Tags: campfire, Camping, camps, child, friends, hobby, kids, phone, shy, staff, summer camp, tennis, tennis camp

Camping is one activity the whole family can truly enjoy. That is, when it is prepared for properly. Otherwise, parents will have to listen to the perennial “are we there yets,” and “can we go home nows.”

When camping with kids, certain considerations must be made. This is to ensure a safe trip going to, and while at camp. Certain considerations are also needed to make sure that everyone gets his or her share of a good time.

Consult Kids

When planning for a camping trip, consulting kids and teenagers on activities they would want during camping will truly boost their morale. Asking them for activities they want to do will psychologically tell them that they are personally considered in the trip and it matters to you that they enjoy it. Also, involving your kids in the planning of activities is also one way of telling them non-verbally that they are responsible enough to be consulted in the planning and therefore, they also must act responsibly and accordingly during the whole trip.

Try to accommodate your kids’ suggestions on activities they want during the whole camping trip. Make sure each midget gets his or her share at being boss of an activity. If they enjoy their first few camp outs with you, parents, there is no reason why they would avoid or give you a hard time the next time you go camping.

Safety

Safety measures are one of the most important things to consider especially when camping out with kids. It is inevitable that when camping out, certain mishaps are likely to occur especially in the wild outdoors.

For families who have had a great time with their first few camp outs and are planning to make it a yearly activity, it never hurts to enroll in a first-aid seminar. A few sessions on first-aid will definitely go a long way. Not only will you learn about what to do when an accident or a mishap occur, you will also learn about how to prevent these accidents and mishaps.

Educate your kids on the basics of first-aids. Your kids are never too young to learn how to save lives. Point out to them the possible hazards of the camping trip, how to avoid these, or what to do when these hazards occur. Study your campsite. Point out to your children which routes to take when lost. Educate them on reading the signs and directions provided by the wild outdoors.

Pack medicines for kids with special health needs such as those with asthma, allergies or diabetes. Make sure you have extra doses worth three more days. Include medicine for rashes, fever, diarrhea and some aspirin. A parent can never be too careful when it comes to your kids and the wild outdoors where you can be at the mercy of unpredictable weather conditions, among others.

Food

Pack enough food that can last for three more days’ extension of your planned camping trip. An allowance is food supply is a boon, rather than a bane. As mentioned, when camping, you will be subject to nature’s whims. You never know when you need a few extra canned goods.

When packing food for a camp out with kids, make sure that you do not bring along any food which your children are allergic to, even if you have brought along an anti-allergy medicine for them. Prevention is always better than cure. It would be too tragic to waste a well-planned camp out simply because you have allowed an allergen into your camping circle!

Camping can become an exciting annual tradition for you and your family especially with the kids. But unless you plan it carefully so that everyone gets his or her share of both safety and good time, your camping will be nothing more than a tragic solo barbeque in your backyard!

y JB Anthony

Tags: accommodate, activities, activity, boost, boss, Camping, considerations, ensure, families, family, good, home, hurts, kids, measures, midget, mishaps, parents, personally. considered, planning, safe, time

So, what’s our experience you want to know? Whom are we to tell you what to do about camping?

Instead of asking more questions, read the entire article and by the time you are finished you will have all the answers.

Before you go anywhere, decide what kind of camping experience you want. Are you looking for real rugged, outdoors along with bears? Then choose most of the Pennsylvania State Parks. Looking for more civilized camping, try the New York State Parks.

