Camping With Kids

For some reason, kids seem to love walkie talkies. When I was younger, and the CB Radio thing was all the rage, we had a CB in our vehicle as well as decent “walkie talkies” as we called them back then. The neighbourhood kids would run around all over the place, staying in touch and learning about the 10 code.  They didn’t have much range but that was ok.

A few years ago, I thought it would be a good idea to pick up a set of two-way radios for when I was fly fishing with friends or my sons. The brand I got was Uniden and they have about 22 different channels you can use which is handy if there are others with similar two-way radios in the neighbourhood. Sometimes when I’m fly fishing, we get separated as one of us heads up or downstream to try new spots. Without the radios, it’s difficult to let the other know if we’ve hit a great spot with some fish biting.

I decided to bring the radios to the trailer, and they’ve proved invaluable when my son is here. If I’m making dinner, he doesn’t have to sit around being bored – he can go for a walk or head to the playground and we can still keep in touch.  I can let him know when dinner is about to be served.

The nice thing about the model I have is that they also have a “call” button on it. When it is pressed, the other radio will “ring.” This is handy to get the other person’s attention especially when there might be a lot of other conversation going on and the voice over the radio is drowned out.

I’d really recommend that if you’re going camping with kids to pick up a set of two – way radios. The kids will have a ton of fun with them and they are very handy so that the kids can go for a walk and still be in touch with you.

I’m not sure of the specifications of the Uniden units I have, but the range is pretty good. The wee man can walk anywhere within the park and be within range and the transmissions are crystal clear.

“Thank you, Dad! Before this day, I’ve never seen a meteor before.”

It was about 1AM when David, who just turned 8, decided he was getting tired, and I don’t blame him as his normal bed time is around 10PM. He had spent the evening gathering up kindling that he could find on the ground, running back and forth, and then roasting hotdogs and marshmallows in anticipation of seeing shooting stars later as the night went on.

Our trailer is parked in a very shady area which is awesome on those hot, sunny days.  The shade does keep the site considerably cooler as well as the trailer than if it were under direct sun all day. But that very same shade, at night, is more than an inconvenience for gazing at stars.  There is a small window of a canopy to the sky between some of the tops of the tree branches which allows a view of a few constellations but it’s impossible to take in the entire sky.

During our campfire, I strained my neck while looking up through that canopy hoping to catch a glimpse of some Perseid meteors. There were a couple that I managed to see – in fact one was dazzling as it streaked across what I could see of the sky and left a long trail of light before disappearing. Amazing to realize that these meteors are but the size of a grain of sand and are traveling at 140,000 km/h!

From the reports I had read, the best display of the Perseid Meteor shower would take place after midnight. After the marshmallows and hotdogs were roasted, C., David and I hiked over to a very dark part of the park with a blanket in hand. The grass was dewy and damp, and the blanket didn’t help much as we lay on our backs, staring up at the sky.

It was a bit disappointing at first to C. and David I think. From how I had talked about the Perseids, I think they had been anticipating quite a show – and it was a pretty good show between midnight and 1AM  – but apparently became even more spectacular toward the morning hours and in many parts of the world. I was able to see a number of the shooting stars blazing across the heavens before C. and David were able to pick one out. But finally, one of the heavenly bits of debris streaked across from the north east to the south and David exclaimed, “I saw one!! I saw one!! Wow, was that ever cool!”

Although most reports advised to look to the north east, the fact was that if you just looked up into the heavens and allowed your peripheral vision to work, you could see the meteors anywhere in the sky.  Some were seen in the south, the north, the east and in fact, a couple of the most dazzling ones we saw were on our way back to the trailer, David being quite tired, in the western sky.

I would have liked to have stayed up longer mys elf, but I need my 7 hours sleep and David needs his attention in the morning.  All in all, between the three of us during the evening up to about 1AM, we probably saw about 30 meteors of varying brightness. But tonight is another night, and we should still be able to view some Perseids as well as just after dusk, the triple conjunction of the moon with the stars Saturn, Mars and Venus all close to the thin crescent moon.

I’ve spent years and years – decades – looking for a four leaf clover.  It was supposed to be “lucky” to discover a four leaf clover.  Everyone talked about them, but no one I knew could ever prove to me that they had actually seen one.

A couple of times I thought I had found a four leaf clover, and it turned out that it was a mirage of a three leaf clover with another three leaf clover behind it, and what appeared to be the fourth leaf was just the leaf of the one behind it.

My trailer is surrounded by clover. Not much grows here but dandelions and clover. And you might be able to imagine my thoughts when I heard my wee man, almost 8 year old David exclaim, “Dad, I found a four leaf clover!”

“Yeah right,” I thought, but not wanting to disappoint him… I took a look.  As if some kid of 8 years old could find something his auld man of almost 48 years old has never found with a lot of looking. It’s a myth.

