Hello and camping with kid(s).

[HandsomeRyan]

Howdy all. I just joined and wanted to introduce myself. I'm 31 and a husband of a decade to a dedicated city girl and father to two beautiful children whom I hope will grow up loving the great outdoors.

Growing up my dad was an avid hiker and canoeist but we really didn't camp much. As my own son turns 3 next month I really want to get him started in camping and general outdoor appreciation. I found a well reviewed state park campground the next town over but I'm dragging my feet on making a reservation (it is popular and books out a few months for popular sites/times).

I'm looking forward to browsing the forums and gaining some wisdom especially about how to make camping fun for little kids. My daughter is only 1 so she will probably stay home with mom for the first few outings until she is a little less needy and her brother and I get into a rhythm of how things need to be done.

Anyway, nice to meet all of you and I look forward to learning from the forums.

Best,
Ryan

[toedtoes]

Re: Hello and camping with kid(s).

Welcome. With a 3-year old, I don't think you could do anything to NOT make camping fun. Just show him the world.

Some ideas I've used (or have had used on me):

If you have an old digital camera around, let him have it and use it. He can take photos of lizards and bugs and anything else he finds along the way. That way he can bring home the photos and show Mom and little sis afterwards (at first the photos might be blurry, but his excitement will make the photos the best ever).

You can use a software program like Stellarium to identify the stars and planets in the sky. As he learns the easier identifications, you can start teaching him the constellations.

Guide books are great. Get one for the trees, birds, butterflies, etc. Even though he can't read them, he can use the photos to help identify what he sees. A book on rocks can be great also - you can even bring a simple strainer and let him do some "gold panning" in the water. He might not find gold, but he'll probably find a pretty cool stone that you can identify from the book (I found a piece of carnelian on the beach once).

Get one of those "campfire cookbooks" and let him pick out a meal or two. They're usually very simple "recipes" like roasted hot dogs, etc. Let him get the ingredients ready and you step in only when it's time to put it on the fire (keep things safe, but let him feel that it's HIS job to do the cooking for that meal).

Let him help set up. Even if you have to go back over and re-do what he does, let him have a sense of helping with the work. When they're young, they think helping is the greatest thing in the world (and you might get them to continue helping through teenager years). Let him pull the guy line back so you can tie it - cause you can't do it without his help.

Let him do his own packing with your help. You tell him what he needs, but let him pick it out of his drawers/closet and put it in the bag. Use a duffle bag for him so he gets the excitement of a special "camping bag". Limit his toys to a few - a special stuffed toy to sleep with, a couple games or puzzle boards for evening game time, and a few books for bedtime reading. As you get a few trips under your belt and know what he needs/wants, you can make a list using pictures - then he can pull those items from the list and put them on his bed. Then you can go in and check things off with him as he packs them into the bag. As he gets older, using a list will become second nature to him and he will be the teenager with a thick coat when all his buddies are freezing in the cold.

If you can, pick up some arrowheads, etc., from an online store. When you get to the campground, find a nice spot and put them out. Then you can tell him about the local history and suggest he hunt for arrowheads, etc. Just one arrowhead find during the trip will have him thrilled.

Fill all that in with the usual - hiking around, swimming, and general running around, etc.

Oh, and don't worry about him getting dirty. It's OK to look like Pigpen when you're camping. As long as he's not going to sleep wet and cold, he'll be fine with dirt behind his ears (and on his hands and feet and stomach and nose and cheeks and chin and a few leaves in his hair).

[James.]

Re: Hello and camping with kid(s).

Howdy all. I just joined and wanted to introduce myself. I'm 31 and a husband of a decade to a dedicated city girl and father to two beautiful children whom I hope will grow up loving the great outdoors.

Growing up my dad was an avid hiker and canoeist but we really didn't camp much. As my own son turns 3 next month I really want to get him started in camping and general outdoor appreciation. I found a well reviewed state park campground the next town over but I'm dragging my feet on making a reservation (it is popular and books out a few months for popular sites/times).

I'm looking forward to browsing the forums and gaining some wisdom especially about how to make camping fun for little kids. My daughter is only 1 so she will probably stay home with mom for the first few outings until she is a little less needy and her brother and I get into a rhythm of how things need to be done.

