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6 Great Camping Ideas for Kids

December 24, 2017 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

6 Great Camping Ideas for Kids

Camping can be fun for all the family, yet there are times when your kids will be bored with the regular activities that go along with camping. No matter if you are experienced or reading on camping for beginners, there are plenty of activities to keep your days full.

To keep them more entertained without falling back on any electrical gadgets we have given 6 of the top things you can incorporate into your camping vacation. One thing that might have a bearing on the activities you can do is your site location, and you might find that there are much more you can do apart from what is listed here:

Scavenger Hunts

Younger children love hunting for things, so a scavenger hunt is an excellent way of getting them rummaging through the undergrowth. When you have your players, ask them to collect pine cones, and leaves from trees, snail shells or pine needles and rocks.

A good variation of this is a photo scavenger hunt. If you have cheap cameras for everyone to use (or cell phones with camera), they can find the things you have listed and shoot a photo of them with the item or the location you have stated.

If you have a checklist, a small clipboard and pencils come in hand with a small bag to store the found items. The losing team has the duty of doing the dishes and toasting the marshmallows.

Camping Olympics

This might encourage some of the other campers to join in, and it might be one of the most enjoyable events you can have. If you are close to the beach or a lake you can have the long jump, swimming events and then a tug of war to top the day off. That is if you have access to a large rope. You can even go away from serious and have the three-legged race or an egg an spoon race.

Nature Trails

This might be of more interest to the younger ones in the family. If you pack away a guidebook that covers all the things you might find on your trecks around the campsite. Your children can log all the stuff they see on their travels.

As they say, when you’re in the middle of nature, you become curious about nature. There are lots of ways your children can keep mementoes of this rather than ticking in a book. They can do pencil rubbings of anything with a rough surface. Get them to place some paper over the top of the item and rub gently with their pencil or crayon

GeoCaching

This is a step up from a scavenger hunt as it is like searching for buried treasure. It used to be the case you could only do it with dedicated GPS systems, yet many mobile phones are coming with this capability.

All you have to do is register at a Geocaching website, and then you can get the locations of the items that have been geotagged. These little secret caches have been hidden all around the globe, so there’s a good chance you will find some close to your campsite. The treasures are typically stored in small containers; with a means of recording who discovered it. All you have to do is sign the log and replace the little trinket with one of your own and put it back for the next person to find.

Canoeing or Kayaking

If your site is close to water, you can take a trip with your kids in a kayak or a canoe. Many places rent these for a specified amount of time. All you need to be aware of is that your child is large enough and they are fully secured to their life vest.

Most canoes are large enough to fit more than one person, and there are tandem kayak’s that allow two people to ride together. This could also be an excellent opportunity to do some fishing and catch the dinner for later. There’s nothing better than grilling a fish on an open fire.

Songs and Stories

Once nighttime falls, many of these activities are not possible. Once you get those marshmallows roasting, there is no better way than telling spooky stories or having a good old singalong while you’re waiting for your mallow to be cooked.

Younger kids might not be too keen on a ghost story, so you might have to apply for a little poetic license and tame the thrills down a little.

Once the day is over, and you have completed a few of these mentioned activities. It won’t be long before your kids forget about their electronic gadgets, and the younger ones will be sleeping like logs after a hard day treasure hunting.

Chris Cole

About the Author – Chris Cole writes for naturesportcentral.com. He is passionate about the great outdoors, camping with his family and writing.

Filed Under: fatherhood Tagged With: camping, dad, dads, father, fatherhood, kids

Fun Family Activities for a Camping Trip

December 5, 2017 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

Fun Family Activities for a Camping Trip

Camping is one of the best outdoor activities for the whole family to do together. Not only is it a mini-vacation, it’s also a wonderful educational experience for little ones, and an excellent chance to spend some time together as a family and bond with each other. Taking some time away from home and all the distractions such as TV and the internet will be good for the whole family, and you’ll come back feeling refreshed and revitalized from the experience. If you’re planning your first family camping trip, we’ve put together some ideas for outdoor activities that are sure to keep you all entertained.