FIRST, TOTAL ESSENTIALS for comfortable camping (in state parks):

• Know that camping inside a state park is no safer than camping or living anywhere else in the country.
• So, security, health and safety should be on your mind before you begin your trip.
• As a beginner, you will do well by first calling the state parks office and asking for a map of the place and any or all brochures of the campsites. You can find this information online also at the park’s websites.
• IF this is your first time camping out, take a buddy, and also choose a campsite that is closest to the park office (if there is one) and closest to the bathrooms, showers or soda machines. (Some sites have those).
• Look at the map and note whether there are bathrooms or outhouses (Yes, there are some that still have outhouses, i.e. in Pennsylvania and in Ohio). Choose what you like and then select your park or campsite.
• Research the temperature of the climate that you will be visiting; check for upcoming storms and bad weather . PLAN your trip.
• INQUIRE about the park’s regulations on animals. (You can find out if you can bring a pet or not).
• Do not bring any pets, even if allowed into certain country campsites (where there might be wildlife). You risk your pet getting diseases and you risk your pet getting eaten, maimed or killed. You also attract bears by bringing pets into the campsites. (Some campsites have bears because they are in the middle of game lands or in the middle of vast state parks).
• IF you must bring a pet, bring a kennel, minimal wet food, and bring gear to dispose of the food and waste. (Leave no trace)!
• If you want a campsite that has it’s own library (in camp season), visit Wildwood State Park in New Jersey.
• If you want a real wilderness experience, visit most of the Pennsylvania state parks.
• If you want “civilized” camping, (with real showers, restrooms, electricity to charge your phones, water spigots at campsites) try Hecksher State Park in Long Island, New York.
• If you want to feel like you have been to HEAVEN-on earth- make your reservation nine months in advance and reserve your spot at Hither Hills State Park in the Hamptons, New York. This place is every bit worth the wait and the preparation. (Bring zip lock bags and waterproof bags because this is the wettest campsite around – just a few feet from our ocean). We woke up in the morning and found EVERYTHING damp – money soaked, etc, even though we camped 30 feet from the ocean and the ocean never touched out campsite. The moisture in this place is unbelievable. (If you bring electronics here – your phone, etc, bring a water bucket and store your electronics in there to keep them dry.

Those, listed above, are just the basics.

Other things to prepare for. What if it rains? You can buy a small tarp at the dollar store or at any hardware store. Place this tarp over your tent if it rains. Most tents are not waterproof and even the ones that advertise that can be a little wet in a bad storm.

THINGS TO KEEP YOU DRY:

1. Old, clean shower curtains.
2. Tarps.
3. Old, clean plastic table cloths.
4. Rain ponchos (as opposed to rain coats). Ponchos , large ones can double as tent cover.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• Keep food OUT of the tent at all times. This gives you good camping background training. Even if you are camping out in a place where there is no wildlife, get into the habit of eating OUTSIDE and far from your tent. Then when you do camp out where there are bears, you already have good camping habits. Besides, keeping food out is the same as keeping uncovered food out of your bedroom. You do not want to attract bugs or other creatures that might be hiding anywhere in the building or anywhere outdoors.
• At Hecksher State Park, you might find unwelcome visitors (little people) trying to come in your tent when you are gone (to the pool, etc), so bring along “cable ties” and use them to lock your tent up while you are away . Cut the ties with a manicure scissor or small wire cutter when you return. You can purchase cable ties anywhere in most cities. This cable tie lets you know if anyone has “visited” your campsite while you were away. If the cable tie is broken when you get back, fully inspect your tent for rips, bugs and other creatures that might have entered while your tent was being visited. It is important to check for spiders in this campsite. Spiders are rampant all over Hecksher. You see them when you take the fly off of your tent before leaving. You will view unbelievable collections of spiders under and near your tent.
• When camping with kids or camping and using ‘gear” – baseballs etc. Set up a tiny ‘gear tent”. You can buy a child’s tent for under twelve dollars. By storing gear in this separate tent, you save wear and tear on your regular tent’s zipper and also keep the tent CLOSED to all the insects and other things around the campsite. You will sleep better at night knowing that your main tent zipper was only opened a few times as opposed to having the door opened continuously all day to get “gear” out. This saves the floor of your tent also.
• If you are determined to have a dry tent in a very rainy season or wet campsite. Put a large TARP on the floor of your tent. This will keep most of the floor dry and will make you happy.
• Many people use TARPS on the outside of the tent, under the tent, so they have no messy mud on the bottom of the tent when they are ready to pack up. (YOU can have mud on the floor bottom, underneath, even if it is not raining outside; so use the tarps). IF You use the outdoors tarp under your tent, the tarp must be SMALLER than the bottom of the tent. You do not want any of the tarp sticking outside the tent on the floor. If that happens, all the rain will pool in the small bits of tarp that show and the rain will seep underneath your entire tent.

