Kids grow up fast, and camping with them while they’re growing up is one way to develop relationships and build family memories that last a lifetime. These five simple steps will help your camping experience incorporate safety and fun for your entire family.
1. Discuss Your Camping Adventure
Some families desire to hike into remote areas with supplies they carry in backpacks while others like to camp out in trailers at popular state parks. Whatever your preference, it’s important for you to decide with your family’s help what kind of camping experience you’d like to have.
Before making a reservation, get out a state map and talk with your kids about what areas they’d like to explore. Is there a campground by a river where they’d like to fish, or a lake where they can canoe? Are there local sights that you’re family have never seen, or museums with interesting artifacts? Make a list with your family members about what kinds of adventures they’d like to have on a camping trip, then research a spot that will work for everyone.
2. Take Note of Specifics
During this stage of planning, it’s also important to take note of particulars when it comes to the needs of your family. If you have older children who like to play at the lake or ride bikes, try to find a camping spot that will fill these needs. However, if you have smaller children, you might want a spot that’s farther away from open water or traffic but closer to a bathroom.
3. Plan With the Kids
Planning and packing for a camping trip is too much work for one person in your family. First, make a list of all the supplies you’ll need for your trip. Then, buy a large tote for supplies that you’ll take for every camping adventure. Some items to include are matches, salt and pepper shakers, a vinyl tablecloth, flashlights and lanterns, and rope. Tape a list to the lid of the tote that reminds you of the supplies inside of it. What you ultimately keep in this tote is up to your family’s needs, but it will keep you from having to pack them every time.
For clothes, health and beauty items, and incidentals that need to be packed each time, make a list for each child in your family so that they can pack their own bags. Have your children check off the items as they pack, and do a cursory check of their packing job before loading their bags.
4. Pack Plenty of Snacks
Away from the daily grind, kids spend a lot of energy playing and having fun on a camping trip, which means they get hungry. After you plan a menu and pack for meals, make sure you include a variety of easily transportable snacks. These items can include granola bars, trail mix, fruit leather, applesauce cups, and peanut butter crackers. These kinds of snacks will keep your kids going throughout the day as they play!
5. Light Up the Night
Don’t forget to pack plenty of glow-in-the-dark items for each night you’re camping, especially since they’re so cheap. Some of these fun items that light up the night include fluorescent necklaces, bracelets, hats and glow sticks. These will provide your whole family with fun memories as the sun sets on your camping trip!
Kelly Wilson is a busy mom who loves to camp with her husband and two children. To get more information about how healthy snacks can prevent tooth decay in your children, contact Dr. Benjamin Crusan, a Dentist in Ridgefield, WA.