#1. Fishing:

If you’re going to be camping at a site that has a lake or a river nearby, then fishing could be the perfect relaxing activity to kick off your camping experience. Fishing is fun for the whole family, and it’s easy to pick up, meaning that even the youngest of kids can have a go. You might even be able to find a campsite where you’re able to fish and then cook your catch of the day, making for a great family meal!

If you’d like to carve some time for yourself and enjoy hunting you can try and see if there is a hunting location nearby as well. Head over to woodburyoutfitters.com where you can find all the hunting, fishing and camping gear that you need.

 

#2. Stories Around the Campfire:

No camping trip would be complete without telling stories around the campfire! Don’t forget to pack plenty of marshmallows for roasting and making s’mores, and take along a box of matches to keep your fire going. Spend the day as a family collecting dry wood to create a traditional campfire, then in the evening, you can all gather round the fire together. You could even make it into a fun game by starting a story and having everybody add to it after a certain number of minutes – who knows where the story will go!

 

#3. Arts and Crafts:

If your little ones love to be creative, then incorporating arts and crafts into your camping trip is a fun idea. For example, there are several things that they can create out of twigs and sticks, such as rustic vases, pictures, or even decorations for your tent or camper! Don’t forget to take along craft supplies such as paper, paints and glue to keep them occupied for hours on end. You could even go on an adventure to find craft supplies to take back home, such as colorful leaves, flowers for pressing, sticks, and unusual pebbles and stones.

 

#4. Scavenger Hunts:

Scavenger hunts can be a fun way to keep your little ones occupied at the campsite, and there are so many great things that they can look for. You can even hide candy and other treats along the way to make it even more exciting for them. Some fun ideas to look for on a camping scavenger hunt include bird feathers, pine cones, smooth rocks, water from a stream, maple leaves, or even animal footprints. Don’t include anything on the list that shouldn’t be moved, such as birds’ nests, and ensure that your kids are aware of the boundaries of the hunt and have a cell phone or whistle in case of emergencies.

Enjoy your camping trip!

Filed Under: travel Tagged With: activities, camp, camping, family, family time, family trip, family trips, travel, vacation

How to Prepare the Kids for Their First Winter Camping Trip

October 18, 2017 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

Winter Camping

Winter has its own magic and transforms the world outside into a new realm. That’s why camping with your children in the winter will be an incredible experience for them. However, you’ll need to prepare them even better than you would normally because the terrain and weather hide more dangers now. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place.

Make the rules

Laying out the rules before setting out on your trip is very important. You need to do that with some time in advance too because:

  • It gives you enough time to think. Some things might seem obvious to you, like not jumping around on the edge of a cliff because you might slip and fall. But these aren’t as obvious to kids, so make sure you write down everything.
  • It helps you see how children react to the rules. Kids need to understand that camping is a fun activity, but that doesn’t mean it lacks discipline or consequences. You can have fun in an organized way, respecting safety rules. Behaving erratically hurts everyone involved, including the environment.
  • It helps kids learn and practice the rules. You can organize some practice-camping in your backyard before the actual trip, so you can see first-hand how the kids behave.
  • You can revise the rules. A practice-camp helps you too because you can see how responsibly the kids behave. You can then consider adding clearer rules, explaining things more or even giving kids more space.

It’s a good idea to involve children when you write the final rules before going to the camp. They’ll be glad to be seen as valuable members of your group and they’ll likely follow the rules better.

Get them the right equipment

You don’t want to mess around with your chances especially in inclement weather and on very rough terrain. That’s why you need to start with the best cold weather tents to make sure you get the proper insulation. Getting warm sleeping bags and a comfortable sleeping pad will also help.

Speaking of insulation, make sure everyone has extra clothing, starting with a waterproof, windproof and warm jacket. Your children should be dressed in three layers, just like you, so don’t overdress them. Chances are they’ll run and play and get all sweaty, increasing their chances of catching a cold if you do that.

You’ll also to add the right sun protection that includes sunglasses and sunscreen. Each child should have their own headlamp and flashlight, and you should pack a first-aid kit for everyone. It’s best to get extra food and extra water, a sturdy hydration bladder and a water purifier in case you run out of water supplies.

Don’t forget your map and compass at home, even if you have a GPS. The batteries might run out faster in colder weather and at high altitudes, or the GPS itself might backfire if water gets inside accidentally.

