create casual seating areas and a place to nap after lunch. Since you won’t have to lug anything on your back up a hill or on a trail, you can encourage your kids to bring all their favorite stuffed animals, toys, and games, so your setup feels like an outdoor living room. Part of the appeal of this whole idea is taking familiar items out of their normal context.

3. Make mealtime ceremonious. This experience is not about practicality, but fantasy, so use real cups, plates, cutlery, and napkins. Whether it’s a tea party or a barbecue, elevate the whole setting (literally and figuratively) by moving it off the grass and to the table in the middle of your lawn.

4. Move the fun outside. I not only keep a bin of art supplies and books outside for the kids, but another full of summer reading for me. While the kids are doing their arts and crafts on the lawn (talk about easy cleanup) or collecting plants and bugs for their “research,” listen to your favorite music or read your book (okay, maybe the other half of the article you started last week). Somehow, even the most mundane of activities—like filling out school forms, paying bills, or shucking corn—is a little less painful when done outside. The clothesline or piece of string hung from two trees that was a makeshift gallery earlier in the day can double as the hanging point for a stage curtain (made up of a sheet) for impromptu performances of favorite musicals or a movie screen for the evening’s double-feature.

5. Sleep tight. You can either sleep totally open to the night sky or do it up old- school, with a sheet slung over the branch of a tree and kept fixed with rocks on all four corners. Unless you are dying to slumber on the cold, damp ground, I would recommend a blow-up mattress, sheets, pillows, and lots of heavy blankets instead of or in addition to a sleeping bag. (If you’re worried about gunk, place a drop cloth underneath to protect everything from dirt and moisture.) You’ll get a good night’s sleep and wake up ready to make bacon and eggs on the grill!