VITALLY IMPORTANT:

If you are camping at a NEW place for the first time and you have children or babies that you are bringing on this camping trip – PLAN a trip BEFORE your regular camping trip and go there without the children or babies. Camp there alone first.

We did this once, just as a precaution. We didn’t know anything about Hecksher and we went camping there first before we planned to take children there. Good Plan!!

What we discovered is that this particular state park is the QUEEN of Mosquito Heaven! Within less then 20 minutes that we were there, we had mosquito bites all over our body. (This doesn’t happen at all parks. Hecksher is notorious for mosquitoes and spiders.

So, on the regular trip with the kids, we took lots of repellent and we knew what to do .

So, when camping ANYWHERE with children, visit the site yourself first–without bringing the kids, just in case there is something that you should know about that particular camping site.

Wherever you camp, these things are essential:

• water-tight bags, water proof bags
• flashlights, batteries, or solar flashlights
• plastic bucket or pail
• soap and disinfectant
• bug spray
• tarps/ tent /tarp
• and other camping basics (Read our other articles about camping)
• Water and or the ability to find or locate water (pack iodine water-purifying pills if you can)
• by Linda Lin

Tags: budget, camp, campers, Camping, camping gear, checklist, children, comfort, cooking, ENJOY, family, Fishing, food, fun, gear, good, Hiking, kids, light, nature, outdoors, tent, trip, vacation, water, wilderness, wonderful

Just because it might rain, that is not a good reason to cancel your trip or to refrain from camping. You can do it, and the kids will love it.

Here are some guidelines on how to have a great camping trip, with children, babies, toddlers, and children of all ages, in the RAIN! This article is about camping out with children, babies and other all-age children while you are experiencing bad weather, rain, storms etc.

First, the average reader would be thinking, why camp out in the rain? The answer to that is obvious. As humans, we camp out with children, throughout the season, and we have no control over weather. So, you might be out camping on a very beautiful day, and all of a sudden encounter an unknown, unpredicted rainstorm or other bad weather. Yes, you could have checked the weekly weather and known about storms or rain ahead of time, but the fact is that weather happens. And weather happens whenever it wants to happen, not just when the weatherman predicts it will happen.

So, you may or may not be caught in a storm, or rainy day during one of your longer camping trips. The way to make everything a great experience is to prepare ahead of time for that bad weather or storm. And, as an experienced camper, I share some ideas, thoughts and suggestions with you in the hopes that you might take what you need and leave what you do not need.

I write this article, not to frighten, but rather to prepare you for everything and anything, so that you will have a great camping experience in the rain and in the storms. Why do I really write this though? I mean, the obvious answer is to make your camping trip shorter and just go home when it begins to rain. Surely that would solve the problem of bad weather if you have already enjoyed most of your camping trip. But, what would you benefit of that if you had just started your trip and had not begun to enjoy anything yet? If you just pack up and go home, your camping trip might be considered a waste of time, since you came there to enjoy nature and to relax and enjoy the state park or private campgrounds. So, this article is for you, so that you will be prepared for any type of weather in your campgrounds.

Now, the preparation begins before you even make the reservation for camping. Yes, it begins that early. For example, if you are camping out and it begins to rain, or storm, you know that below your tent it will be very wet, and if you are camping out, your tent or tarp underneath will be very muddy. Yuck! Who wants a tent that is full of mud, even if it is the bottom of the tent floor? So, the way that you prevent that –before making your reservation– is by choosing your particular campsite, within the campgrounds, and also by carefully choosing your campgrounds. In New York State, you have many choices of very different natural states, state parks and private campgrounds. If you are choosing to camp with children, toddlers or babies, you might do well to choose private campgrounds or family campgrounds. At these places, usually, they have all the comforts of home. Many of them have indoor rooms, that are packed with games, video games, and other things specifically for children. Most of them have pools and some have sprinklers that the children can play under. Most of them have the stores that will sell you everything from charcoal to umbrellas to cereal and other daily items. And even some have an internet connection. Many of them have activities for children and some even have babysitting services. So, as a family or as adults camping with children, babies or toddlers, your first choice, the choice of a campgrounds might be your most important choice.

