How to Make a Faux Campfire for Indoor Camping Fun!

This shop and my DIY faux campfire project has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PureLifeRippleEffect #CollectiveBias

Someone once told me that you should always keep a kite in your trunk.  So this is what my trunk usually looks like:

I like to keep at least one or two kites plus a ball, some kid-size sporting equipment, sand toys, and a lightweight stroller.  That way if the mood strikes us we can hop out and spend some time playing in a local park or even take a walk.

Of course I also keep a stash of sunscreen and wipes.  And if I think we’re going to be gone longer than just a quick trip to the grocery store, I usually toss a couple of ice packs in a bucket or cooler and throw in a few bottles of water.  According to 88% of moms surveyed, water is the beverage their child most regularly drinks in the car* so it sounds like we’re not the only ones.

We’ve been buying Nestlé® Pure Life® Water pretty much exclusively for the last few years.  We love the taste, it’s convenient to pick up at Walmart, and it’s reasonably priced as far as bottled water goes.  With all this heat we’ve been having it’s important to stay hydrated indoors and out so we make sure to have a few cases on hand at all times.

Whether it’s to spend a little time on the swing set or to cool off with water squirters, we always make sure to stop for water.  Each time Mom or Dad goes for a drink of water, ask your children if they’d like a drink of water, too.  Soon, it will be the kids asking the parents if they’d like to join them for a water break.*

If it’s too hot – or too cold or wet or stormy or whatever – to be outside we don’t let that stop us from fun family adventure.  Recently we did some indoor camping complete with a DIY Faux Campfire that is super-easy to make.

DIY Faux Campfire (That Glows!)

Supplies:

• Empty water bottle
• red and orange construction paper
• scissors
• tape
• red food coloring
• water
• clay pot (optional)

Tutorial:

1. Cut a piece of both red and orange construction paper in half lengthwise.
2. Either free-hand sketch flames onto the paper or just start cutting so each paper resembles flames.
3. Layer the orange flames under the red flames, trimming off the ends so there isn’t much overlap; tape down.
4. Add a few drops of red food coloring to 1-2” of water in the bottom of the bottle; shake to combine.
5. If desired, place the bottom inside a clay pot to act as your “firepit”.

When it gets dark enough, shine a light through the bottom of your faux campfire.  I used the flashlight feature on my cell phone; it’s a trick we discovered by accident a few weeks ago.  The light will shine through the colored liquid and make it glow, and as the water moves around a little it will seem like your fire is “dancing”.

Of course you can add to your indoor fun by giving the kids chopsticks or blunt skewers and threading marshmallows onto the end.  Toast them over your faux campfire and sing some campfire songs or tell a few stories.

I’m lucky in that Bubbles will usually drink plenty of water without any kind of prompting.  One of the ways we arrived at that result was letting her drink from a bottle (usually one of ours) versus just drinking from her cup.  Other tactics moms think would get their child to drink more water include using “fun” straws (40%), and choosing packaging with fun graphics or characters (29%).*

No matter how you approach it, drinking water is one healthy habit that you can help your kids create today.   Nestlé® Pure Life® calls this The Ripple Effect and to ignite the movement and encourage kids to get the water they need throughout their day, they are providing water to kids this school year through After-School All-Stars, an organization that strives to keep children safe and healthy through afterschool programming.

Visit pureliferippleeffect.com and share your tips for healthy hydration using #pureliferippleeffect!  Nestlé® Pure Life® Water has committed to provide nearly one million 8 ounce servings of water to kids this school year through After-School All-Stars.  Information source – At over 20 participating schools in select markets across the country.

Plus don’t forget to save an empty bottle or two for your own DIY Faux Campfire project!

What ways do you have for getting your kids to drink more water?

* Nestlé® Pure Life® conducted their online survey in June 2015 of 1,077 moms of kids ages 6-12 overall, including 254 Hispanic moms of kids ages 6-12. 1,077 kids ages 6-12 from the same household were also surveyed, including 254 Hispanic kids ages 6-12. Hydration tips by Robin Plotkin © 2015 Nestlé® Waters North America Inc.