Camping with your kids in the fresh air is wonderful for helping kids sleep. I loved being carried into my sleepig bag and snuggling down to sleep while the grown ups got to know one another around the fire in murmuring voices.

Camping with your kids is great for bonding and teamwork

• Putting up tents, camp fire building, playing ball games etc – they are all so much more fun as a group.
• Camping is definatley an activity that brings people together and encourages them to bond and work together.
• Camping is an excellent opportunity to develop your outdoor and nature skills.
• Building and lighting a fire, cooking on it, finding wood, being safe around the fire. Are all important lessons to learn.
• Fishing, stone skimming, rounders and toasting marshmallows are brilliant fun whatever your age.

You’ll feel like part of something bigger than you by camping with your children.

• Eating outside,
• listening to the sounds of nature like the bees, and bugs as they buzz around,
• watching the stars in the night sky all help rekindle that connection and that love we need.

Oh and camping is oh so good for you.

Ok So, hopefully i’ve sold you on why you should camp with your kids???

• What do you need?
• How will you keep the kids amused?
• What will you eat?

• Let kids pack a bag of their own with their favourite toys and books,  A favourite teddy usually helps kn the first couple of nights too. I also try to include a colour in book and pens, fruit sweets and some fruit,  a roll of paper useful for tons of stuff including drawing or origami boats to sail, and a mini wind up torch for finding places like the loo at night.
• In car games like DIY bingo cards. We also have portable dvd plyer which really make long drives a breeze.
• First Aid kit (but also pack baby wipes, strong bags, disinfectant wipes and kitchen roll incase anones is sick too)

AT THE SITE

• Let the kids get involved with the set up. Holding the tent pegs, helping to hammer them in if they’re old enough.
• Have some snacks and lunches ready for arrival so kids aren’t complaining they’re hungry while parents set up camp.
• A blanket or a picnic rug so children can still sit outside if the grass is damp at night.
• Make the most of outdoor games such as swingball, badminton sets, footballs, the blow up or fold away versions are really easy and space saving
• Fail to plan your planning to fail!! Prepare some outdoor activities such as origami boats,  nature trails treasure hunt and geocaching so you have something up your sleeve when your kids decide “I’m bored”

Big TIP: Pack the tent and snacks near the top of the car so you dont have to unpack everything to get at the tent.

• Board games / Card Games (worth keeping secret to other items taken, so it’s something new and not ‘boring’ when it does rain.
• Take waterproof suits and wellies and enjoy the outdoors anyway! Poor weather often cuts down on queues at local attractions and give the outdoors a completely different feel. Just wrap up and head out anyway. What kid dosnt love jumping in puddles??

Ok so here are a few tips ive picked up along the way to make your 1st trip or your 1000th trip a memorable one.

PACK EVERYTHING IN TUBS

Sort your camping supplies before you head out is the key to staying organized when you arrive at your campsite and the first step to make sure your experience is FUN!

 Label the boxes so whatever you need you can find it easily so no rummaging through 6 boxes of stuff as you know there’s no way the kids will put it all back.

This is a complete time-saver when you’re preparing for your camping trip. It also helps me pack before we go I label the boxes a few weeks before we go and as im tidying the house or buying groceries I try to gather ‘bits’ up and put them in there, so I know where they are and the kids can’t destroy, hide or lose them before we go.

Things like torches, a new pack of toothbrushes, glow sticks or extra baby wipes. Its less to do nearer the time.

SET UP A WASHING AREA

If you’re at a campsite without showers there will come a time that baby wipes aren’t enough (though, be sure to bring a lot of these for all the other times you’ll need them.)

For sandy areas a good tip is Talc powder. Sprinkle this on sandy skin and the and falls right off without scrubbing and screaming.

LOAD UP ON BABY WIPES & ANTIBACTERIAL WIPES

As I said above, you will use baby wipes for EVERYTHING so bring several packs of baby wipes and antibacterial wipes for those times when you need to wipe the kids down but won’t be able to give them a full bath.

Wipes are great to clean mud off shoes or clean hands and feet before they crawl into sleeping bags too.

