Can’t make it to the great outdoors? Bring the great outdoors to you and throw a backyard camping party.

Instructions

• TIP: Leave a clear, lit path from the backyard into the house for anyone who needs the bathroom during the night.
• Step 1: The next morning, rise early and make breakfast on your camp stove. Then, break down your camp and bid your guests farewell -- until the next backyard camping party.
• FACT: Yellowstone National Park covers parts of 3 states -- Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana.
• Step 2: After dinner, enjoy the night. Use a stargazing book to find constellations, collect fireflies, or sit in a circle and tell ghost stories. Then, roll out the sleeping bags, turn off the lights, and bunk down for the night.
• Step 3: Getting hungry? Set up a small hibachi grill or gas camping stove and cook up some camping grub -- baked potatoes in foil, franks and beans, and s'mores for dessert.
• TIP: If you don’t have enough tents to accommodate everyone, ask if any of your guests can bring one along.
• Step 4: Set up the tents together. Have campers choose sleeping spots while it’s still light outside to avoid confusion.
• Step 5: Plan some nature activities right in your backyard. Focus on fun things that teach camping skills, like identifying types of plants and insects, starting a campfire, and tying different kinds of knots.
• Step 6: Throw your party when the average nighttime temperature's consistently above 50 degrees. Invite guests over in the late afternoon; tell them to bring sleeping bags and flashlights.