The Great American Camp Out

Growing up, every childhood vacation was a camping vacation. Sometimes it was a big out of state road trip that included stops at historical sites and museums on our way to visit family or amusement parks. We also did  long weekends at a campground close to home so my Dad could drive back and forth to work during the week.

I saw parts of the country I never would have seen otherwise because camping is an affordable way to travel – we brought our hotel room with us! I love and appreciate history because my parents snuck learning in on summer vacation. To this day, I cannot walk into an RV and not immediately conserve water and electricity because of trips where we did not have full utility hookup.

Of course, you do not need such an elaborate set up as a camper to enjoy camping or an outdoor sleep out. I made many, many sheet, chair, and tablecloth tents in the backyard as a kid. Husband and I borrowed a small tent for our first camping trip the first summer we were married. We got the special sleeping porch once during a summer family reunion. A few years ago we rented a cabin because it was easier camping with Blitzkrieg in a cabin than in our tent.


National Wildlife Federation is kicking off Great Outdoors Month with the Great American Backyard Campout Saturday, June 25, 2011. There aren’t a lot of rules or have to’s either. If you want to participate, register at National Wildlife Federation Great American Backyard Campout  and spend the night in the great outdoors June 25th or on another day that fits your schedule.  They are liberal with what counts as outdoors. It can be your backyard, a campground, on a porch, in a cabin, in a tent, or in a camper. If you live in a city and can’t camp outdoors, get creative and pitch a sheet, chair, and tablecloth in your living room and pretend you are in the great outdoors.

If you want to participate as a Campout State Leader will be included on the “wall of honor” on National Wildlife Federation’s blog and if you blog about your experience and email it to them at campout@nwf.org, they will share your post with the National Wildlife Federation ’s large social media communities.

You can join in on the social media fun leading up to the campout event by Liking the Backyard Campout on Facebook. The hash tag on Twitter is #campout. The National Wildlife Federation will be tweeting about this at @NWF, @BeOutThere, and @Green Hour

Are you up for it? What is your favorite outdoor memory?



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