Ugh...Getting camping experience when you HATE to camp?

[Dmmetler]

DD wants to be a herpetologist and is getting more and more into field study. Eventually, she thinks she want to do the sort of project where you spend weeks or months on the field at a time observing and recording animals in a specific location. Things like spending 3 months in Yosemite researching amphibian populations-tents and field gear provided.

 

The thing is I HATE camping with a passion. I enjoy hiking as long as I can get a hot shower and a real bed in a building with a door that locks and central heat/air after I'm done. I actually did quite a bit of tent camping when I was younger, but it was definitely something I'd do to be with other people, not because I enjoyed it myself (My best friend was in a serious scouting family, so she grew up camping and could usually take a friend with her when her entire family was going to scout camps, so I did a lot of summers at BSA camps, I was an Explorer scout and in Alpha Phi Omega as a teen and college student, and both groups were camping heavy as well). I had the skills, 20 years ago-but have no desire to use them again. DH has never been camping without a cabin around him.

 

How do I help DD get the skills she needs so that she could do the field work she thinks she wants to do (or the experience to decide that maybe she'd be happier in some other area) when camping is about a -3 on a scale of 1-10 of things I enjoy? Summer camps for girls in my area don't seem to teach such skills.

[regentrude]

Do you have friends who like camping who might be willing to take her?

 

What time line are you thinking about? If she wants to do these things when she is older, she does not need to start practicing camping at her age. I never camped with my parents, barely ever hiked - until I met friends who did, and I joined them.

[QueenCat]

Find friends who like to camp, and have her go with them. Or get a cabin and she can sleep outside while you sleep inside.

[Sandragood1]

I don't see how old your dd is, if she's almost 14, or older you can look into Venture Scouts. It is a part of Boy Scouts, but is coed. Call or visit different troops and find one that camps frequently.

[redsquirrel]

Why don't you just wait until she is in college and is learning it along side lots of other people. It isn't uncommon for people to be learning how to do field work from older students etc. Maybe she just needs to learn it herself.

 

We camp as a family every summer in Maine near the ocean. I wouldn't think that would really educate my kids about what field work is like.

 

I never went camping until I was in my late 20s until I went with a friend. Since then I have been camping many times. For our honeymoon we went on a two week camping trip. My mom started going with use to Maine in the past three years. She never set foot in a tent until she was in her mid 60s and now she is going off camping without my family this summer! So it can't be that difficult to learn the skills. If my mom can do it for the first time at age 67 surely your daughter can figure it out when she is in college.

 

[marbel]

Do you have friends who like camping who might be willing to take her?

 

What time line are you thinking about? If she wants to do these things when she is older, she does not need to start practicing camping at her age. I never camped with my parents, barely ever hiked - until I met friends who did, and I joined them.

 

Is she 9 or in 9th grade?   

 

Either way, I agree with Regentrude.  If your daughter really wants to get into that field, she will find a way to learn to live in camp. 

 

Do you have a backyard?  Let her sleep outside this summer.  When she is an undergrad she will probably find people to camp with, if she wants to. 

[KarenNC]

You could check into your local parks and rec dept to see if they have any camping experiences available. Even if they don't do full on camping for her age, they may offer something in some of the skills, like outdoor cooking, first aid, hiking, etc. Check summer camps in your area to see if any do tent camping.

 

I also agree with previous posters that opportunities will be more available as she gets older. At this age, have her research and make a list of the skills needed to camp and start learning the components: buy her a small tent and let her pitch it in the backyard, if you have space, give her a resource on learning to tie knots, learn to safely build a fire, use a knife, etc. You might also see if you can get your hands on any Boy Scout manuals that detail the skills they work on to prep boys this age as they learn camping skills.

[hillfarm]

I can see both sides of this. No, it is not essential to have prior camping experience to do field work. However, prior experience can lead to a much more pleasant time and also would free her mind to focus more on the new activities of the field work rather than worrying about camping details.

 

You can try to get her in a Venture scouting group or perhaps find a local group like the Sierra Club that does occasional family camping. I agree that she can also learn a lot from just setting up a tent in her own backyard. (Part of looking cool and proficient is knowing how to set up your own tent!) Also, you might work with her to prepare one meal a week "camping style". So she could do a breakfast, lunch or dinner over a campfire, or perhaps with a Dutch oven or a Coleman stove. Depending on what type of equipment she might encounter, she might also have the opportunity to cook with a solar oven or even do a cooking pit covered with dirt. And again, a mind that is not cluttered with dread over the possibility of ruining dinner for her peers and professors might well be able to pay more attention to trends in unusual habitat choices or other small details that might really impact her work.

