than by pitching a tent, making s’mores and sleeping under the
stars together.

But s’mores are a bonus. You really only need two things to camp
out in your backyard: a tent and good weather.

“Being wet is miserable, and preventing it on a campout, even
with a tent, takes some experience and trial and error,” says Dr. Jim
P. Boyce, Cubmaster with the National Capital Area Council Cub
Scout Pack 1280. Most new tents come with a tarp and a rain fly to
help keep you dry. But you’re better off rescheduling if wet weather
is in the forecast, especially if it’s your first time camping.

“The nice thing about backyard camping is you just come inside if
anything goes amiss,” he says.

Ticks, on the other hand, are cause for concern.

“These scourges are vectors for a long list of human diseases,” he
says. The most well-known tick-borne disease, of course, is Lyme
disease. To help prevent tick bites, Boyce recommends cutting grass
short and spraying down your camping equipment with tick repel-
lent a day before the overnight. Also, parents should get in the habit
of checking kids any time they play, hike or camp outdoors.

“It’s hard to do, and even more so once the ticks find a hairline,
but if you can catch them within a day or two of attaching and before
the can engorge on blood then odds of transmission and consequent
treatments is quite low,” say Boyce, who happens to be a medicinal
chemist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Stay warm and cozy
Enjoy the nightlife
When choosing a “campsite” in your yard, avoid trees with branches
that might fall on you overnight. Then pitch your tent with your
children’s help and make it cozy with sleeping bags or blankets and
pillows. For an even more comfortable slumber, consider blowing up
an air mattress or two.

“Keep in mind the importance of staying warm underneath,” says
Boyce. “So something insulating to go under you is as important as
over you, even in spring, as the ground will tend to suck heat away
from your body.” For extra insulation, Boyce recommends sleeping
on top of a closed-cell yoga mat.

Before tucking in, slip on a pair of socks and a ski cap, which will
help keep you warm if the temperature dips, and have a flashlight
handy for the inevitable middle-of-the-night bathroom trip to the
house. Boyce prefers red LED flashlights “so you can see but you
don’t lose your night vision.”
Watch our for tiny dangers
KALI9/E+/GETTY IMAGES.

When it comes to wildlife, you’re pretty safe in your backyard.

Raccoons might investigate the campsite for food, but they, along
with foxes and deer, aren’t likely to bother anyone. “A neighborhood
dog getting loose is probably the biggest non-human mammal to
worry about around here,” says Boyce.

One benefit of camping is the opportunity for children to experience
nature in a whole new way. Take fireflies, for example.

Firefly season starts mid-June and hits its peak around the Fourth
of July; however, “a lot of kids may not notice how many fireflies
there are out because they tend to come in and to go bed,” Boyce
says. “But if you’re out camping in the backyard, it’s like Christmas
trees lit up with fireflies.”
Kids may also catch a glimpse of bats hunting for mosquitos at
dusk or hear owls hooting at night.

“There’s a lot of nightlife to appreciate that I don’t think kids usu-
ally fully get because they’re indoors sleeping in bed,” he says.

And since no campout is really complete with s’mores, Boyce has
just one request: Use an old fashioned wooden stick, not a metal
skewer, to roast those marshmallows.

“Kids and sticks and waving them around … inevitably, someone’s
going to get poked with a red hot skewer,” he says. “Find a branch,
find a stick. Much safer than metal.”
—PJ FEINSTEIN
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