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  • Camping with kids, and some fun activities for the outdoors

    Hi campers, I just wanted to share what my family does for fun when we go camping, and hear about your family camping traditions!

    Our family loves to do a family scavenger hunt when we go camping together. I put together a list of things that the kids can find around our site and turn em loose! Lately, I've been planning it so that the hunt starts as soon as we get to the site. It's a great way for the kids to unwind after the car ride, and it gives me time to get things setup without too much "help" from the kids.

    What is something your family does as a tradition when you go camping?
    Visit www.gearspoke.com for all of your rental needs!

  • #2
    Re: Camping with kids, and some fun activities for the outdoors

    In winter, our favorite daytime camping activity is cross-country skiing. In summer, it is canoeing and fishing and occassionally hiking.

    At night, there is hardly a better pasttime than sitting around the campfire eating S'mores and telling stories - especially scary stories. The better the group story tellers are, the better the evening.

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    • #3
      Re: Camping with kids, and some fun activities for the outdoors

      The perfect camping trip! Thank you! Another fun activity we always try to fit in, is pick a neighboring area and pick one fun adventure, something new, that is a fun expreience and something that the kids will remember forever.
      Visit www.gearspoke.com for all of your rental needs!

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      • #4
        Re: Camping with kids, and some fun activities for the outdoors

        if kids are old enough
        and dont want to part with their cell phones
        give them a photo challenge, and go out and take pictures, come back to compare who has best pic
        can do different themes from rocks, water, tree's etc....

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        • #5
          Re: Camping with kids, and some fun activities for the outdoors

          Originally posted by terasec View Post
          if kids are old enough
          and dont want to part with their cell phones
          give them a photo challenge, and go out and take pictures, come back to compare who has best pic
          can do different themes from rocks, water, tree's etc....
          terasec - I like this idea. A modern spin on a scavenger hunt.

          As far as my camping traditions...my kids are old enough now to actually assist with camp set-up so each of us has duties when we hit the campsite. I remember having campsite duties with my brother when I camped with my folks. Now: We always manage to do at least one night hike every trip. We always play UNO (it was Go Fish when they were little). And recently we've added telling scary stories by the campfire...I had to wait until kids were older...didn't want to keep them up all night being scared when they were little. lol
          2020: 7 nights 2019: 5 nights 2018: 20 nights 2017: 19 nights 2016: 20 nights
          Spring->Fall: Marmots: Limestone 6P and 4P, Stormlight 3P, Tungsten 3P; SlumberJack Trail Tent 6P, BA Yahmonite 5P
          Fall->Spring: Cabelas Instinct Alaskan Guide 8P, Field & Stream Cloudpeak 4P, Eastern Mountain Products Torrent 3P
          Every season: Kelty Noah's Tarps- 20, 16, 12; REI Camp Tarp 16; BA Three Forks Shelter

          sigpic

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          • #6
            Re: Camping with kids, and some fun activities for the outdoors

            LOL Uno... That's a big joke with my group. We've been playing it for years - it's a camping staple. But the joke is that it actually drove a particularly thin-skinned guy out of the group. We're guys... we play head games... When we started to notice that he was getting upset when he got hit with multiple draw cards, we started cheating to gang up on him. "Reverse it! I got something for him!" So here he was, sitting there with 20 cards, when he let out what's become a classic line for us. "**** you guys, THIS IS MY VACATION!" That lasted for maybe 2 or 3 more trips after which he kinda fell off the face of the Earth.

            In his memory, I did these:

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            • #7
              Re: Camping with kids, and some fun activities for the outdoors

              I remember camping when we were kids. We had a blast just exploring the campground surroundings. I don't remember our parents ever establishing activities or anything special, it was just "jump out of the car and take off". I don't remember ever being bored with that. We never even had bikes when camping - an overturned log was all we needed for hours of entertainment.

              I have done Terasac's bit with my nieces on day trips. This works even without cell phones. I gave my 7 year old niece an old p&s digital camera - she lugged that around for years as happy as can be. The trick I found is to get them thinking outside the box. For example, we did a "take a photo of wood" contest. The common answer was to take a photo of a sign or a tree or a bench. They were quite surprised when I took a photo of a teeny little twig on the ground. The next contest was at a cemetery. It was quite fun watching my niece jumping up and down with the camera trying to get a "scary" photo of a headstone - she was not going to take a common photo this time. Even at 5 years old, they are old enough to push a button. They are also at an age where they see things differently and encouraging that can have wonderful results.
              “One could not be a successful scientist without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of scientists, a goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid.” - James D. Watson

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              • #8
                Re: Camping with kids, and some fun activities for the outdoors