 

Other important camping skills that I think would be helpful to learn are: how to dig (and use) a functional latrine, how to handle personal hygiene/bathing, how to keep dirt and bugs out of your tent, basic first aid and the wilderness safety course they are now offering, fire starting, how to recognize or create potable water, identification of dangerous local flora and fauna, etc.

 

All of this could be tremendous fun for her and also good practice. Along this same line of thinking, I have been doing as much as possible to simulate a community college style of educational experience for my dd for the last couple of years so she would be used to it and therefore when she goes in the fall, could focus all her attention on dealing with the academics and not the logistics or social aspects. HTH

[Mergath]

I would buy/rent an RV for myself to "camp" in.  Your dd can camp for real outside the RV with the bugs. :P

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

You can learn and practice many camping skills without having to go camping.  Learning to dig a latrine, build a fire, first aid and other skills don't require actual camping to learn.

 

We started with this book, Camp Out!: The Ultimate Kids' Guide.

 

I did most of my camping as a kid through Girl Scouts. Local campouts, state campouts and national camp outs as I was older.  In our area you are not required to be a girl scout to attend their camp.

[katilac]

You can learn and practice many camping skills without having to go camping.  Learning to dig a latrine, build a fire, first aid and other skills don't require actual camping to learn.

 

We started with this book, Camp Out!: The Ultimate Kids' Guide.

 

I did most of my camping as a kid through Girl Scouts. Local campouts, state campouts and national camp outs as I was older.  In our area you are not required to be a girl scout to attend their camp.

 

I agree. She can learn quite a bit on day hikes and even in her own backyard. I wouldn't stress over lots of camping experience. As as she gets older, she can choose to join a Venture crew or similar, or maybe go farther away for camp, but it's really not crucial. 

[Kerileanne99]

If you are simply wanting her to gain the information, there are a lot of great books and resources you can use...

But I would think that given her age and interests, it would be very beneficial to have something in writing to add to her resume/portfolio when you want to convince serious researchers/field study organizers that she can not only back it academically, but is experienced and safe in a field environment.

 

There are lots of specialized wilderness schools that offer camps and classes in just that kind of thing. Some of them are even academic-focused with camping/survival skills built in. Still others focus on confidence and leadership skills concurrently. And others are just plain fun:)

Here is one fairly close to us that we know of by reputation. There may well be others closer to you.

http://www.earthnativeschool.com/

 

Many of them eventually feed into college-level programs like Outward Bound as well.

 

Also, have you seen the list of Adventurecamps? They have SO many cool ones around the nation/world, in every are you can imagine. Again, some have academic bents for pursuing things like environmental studies.

http://www.adventurecamp.com/Adventure-Camps.aspx

 

The other thing that I would consider would be certification in a wilderness first aid program. My nephew did one through a school in Colorado. It was not specifically marketed to kids, but he was able to take the course with his father. Since he wasn't legally an adult they gave him a provisional certificate stating he completed the training but could not legally be certified. I would imagine there are less involved wilderness medicine classes for kids.

 

ETA: I DO agree she can get much of what she needs informally, but I know what it is like (at least the beginning of it!) when the kiddo wants/needs it NOW! I for no other reason than to feel as though forward progress toward their goal is being made.

[AmandaVT]

I'm not sure where you live, but you may have something like this: http://www.rootsvt.com/

 

It's an outdoor wilderness school - they have a school year program (1 day a week) and summer camps. They learn lots of neat outdoor stuff and camping skills. Parents don't attend. :-) 

[mommymonster]

A few ideas:

 

Girl Scout summer camp is a great way to get camping experience, if your daughter is at all interested in scouting. My sister became a Girl Scout camp counselor in her teens and after a few years moved to "horse camp." She would go six weeks without showering and loved it. 

 

If you just want your daughter to get experience camping, throw a tent in your backyard (if you have one) or in a friend's yard. We sleep in the back yard for a week in the summer and the kids love it (they are really weird, though). You can build a simple fire pit and teach cooking over an open fire.

 

Do your state parks have yurts or cabins? We have some super options for cabin and yurt camping at our state parks, and you can pitch a tent in the cabin's "yard." Why not a cabin for you, and a tent for DD? You can do a ton of outdoor education and remain comfortable. 