So, say you decide to rough it, at a state park instead of going to a family campgrounds, can you still be comfortable in a storm or bad weather? Yes, and again, you choose before you get there and that makes all the difference in the world. For example, at one state park in New York, Wild wood State Park in Long Island, NY, you have choices of where to camp out. And your first choice is location –which would be either right near the restrooms or near the office or further out into the civilized wilderness (I say civilized because there are no dangerous wild animals there, like bears). You will see some deer, awe, closeup with nature. So, you choose your location. If you are camping with children, perhaps camping not too far from the restrooms is in order. But your second choice, after you choose the location is choosing the kind of campsite that you want. This choice is most important in storms and in bad weather or just in case. If you are camping with older children, you might love the choice of having a campsite that has a platform, a wooden platform. Having this platform to set your tent up on is wonderful! You get past all the dirt, and the insects that normally would be climbing under your tent, and you basically have a clean platform, a natural wooden platform to set your temporary home on . Some campsites in other campgrounds might even have concrete platforms; those are usually for the dining areas. If you try setting your tent up on concrete you might realize you have more aching bones in your back the next day, so opt for the dirt instead of concrete.

Now, for the stormy part, you will have prepared ahead of time and packed some of these luxury items –when it comes to camping, these are not necessities but considered luxuries to campers that rough it. You can pack small portable televisions that run on batteries, and pack tv-radios, some child electronic games, some electronic books — all with plenty of batteries. And perhaps the best idea is the crank-type radios that need no batteries. The kids will have fun taking turns cranking it up. I hear you, you are sitting there saying, hey, I came here to enjoy nature and to camp out, not to do what we can do at home! But wait, when I cam saying bring these things, I am not saying bring them, keep them handy where the kids can see them, but I am saying stash them in a secret bag that no one knows you have brought along. Your stash bag contains those items plus coloring books, crayons and some battery-lights. You can even bring along small keyboards for music. Do not worry, your neighbors will not mind the music if they are just hearing the sounds of the storm. Your music might be music to their ears!

So, first, this is your emergency camping bag, for your emergencies during the storm. This is not your first aid bag , but a separate bag just for activities for children and babies.

And, the most important thing about using this bag is that it is kept for this mild-storm emergency, in other words, if there is a mild rain, not thunder and lightening, but just a mild rainstorm, you can use these things to pass the time. Here is what you do, you use the items to pass the time, and then spend some time traveling to a fast food restaurant, preferably one that has a playroom. So you and the children will be happy and you will have things to do and you will be out of the rainstorm.

In the event of thunder or lightning, plan an unexpected trip to the nearest mall, and you will be safe indoors and you can browse the bookstores, and have dinner or breakfast at the mall. Spending a few hours there and the storm will almost be done. By doing this, your camping trip is saved. You have a little diversion, the children are happy AND you still have your tent standing and ready for your camping experience with nature.

I have used the mall-method once, when we camped out. We had a few hours at the campgrounds, and it was near dinner time and we had not yet set up the bbq. It started to rain, and I turned on the radio to find out that this rain was turning into a storm. I knew the storm would not last long, but I knew also that we did not want to sit in a tent under the trees while the lightening passed us by. That would be too dangerous. So, we got in the car and went to the nearest mall –instead of packing up all our gear and heading home, we saved the camping trip by just spending some time at the mall until it was safe to go back to the state park. Once back at the park, we were back to nature and we had a very awesome camping experience. At night it began to rain again, even though the storm was over. We just hung out in the tent, with our little lights, reading books and talking. We did have a great time, and it did not matter that our camping trip happened to be during a very real, horrible rainstorm, with lightning and thunder. We got through it and we had a good life experience.

