Camping activities for kids??? Adults????

[Scott K]

I do alot of camping during the year. I have 3 kids, they are always bored, it doesnt matter how many things I have planned for them to do, they just seem to get bored. Im looking for some new ideas to occupy their time.

And while we are at it how about exciting and fun things for adults, any good ideas?

[FRESHWATER PETIE]

How old are your 3 kids?

I have 4 young kids from 7 months to 7 years old.

We always look for campgrounds with a pool or at least a swimming beach to keep them busy. My kids are like fish, they can swim all day , if I let them. Fishing is another thing we always do to keep busy, even though I don't get to fish much with the kids keeping me busy.

[Scott K]

My kids are 13-girl, 9-boy, 8- girl, they all do love to swim, the boy loves to fish, and yes they could do that all day also. The problem I have is I own land and we camp there alot, and there isnt a lake within a couple miles to swim at. Its nice to own your own land, but you dont have the variety. My land is in northern Wisconsin, its very secluded, and its in the middle of the woods.

[fisherking01]

I'd say you might not be spending as much time there as you would like for the next few years! If your girls are into girl things, you might take on a little cabin (playhouse) project. I know my daughter is 15, and at 13 she was beyond playhouses. She would rather read. My son 10 would do anything in the woods, but gets bored at home. Good luck with any project you may come up with. Brent

got a well? Maybe an above ground pool?

[Powerstroke]

I don't know how into "survival type" stuff you are, but when we would get bored my dad would come up with little contests that we used to do like build a fire. We would get q half hour to find wood and then he would see who could start a fire the fastest and keep it going. Using more than 1 match would be like a 10 second penalty. Sometimes you can suspend a string above the fire to see if it will burn through. Maybe have them build a shelter. Thats cvool too to have your own fort.

My wife loves camping, but didn't know much about the woods so I bought her all the naturalist books on birds and plants and trees. Now she brings her wildflower and edible food boooks everytime we go camping.

Kinds that age might also like photography, espeicially your oldest daughter. Maybe a camera for her or let her use yours if she's careful. We spend hours finding good photos.

[Jackpine Rob]

When the kids were younger, anything water-related kept their interest. Catching crayfish was a big favorite - we would go cut a fishing rod out of the woods, add some line and a hook, dig for some worms/grubs (you've already burned an hour) and then let them hone their sight-fishing technique pulling out crayfish (hours of entertainment). When camping we always had food they could cook on a stick like hot dogs and marshmallows. I still love an overcooked hotdog fresh off the stick!

Getting pulled behind the boat on tubes, wakeboards and waterskiis is one of those kid activities that always seems to have the adults crying for mercy long before the kids are worn out. We have gone through several tube contraptions over the years.

If you're the type of guy who enjoys his electronic toys, there is an activity called "geocaching" that you can do with your GPS. People hide containers out in the woods with small trinkets and notebooks in them. A number of websites list such containers, and give you the coordinates for finding them. You locate the cache, inspect whatever is inside, maybe leave a small trinket and sign the book.

By far, our longest lasting activity is still fishing. Most of our camping trips are centered around fishing, and the kids have been at it since they had to sit in our laps and have us hold the rods while they used both hands to crank the trusty Zebco. I recall quite a few of those early trips where I never wet a line of my own - but had an absolutely great fishing trip!

My daughter nailed a 5 lb.+ smallmouth one evening, and both kids cried when I let it go. They were learning about what fish we eat and which ones we let go.... A tough lesson at any age.

Hunting for suitable firewood, looking for bird nests, prowling a sandy shoreline looking at tracks - I can honestly say that we very seldom had a boredom problem out in the woods.

If you are expecting them to sit on a plot of land in the woods, with no water close by and nothing but the trees and brush to look at - you've given yourself a pretty tough row to hoe. With kids involved, I'd look at that as a place to sleep and concentrate fun activities elsewhere. Take it from a kid who grew up spending 4 months a year at a cabin with no indoor plumbing, no way to town, your buddies miles away - - - but a lake right out the door. Water is the key.

[HaywardBound]

I like the last post, and agree...water near by!

4wanderingeyes...shoot me an e-mail, I have some places in mind for you.

xxxxxxx the rest is hotmail

[hammock1260]

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