David pointed it out.

“Huh?  What the….”  I turned the leaf stem over.  Nope, not a mirage. It really is a four leaf clover!

I guess my wee son is a lucky wee son. Or my camping trailer is a lucky trailer!

It is one of those beautiful weekends that you remember for a long time.  During the day, the sun is shining and it’s hot enough to wear practically nothing and get a good tan. In the evening, the temperature cools off to enjoy the campfire and when it comes time to sleep, it’s comfortably cool.

C. and I picked up my son on Friday and he had an awesome time roasting hotdogs and marshmallows over our fire. We stayed up quite late enjoying the atmosphere of the flames dancing around on the split logs. The wee fellow decided he was tired and thought he should head to bed as his little yawns became more frequent. He was tucked in with Teddy Bear, and C. and I enjoyed a few hours longer, looking at the bright stars in the sky as the fire crackled after a few more logs were thrown on.

Saturday was hot, sunny and gorgeous! David decided that he loved the swimming pool and would have been in it all day if he could.  But in the afternoon we had to make a quick trip to the grocery store to pick up some supplies and also some sunblock. Personally, I think the whole “cover your entire body with sunblock factor” of whatever huge number they have these days is a bit overblown. Sunshine is good for you! But I didn’t want the wee fellow to burn his shoulders but some brown colour is good.

After a good application of sunblock on David (I don’t use the stuff – never have), it was back to the pool until closing time.

Saturday evening saw another great campfire; this time with some toe-tapping Irish music in the background. We couldn’t help ourselves and finally the three of us got up and did jigs around the fire – and laughed and sang. We probably looked ridiculous – and out of step to the beat in our camp clothes – shorts and sandals, but we had fun and a grand time. Some of David’s favorite songs include “The Unicorn” and “The Drunken Sailor” to which he has known the lyrics since he was about 3 years old.  It was good to hear him singing along with the CD.

rainbow flames campfire

When we were out shopping, I noticed the store sold “Rainbow Fire,” a small packet which contains copper sulphate and sodium chloride.  Sodium chloride of course is table salt, while copper sulfate has a variety of applications including as a tree root killer, a fungicide, herbicide and pesticide. If you light off fireworks and see vivid blue colours, that is likely because of the copper sulfate in the fireworks. Throwing the packet of “Rainbow Fire” into the campfire results in a variety of colourful flames after about five minutes.  This has a “oooh” and “really cool” factor for kids as the different colours of green and blue flames mix in with the orange and reds. Not sure if you can see it clearly in the photo to the side.

I threw one of the packages into the fire and David thought the visual effects were exactly what I thought he would: “Really cool!”

You can likely get the same thing by purchasing and mixing up your own table salt and copper sulfate – probably for a lot less although the packets only cost about a buck. That is, if you’re into jazzing up your campfire with different colour flames.

It was a great evening with the cool flames and all the jigs we danced. To onlookers if there were any, it probably looked like some pagan festival going on, but we had a lot of fun. I was also able to impress David and C. with my spoon playing talents – just something I picked up years ago from my “auld man” when we used to listen to the likes of The Irish Rovers and The Clancy Brothers when I was younger.

Looking forward to more great campfires this summer!

I’m sitting at “home,” and right now, the campfire is blazing. It’s about 1AM, and the wee fellow, my son, who will be 8 fairly soon is sleeping. I’m by the fire, enjoying my solitude so much that I thought I’d tell you all about it while I can.  In the morning, the wee fella wants to go swimming, ride his bike, eat lots of bacon for breakfast, and generally enjoy Father’s Day with me out in what is forecast to be a perfect sunny day, about 23C or the mid 70′s F.

On Friday, C. came up and we drove out to the trailer. I was expecting a mess of green stuff that would need cut down after all the rain, but it wasn’t bad at all. I’ll do the “mowing” tomorrow. We picked up some groceries and some adult beverages – I managed to get a couple of wonderful rib steaks for the barbeque, and we were set.  Did I tell you the kind of barbie I have? Ah, remind me to give it a review soon! I love it!

We had our own lovely campfire together after steak and baked potatoes for dinner. Went through another 7.50 bag of wood – I am very much needing to speak to one of the local firewood agents in the next town to see if I can get a full chord of wood deliered here. Camping for a living in the summer might almost be as expensive in firewood as heating a small home in the winter with a wood stove!

Today (Saturday), we drove to where my “wee fellow” lives and picked him up. Brought him back to the trailer. C. had to leave so it’s just been D. and  I all evening. Roasted hotdogs and marshmallows time along with some awesome father and son time.  I decided that because it was Father’s Day, that didn’t mean I should be expecting the gift.  I bought the wee man something I hope and believe, he will treasure and take care of.  I presented it to him this evening. It’s a small single blade Buck Knife. I think he is old enough and wise enough to have his own small knife, and tomorrow we’ll go over some knife safety basics. He’s not to ever take it out of his pocket just to show his friends, or anything except when I’m around.  He knows and understands that.

