An Imaginative Play Day – How to Create an Upcycled Campfire for Less than $5

Planning an amazing indoor camp-out to get your kids excited for a real camping trip? Or want to have some imaginative, playful fun and pretend to go camping while staying indoors? Whatever the reason, camping indoors can be just as fun! And, you can easily create a “campfire” with some materials you might already have at home! Read on to check out the fun!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

upcycled-campfire-supplies
Upcycled Campfire – Supplies

Where possible – upcycle! If you have some package boxes, use them for this craft and have some imaginative play before they end up the recycle bin. If you’ve got some paper boxes (cereal boxes, snack boxes), use those – they’re easier to cut 🙂 And, if you have some paper towel, wrapping paper, or toilet paper rolls, use those too! Most of the other items (skewers, tissue paper, cotton balls) can be found at the Dollar Stores as well!

THE SUPPLIES:

  • Package Boxes OR Paper Towel Rolls OR both
  • Red, Orange, Yellow Tissue Paper
  • Dowel or skewers (optional)
  • White pom pom or cotton ball (optional)

THE TOOLS

  • Scissors
  • Box Cutter
  • Glue gun or glue dots (optional)

STEPS

STEP 1: Create the Logs

If you’re using package boxes, your “sticks” will be a bit flatter but that’s OK – it’s all imaginative play 🙂  Use your box cutter to create some brown strips. Arrange the “sticks” to resemble logs of a campfire.

Both the brown strips from the package boxes and the paper towel rolls are already brown; however, if you’d like a different shade or would like to add in more activities for your kiddos, you can pick out a few shades of paint and let them decorate. 

STEP 2: Add the Fire

Cut the orange tissue paper so that it’s slightly smaller than the red.  Cut the yellow tissue so it’s slightly smaller than the orange.  Then, stack the papers on top of each other: red, orange, yellow.   Pinch the sheets from the middle of the yellow sheet and fold inwards.  Fluff out the paper to resemble a flame.  Optionally make some smaller versions to place on the sides of this main flame. 

STEP 3: (Optionally) Create the Marshmallows for Toasting!

Using a skewer is a bit easier since you can just pull the pom pom or cotton ball through the point. If you’re using a dowel, you may need to glue it to stay in place. Then, get ready to toast your marshmallows 🙂

STEP 4:

Arrange the “fire” on top of the logs and toast your marshmallows 🙂

THANK YOU!!!

Thank you so much for checking out our article about this simple Upcycled Campfire Craft. Hopefully this has helped and maybe even inspired more ideas!  

If you are looking for more DIY craft ideas, please feel free to check out our other posts: Crafts for Kids and follow us on Pinterest!

Happy Creating!