Okay, right about now, some still might be thinking, YUCKK! , but the true campers are saying, YES! one camping trip saved! All I am saying is not to be scared and not to run off out of the campgrounds with all your bags packing at the sight of rain or at the sound of possible storms. Yes, by all means stay safe. Never, ever stay under the trees or in the state park if there is lightning and thunder. Yes, the time to get out is before it all happens. And if you plan your trip right, before you even leave the house, you can manage any storm, and still be safe and still enjoy a good camping experience.

In summary, here is a list of possible things to pack when going on a camping trip –using tents, while planning for that just-in-case storm:

1. Plastic tarps; these always come in handy, rain ponchose, small umbrellas, ziploc bags, food storage bags.
2. Individual plastic radios, or walkmans, mp3 players, electronical entertainment, games, nintendo ds, etc. Keep these in the car, not in the tents, when it is not storming. Do not store valuables inside your tent especially when you are not there.
3. Lots of coloring books, blank paper, crayons, pencils and pens, markers, and creative crafting items.
4. Extra water bottles, juice bottles, formula for babies, lots of cloths, diapers, bibs, wipes, creams, and everything else baby needs.
5. Baby pop-up tents for areas that have lots of mosquitos, bug spray and insect repellent for older children and adults.
6. Sleeping bags. Bring sleeping bags even in warm weather. You would be surprised how quickly the weather can change in the state parks and forests.
7. Grippers or Gophers, when camping with children these are great -as a help and as a game. Save your back and use the Grippers.
8. Cable ties; Do you want to keep younger children from going in and out of the tent 2,000 times a day. Take what you need out and then cable tie the zipper of the tent. Let them enjoy the outdoors fully while camping.
9. Set up a child pop-up tent for the younger children, right alongside your family tent. They can use this to play, and that saves your larger tent. They can go inside and outside this smaller tent as much as they want and you do not have to tell them to make sure the door is shut. It is their tent – for the day. At night, you sleep in the larger family tent together.

I think that one of the best things you can do for children is to let them get WET! Yes, let go, and say it is okay to be out in the rain if it is a little sprinkle. They will not melt. We have all seen those light sprinkling rains where it feels like a mist, and it is just wonderfully refreshing, especially in the forest or state park. As long as you have enough clean, dry clothes for later, then walking in the rain can be a great camping activity, as long as there is no lightning and no thunder. Do what is safe, and remember to do what is fun also.

Those are some of the things that will make your camping experience easier and more organized. I would love to hear from you if you have any more great ideas about camping in storms or camping with children, babies and toddlers. I welcome all comments.

by Linda A. Perry

Tags: babies, books, camp, campgrounds, Camping, cereal, charcoal, children, concrete, crayons, daily, deer, everything, forest, games, great, home, important, kids, lightning, little, love, mall, melt, muddy, nature, parks, pencils, platform. insects. dirt, pools, prepare, prevent, rain, rain. storms, reservation, sleepingbags, sprinklers, state, tarp, tents, thunder, time, toddlers, trip, tv. radio, umbrellas, unknown, water, weather, wet, world

Camping food for many people has come to mean granola, oatmeal, and more granola. Camping food can range anywhere from veggies or hot dogs – great for roasting over an open fire – to a steak-and-baked-potato dinner and one-pot meals. Freeze-dried camping food is great for hiking, backpacking, or camping meals because you don’t have to keep it cold to avoid spoiling. Camping food such as Mountain House Brand or Backpackers Country brands can be a very convenient way to eat. Camping food benefits include your meals can be already. Camping food downsides include cost as meals can be more expensive, and you can lose your creativity for cooking while camping.

Camping Food Recipes

A search of the internet will turn up many online cookbooks and recipes submitted by people interested in camp cooking and are free for you to download. Things to consider when researching camp recipes include cooking for different travelers on different days, planning for large groups, planning for partial trip days, different guests eating different meals, large and small appetites, storage for ingredients, and much more.

