Camping Activities with Kids: Making T-Shirts

Camping is great, but having activities planned when you have 9 children (3 are mine :) under the age of 8 is an absolute must!! Grandma pulled through again.  She had the idea to create tie-dye T-Shirts without the hassle of actually using tie-dye! This is a finished product. These shirts are great for family reunions, too.

Step One: 

Start with Fabric Markers, which were purchased at Wal-Mart.

Step Two:

Get a plain white T-Shirt. Also purchased at Wal-Mart.

Step Three:

Get a stabilizing board. These are foam boards from the Dollar Store. One could just as easily use card board.

Step Four:

Sprayable Fabric Paint. Clearance at Michael's or any craft store.

Step Five:

After you have put your stabilizing board in the T-Shirt. Write whatever you want on your T-Shirt.

Step Six: 

Start Spraying. Below you will see several examples of styles. The closer you spray the more intense the color. Consequently the farther away you spray the lighter the intensity. Before you flip sides, wipe your surface area with a paper towel, so the colors don't get on the other side and affect your design.

Here are the kids practicing and doing their shirts by themselves.

~Julia

Camping Meals Hobo Dinner

If you have been camping, you know tasks that you perform at home without much difficulty take much more planning and forethought. Making dinner is a prime example. This past weekend we went camping and my sister-in-law made the best Hobo Dinner around. Here's how she did it.

She spent time chopping green peppers, red peppers, onions, zucchini, carrots, mushrooms, and cubed chicken. Each of those dishes had a serving utensil.

Each person dishes what they want onto their single layer of foil. The shinny side should be what you put your food on. If you are placing it directly into the fire double foil. Put three pats of butter onto your food. That prevents sticking and gives it something to cook in. Cooking spray would also work. Add seasonings to taste. Sharon provided, garlic salt, salt, seasoning salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.

Fold the bottom, top and edges to enclose your food.

Don't worry about Ransom. He put the utensil down and was not harmed during the filming of this dinner :) 

Label each dinner with each individual's name.

Our father-in-law had a tripod that allowed us to cook over the fire for thirty minutes. And we placed corn on the cob directly in the fire. Putting the Hobo Dinner in the fire works just as well. The beauty is it is not an exact science. The Hobo Dinners allow leeway in the temperature and the cook time.

Delicious!!