It’s typical of boys to often dream of sleepovers that are held beneath the stars. There are many ways this can be incorporated into a birthday theme if your boy is a ‘out-going’ kid. No matter what age, there is something that boys find fascinating about sleeping in the great outdoors and a camping birthday party is a great way to do this, even if the great outdoors is just at your own back yard.

A favorite theme among those holding camping birthday parties is that of a trail ride. With this you can bring your gear along with you, ride horses, cook, eat, and sleep under the stars. If you don’t have a trail ride, horses, or long trails in the wilderness nearby don’t despair. With a Dutch oven, an open fire, a few sticks, and little bit of imagination you can have your very own cowboy camp out birthday bash celebration. Be sure to include a few tall tales to share around the campfire. Now might be a great time to brush up on your Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill stories.

A military camping birthday party is another great camping party idea. Right now boys need good solid heroes and the military is a great place to find them. (It also adds to educate the boys about the soldiers who are out of the country on peace-keeping mission) If you have friends or family that are serving over seas this might be a great way to help your little guy bring them closer to home for an evening and could be the best birthday memory he’ll ever have.

So remember to set up pup tents, visit your local military supply or surplus store for MREs (meals ready to eat), have everyone wearing their favorite camouflage, and have an army green face painting contest before bed time. Some of your friends (or YOU!) may be working as a military personnal and so you can get some of the items cheap or ‘free’.

A safari camping theme is another great theme for a terrific camping birthday party. Begin by having everyone dress appropriately for a day underneath the hot African sun, khakis, and an appropriate hat work well. Create a safari pack (goody bag) for all the kids including really chip binoculars, a net for catching stray bugs (really great for lightening bugs at night), safari themed stickers, and a picture frame that is worthy of a fearless safari adventurer (you’ll definitely want to send them home with photos of their safari attire). Set up camp for the evening and serve animal crackers for dessert. You can populate the tent with stuffed animals of favorite safari animals and supplement the adventure with a trip to the zoo for even grander effect and more fun.

If none of these are getting you very excited you could always go with a Rocky Mountain sort of theme for your camping birthday party. Be sure to have plenty of stuffed black bears and have everyone wear red flannel and denim. This is a great and fun sort of adventure for the little men in your life and a great fun party idea. It also presents a few wonderful photo ops for souvenirs and your very own memory book. Have the tents pitched in the backyard and the grill should be set up to feed your hungry mountaineers. If you are fortunate enough to have a creek on your property or live very near one you could even have your ‘adventurers’ go panning for gold.

Camping-themed birthday party presents endless opportunities to put your imagination to work. Also, you’ll be surprise if you ask your kid for some camping ideas! Even if the weather doesn’t want to cooperate, you can still bring your great outdoor adventure inside and still have a great time. If you live in an apartment or an area in which you are uncomfortable having a camp out, there’s no reason you can’t have a wonderful camp “in”.