Teach them some survival skills

This can be immense fun particularly if you’re organizing some outdoor trips they can practice their newly acquired skill set. The first thing you should start with is climbing on difficult weather, how to hold their balance and how to improvise a walking stick. You can take the chance now and reinforce some rules, like no running.

Kids should know how to read a map and use a compass to determine where they are and where they’re going. Teach children how to call for help in case they get lost, that they should stay put and signal their position and tell them when it’s time to move in seek of assistance.

You can also show them how to build an emergency shelter from a tarp, leaves, and branches. Kids will absolutely love practicing building these things and spending the night there too.

Pack with them

Involving the kids in the organizing process is great for them and for you. On the one hand, it makes them feel respected and important. It also teaches them discipline and how to prioritize their needs. For instance, it’s ok if a child wants to take their favorite toy with them, but it’s not ok if all they want to take is toys.

You can explain that they need to pack some water, a few energy bars, and some winter coats for extreme cold too. The other option is to let them pack what they want, while you arrange a secret pack for them. Once you’re outdoors, you can ask them to survive with the items they brought. When that proves impossible, you can get out the proper gear and use this as a teaching moment.

Packing with your kids is great for you too, especially if you have older children that know exactly what to get. That’s because you’ll have less work to do and more fun doing it. Your kids might also surprise you with some good ideas for the gear.

Decide on games and activities

This is definitely something you need to plan in advance and involve your children in. If they won’t like a certain activity, they won’t play it and they’ll be in a bad mood. Conversely, games can help ease the mood and can prove great learning tools.

One idea children of all ages will appreciate is geocaching. This is like a cool treasure-finding game, but you should check the available locations on the trail before going. Or you can check if there are skiing, skating or snowboarding facilities near your camp. You can sing, dance and tell stories, as well as take the chance to teach children about how the cold winter weather impacts the landscape, the animals, and the plants.

Other tips and tricks for winter camping with kids

Hopefully, this article helped you in devising the right mindset so you can plan and prepare a great trip. But the key is to have fun doing it, involve the kids and put yourself in their shoes when making decisions. Otherwise, if you have any other ideas about how to prepare, leave us a comment below. We’re also waiting on a comment when you get back .

 

Author Bio

Rebecca lives in USA, but loves hiking all over the world. Her favorite is Everest Base Camp Trek in Nepal. It usually takes 16 days, but she likes to slow down, enjoy mountains, company of other adventurers and take more pictures, so it took her 28 days last time. Another of her passion is the ocean, so all short and long hikes along the ocean shore bring a lot of joy. She also writes for HikingMastery.com.

Filed Under: fatherhood Tagged With: camping, father, fatherhood, winter camping

Attempting Our First "Pseudo" Camping Trip

July 29, 2009 by dadofdivas 2 Comments

This past weekend we made our first ever attempt at a pseudo camp out. As you can see Diva-J and I were not exactly roughing it being on a deck and the inside was nicely adorned with sleeping mat for Diva-J and a nice twin air mattress for me. So like I said, we did not truly rough it in any sense of the word.

Well… add some popcorn, some games of uno, some reading of stories and telling of stories and we come to the part of our tale when it was late (around 10PM – which is late for Diva-J), so we decided to call it a night. So off went the camping lantern and we all got comfortable for a sure to be interesting night.

Well…not five minutes went by when Diva-J started complaining of being scared. Then she complained of wanting the air mattress and not the mat. Next she stated that she wanted J-Mom to sleep outside with her, and finally she stated that she wanted to go and sleep on her bed inside of the house.

This pretty much did me in, but I stayed the course, feigning sleep, and/or explaining to her that I would be there and that there was nothing to be scared of, but alas, by 10:15 the sleepover in a tent was finished.

So, thus ends our first story of our first attempted camp out. This story occurred at J-Mom’s parents (as they have a tent). My next step is to get a tent myself so that we can continue to try and do this and get her more used to the idea, but needless to say, the air mattress for my back was a must, gone are the days when I could sleep on the ground and still be ok in the morning.

I must be getting old!

So what is your first camping story of you and your child that you can share with all of us?


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Filed Under: fatherhood Tagged With: camping, dad of divas, Diva-J, family, father, fun, J-Mom

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