How to Camp with Kids
By: Roy Scribner, Travel Mamas Guest BloggerFebruary 18th, 2010
Many parents, like myself, have romanticized memories of great family camping adventures in our own childhoods, but that was a long time ago and the little details about what made those trips so fun, escapes us now. If you are one of the millions of moms or dads who is considering a family camping vacation this spring or summer, one of the issues you might be curious about is how to make camping fun and interesting to your kids.
Fortunately, these worries are more about our own insecurities and less about our children’s ability to enjoy being outdoors, as a family. Kids love the outdoors – maybe in a different way than us adults, but it’s still a genuine and honest love. One of my childhood memories is the first time I saw a banana slug in one of the redwood forests. The great, majestic old trees were of little interest to me, but those huge yellow slugs were like aliens from another planet!
My kids were just as excited as I was, at their age, when they spotted this banana slug in Oregon’s Coast Range mountains
Memories like this, from my childhood, help me to slow down and let my kids exercise their own curiosities when we are camping. If they want to stop and skip rocks across a stream, or poke a mud puddle with a stick for twenty minutes, well, our hike to the falls or the rock formation might just have to wait.
Where to Go Camping
When we, as parents, think about camping, we usually have grand visions of the great parks like Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, or the Great Smoky Mountains. These are certainly awe-inspiring destinations, but your kids will probably be just as happy in your local county or state park and they will be even happier with less time spent in the car and more time spent at the campsite.
If you are new to camping, you might be surprised to find out that your city or county may manage campgrounds. These are usually great places to take the family camping, because many other people don’t know about them, either. This makes it much easier to reserve a campsite during the busy summer months, when more popular destinations are already full. You can find out if your city or county offers campgrounds by visiting the parks and recreation section of their website.
A tent site in one of California’s many state beach campgrounds
State parks are also great family camping destinations. Many of these parks are located near outdoor recreational attractions, such as lakes, which can provide your family with additional opportunities for fun and adventure. Many state parks also offer entertainment attractions, such as music and Junior Ranger programs, throughout the summer months. You can find out more about the state parks in your area by searching on your state’s name, along with the keywords ‘state parks’.
Gear You Will Need
If you are new to camping, the last thing that you want to do is to run out and spend a lot of money on camping gear. One of the benefits of family camping during these tough economic times is that it is an inexpensive vacation. Also, if you do not have a lot of experience camping as a family it is difficult to figure out exactly what kind of gear will work best for you.
A much better alternative, and one that is offered by many reputable outdoor gear stores throughout the country, is renting your camping gear. Renting gear not only makes sense from a budgetary standpoint, it’s also a great way to tryout different types of gear before you invest in purchasing for the long term.
You will need a tent, sleeping bags, sleeping pads and a camping stove. It makes sense to purchase gear that you can also use for other family activities, such as an ice chest and camping chairs. When renting gear, plan to practice setting up the tent and trying out the stove at home – both to ensure you understand how everything goes together, and to check that none of the parts are missing.
Things to Do
Hiking, biking, fishing, swimming, or roasting marshmallows around the campfire – there are a lot of fun family activities that you can look forward to, on your family camping vacation. The campground’s web page will give you some specific ideas, based on the specific activities available. They will also provide a calendar of family events, like Junior Ranger programs, if available.
Card games are an easy and fun picnic table activity
When camping with kids you can never have too many games, for those down times when everyone is relaxing at the campsite. Our kids love to play Uno® and those memory card-matching games, which are easy to pack and can be played on a picnic table. Soccer balls, Frisbees® and an inexpensive horseshoe set or ring-toss game can also keep the kids busy, around the campsite.
‘F’ is for ferns!
Venturing away from the campground usually means hiking, which can sometimes be challenging with kids. One way to add interest to a hike is to make a game out of it. Start with the letter ‘A’ and challenge your kids to spot something that begins with that letter. After they see something, go to the next letter, and so on. The alphabet scavenger hunt is also a great way to fill up a family camping scrapbook, if you take a picture of each object that your kids discover. Plan on lots of breaks and bring along plenty of trail snacks and drinks.
Have Fun
Camping with kids can be as much fun for the parents, as it is for the kids. There are few things more satisfying than watching your kids explore and experience nature. This is where memories are made; catching their first fish, seeing their first wild animals, learning to skip a rock across the water – the things they’ll brag to all their friends about, when they get back to school.
Roy Scribner helps parents experience the great outdoors with their kids at CampingBlogger.net. He is a Travel Daddy to three children, ranging in ages from five to nine. You can follow him on Twitter at @campingblogger.
Do you have any camping with kids questions or a favorite camping location/activity you’d like to share? Please leave a comment below!
For more information on this topic see:
• Roar & Snore Campout the San Diego Wild Animal Park
• The Travel Mama’s Top 3 Hidden Gem Destinations
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Tags: camping, fishing, games, hiking, marshmallows, swimming
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Great info! I agree with Roy that most of our anxiety about camping actually is our own.
We did our first family camping trip last year at the local park nearby our house. It was a blast and my kids are still talking about it.
One more suggestion I would add for newbie is to start with a few days. Plan a weekend camping trip instead of a week long. This will help ease you in the camping routine. Or you can do what we did. We started off by camping in our backyard for one night before planning our weekend camping trip.
Fantastic info, Roy! I agree with Amy that a great way to start may be with a campout in the backyard. Then plan an overnight somewhere close to home & see how it goes.
I’m continually reminded with my little guys that you can plan all you want, but the kids will let you know what they want to do. Our adventures are so much more rewarding when we let the kids take the lead.
Thank you for being the first Travel Daddy to write for Travel Mamas, Roy! I would love to take the kids camping but have always felt a little daunted at the prospect of planning the trip. Your story has me thinking I should put aside my fears and just do it! I love the tip to test out the equipment at home first. And, I think it’s so important to remember to let the kids take their time exploring…it’s something I always have to remind myself whenever we travel anywhere!
Great post Roy! We have been a bit hesitant to take two toddlers tent camping (and we are campers!) and I feel so guilty about it. I am determined to go this spring. Do a little test weekend at a nearby campsite. That way if things go horribly wrong, we can sneak home to our beds…
Thanks, everyone! Amy – I totally agree with keeping it short, until you get comfortable with the amount of food and gear that you will use. It also really helps to keep it close to home!
Debi & Colleen – backyard campouts are a lot of fun and a great low-risk way to workout the kinks (how does this tent go together, again?). Just remember to turn off your sprinklers!
Sharlene – it’s a great idea to identify some nearby campgrounds. We have several that we frequent, as it’s really our only option for a quick weekend getaway, due to the Friday traffic.
Great post!
This post is beyond awesome. I am always wondering what to do and what not to do so I will follow some of these tips.