C. was very happy to see that I really did order a flag of Nova Scotia along with my Ulster Red Hand. Now we’re trying to figure out the best place to put down a flag pole. Probably we’ll need two flag poles – but that’s fine.  There are enough Newfoundland flags here that Ulster and Nova Scotia definitely need to be represented!

Speaking of Newfoundland however, D. met one of the neighbours, and he has become fast best friends with Kerry. D.’s mother took him out for a ten day trip to Newfoundland, and Kerry was quite happy and surprised to find out they had visited Rocky Harbour, where Kerry had grown up.  But I had a little “argument” with Kerry the Newfoundlander.  He thought I had been playing music a couple of weeks ago that was “Newfie music.”  Not a chance! It was Irish music!

Ah, but I do love and enjoy Newfoundlanders.  They are practically cousins.

Another log on the fire, and I’ll be hitting the sack.

I enjoy my solitude at times. I love the sounds of silence – at least the silence of humans while listening to the sounds of fires crackling, coyotes yipping, wolves howling and birds that go “Whoo” in the night.

But I also love my little boy  and my girlfriend, and enjoy having them with me at the trailer in the campground.  Thankfully I don’t have to think up too many activities for my girlfriend while camping! But I do want to make camping fun for the wee guy.  Actually, I have 4 sons ranging in age from 20′s to 8. The older 3 have been camping with me quite often as they grew up.  And my wee-est one enjoys camping very much too – so I am sure I’ve done some things right as far as camping with kids. I haven’t done everything right – but I’ve learned some things along the way.

There are some things you can do to make sure your kids enjoy camping and plan some activities for them.

First, kids usually love to participate in the daily chores that need to be done when camping. They love to gather up kindling for the fire. They love to crumple up paper that might be used to start the campfire.  I could get any of my kids to collect kindling and crumple paper and there’s a good half hour more of their time where they feel they are contributing (and they are!), and are having fun in anticipation of the evening around the fire pit.

Get them involved in the daily chores in a fun way! Let them help out with the cooking and washing or drying of the dishes. Don’t worry if things aren’t done perfectly.

Teach the kids how to set up the tent. Yes, the first time you have a child helping you set up the tent, it will probably take longer than if you were to do it yourself, but the benefits in the future are wonderful! Often the kids will remember the process better than you and will be able to help you the next time. And if they are old enough, they will look forward to setting up the tent all on their own, leaving you time to do other things to prepare your camp.

Go on a “garbage hike.” Sometimes, the thought of just going for a walk might seem boring, but if you give the walk some purpose that will be fun for kids, they will enjoy and look forward to it. Before the hike, give each one of the kids a garbage bag, and tell them that we’re going to pick up other people’s trash that they have left behind. The kids will love to know that they are taking part in making something better.

Teach the kids how to use some of the camping equipment. You might not want them lighting the lantern, but they can help prime it if you’re using a Coleman white gas type of lantern. Who cares if it takes a bit longer than if you did it yourself? You’re camping, and this should be enjoyable for everyone.

If the child is old enough, present them with their very own pen knife, and teach them how to use it safely. If you don’t have knife skills yourself, learn them so you can teach them. Let the child carve a point in a stick so he or she can make their own hotdog and marshmallow roasting stick. You could also use the time of camping to teach the kids how to sharpen a knife, too.

Take along a book on the constellations. At night, see what you can identify in the night sky. Usually camping is done in areas far from the bright city lights, and kids are amazed at the stars the can see at night. Helping them learn to identify constellations will make it even more meaningful for them.

Is there fishing available where you are camping? Take out the rods and enjoy a few hours drowning some worms. Make it into a picnic where you pack some sandwiches and snacks – kids generally love picnics and even want to carry the food!

There is so much you can do with kids when camping, as long as you remember that it might take a wee bit longer than if you are doing it yourself, but if you let them participate and learn, they will want to and the future benefits of allowing them to learn and figure things out far outweigh the the little bit of inconvenience of a task taking an extra five or ten minutes.

Camping with young children can either be a fantastic experience for everyone, or a total disaster. Most children love to sleep in tents and camp trailers, enjoy sitting around the campfire and roasting hot dogs and marshmallows and the experience of the outdoors.

If you nurture this love, camping with them will be fun and they will have lasting warm memories of their days spent at the campsite. On the other hand, if you don’t give kids the little extra special attention they need, it could be a miserable time for both you and the children.

Some tips to keep in mind:

1. Make them feel part of the planning.

If children feel apart of the planning process, they will feel responsibility for making the trip enjoyable. Get them involved in deciding where you will camp. Plan the meals with them and take them shopping with you when you head out to buy the groceries for the camping trip.

