a peek inside the fishbowl

1 | Tammi @ My Organized Chaos

May 27th, 2014 at 11:15 am

Oh wow, I just posted on this very topic. We used to go a lot and loved it. Now after many years of not going … well, have a read: http://www.myorganizedchaos.net/2014/05/palm-trees-pine-trees-alberta-camping

2 | Misty Pratt

May 27th, 2014 at 1:26 pm

Yup, we looooove camping!! We took our oldest daughter when she was 22 months old, and this summer we’re doing our first camping trip with both kids (5 and 2). Tried and true advice:

1) Either pack a kitchen tent or bring a large tarp that you can rig over the eating area. This is essential on rainy days when you want to eat or play games without getting soaked!

2) Prepare for rain, and don’t be discouraged by it. Younger kids have no problem playing in the rain and getting dirty. Lots of old towels can help keep things dry and clean in your tent

3) Pack food that is easy to prepare and store. If you’re car camping, you can obviously put everything away at night, but if you’re back country, you’ll need to hang it in a tree to avoid hungry animals paying you a visit at nighttime.

4) Get a camping cookbook! We have one, and it’s full of recipes appropriate for cooking in the outdoors. Not everything needs to be freeze-dried :)

5) If you want peace and quiet, make sure to book a site in a radio-free zone. Also, some campgrounds are more remote and peaceful than others, so read some reviews online.

Happy Camping!!

3 | Stacey K

May 27th, 2014 at 6:28 pm

My advice:

1. Organization is key. When we used to go tenting in our car, I had “themed” Rubbermaid bins: one each for Dry Food (canned food, granola bars, etc.), “Hygiene” (towels, first aid, toothpaste, etc), Clothing, Dishes, and so on. It makes it easier if you know exactly where all of your stuff is.

2. Arrive as early in the day as possible at your campsite. Setting up a tent in the dark while the kids are screaming for dinner and the bugs are eating everyone is a surefire way to 1) teach your family to hate camping and 2) land yourself in marriage counseling.

3. Relax. The kids will not be in bed at the same time as at home. They will eat things they are not allowed to at home. They will be tired and grumpy by the end of your trip, but… the upside is that they spend 12 to 14 hours a day outside in nature, learning, exploring and enjoying. Go with it.

4 | Mary @ Parenthood

June 1st, 2014 at 10:40 pm

-if really first time, try to find another experienced family to go with. It helps!
-Test your gear in advance, especially the tent. You don’t want to be figuring it out while fishing your kids out of the lake (or fire!)
-Bring as little as possible. No one is going to care that you reek of bug spray and campfire (and if you don’t you aren’t doing it right ;) The less you bring, the less you have to schlep around.
-If camping with small kids, easy to prepare and wash up are KEY. Or alternatively, if you are tempted by Pinterest “easy camping meals”, test them first and leave time for the unexpected. Hot dogs roasted into octopuses over fire for lunch sounds great until you get there and all the wood for sale is soaked and the kids are doing their best to burn off their eyebrows and that checkout time is in 20 min…
-if you are bothered by bugs, aim to be in your tent for the night by the time the skeeters come out (dusk). In any case, you need to do a very thorough check of your tent before going to bed so you can kill any that snuck in with you.

5 | andrea tomkins

June 8th, 2014 at 12:40 pm

These are all excellent suggestions. Thank you very much!