This is a great activity any time of year but if done during warm to moderate weather, food can be prepared outside on the grill if you have easy access in and out. (Much tastier!)
The camp ground is set up in a large open room, away from public activity; a recreation room or activity space. The more room available, the more camping materials can be displayed.
Setting the activity is time consuming but fun. Ask about and locate someone who will share a small pop-up tent. Having two tents adds even more! Bring in fire place wood, actual wood. (Pressed logs contain chemicals that smell bad and can be hazardous.) Stack the wood into a fire-ready shape and place premade “flames” inside the wood pieces and poking through (see photo) to simulate a fire. Locate someone who has large pieces of tree stumps, again two are better than one. Place the tree stump(s) around your camping area. You will also need some lawn chairs or camp chairs to set around the fire. If your facility utilizes large imitation plants or trees, bringing them into the space creates a real camp ground feel. Being creative adds a great deal to the entertainment of this activity. Bring in stuffed animals like squirrels and set them on the tree stumps. Some lawn ornaments would also add to the woodsy flavor, frogs or chipmunks (not gnomes!). Dog toys are great as you can get skunks and raccoons and hang the raccoons from the trees. There could be some wonderful photo opportunities utilizing some of these props with the participants.
An added feature that really brought the outdoor experience to life was the playing of two CDs at the same time; one was a recording of tree frogs and one was a recording of night time sounds that included calling birds and crickets.
The menu for this activity was as typical to camping as we could become; hamburgers and hotdogs, chips, lemonade or coffee, macaroni salad, and diced watermelon. Because our space was near an outdoor exit we were able to utilize the grill for the meat so the aroma of grilling meat drifted into our camp ground giving participants a bonus experience.
This is an ambitious activity but the memory of it lingered on for many weeks. Participants talked about the experience to family and friends and laughed as they remembered the animals in the trees and the singing frogs making the effort well worth every minute.
To close out this activity, everyone gathered around the campfire and shared scary stories. It only takes one individual to share a story about a real ghost experience and others will happily add their own ghostly experiences. It’s a great way to end the camp out!
