Holiday Camping Tips For The Whole Family
Susan Nelson Hopkins
Family camping trips are meant to be a fun experience for everyone to enjoy and remember. It doesn't matter if you and the kids just sit together by the fire and sing and tell stories, or go on hiking and exploring adventures together.
Here are some tips that will help your family have a great holiday camping adventure.
Always make sure to set your tent up during daylight. It's important to be able to see the area around you, and make sure it is clear of any rocks or other undesirables... like ant beds or bee hives.
Choose a campsite that has shade and is sheltered from the wind. If you decide on a campsite near trees, avoid setting up right next to a tree. Wind storms develop really quickly in the wilderness, and if any tree branches snap from the wind you certainly don't want to put your family in danger.
Be sure you have the right camping gear and tools. This is where a good checklist is worth whatever time and effort it takes to pull it together. (And if it's a really good one, you only have to do it once.) As the gear is packed, check it off the list. Kids love this part, and lets them feel like they're contributing.
Pack a first aid kit. Don't just pack it... take a look inside the kit. Is it complete and up-to-date? Of course, it's ideal if someone in the family knows first aid. Remember to bring products for mosquitoes, like netting and lotions.
Pack extra for kids. When going on a camping trip with small children, a second tent can be a great play room. (Or, if you discover the first tent is missing some pieces, you're all set.) Just make sure it has a bottom and screen netting at the openings so your kids will be safe from snakes and bugs... and you'll know where they are. Also pack some simple, fun toys for your kids to play with outside. Somehow, camping makes kids hungrier than normal, so also stock up on extra fruit and nutrition bars for them to snack on between meals.
Pack for meals that are easy to prepare outdoors. This seems like a no-brainer, but what is simple to fix in your kitchen can be amazingly difficult in a campsite. Always pack lots of clean water for cooking as well as drinking. Oh, don't forget condiments. Anyway, take time to plan menus, supplies, cooking utensils, stove, cooler.... (Put all this on that checklist.) Just use common sense and you should be fine.
If this is your first family camping trip (or your tenth), give everyone permission to make mistakes and have lots of fun. After all, the idea is to enjoy each other.
Susan Nelson Hopkins
is the
webmaster for three website collections... the
Eyes-Only-Club
(includes several family sites),
Susan's Gardens (a group of gardening sites), and
BirdsnBugsnBees
(a sample of planned kids sites).
Hopkins-Enterprises is another of her sites, and includes links to
family-friendly activities and topics. All websites include material either
authored by Susan or adapted by her... including the graphics. AND, the content
is always family-friendly.
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