WooHoo! Were going camping!!! Ideas please...

[simka2]

In a few days we will be heading out to camp for 5 days. I want to give a little background. We used to camp ALOT when the kids were babies, loved it!

 

It's been a couple years since we have gone camping and so I am looking for some good ideas of things to do with the kids. I don't want it to be real "schooly," but I do want to be prepared :)

 

So...any great ideas?...recipes?...games?...things to purchase in preperation?

 

Looking forward to reading all your great suggestions!

[Anne]

Games: active things like balls & frisbees, quiet games like cards for winding down/rain.

 

My dds loved nature/animals - binoculars, butterfly nets, field journals, sketching journals, containers to put collectibles in - all were popular. I often found that if I started looking at something, they would become curious and want to follow along and then maybe branch out into their own investigations...

 

Have a great time - don't forget your camera!!

 

Anne

[Sasharowan]

If there is a natural water area, bring buckets and nets for catching minnows, tadpoles etc. Bring old clothes so they don't worry about mess. A flashlight for everyone.

[TrixieB]

If there is water (lake/river) nearby, definitely bring water shoes & extra clothes. I forgot water shoes once when we camped by a river, and the kids were miserable with only wet shoes to wear for the rest of the day. And the shoes didn't dry overnight...

 

Other stuff that my kids have used with while camping:

 

jackknife

string/cord

pencils

paper

small plastic containers for carrying stuff around, making ink from berries, etc.

flashlights (the headlamp style is way cool)

small bucket

camera

[MSNative]

Recipes - do as much as possible ahead of time so you're not spending all your time cooking and cleaning up. We like kebabs, brats, quinoa salad, fruit salad, grilled pizza, etc. Lots of great camping recipes if you search. Whatever you choose, just try to prep - brown meats, chop all veg possible...

 

As far as purchases - do you have camping chairs or portable chairs that will work for camping? We got each of our kids their own. They love them and it allows us to all comfortably sit around the fire. We also go to the dollar store before camping season and let the kids get camping toys - usually army men, craft kits and more army men. I stock up on glow sticks or bracelets, whichever is cheaper, and the kids get one each night. Educational purchase that is fun - portable microscope. You can pick them up reasonably cheaply and my kids love exploring everything they find with them. Oh, and I second the headlamp suggestion - huge hit here.

 

Another thing my family likes is taking ownership of camp chores. Our oldest son is responsible for "kitchen" organization, the next oldest is in charge of keeping the sleeping area tidy. They each pick a meal that they are responsible for - even if it's just juice and muffins for breakfast. Sounds like they would hate it, but actually they love their duties.

 

Happy camping!!

[Erica in OR]

On our last camping trip, we brought a special read-aloud and read it around the campfire (accompanied by s'mores, naturally).

 

A friend gave us two camping recipes that we tried and liked:

 

Taco in a bag - In a quart-size freezer bag, put Doritos, taco meat, shredded cheese, lettuce, sour cream, and salsa. Seal and crush/mix with hands. Eat with a fork straight out of the bag.

 

Hobo dinner - In heavy-duty aluminum foil, put an uncooked hamburger patty, sprinkle with salt and pepper, top with cut up pieces of raw potato, baby carrots, cut up onion. Place piece of butter on top. Seal foil and place on grate over campfire to cook.

 

Erica in OR

[Remudamom]

I hope you have fun. My best advice would be an expensive hotel. I have a fear of camping out.

[emeraldjoy]

Headlamps!!!

A good read aloud.

depending on where you are going....if there are wildflowers and birds....don't forget guides so you can ID what you find.

rope (it is pretty much the only thing the kids ever need outside of what they find in the forest)

ducktape for emergency purposes

if you get a nice bed of coals you can cook corn on the cob right in the fire (before shucking).

A favorite recipe of ours is diced potatoes, corn, onion, olive oil wrapped well in tinfoil and cooked right in the fire.

I LOVE CAMPING!

HAVE FUN!!

[emeraldjoy]

forgot...binoculars.

[RoughCollie]

If you will be using a tent, bring a tarp to put under it and one to put over it (like a roof, tied to nearby trees, not directly on the tent). If it rains, you will be glad you did this.

[m0mmaBuck]

A few recipes the kids can do individually:

 

Take oranges and cake mix (either white or chocolate). Hollow out the oranges (and eat them, of course). Mix up the batter and put it in the oranges. Wrap the oranges in foil and put in the coals. When the cake is baked it takes on the essence of the orange. Yum!

 

Take a banana. Slit through the skin lengthwise and into the 'flesh' of the banana. Put chocolate chips and mini-marshmallows in the banana and close it up. Wrap it in tinfoil. Put on the coals until the chips and mallows are melted.

 

Hobo dinners as mentioned above.

 

You can put the mixed eggs/milk for scrambled eggs in a ziploc bag and boil them vs. frying and eat them out of the bag. Kinda fun.

 

On a similar note you can buy those individual pudding mixes and mix the pudding with milk in a baggie, squish around, and then snip a corner off to suck it out.

 

Don't forget the s'mores!

 

Activities:

 

Frisbee, bochee ball, card/dice games, a CD player with fun music, bird/plant books... You could plan a scavenger hunt or geocache near the area.