Do not overlook soup recipes for camping and other meals that require only one pot or pan, so you can pack light, eat well and enjoy your camping trip.

You can create yummy gourmet meals with a little understanding of grilling and adapting recipes to the grill. You should learn how to adapt regular recipes to grill cooking, too, and you’ll see that you can create some mighty tasty gourmet recipes that taste like you’ve spent hours preparing them.

Family Camping Food Ideas For Children

Children love to get involved, and the beauty of camping is that the recipes are usually simple, easy and fun. The kids will enjoy them even more if you let them modify the camp recipes and have some cooking fun. Before your next family camping trip, gather up some kid-friendly camping recipes. Camping dessert recipes are fun and easy for kids to make, and the whole family enjoys eating them.

Camping Meal Planning

Meals should be planned around the “core” entry but like buying a car it’s the extras that make it more enjoyable. Meals should be made as simple as possible. Meals or soups in a cup are definitely convenient foods but they may be too bulky for many backpackers and campers. Meals take more time to prepare at the campground but it’s also one of the jobs that everyone seems to want to help out with. Meals around the campfire are just as much the centre of camping life as meals around the kitchen bench at home.

Freeze-dried Camping Food

A quick search of the web turns up numerous companies producing freeze-dried foods for backpacking, including many vegetarian options. One of the best types of camping food is freeze-dried food or dehydrated food. Nowadays, people climbing the Himalayas, exploring the Poles, competing in offshore races, canoe folks and all kinds of travelers and globetrotters take very light freeze-dried food with them, which in extreme conditions can be made eatable by adding water acquired from snow or even sea water after desalination. Dehydrated or freeze-dried camping food is great for hiking, backpacking, or camping meals because it doesn’t have to be kept cold to avoid spoiling. Camping, backpacking, or hiking food that’s freeze-dried or dehydrated can reduce weight by sixty to ninety percent. With a little creativity it’s easy to make meals better-tasting and healthier than freeze-dried astronaut meals!

With some tasty camping food in your pack, you can make sure you won’t go hungry. Take easy to carry, high energy camping food to fuel your expeditions and outdoor adventures. If you’re used to eating at gourmet restaurants, no matter what type of camping food you pack you’ll probably be disappointed but you’ll still have fun. You’ll also want to consider animal and/or bear resistant camping food containers especially if you’re going to bear country. Please check the local area for suggestions on camping food storage and how to deal with trash. Good camping food is easy, light-weight, and served hot quickly.

by Alison Stevens

Tags: backpacking, baked, brand, camp, campers, campfire, Camping, children, cold, cookbooks, cooking, dehydrated, dinner, easy, energy, ENJOY, enjoyable, family, food, freeze, fuel, good, grilling, Hiking, hot, jobs, kids, light, meals, mountain, poles, tasting, time, trip

As November passes quickly, it is time to start thinking about buying Christmas gifts. Here’s a primer on unique Christmas gift ideas for people who like to go camping.

Unique Camping Gifts

Camping enthusiasts love to get away from the rat race and just take in the majesty of Mother Nature. If you’re shopping for  person that likes to go camping, here are a few unique camping gift ideas.

1. National Parks Pass – Some of the best camping locations are in the United States National Parks system. Yosemite, Glacier Park and so on provide simply stunning scenery and absolutely tremendous camping opportunities. The National Park Pass grants admission to all of the National Parks for one year. The National Parks Pass costs $49.99. 80 percent of the proceeds go to the preservation of the parks.

2. Play & Freeze Ice Cream Maker – This cool little gadget lets you make ice cream on the fly while camping. In the form of a plastic ball, you simply add rock salt and ice to one end and provided ice cream to the other. Seal it up and start rolling it around like a soccer ball. Before you know it, you’ll have ice cream. This very cool gadget will run you $30.

3. Fold Away Food Covers – While getting back to nature is a blast, insects become annoying. The Fold Away Food Covers act as a little tent you can put over food to keep the little buggers off. The covers fold up and easily stored making them the ideal camping accessories. Coghlan’s covers are the best. You’ll spend $5 or so for the covers, a very small price for keeping food insect free.

