Photos by JARED SOARES The Roanoke Times

Nancy Pecor of Roanoke helps her daughter Chloe Pecor roast a marshmallow Saturday at Roanoke Mountain Campground.

The KIVA-sponsored event Saturday included a brief hike, a scavenger hunt and a lunch of hot dogs and marshmallows over an open fire.

As 7-year-old Chloe Pecor traipsed through the woods, she regularly consulted her "to find" list: One pine cone -- check. A twig longer than her thumb -- check. An acorn cap -- check.

Chloe and about 20 other children were in the midst of a scavenger hunt at the Roanoke Mountain Campground.

The hunt was one of hundreds of events held across the nation Saturday as part of the Great American Backyard Campout, an effort to better connect children with nature.

Chloe, a happy camper already, needed little encouragement.

"I like to sleep outdoors a lot," she said. "We get to roast things."

Saturday's outing also included a lesson on tent pitching, a short hike and, of course, the roasting of hot dogs and marshmallows over a campfire. The event was organized by KIVA (Kids in the Valley, Adventuring), a family nature club created last year by Ashley and Chip Donahue.

KIVA, which hosts monthly outdoor events, decided this month to partner with the Great American Backyard Campout, sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation.

By midday Saturday, no one had plans to actually stay in the campground overnight. But the goal was to encourage families to camp more often in the future -- or at the least, to sleep out in their back yards.

"We just wanted to give them a nice, easy day camp to get their feet wet," Ashley Donahue said.

Mary Grace Giles, a 7-year-old who accompanied Chloe on the scavenger hunt, wasn't inclined to rough it overnight.

"I've had enough with bugs," she said.