It happens to the best of us.

Summer ends, school begins, and nothing feels quite as fun or exciting as those precious weeks of fun and freedom at camp. Diagnosis: you’re campsick!

Luckily, summer is just around the corner. Here are a few of our favorite year-round activities to bring that camp feeling home!

1. Make s’mores

Nothing says “summer camp” quite like campfires, and nothing says “campfires” quite like s’mores. Luckily, making s’mores at home is easy — you can even do it over a stovetop if you’re truly desperate! (Although a backyards campfire is a million times better if you get the chance.)

If you’re making s’mores using a stove, here’s a good recipe:

Ingredients:

• Graham crackers
• Milk Chocolate
• Marshmallows

Place marshmallows on graham crackers in a baking pan and toast under broiler for a few seconds, until golden brown. Remove and finish the s’mores with chocolate pieces and graham cracker; the heat from the marshmallows will melt the chocolate. Yum!

2. Go backyard camping

Camping is super fun, but sometimes you’re too busy to go hiking into the wilderness to do it. Backyard camping to the rescue! The best part about backyard camping is that the house is close by if anybody needs something they forgot; and you can bring plenty of books to read around the campfire.

3. Send mail (or e-mail) to camp friends

One of the best parts about summer camp is the friends you make. Even if they don’t happen to live near you, keeping in touch by snail mail can be just as fun as hanging out in real life. I mean, seriously; who doesn’t love to get a real-life letter these days?

So bust out those craft supplies and get creative with fun letters and postcards! Let them know how everything’s been going at home and school, and add some drawings and glitter paint if you’re feeling artistic!

…And of course there’s always email and chat for those of us who just can’t wait for the old-fashioned post office.

4. Enjoy a nature hike

Another part of camp that many of us miss during the year is simply the rejuvenating feeling of being in the great outdoors. The wind in the trees, the quiet of the woods — it’s part of what makes camp so special.

So if you find yourself missing nature, you don’t have to wait until next summer to enjoy it; just get your family together for a trip out to the nearest park or natural area! All you need is a Sunday afternoon, sturdy hiking shoes and a sense of adventure.

Plus, it’s a great chance to put some of those orienteering skills you learned at camp to good use!

5. Join a new activity

Last but not least, always remember to challenge yourself. People tend to think of camp as the place for trying a million new things, and “real life” as being a little boring by comparison; but it doesn’t have to be that way!

One thing camp teaches you is that variety is the spice of life, so when you have the chance to try something new, just go for it. Chances are you can make time for dance lessons, band, writing a book, becoming a rock star, or whatever else it is that you might be putting off. All you have to do is step up to the challenge and believe in yourself — just like at camp.

…So give it the ‘ol camp try! Next summer is just around the corner, but that’s no reason not to have a blast while you wait!