Keeping the kids amused when camping
July 4, 2005 12:19 AM Subscribe
Ideas for entertaining little kids (boy, 2 yro and girl 4 yro) when camping?
I'm taking my kids camping this weekend while mum stays home for a rest. They have been several times before and enjoy it, but in the past we've gone with other families and kids, so there were plenty of playmates.
I'm looking for things to do, and things to entertain the little guys in the bush and by the river (it's winter here in the southern hemisphere, so water sports are out).
I'm not worried or anything, but if there was something you used to do as kids, or do with your young ones that is great fun, let me know.
I'm taking my kids camping this weekend while mum stays home for a rest. They have been several times before and enjoy it, but in the past we've gone with other families and kids, so there were plenty of playmates.
I'm looking for things to do, and things to entertain the little guys in the bush and by the river (it's winter here in the southern hemisphere, so water sports are out).
I'm not worried or anything, but if there was something you used to do as kids, or do with your young ones that is great fun, let me know.
You could also send them on bug patrol, looking under small logs can lead to some interesting discoveries. Make sure they have an unbreakable container that's clear.
posted by ptm at 1:28 AM on July 4, 2005
posted by ptm at 1:28 AM on July 4, 2005
Show 'em this before you go: Reagan: Bear in the Woods
posted by orthogonality at 2:38 AM on July 4, 2005
posted by orthogonality at 2:38 AM on July 4, 2005
If bystander resides in Austrailia, sending the kids off on a bug hunt could be a bad idea. As in fatal. Besides, the bugs will find you.
And please don't let kids run amok and wantonly catch frogs and minnows without supervision. Frogs are becoming scarcer and scarcer worldwide. Minnow can be not-minnow, and may really be young fish waiting to get really big. If curiosity must be satisfied, be careful, don't take a bunch, just take one or two for brief study and observation, and promptly and carefully return them.
Flashlight tag. Playing with huge spotlights as beams in the sky is fun as well. I remember once 'swordfighting' with flashlight beams with perfect strangers on the other side of a hill on one trip.
Stargazing. Naked eye, binocular, or if you're lucky, a nice telescope. Even without a fancy computer driven scope or the knowledge of how to star-hop to interesting things, local planets in our Solar System and our own moon are fascinating things to look at under magnification. Even with a quite inexpensive telescope, things like the rings of Saturn are visible. With a slightly more expensive scope, stumbling on to very interesting things is possible - above and beyond bright but boring stars. Note that this activity is incompatible with the previous one.
Simple geology experiences. Check out the local geologic features. What's the primary rock in the area? What kind is it? Where did it come from? How does it effect the terrain and environment?
If wood isn't scarce or restricted, practice building survival structures or other useful structures solely from raw natural materials. Learn how to strip barks for twine, learn how to lash tripods or other structures with the bark twine. Learn how to use a hatchet. Or cheat and use real twine.
Try to start the evenings fire - if any - without matches or lighter. Cheat and use a flint, steel, and pocket-fuzz as smouldering starter. Or get hardcore and attempt to apply some of the skills in the previous activity to make a bow, spindle, and fireboard, complete with string for the bow from strands of bark or other suitable plant material.
Play frisbee or tennis-ball golf. Pick a 'tee' - any line in the dirt or any marker will do. Pick a target - a tree, a rock. Everyone suggests how many throws to get to the target for par. The average of the suggestions is par. The next tee is wherever you decide to throw from after reaching the first target. The next target is wherever next you'd like to go. It's a nice way to take a meandering walk.
Just play frisbee and toss it around.
Make paper airplanes and fly 'em around. Make sure you don't leave any when you're done.
Draw, doodle, or paint the local surroundings.
Let them meander and lead you on a walk.
Bring light-up blinky toys for playing with in the magical dark.
(I realize many of these are rather advanced, but they can be scaled down or up and retain a lot of the experience. Never underestimate the curiosity and intelligence of a child. But never overestimate their patience or attention span. Just flow with it. The frisbee/ball golf idea can be adapted down to targets just a dozen feet away. Almost any kid would become engrossed by the physical play of throwing things at something else, and mentally engrossed by the counting of getting it there.)
posted by loquacious at 5:19 AM on July 4, 2005
And please don't let kids run amok and wantonly catch frogs and minnows without supervision. Frogs are becoming scarcer and scarcer worldwide. Minnow can be not-minnow, and may really be young fish waiting to get really big. If curiosity must be satisfied, be careful, don't take a bunch, just take one or two for brief study and observation, and promptly and carefully return them.
Flashlight tag. Playing with huge spotlights as beams in the sky is fun as well. I remember once 'swordfighting' with flashlight beams with perfect strangers on the other side of a hill on one trip.
Stargazing. Naked eye, binocular, or if you're lucky, a nice telescope. Even without a fancy computer driven scope or the knowledge of how to star-hop to interesting things, local planets in our Solar System and our own moon are fascinating things to look at under magnification. Even with a quite inexpensive telescope, things like the rings of Saturn are visible. With a slightly more expensive scope, stumbling on to very interesting things is possible - above and beyond bright but boring stars. Note that this activity is incompatible with the previous one.
