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