4. Nomad Camping Journals – A little self-promotion here. Nomad Camping Journals are compact writing journals that let campers keep notes and a record of their camping trips. Really great for creating a record of who was on the trip, how the trip went, other places to try and so on. The camping journals are great keepsakes for adults and something to do for kids during down times. As the trips add up over the years, you’ll enjoy reading about past trips. You can use a three ring binder to make notes about your trip and maps and fees (for the budget)

Camping is a great way to escape the chaos of daily life and provides plenty of gift buying ideas. Get out there and enjoy the world!

by Richard Chapo

Tags: budget, buggar, Camping, chaos, covers, ENJOY, escape, food, gadget, gift, ice, ideas, insect, kids, life, maps, nature, nomad, notes, park, person, places, record, run, tent, times, trip, trips, world

Your kids enjoy the outdoors and going to campgrounds, but there are ways to have fun with your family without leaving home. Are you trying to come up with something fun that you can do without heading off into the woods? You should consider sponsoring a camping trip for your children along with some of their friends. Why not let your children go camping right in your backyard with their friends? Your children will appreciate this opportunity and likely wouldn’t pass it up for the world.

Try and think of some activities that they can do during their “at home” camping outing. There are a lot of ideas you could come up with. With adult supervision your children and their friends can roast marshmallows and tell ghost stories around the fire in your backyard. If you often go camping as a family, you probably have a tent available for sleeping. This can bring the campground right to your home. Since you’re sponsoring this camping experience in your backyard, it is easier to give someone medical attention faster than you would if you were on a campground, should the need arise.

Safety is the biggest factor when camping, even when camping at home. The idea that you’re camping in your backyard ensures safety for your children, due to you having no problems with animals near your property, or at least let’s hope that’s the case. If you have a fenced in yard, this is perfect for those favorite camping activities as you won’t bother the neighbors. This is an experience that your children and their friends will never forget. By letting your children and their friends go camping in your backyard, this gives them a camping experience without you camping with them. You must always check on the kids from time to time to ensure they are following the rules you have laid out. Two way radios can be of great assistance to keep from running in and out of your home when checking on the little campers. It’s just that easy to have a fun camping experience right to your backyard.
by Simon Harris

Tags: activities, animals, backyard, campers, campgrounds, camping. trip, children, ensure, experience, family, friends, fun, ghost, home, kids, marshmallows, outdoors, outing. easier, roast, rules, sleeping, tent, woods, world, yard

A wonderful way to invest in your families’ treasure trove of memories is by spending time in the great outdoors. Camping trips can be an excellent tradition that your family will look forward to and in time, look back upon with fond memories.

Whether you plan to camp at the same place every year or seek out new places doesn’t matter as camping is always filled with new adventures. Your family might have a favorite place you go to every year mixed with a new spot you select together for another weekend or extended holiday during the year. There are so many national parks to explore; your options really are quite limitless.

Camping doesn’t have to be an overly expensive expenditure. Again this all depends on how you’ll be camping. Camping in a tent carries a completely different dynamic than camping in a fully equipped camper. Camping in a tent is also relatively inexpensive. Perhaps the camper is something you’ll decide to invest in after a few years of tent camping, then again there are some who prefer to only go tent camping. There’s something to be said about the rustic quality of sleeping in a tent, you can hike to far off remote spots where you couldn’t get to with a camper in tow.

Regardless of how you’ll be camping you’ll want to have the proper camping gear and accessories. First off you want to have the best tent and sleeping bags you can possibly afford. As your tent will be your home away from home for your trip and your sleeping bag will keep you warm and covered for those long nights under the stars (there are tents available that have mesh roofs for star gazing, of coarse if it starts to rain, you can just cover it up with your tent fly), you’ll want to be sure that both these items keep you appropriately covered so to speak.