If your conscience as we all are about plastic and the planet you could try a water bottle and a couple of rolls of kitchen roll instead.

Good tip: I take a waterproof picnic blanket (or a ground sheet and blanket) and cover the floor near the tent doors so the kids can sit down and wipe their feet, hands, faces, arms and legs without tracking in dirt into the tent.

The dog however is a law unto himself. I swear Im gonna buy shower caps for his feet!!!

 WHERE TO SLEEP.

For little ones, travel cots are invaluable for camping. They are secure and you can pop a mosquito net over the top to avoid bugs.

You can also move them inside or outside depending on what your activity is and if you need to put your baby down for a few minutes they have somewhere safe to be.

If you’re camping with kids who are older and air bed is a great idea!! Or maybe a bunk bed to save space in your tent and Our kids like using it at home when their friends stay over too!

ENTERTAINMENT

If you want your trip to be an all out success then plan. Plan. And plan again.

This is one time when a little thought now will pay you back huge amounts so think about;

• What if it rains
• If someone falls sick what will you do?
• What if the kids fall out or you want to throw your husband in the river??

It’s inevitable that spending SO much time together in a small place will cause the occasional bust up so plan how to deal with that.

There is only so much dirt, rocks and bugs that will entertain kids before they can tend to venture  into trouble.

Pack a tub full of toys and activities to bring with you that are camping friendly and electronic free and camping with kids will be a total breeze without kids getting into trouble. Things like;

• • Water guns
  • Balls, football, bouncy balls, or swing ball.
  • Tennis rackets
  • Bubbles
  • Glow sticks
  • Chalk
  • Coloring Books and pens
  • Supplies for a few simple crafts, rock painting or stick weaving.
  • Have a Nature Themed Scavenger Hunt
  • Camping Bingo
  • Triominos. We love this game.

Ideal 10251 Triominos Classic De Luxe Game

For some fantastic activities this Summer, check out 101 Fantastic Ideas For Summer Fun With Your Kids

And if there’s a beach nearby How to Entertain Your Kids On The Beach Will give you a ton of ideas!!

You can also download Summer Planning Printables that will help you make your Summer Sensational.

NIGHT TIME SAFETY

Glow sticks are my favourite thing on camps. There are so many games you can play with them, or use them for Glow in the dark bubbles.

And when bedtime comes they’re still glowing enough to be used as night-lights AND they can be attached to zips, for example…they help illuminate the zip on the tent door or sleep bag, or your car keys as well as keeping track of the kids when it gets dark.

If we take a camping toilet we circle the base so its easier to find ( We do this with the toilet roll too)

 Throw glow stick into an old milk bottle full of water to make a light that will light up your tent and if you have a few water bottles, try a fun game of night bowling or hupla before bedtime.

Head torches are also a really inexpensive but worth while cost to make sure everyone has their own for toilet trips etc.

I also love to take a wind break. We pitch the tent(huge 9 man tent) at one side and the car at the other end of our space.

Then use 2 wind breaks to make a coral of our own so the smaller kids can be kept where we can see them while were busy and the dog isn’t being a menace.

This also helps when the kids are tired and need some down time it cuts out some distractions as well as acting as a windbreaks… who knew lol.

FOOD

• Check out this fab post from Clean and scentsible for wonderful ideas for meals.
• Invest in a cool box so you can keep things cool.
• Freeze jugs of water ahead of time and they’ll act as ice for your coolers and to keep your food safe, but when they melt you have drinking water for your family. (Fill them up 2/3 of the way to give room for when they expand as they freeze.) 
• At night when your ice defrosts. Keep a small carton of milk in a bowl of cool water. It usually keeps cool enough to do cereal and coffee in the morning i the UK anyway
• Crisps such as Doritos that have a bit of grease on them can be great fire starters to throw in with your kindling and work faster than the traditional methods.

 

VALUABLES

Keys, wallets, phones, chargers, electronics… store them all in the large freezer bags.

This keeps them safe from spills, food and if the kids come back after a swim or water fight and drip everywhere, but also easier to keep track of and monitor its use so the kids keep off it.