Tis the season for nature-bound adventures! Camping with your kids is one of the best ways to help them discover the myriad beauties of nature. Plus, you can take advantage of teachable moments and spend quality time together as a family away from the temptation of screens.
We enjoyed traveling to a variety of campgrounds and state parks within a few hours’ time from our home. Each offered unique environments and activities, like playing in the ocean and searching for shells on the beach in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and hiking, fishing, and boating at Promised Land State Park in Pennsylvania.
Host a Trial Run
A good rule of thumb is to plan a trial run: Camp in your backyard. If you live in an apartment or townhouse, consider asking your parents or a nearby relative or friend if you could reserve their backyard for a dress rehearsal.
This is the perfect opportunity to talk about the experience as it happens. Do your kids have questions? Do they have fears? Now is the time to address these. Plus, you’re just a hop, skip, and a jump away from a bathroom or the comfort of the indoors if needed.
Talk about the actual experience itself. Explain the different noises you may hear at night, like the wind, tree branches rubbing against each other, wildlife footsteps, and the calls of nocturnal birds, frogs, toads, and crickets. A great resource is “A Guide to Night Sounds” by Lang Elliott. Talk about the darkness if camping in a tent and the option of hanging fairy lights for comfort.
Be Prepared
Expect the unexpected, because any number of things can disrupt your trip. Always pack extra clothes because clothes, hands, and feet get dirty, food makes messes, and drinks spill. Having essential supplies such as a first aid kit, plenty of fresh water, a flashlight and a lantern, insect repellent, antibacterial wipes, sunscreen, allergy medications, and poison ivy treatments is a must.
Be sure to bring along easy-to-pack games like playing cards and an Uno deck, Yatzee, Bananagrams, Rummikub, and a couple of read-aloud books (maybe camping/adventure-themed, like “Treaure Island”) for quiet time at night and possible inclement weather. Pinterest also has free printable nature scavenger hunt pages for more family fun.
Research the area beforehand so you can point out the various flora and fauna, birds, reptiles, and fish, as well as any interesting landmarks, especially if you’re camping in a national park.
It’s helpful to assign everyone age-specific campsite chores such as sweeping the camper or tent floor, trash collecting, and meal prep.
Take Advantage of Teachable Moments
Camping offers so many opportunities to teach your kids valuable lessons, whether these unfold naturally or are planned. If your kids are up for it, teach them how to use a compass, build a fire along with fire safety skills, tie basic knots, set up a tent, mark a trail for returning to the campsite, and use a fishing rod, and explain the importance of leaving the campsite exactly as they found it by cleaning up any trash.
Thank your lucky stars for the darkness of night and search for some of the more recognizable constellations. Point out the Big Dipper, Cassiopeia, and Orion the Hunter.
We once camped next to a family whose beloved pet was a rather large pot-bellied pig. While I don’t recall the pig’s name, he was house trained and had the run of the house, loved playing football, and was adored by one and all. We learned a lot about that pampered, pudgy pet, and our kids extended the research into the next week.
Let the Camping Trip Unfold Naturally
Try not to have high expectations. It’s best to try to go with the flow and follow your kids’ interests and explorer personas. For example, our daughter was a Girl Scout and as much as she enjoyed the outdoors, she was just as happy reading a good book in the hammock. Maybe your kids would rather skip the long hike and opt for skipping stones instead.
Embrace Dirt
Let’s face it, nature equals dirt. And camping is the perfect time to play in the dirt. So, let your kids walk barefoot in the mud and squish it between their toes, make mud pies, and draw pictures with sticks, wipe it clean, and start all over again.
Camping can be a wonderful opportunity to explore and grow together as a family. It’s all about making memories you all will cherish for years to come. Who knows? Maybe camping will become a new tradition to be passed down through the generations.