Simple geology experiences. Check out the local geologic features. What's the primary rock in the area? What kind is it? Where did it come from? How does it effect the terrain and environment?
If wood isn't scarce or restricted, practice building survival structures or other useful structures solely from raw natural materials. Learn how to strip barks for twine, learn how to lash tripods or other structures with the bark twine. Learn how to use a hatchet. Or cheat and use real twine.
Try to start the evenings fire - if any - without matches or lighter. Cheat and use a flint, steel, and pocket-fuzz as smouldering starter. Or get hardcore and attempt to apply some of the skills in the previous activity to make a bow, spindle, and fireboard, complete with string for the bow from strands of bark or other suitable plant material.
Play frisbee or tennis-ball golf. Pick a 'tee' - any line in the dirt or any marker will do. Pick a target - a tree, a rock. Everyone suggests how many throws to get to the target for par. The average of the suggestions is par. The next tee is wherever you decide to throw from after reaching the first target. The next target is wherever next you'd like to go. It's a nice way to take a meandering walk.
Just play frisbee and toss it around.
Make paper airplanes and fly 'em around. Make sure you don't leave any when you're done.
Draw, doodle, or paint the local surroundings.
Let them meander and lead you on a walk.
Bring light-up blinky toys for playing with in the magical dark.
(I realize many of these are rather advanced, but they can be scaled down or up and retain a lot of the experience. Never underestimate the curiosity and intelligence of a child. But never overestimate their patience or attention span. Just flow with it. The frisbee/ball golf idea can be adapted down to targets just a dozen feet away. Almost any kid would become engrossed by the physical play of throwing things at something else, and mentally engrossed by the counting of getting it there.)
posted by loquacious at 5:19 AM on July 4, 2005
Smores.
posted by princelyfox at 7:51 AM on July 4, 2005
posted by princelyfox at 7:51 AM on July 4, 2005
Be sure you take a camera, they grow up too fast and the pictures should be priceless.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 8:16 AM on July 4, 2005
posted by unrepentanthippie at 8:16 AM on July 4, 2005
Flashlights are fun; bring plenty of batteries. Pick berries & make pancakes; outdoor cooking is part of the fun. Campfire: fire itself is fascinating to watch, but 2 and 4 are not old enough to build or maintain it. Tell stories and sing songs around the fire; this will be remembered. Go for some hikes, and take it slow and easy so the kids can look at rocks and trees, etc. Bring some small, simple guide books, and identify trees, flowers, birds, etc.
Be ready to find stuff; we took a simple shoreline walk one day and found a deer nest in the woods - a depression in the moss with lots of deer fur.
We used to make elf houses(fairy houses, etc. Choose your myth) - tiny buildings of bark, moss, twigs and shells. The rule is that you can use only dead material - no cutting of branches. They should be small and inconspicuous. On another walk, we found an elf house, and the children were wildly impressed.
There is no such thing as too much sunscreen or bug dope. Each child should have a whistle and a bright orange bandanna - blaze orange if possible.
Even if they are whiny and cranky and complain, they will get home and tell Mom how great it was, and you will be a hero.
posted by theora55 at 10:18 AM on July 4, 2005
Be ready to find stuff; we took a simple shoreline walk one day and found a deer nest in the woods - a depression in the moss with lots of deer fur.
We used to make elf houses(fairy houses, etc. Choose your myth) - tiny buildings of bark, moss, twigs and shells. The rule is that you can use only dead material - no cutting of branches. They should be small and inconspicuous. On another walk, we found an elf house, and the children were wildly impressed.
There is no such thing as too much sunscreen or bug dope. Each child should have a whistle and a bright orange bandanna - blaze orange if possible.
Even if they are whiny and cranky and complain, they will get home and tell Mom how great it was, and you will be a hero.
posted by theora55 at 10:18 AM on July 4, 2005
One of the best things about being out of the city is the night sky. Bring a star chart and give your kids (and yourself!) the skies.
posted by bonehead at 10:43 AM on July 4, 2005
posted by bonehead at 10:43 AM on July 4, 2005
Short hikes (helps to tire them out for naptime!)
Leaf rubbings- collect fallen leaves that have interesting shapes, put paper over them and color with crayons (my 2 yo son loves to do this).
Basically, have them help you do things around the campsite, put up the tent, roll out their sleeping bags, get the firewood set up. Kids love to do stuff like that.
posted by hollygoheavy at 2:30 PM on July 4, 2005
Leaf rubbings- collect fallen leaves that have interesting shapes, put paper over them and color with crayons (my 2 yo son loves to do this).
Basically, have them help you do things around the campsite, put up the tent, roll out their sleeping bags, get the firewood set up. Kids love to do stuff like that.
posted by hollygoheavy at 2:30 PM on July 4, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 1:14 AM on July 4, 2005