Tent camping with kids!

[MagicalMom]

Tomorrow night we are going camping for the first time in our lives. Our children are ages 3, 8 & 13. Does anyone have any ideas to get us through the night if they become bored? We are not used to spending an evening with no TV, phone, computer, etc. I am pretty interested in seeing how this goes.

 

[Nancy]

Toast marshmellows around the campfire. This was when my DH and I had some great talks with the kids.

If you are in the tent get the flashlights out and have them "play" around with those. We have done the old guess the animal shadows and then they played light show..(my girls are dancers) with them.

Get them nice and tired before hand...take a nature walk. I never thought my kids would fall asleep out doors, but they were so tired they usually went right to sleep....I'm always the one that can't sleep.

 

[poohandwendy]

We are avid tent campers and all I can say is the absolute best way to occupy your evenings when camping is to sit around the campfire and TALK while making s'mores or roasting marshmallows/hot dogs. Start a family conversation and you won't need any distractions or entertainment.

 

[stacilee]

take graham crackers, hershey bars and marshmallows and make s'mores! maybe jiffy pop pop corn too. (lots of effort but worth it for the fun of eating it)
Tell spooky or funny stories.
Sing.
listen for hoot owls.
Read them a book.
Hold hands and just remember the closeness of it, of them.... Their breathing sounds........ the sweaty sweet smell kids get after they play hard and fall asleep, too tired for a bath......
They will be grown up and gone before you know it.
Have a great time

 

[MagicalMom]

Uh OH! My children don't smell to sweet when they are sweaty! LOL

So, here's my stupid question. Is it difficult to start a fire? Do all campsites usually have a fire pit? How do you put the fire out afterwards? With water? Do you use sticks for the marshmellows & hotdogs?

I guess I should have researched all of this before saying "hey Honey lets take the kids camping tomorrow night! "

I hope to get some great photos of our adventure.

 

[poohandwendy]

Heres a trick, for those who aren't avid firestarters, Walmart/Target etc sell firestarters in the camping section. They are just little logs of pressed sawdust and oil. You light one and set it in the bottom of the ring and then stack small sticks (kindling) over it. It will keep burning for a while, giving the fire a chance to catch. The key is to make sure there is airflow under the wood so that the fire stays lit. So try to stack the wood 'teepee' style so that there is good airflow. After you have a good fire going, you can add larger pieces of wood. But if you have no kindling, you can do it with just the larger pieces of wood and a firestarter, it just will take a longer time to get a good fire going. (sticks work fine, but be sure to bring them or ask if you can gather sticks...MOST campgrounds are very adamant that you can NOT cut or alter any trees..an alternative: Walmart also sells long forks for this use, they are pretty cheap (like $3))

Yes, most campgrounds have a fire ring if they allow campfires. We often douse the fire with water or dirt if we plan on leaving the site to go exploring or whatever. But usually, at night, we just let it die down to hot coals and it goes out on its own. It is just really important to keep everything away from the fire area (like chairs, tents (especially), picnic table, etc).

Do not think that you need to have your tents near to the fire for heat. If your tent close enough that the fire is keeping it warm, it can/will catch on fire. Just bring more blankets if you feel cold will be a problem.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

<font color=navy>When my kids were younger, we used to go to the library and check out books on tape. They have a lot of stories for young kids, and we really enjoyed listening to them. The kids used to get scary stories .... not the really scary ones, but the ones usually told around campfires.

For a fire ... you can cheat & get those logs that burn for two hours - they sell them at the grocery stores - you just light the paper they're wrapped in, and you're set. Put more wood on the log, and you'll have a nice campfire.

If you want to do it the regular way, you'll need tinder, kindling, & wood... tinder can be anything that burns easily - newspaper twisted tightly works nicely... put that on the bottom, then twigs on top, and then regular wood on top - make sure that there is enough ventilation, or the fire won't burn.

To cook marshmallows or wieners, we usually get wire hangers, and stretch them out, stick the food on the end, and stick the end over the fire.

Have fun camping. I have a lot of fond memories camping with my two when they were little.

A game that we enjoyed was trying to think of Disney characters while going through the alphabet, and other games like that.

 

[orvilleair]

Tent Camper here. Some other ideas. And bring bug spray.

1. A lot of people just walk around the campground at night. Many of the RVs are decked out in those colored patio lights (owls, cats, fruit etc...). It kind of looks like Christmas.

2. Maybe your campground shows movies at night. State Park around here shows a movie in an outside amphitheater. This was the place where DD6 first saw Fox and the Hound and A Bugs Life.