Next you’ll want to have proper camp accessories; a trustworthy camp stove, a lantern, flashlights, a first aid kit, tarp, cooking and eating utensils, a little axe (for chopping firewood, also doubles as a hammer for hammering in tent pegs), some rope (for clothes lines and securing tarp), and cooler. Along with your sleeping bag you’ll want to remember comfy pillows (unless your backpacking then you might want a convenient inflatable pillow) and very importantly a good sleep pad. An uncomfortable sleep experience on hard ground may steer you off tent camping altogether, so come prepared, a good sleeping pad is worth its weight in gold. A good idea to help you remember all these items is the camping check list.

It’s a good idea to store your camp gear in some plastic containers. This way it’s all in one place (with your camp list included), so when it’s time to pack up and go camping you can go through the containers making any necessary additions needed. It’s very important to check that all your equipment is properly maintained and cared for; there is nothing worse than getting to your destination and finding that your camp stove is not working. You’ll also want to be sure that your camp fuel supply is replenished and you have extra batteries (for flashlights, lanterns or radios).

One of the best things about the whole camping experience is the food. Now depending on where you’re camping and what time of year it is, if you’re lucky you’ll be able to do some of your cooking around the campfire. During dry seasons there may be fire restrictions due to forest fire concerns, if that’s the case you’ll do all your cooking atop your camping stove. Every meal always seems to taste a bit better when you’re camping, it might have something to do with all the fresh air, or maybe all the fun activity builds up you’re appetite, either way you’ll want to bring along some family favorites. For dinner maybe some grilling of the families select choices, accompanied by some corn on the cob and potatoes wrapped in tin foil cooked on the coals with a nice salad and later for dessert smores (marshmallow and a slice of chocolate sandwiched between two graham wafers), add to that some hot chocolate before bed and that’s a night of food to dream about.

The activities (or lack of activities) will also make your camping trip one to remember. Hiking, kayaking, cycling and sailing might be on your agenda. Most parks offer excellent groomed hiking trails. Research in advance the area you will be visiting to know what activities will be available, you may be able to rent a kayak and take a lesson at the same time. Many areas also offer great bike trails that the family can cycle on together. A late night walk is among favorite suggestions; you can check out the stars and just listen to the silence.

Bring along a book you’ve wanted to read or some magazines. Games are another excellent pastime, a deck of cards or a board game might be some fun. Of course you can always bring along some baseball gloves and a ball for a game of catch. Soccer balls, badminton rackets and a net or volleyball and net all make for a fun day at the park.

If your family has little one’s you’ll be presented with a whole new challenge. Depending on the ages of your babies or toddlers you’ll want to pack some extra conveniences. There are excellent baby back carriers available allowing you to hike all sorts of terrain with baby in tow while keeping your back feeling comfortable, as well there are a numerous variety of baby strollers to select from which are great for using on trails. For toddlers you may want to bring a playpen to keep baby safe. You can never bring too many toys; the more your child has to keep them entertained you can rest assure they will be more content.

Be prepared for weather changes by bringing along extra clothing. Most likely you will be camping in the warmer spring, summer and fall months. It’s wise to remember however that the evenings can often get quite cool. Bring along heavy sweaters or extra jackets for added warmth, it can never hurt to bring along a couple of extra blankets for comfort beside the fire (or for use at a day picnic). Rain wear is another excellent addition to your camping wardrobe. With good quality rain jackets, hats, rain pants and boots you can take advantage of the rainy weather and actually go out for a hike rather than staying inside the tent or worse yet ending your camp trip all together.

Camping certainly has its challenges. Knowing what to bring and having the proper equipment and accessories is the first hurtle. Once you arrive at your destination and set up you want to keep everyone as comfortable and happy as possible, whether it’s keeping the kids occupied without the use of video games or cooking a surefire dinner. Rest assured that after your first couple of trips when you find out what everyone enjoys doing and you realize all you like to include on your trip, you will certainly add camping to your families list of favorite excursions and traditions. The wonderful thing about camping is its always different, perhaps the site is different or the campground you selected is unique to the last you stayed at, whatever the difference is it always seems to be an adventure that the whole family can enjoy.

by Valerie Gilesfond,

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