2. Let the kids help!

Children have a natural desire to learn and do new things. Don’t suffocate this desire. Have some patience and let them help you set up the tent or trailer, even if it takes a bit longer than you doing it yourself. When children are helping with the chores that need to be done, their own excitement grows and they will take pride and ownership in the enjoyment of the experience.

3. Have boundaries but don’t create fear.

Sometimes it is too easy to put fear into our children when we give them rules. We tell them all the bad things that could happen to them if they don’t follow the rules or stay within the boundaries. Instead of fear, make them feel responsible for you too. When my son was younger, we had a rule that neither of us would stray where we could not see the other. In other words, the boundaries weren’t set just for my son but for me as well.

4. Take along board and card games.

We always hope that the weather will cooperate and each camping experience will be nothing but glorious sunshine and warm temperatures. Unfortunately Mother Nature is not always so kind and camping trips can have days of rain and inclement weather. Plan ahead for such days and take along some indoor games the kids enjoy for those days when hiking, fishing and the campfire just isn’t going to happen.

5. Don’t forget the children’s needs.

It may be silly to you that your child wants to bring along “Teddy” or a special toy, but don’t deny them this because you think camping should be like “roughing” it. Bring along Teddy or another toy for the child will give them an opportunity to have something comforting and familiar.

Finally, have fun! Don’t holler at your kids – not only will they not appreciate it, the other campers in the campground won’t either. Spend time teaching them. Don’t forget the camera as taking photos and having them to look at later will reinforce the great experiences the kids had and they’ll look forward to the next trip.

Is there anything more yummy to a child than roasted hotdogs over the campfire? Yes! Roasted marshmallows!

Earlier this afternoon, C. arrived to pick me up and take me into my son’s town, where together we enjoyed an afternoon of festivities that were going on in that town. Great music and a lot of fun we all had. Admittedly, my son wasn’t too keen at first on taking off to my home at the trailer.  Internet access is pretty good, but I have to limit my usage as apparently it can get expensive as you use up bandwidth over the course of a month.  My son wanted to play “Lego Universe,” and going back to my place just didn’t seem at first as appealing as Lego Universe. I wasn’t about to download the required software using the Bell Mobility broadband; besides I wanted him to enjoy the camping experience.

He does enjoy camping – he’s been with me a number of times and he loves to help set up the tent and get the campfire ready. But today, he just seemed to have Lego Universe on his mind.

But he reluctantly came along and ended up forgetting all about the online game he wanted to participate in. When we arrived at my home, he ran around the site while the sun shone and exclaimed how excited he felt at the prospect of sleeping in the trailer camper tonight.  It would be his first time sleeping in a trailer.

C. and I got busy building the campfire while my son wanted to help. He’s actually pretty good at helping with things like that. And probably that is one of the most important things when camping with kids and children is to get them involved in the process, giving them tasks that are easy for them to carry out, and fun as well. If children feel that their efforts are just as important as everyone else’s to the success of the trip, they will have fun and will want to learn as much as they can.

D. (my son) sat with us as the campfire burned after it was lit, while we waited for the hot coals that would be perfect for roasting hotdogs to emerge. He talked about how much fun he was having (even though he did miss Lego Universe). Finally, when there were enough red hot coals, we got out the hotdogs, buns, ketchup and mustard (forgot to buy relish). D. isn’t a fan of mustard, so I joked around with him about how much of the yellow stuff I was going to put on his hotdog – but he knew it was all good natured fun and teasing.

The sticks had already been carved to a point so we could easily impale hotdogs on them. The odour of them roasting over the fire got our tummy juices going and we couldn’t wait! D. finally had his dog roasted just the way he wanted and with lots of ketchup, sat in front of the fire, talking about how good it tasted. C. and I smiled and of course, agreed with him.

Two hot dogs later, it was time to bring out the bag of marshmallows. Now that had D. very excited!

Both C. and I were a wee bit disappointed though – the brand of marshmallows we had were quite sticky and not as “puffy” as the more expensive Kraft brand. If you want to have really good toasted/roasted marshmallows, do yourself a favour and pay the small extra price for a premium brand. The less expensive marshmallows might be great for baking with but aren’t the best for campfire roasting. It’s true that D. didn’t really notice, but we did.

With a dozen marshmallows in his belly, from lightly toasted to double burnt, D. was a happy camper!

As the evening went on, the only downside was the growing dark clouds blowing in, and every so often, we’d feel drops of rain on our skin. By 11:30PM, (way after D.’s bedtime anyhow), the rain began to come down hard enough that it chased us from our chairs and into the trailer. The air turned crisp, and a warm bed was made up  for my son and with a little smile on his face, he fell asleep after whispering something about how much fun it was to sleep in the trailer after eating marshmallows and roasted hot dogs.