If parents are choosing important goals for the summer of 2016, one major goal can be to “unplug”. And how do parents achieve this? Take the kids camping, of course!
I have taken my fair share of kids camping over the years. My now 16-year-old daughter has had every friend she knows along with us at some point. And now my 8-year-old will start bringing friends camping with us this year.
The un-camped kid
There is something magical about a child who has never been camping. Their eyes are wide with excitement when they arrive at the campsite ready for their adventure.
I have had the overly prepared child; packed for three months instead of three days. I have had the under-prepared child; with only one pair of dollar store flip-flops that broke on day two of a week-long trip.
My favourite though, was the child who came complete with a brand new fishing rod, a brand new sleeping bag, a brand new life-jacket, and some snacks. He had only ever been camping once. He was up at 5 am every morning excited and ready for what the day would bring.
I will rarely say no to one of my kid’s friends that wants to come camping with us. Not every family camps, but we sure do. I believe every child should experience camping at least once a year. The memories they create will forever be remembered as some of the fondest of their childhood.
Unplugged
Our kids know the rules: no laptops, ipads, DS, etc. My daughter plays card games from the time she wakes up until the time she goes to bed. My son is hardly seen – playing tag, digging in the dirt, identifying bugs and trees. And when we bring their friends along, they are expected (and encouraged) to unplug, too.
Camping is a time for children to use their imaginations and stretch their brains. This is something we who grew up in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s did every day – riding bikes, playing in the dirt, and making forts outside were regular activities. Now it’s up to us parents to keep that tradition alive by teaching our children how to do it. And camping provides just such an opportunity.
“I’m bored!”
So your intentions are great. You pull up for your five-night stay and you’ve done your parental duties by bringing along two extra children for the trip. You spent hours… weeks… months preparing for this trip and the day is finally here. You set up and are just about to sit down to relax and enjoy your surroundings when you hear those two words that make you cringe. “I’m bored.”
WHAT?!
Your mind is going a mile a minute. Can’t you see the beauty? Look at that lake. Listen to that silence. Check out those kids over there. What about all the toys you packed? Then you realize. THIS is your job. Teaching kids to use their imagination is a parent’s job. So here are some great ideas to help get you started:
6 FUN WAYS TO KEEP KIDS UNPLUGGED
Lego
I use large ice cream buckets – the kind you find in ice cream shops. I wash them out, dry them, and fill them with Lego. One bucket is designated for camping. If I don’t mind if it gets dirty or bits get lost then it ends up in this bucket because it stays in the trailer.
When my 8-year-old is being shy and won’t approach other children to play, something very interesting and almost magical happens. I set up the small collapsible table and the Lego bucket in plain site of the path in front of our site and my son sits down to start his creation.
Before I know it, all sorts of children from the campground have been drawn to our site to play with the communal Lego. It’s a fantastic ice-breaker. Nobody can resist Lego. I know this because the Lego table has also been known to attract adults from time to time.
Card games
Every time you bring new people, they will know new card games. Play often and play with your kids so that you always remember how to play the games. If you really like the game, write down the rules so you won’t forget for next time.
Rock painting
We have a small bucket of craft paints, brushes, glitter, and stencils. Kids hunt for their favourite rocks (which keeps them busy and active!) and then spend hours decorating them.
Once the paint is dry, just plant them back in nature. Next year when you return, you can look to see if they’re still around.
Fishing
Fishing is a sport of patience. It takes practice. Practice and patience that pays off when there is a nice rainbow trout on the end of your child’s fishing rod.
Be sure to spend at least an hour fishing on every camping trip with your kids. Along with a lesson in patience, it also teaches children sustainable living; something that is becoming more and more important. Most places in Canada have a few days or weeks of license-free fishing if you want to use that as a trial fishing expedition.
Scavenger hunts
I have collected many different scavenger hunts on Pinterest. I took them all, readjusted, combined, and edited to come up with my own. When it’s game time, every child gets their scavenger hunt list and a brown paper lunch bag. Then off they go!
When they have all checked every item off their list, they get a special prize. I pack a good supply of prizes, including glow sticks, bubbles, dollar store craft kits, etc., in my trailer. Here is my PDF version – for children and teens.
Bike riding
Bikes! How old were you when you learned to ride a two-wheel bike? I was about 6 years old. My daughter was 6, and she learned in a campground. My son was also 6, and he learned in a campground, too.
I have taken kids camping who are older than 6 years old who do not own a bike nor do they know how to ride one. We can blame this on too much screen time and not enough outdoor time (A.K.A city life). Camping helps promote exercise and bike riding is a part of that. It is never too late to learn how to ride a bike.
It is a prerequisite that every child who comes camping with me must bring a bike. My kids spend lots of time exploring on bikes, so we encourage bike riding! Bikes are key. Training wheels are fine, too. As long as there are wheels and the kids can get up and go!
There are many other great ways to promote imagination while remaining unplugged. I could go on for days about activities my children take part in while camping. However, it’s also important to make your own traditions. This camping season, go forth and unplug!
*This article by Tracy Van Raes was republished with permission from S’mores in Small Towns.
Tracy Van Raes is a 38-year-old mother of two in Penticton, British Columbia. She has a hobby blog about camping called S’mores in Small Towns.
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