 

Are you in Tennessee? If so, this looked interesting: http://www.tn.gov/twra/outdoorswoman.html

[DawnM]

How old is she?

 

Find a group!  Find other kids interested in the same thing.  There are surely groups of some sort she can go out with.  

 

Otherwise I would tell her that if she is really that interested, she can study up on it and join Venture Crew when she turns 14 (or is it 13.5?)  Venture Crew is a branch of BSA that allows girls and boys ages 14-21 to do high adventure.

 

Dawn

[lavender's green]

I  pursued a similar-ish degree in college, where weeks/months of field experience was required.  She'll learn everything she needs to know then, in her field classes, and it'll all come quickly.  And camping is the easy part of field experience.

 

In the meantime, because she really wants this experience now, she can start to do day hikes.  Maybe camp in the back yard (she should be able to set up a tent all by herself, for example).  Maybe take a wilderness medicine course (oh my goodness, you have no idea when you'll need to know it, and it's incredibly useful knowledge to have).  I'm sure you can get her involved in groups for camping and hiking, but, as I said, those are the easy parts!

[Wabi Sabi]

Find ways to make camping more tolerable for you: Splurge on a tent large enough to hold a full sized Aerobed and bring real bedding. Stay in campgrounds with real toilets and showers. Or, for the ultimate splurge, consider a small camper with air/heat, running water, a stove, etc.

[linders]

Your backyard. You can teach a lot of the skills needed (setting up a tent, fire-starting, camp cooking, etc) right there. You can work on knots, proper packing, and wilderness first aid indoors. And while she stays outside, you can be snug in bed inside.

 

I do encourage you to make sure she has these skills and can use them under poor conditions (rain, cold, dark). I was the girl/woman who had never done any of this before I started camping/backpacking with college friends, and after a while I disliked my reliance on others to get my stuff done.

[Spryte]

I  pursued a similar-ish degree in college, where weeks/months of field experience was required.  She'll learn everything she needs to know then, in her field classes, and it'll all come quickly.  And camping is the easy part of field experience.

 

In the meantime, because she really wants this experience now, she can start to do day hikes.  Maybe camp in the back yard (she should be able to set up a tent all by herself, for example).  Maybe take a wilderness medicine course (oh my goodness, you have no idea when you'll need to know it, and it's incredibly useful knowledge to have).  I'm sure you can get her involved in groups for camping and hiking, but, as I said, those are the easy parts!

 

I was going to say this, too.  She'll learn quickly, when the need arises, and everyone will be very helpful while she learns.  If she wants to learn beforehand, then find a group.  Camping will be the easiest part for her to learn.

 

Spoken by someone with lots of field work under her belt.

[ElizabethB]

My parents love their 5th wheel. My dad enjoys real camping, their 5th wheel is as far down the camping road as my mom wants to go. Think of all the extra equipment you can store for herp tracking and recording, etc.

 

They have some pretty nice ones now. A 5th wheel with a truck is much cheaper than an RV. A used one is much cheaper and a good way to start.

[Dmmetler]

Thank you. We do cabin camping/hiking a couple of times a year now, and we do take advantage of the ranger program classes and the like. We're within a several hour drive of multiple state parks (in multiple states), so we have some options there.  She's doing a lot of short field experiences now, mostly ones where she's responsible for observing/recorded a specific site at a fixed interval (most of these are urban or suburban sites, though, rather than farther afield). Not surprisingly, the faculty member who is including DD in her research teams is quite selective on which projects she allows DD to participate in. She's done a few field studies at national/state parks as well, but again, they're hike in, take your samples, hike out, and usually fairly short hikes at that.

 

It's frustrating her right now because many of the college students that she's been doing research with all year are getting their notification back for these summer internship/field experience projects, and she's feeling that gap dramatically.

 

One of my friends suggested that Bass Pro Shops do classes for kids and adults on various topics, some of which might be a good fit for now.

 

I assume Venture Scouting is what used to be called Explorer Scouts? The co-ed teen program? I know Explorers was a better fit for me than GSA was. GSA was a total no-go for DD. Part of the problem was that it was a group at a school where all the other girls were in school together, but part of it was that she wanted something a lot less crafty and emotional and more active and hands on. I suspect at her age she would have been disappointed in BSA, too-that what she wants is more of what older scouts do. She's done several of the BSA badge study units on topics that interest her independently.