                MacGyver - Funny! I can see that - my son is not a good loser either. Was Tim the same guy in your group that was the assigned fire blower/starter man? Somewhere I remember you (or someone here) posting about designing some "bellows" device that was used to get the fire going.
                2020: 7 nights 2019: 5 nights 2018: 20 nights 2017: 19 nights 2016: 20 nights
                Spring->Fall: Marmots: Limestone 6P and 4P, Stormlight 3P, Tungsten 3P; SlumberJack Trail Tent 6P, BA Yahmonite 5P
                Fall->Spring: Cabelas Instinct Alaskan Guide 8P, Field & Stream Cloudpeak 4P, Eastern Mountain Products Torrent 3P
                Every season: Kelty Noah's Tarps- 20, 16, 12; REI Camp Tarp 16; BA Three Forks Shelter

                sigpic

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                • #9
                  Re: Camping with kids, and some fun activities for the outdoors

                  Macgyver - by far best story! Had me and my coworkers giggling about it! Sounds just like my grandparents, they were the biggest con artists, biggest cheaters. But we never caught on, were always lead to believe lying was bad, and they instilled that into our brains. Then, there they were, pulling a fast one on us! Cheaters! lol "**** you guys... this is MY VACATION!"
                  Visit www.gearspoke.com for all of your rental needs!

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                  • #10
                    Re: Camping with kids, and some fun activities for the outdoors

                    Originally posted by a65hoosier View Post
                    MacGyver - Funny! I can see that - my son is not a good loser either. Was Tim the same guy in your group that was the assigned fire blower/starter man? Somewhere I remember you (or someone here) posting about designing some "bellows" device that was used to get the fire going.
                    You have a good memory! Yep - he's the Tim with the lungs the size of a blimp, and the reason I had to come up with Electric Hickman.

                    Oh - and now that his first and last name are on here, maybe someone here can find him. We've been trying for years. He definitely appears to have fallen off the face of the Earth. If you ever run into a guy named Tim Hickman, just yell, "This is my vacation" and see if you get a reaction. If he asks where you know that from, tell him to sign up here. :mdr:

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                    • #11
                      Re: Camping with kids, and some fun activities for the outdoors

                      Originally posted by MacGyver View Post
                      You have a good memory! Yep - he's the Tim with the lungs the size of a blimp, and the reason I had to come up with Electric Hickman.

                      Oh - and now that his first and last name are on here, maybe someone here can find him. We've been trying for years. He definitely appears to have fallen off the face of the Earth. If you ever run into a guy named Tim Hickman, just yell, "This is my vacation" and see if you get a reaction. If he asks where you know that from, tell him to sign up here. :mdr:
                      lol...not sure how good my memory is with regular ol stuff, but I usually can remember a funny story when I hear one. Your group sounds like a lot of good times.

                      Actually....I DO know a Tim Hickman!!! Met him and his twin brother in the 5th grade and went all through high school with them. All three of us were born on the same date and year (which helped the bonding attending a new school). I'm still friends with them on facebook. Doubt if he's the same TH as yours since he grew up and still lives in NW IN....but still...funny. lol - I'll send him a message asking if he's ever said "**** you! This is my vacation!"
                      2020: 7 nights 2019: 5 nights 2018: 20 nights 2017: 19 nights 2016: 20 nights
                      Spring->Fall: Marmots: Limestone 6P and 4P, Stormlight 3P, Tungsten 3P; SlumberJack Trail Tent 6P, BA Yahmonite 5P
                      Fall->Spring: Cabelas Instinct Alaskan Guide 8P, Field & Stream Cloudpeak 4P, Eastern Mountain Products Torrent 3P
                      Every season: Kelty Noah's Tarps- 20, 16, 12; REI Camp Tarp 16; BA Three Forks Shelter

                      sigpic

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Camping with kids, and some fun activities for the outdoors

                        Originally posted by MacGyver View Post
                        You have a good memory! Yep - he's the Tim with the lungs the size of a blimp, and the reason I had to come up with Electric Hickman.

                        Oh - and now that his first and last name are on here, maybe someone here can find him. We've been trying for years. He definitely appears to have fallen off the face of the Earth. If you ever run into a guy named Tim Hickman, just yell, "This is my vacation" and see if you get a reaction. If he asks where you know that from, tell him to sign up here. :mdr:
                        You got it!
                        Visit www.gearspoke.com for all of your rental needs!

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Camping with kids, and some fun activities for the outdoors

                          Flashlight tag !

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                          • #14
                            Re: Camping with kids, and some fun activities for the outdoors

                            My kids are now 3, 6, and 8 and we started camping with them 2 years ago.

                            So... survival of camping with kids...

                            1. Alcohol (for the adults)
                            2. Activities for the kids. Sidewalk chalk, coloring books, kites. Scavenger hunts. Sending them to find the bathroom on their bikes.

                            And yes, looking for more suggestions. We barely make it through setup to dinner with our sanity intact.
                            Camping photos: https://www.instagram.com/adventure_outside_thebox/
                            Nights under the stars:
                            2013: 8 2014: 6 2015: 12
                            2018: 4 2019: 17 2020: 15

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                            • #15
                              Re: Camping with kids, and some fun activities for the outdoors

                              The camera idea is great; when my son(6) and I go he will make videos and I post them on YouTube. He loves to share his reviews of camping gear. Playing cards and star gazing at night.

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