Before we had kids, my husband and I spent our anniversary camping on an island off the coast of Washington state. We pitched our tent in the woods and woke up to the sound of harbor seals splashing in the waves. And when I was pregnant with my first son, we went camping in a nearby national forest. I spent lazy days reading books in a hammock by the river and evenings sitting by the fire and thinking about my upcoming family camping trip.
The following summer, we returned to the National Forest with our 6-month-old son. Not only did we forget to bring firewood, but our daughter woke up restless less than an hour after falling asleep. Eventually, we packed up our gear and headed out, grateful to wake up the next morning surrounded by the comforts of home.
We waited a year to try it again and were pleasantly surprised by how much fun it was to go camping once my daughter was a little older. Over time, we learned what works (and what doesn’t), and family camping trips are now one of our favorite pastimes. Here are six things we learned…
1. It doesn’t take much to have fun outdoors.
While our favorite state parks have amenities for kids to enjoy, like playgrounds, pedal boat rentals, and ice cream stands, campgrounds can have just as much fun without as much entertainment. I learned to pack accordingly. Take your Frisbee and whiffle ball to a campsite with a large grassy area. We take kites and sand toys to a place on the beach. And we always bring a field guide and binoculars (plus monocularI found it easy to use for children). Since they are free to explore, children often create fun things on their own. And, while this may be against the rules, when camping in a state park in the San Juan Islands, I often use my vacation time to go into town and browse the bookstore, buy coffee and pastries, and (gasp) eat at a nice restaurant.
2. Camping with kids will look different, and that’s okay.
When our youngest was born, we upgraded from living as a couple. backpacking tent For a family size tent (resemble), the children named it Bluey. We also purchased a used pop-up camper, which has made camping even more comfortable. (We switch these two off depending on the campsite.) When the kids are older, we’ll take them on far-flung backpacking adventures, but for now, we’re grateful for the ease. We decorate our camper with stickers from every campsite we visit. An elderly couple passed by and said to us: we often took our kids here. This is what I think as I sit in my camper at night, listening to the sound of my family’s breathing. This is all you need to feel at home.
3. A group camping trip is like a big sleepover.
Every year we go camping with friends, and we always come home from the weekend saying, This is why we camp. Older kids race their bikes around the campsite, leading younger kids into large-scale pretend play. And it’s fun for adults too. We enjoy the leisurely time of hanging out. Every meal is a potluck meal. Do you run out of sunscreen or forget to pack ketchup? There’s always more than enough. When the children go to sleep, someone lights another log. Some of us go back to our tents, while others stay up quietly talking and laughing until we put out the embers and call it a night.
4. Park rangers are the best.
I’ve found that some state parks have ranger-led nature activities for kids, so I ask when I check in. One of my daughter’s favorite memories is when a park ranger stopped by our campsite with a booklet full of nature-themed puzzles and activities. He promised that once the booklet was completed, they would earn a “Junior Park Ranger” badge. My daughter, who was 5 years old at the time, enthusiastically colored the entire book. On the last day of our trip, we stopped at a ranger station. The Ranger on duty not only brought out a box of wooden badges, but also led a very formal swearing-in ceremony. I cried as the children pledged to care for the land, waterways, and wildlife around them.
5. It will be useful to take notes for next time.
When it’s time to start preparing for your trip, open the camping checklist you saved in your Notes app. The list continues to improve over time as we are always adding things we wish we had. I make as many meals as possible at home by cutting, dicing, and measuring the ingredients. Because I’m special, I also like to bake blueberry scones and reheat them over the fire to enjoy with my morning coffee. we, cast iron camping cooker Egg sandwiches make breakfast as fun as toasting s’mores. As you walk through the campground, take note of the sites you want to book next time and note what you like. State parks book early, which is helpful in late winter when the topic of reservations comes up in group chats.
6. Most of all, children remember good things.
I’m always amazed at what kids share when we exchange stories about past camping trips. They remember the starry sky they saw when they went to the bathroom at night, not the runny nose they had late at night. I remember them drinking hot cocoa with marshmallows before breakfast, but I don’t remember when I sliced bagels with a blunt knife. They remember listening to audiobooks while stuffed in the backseat, but they don’t remember the miserable hours my husband and I spent ransacking the campsite in the pouring rain.
When we get back to the house, the kids wake up and climb into bed under the eaves, reach out to the low, tent-like ceiling above us and say: It’s like camping.
caitlin tierdebut essay collection Little Apocalypse: Essays on Motherhood, Climate Change, and End-of-the-World Hope is out today! She is a senior editor of big salad (And you can read her recent Big Salad interview and garden tour hereIf you don’t mind). Caitlin lives in Bellingham, Washington with her husband and two children.
I would like to ask you, do you like camping? What tradition do you look forward to each summer?
PS 10 readers share their favorite outdoor activities and five family vacation ideas.
(Top photo: Dave Hoefler/Unsplash)
Source: Cup of Jo – cupofjo.com