Anyway, nice to meet all of you and I look forward to learning from the forums.

Best,
Ryan

Hello and welcome to the forum. I think its great that you want to get your kids into camping. I would say to let them be involved in the work like cooking, setting up the tent, tending the fire. Its a good way to teach them how things work and safety.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Hello and camping with kid(s).

Nice to read of you, Ryan, and welcome to the forum.

I've been camping with kiddos for the last 10 odd years and hold that beat they don't even belong to me. Welll at least not directly, LOL.
Fun to see your surroundings through the eyes of the young. They give you a different perspective.

I think the first responsibility I gave to the children was the collection of tinder in the form of pine cones and twigs. It was a great learning experience for them to discern the difference between dry and green materials and what happens is fresh items were added to the fire. Next chore was setting the table for meals which requires thinking carefully about whether you think eating with a spoon or fork makes sense for soup. It's the little things that start them on the road to critical thinking.

So go ahead and bring the toddler and baby out to a local campground some weekend...the earlier the better.

[05Kingquad700]

Re: Hello and camping with kid(s).

I wouldn't hesitate a bit, some of the best memories are made outdoors. My tip? Get some glow stick for the kids to wear at night, and then hang them from the inside of the tent as a mini night light.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Hello and camping with kid(s).

I wouldn't hesitate a bit, some of the best memories are made outdoors. My tip? Get some glow stick for the kids to wear at night, and then hang them from the inside of the tent as a mini night light.

Oh gosh yes.
Every year I wander over to Oriental Trading's website and buy the long flexible glow lights in a pack of 25 -150 (depends on how long we are staying and how indulgent my bank acct is feeling) and let them get creative w/ 'em. They make necklaces, headbands, earrings and tape 'em on their bikes. Kiddos think it's just for fun but I can always spot 'em "a mile off" which is great for their sense of independence and my peace of mine. Just be sure you get the ones w/ connectors.

[RandiZ]

Re: Hello and camping with kid(s).

My girls are not in their early and mid 20's. One loves the outdoors and we go camping together as we can to this day. The other one liked camping less as she got older. But she's now dating someone who loves the outdoors. So, she does it, doesn't like it, but she's got skills. And, I'm proud of that. Kids will do and want to do what you do. If you are enthusiastic about it, they want to do it.

You should know that a 3 year old circle of attention is very small. They can focus for a half an hour on a bug crawling on the floor or a piece of mud on their finger. At the same time, they are easily distracted. They can wander half a forest in the time it takes you to put away the dirty dishes. I highly recommend you spend some time in a fairly enclosed space for a whole day, backyard or playground, before venturing out in the woods with a 3 year old so you get the rhythm of how things work.

And, have fun sharing with your kids. The time goes so fast.

[JoeN]

Re: Hello and camping with kid(s).

If you have a back yard you might start out there. My daughter and son-in-law took their 2 girls, 3 yrs and 1yr, backyard camping and they loved it. They were afraid the girls wouldn't make it through the night in the tent but the little girls did just fine, however, my daughter had to go inside after the girls went to sleep. Most 3 yr old children have very short attention spans and their fine motor skills are not fully developed so give him things he can easily do. Just let him help Daddy as much as possible and let him explore. One thing my granddaughters couldn't grasp was keeping the tent closed up to keep the mosquitoes out so teach him to zip and unzip the tent because he will likely make many trips in and out. Keep him fueled up on lots of snacks and foods he likes and if you are able, prepare some of his favorite meals. If you can find a camping spot that is dark enough to see the stars then as bedtime approaches sit down with him in your lap and just look up at the stars. That would be a good time to tell a few stories/fairy tales or sing a few songs. I would be willing to bet that in 30, 40, or 50 years from now you will look back on those camping trips with as much fondness as he will.

One thing I almost forgot. Teach him how to pee behind a tree. That is something every little boy needs to learn to do, but make sure he understands that it is something you only do when camping. You wouldn't want you wife to come home from a friends birthday party and with an angry trembling voice say, "Do you know what you son did behind a tree at little Mary's birthday party? And he said you taught him to do that!" Mothers don't often see the humor in those situations.

[BurgessCam]

Re: Hello and camping with kid(s).

Hey! Hello I'm new here too!