 

[believe]

My girls are 4 and 6. They love catching lightening bugs and playing with the flash lights. I also let them take a headset with kids CDs for when they are going to sleep. Roasting Marshmellows and making s'mores is also a big hit. They are usually too tired in the evening to want to do much more than that.

 

[Pop Daddy]

stay home

 

[Big Dude]

If you are camping at the Jellystone in Hagerstown, MD then you will have nothing to worry about. They have planned activities for the kids during the day, a heated swimming pool, miniature golf and athletic courts (basketball etc.) They have movies at night and if all else fails, (kids getting bored of the campfire) bring a few rolls of quarters and let them loose in the gameroom. This is a great 1st time place to "try out" tent camping with kids. Have fun.

Adam aka Big Dude

 

[MAC3]

We always tent camp! We have been tent camping since my daughter was 3 yrs old (she's 12 now). She loves it. She's an only so we always bring a friend for her.

Like the others said there's nothing like sitting around the fire talking, laughing (although I love the idea of books on tape)!

We bring board games too and play after dinner is finished. You'd be surprised how quick time will pass just doing nothing sitting around the fire, or playing a game with the kids.

I agree with the walk around the campground, some of the seasonals decorate their sites beautifully & it's a good way for the kids to make friends too.

Many of the CG's also have nightly activities too. Have fun! There's nothing like toasting marshmallows!

Enjoy,

 

[PRINCESS VIJA]

We LOVE tent camping, I hope you have a blast!!! I second the bug spray first of all.

Some of the other things to bring are just the basic spending time with kids toys... baseball glove and ball, and frisbee. We will also bring Yahtzee as it is DH's favorite game and loves to share it with the kids.


HAVE A GREAT TIME!

 

[shortbun]

just got back from camping with four 8yo boys. Marshmellows,
roasting forks, hot dogs, do not let the younger kids work with
the fire, sweatshirts,flipflops for having quick and easy shoes
if the need arises, always rezip the tent, no shoes in the tent,
bug spray,fire starters,deck of cards,campfire stories and talking
is just fun! Long pants, tissues(noses get stuffed up after sleeping outside),good books for tent reading, soccer chairs for
around the campfire, yes water to put out your final fire, burn whatever wood you take in and don't take wood out(transports
bugs where they do not belong).
Have fun!

 

[Rippington'sFan]

I have been a tent camper for over 30 years. We brought our kids
(now 8,5) since they were infants. They love it! My opinion on tent camping boils down to this:

1. The weather can make or break your experience. If you have
perfect weather you will enjoy it A LOT more than if you get
iffy weather. (I guess that's a no brainer)

2. It's not the kids you will have to worry about. (most likely)
Kid's seem to adapt to it very easily and love it. We have gone
camping with adults who are not that experienced at camping
and you definitely have to worry about them more than you
do kids. Just my opinion.

All kids and adults will enjoy the campfire at night. It's the best!

If you have the right equipment and attitude towards camping I think you have a good chance at enjoying it and you will probably want to go camping again. It's definitely a little adjustment since you don't have all the comforts of home but knowing that and preparing yourself for it will make your camping experience that much better.

Have Fun!

 

[bentley483]

Everyone always loves Pla-doh! You can get kits from the Dollar store with shapers and things. We don't play with it in our house because it usually gets everwhere, so we take it camping. Non-toxic, so it doesn't hurt the animals. Let your kids tell jokes around the campfire, it gets kind of corny, but they really enjoy having your full attention. Even the littlest one will want to make one up!

Have fun!

 

[tkd lisa]

I swear by Uno when we're camping. It's simple enough that even little ones can play,but fun for all ages. Nerf footballs with one of those glow necklaces wrapped around let you play in the dark.

We're big on campfire songs in our family. The older and cornier the better (many websites have great ones listed as scout songs).

And when we tell stories, we do it as a running story. One person starts, and gets to a critical point when the next one takes over till they get to another break point, etc. These become absolutely hysterical, since everyone has their own favorite things to bring to the story.

Flashlight tag works great when you have a big open field. Hard to play in the campsite, since it's easy to trip over the tent stakes, etc.

Stargazing is fun if it's clear out.

Have fun!

 

[MagicalMom]

Thanks for so many great ideas! I'm sure we'll enjoy our little adventure tonight.

 

[faith]

I agree with the advice to try a Yogi Bear/Jellystone campground if one is nearby. Give them a call for a schedule of activities, but most have wagon rides, scavenger hunts, time with Yogi, heated pools etc. An easy first time outdoor adventure. Of course just the family time together at any park will be memorable.
I'd also take my own drinking water. Have fun!