Warm summer days and nights make us think of a popular summertime activity - camping! Some think "camping" means backpacking deep into a forest and sleeping in a tent, while others think of fully equipped recreational vehicles. Whatever your preference, most children love to camp.

While we typically think of camping as simply fun, involving your children in the organization and planning stages of your trip provides them with an opportunity to practice skills they have learned in school. For example, parents can print the list of supplies and ask their children to read the list (reading skills), locate the items in store aisles, and sort the items into appropriate boxes (categorization skills). If maps will be used to travel to a campground, children can practice map-reading skills as they help plan the route, and math skills as they calculate how far away the campground is and how long it will take to get there. Packing groceries can also provide practice in estimating ("how many cans of beans will we need to feed six hungry people?").

Margaret Monteran, in Family Camping 101: Tips, Hints and Resources, suggests that families may want to prepare for their first camping experience by camping in the backyard. This strategy allows the family to practice setting up the tent, rolling up sleeping bags, etc. All campers, adults and children alike, should have a pack of their own to store their personal gear, water, snacks, and other essentials such as a pocket pack of tissue paper (Monteran, 1994).

Remember to take along a fully equipped first-aid kit that includes insect repellent and preparations to relieve itching due to poison ivy or insect bites. Be sure you include a good sunscreen and lip balm.

Finally, campfire stories are terrific fun - and also educational! Before the trip, each family member can visit the library, select a story, and learn it well enough to tell to the family as you sit around the fire.

For more information:

The Happy Camper Handbook: A Guide to Camping for Kids and Their Parents by Michael Elsohn Ross (Yosemite National Park, CA: Yosemite Associates, 1995)
Kids Camp!: Activities for the Backyard or Wilderness by Laurie M. Carlson and Judith Dammel (Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 1995)

Kids Outdoors: Skills and Knowledge for Outdoor Adventures by Victoria Logue, Frank Logue, and Mark Carroll (Camden, ME: Ragged Mountain Press, 1996)

The Camper's and Backpacker's Bible by Thomas E. Huggler (New York: Doubleday, 1995)

Camping in the 90s: Tips, Techniques and Secrets by Victoria Logue (Birmingham, AL: Menasha Ridge Press, 1995)

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Hiking, Camping, and the Great Outdoors by Michael Mouland (New York: Alpha Books, 1996)

Cooking Aboard Your RV by Janet Groene (Camden, ME: Ragged Mountain Press, 1993)

Easy Camping in Northern California, 1996-97: 100 Places Anyone Can Camp This Weekend by Tom Stienstra (San Francisco, CA: Foghorn Press, 1997)

Source:

Monteran, Margaret. (1994). Family camping 101: Tips, hints and resources. Glen Allen, VA: Monteran Online Bookstore. (Excerpts available online: http://members.aol.com/monteran/familyfun/desfc101.html).