Camping With Kids: How to Camp with the Family

Finding time to bond with your family is hard. Between work, school, and ever-present electronics,  it can start to feel like you are living in a house full of strangers. To reconnect with your family, you need to disconnect from the distractions of your day-to-day life. The best way to do that is to get back to nature. 

Here are our tips for camping with the whole family.

Planning Your Trip

Like any other vacation, a successful camping trip begins with a solid plan. This is true when you are traveling alone, but is doubly-so when you are traveling with children. Getting all the details out of the way before you head out will save you a lot of stress in the long run. Here’s an incomplete list of things to consider when planning to camp with kids.

Meal Planning

• Keep it simple: Stick to the basics for easy prep and cleanup. Basic campfire and tin-foil dinners are fun treats for kids, and less stress for you. 
• Meal Prep: Cut vegetables and portion out meals before leaving. Having your meals ready to cook will make camplife much easier. 
• Pack Snacks: Kids like to eat, and they will workup big appetites. Make sure you have plenty of easy-to-eat snacks like trail mix to keep them energized.
• Use used cookware: Buy second-hand cookware for camping. Spare sets are easier to pack, and you won’t have to worry about rough handling.

Packing For the Trip:

Knowing what to bring, what to leave, and how to pack it can be stressful. Especially if you aren’t a frequent camper. It’s hard to predict what you might need while you or your family might need. It’s tempting to try to pack everything to create a “home away from home”, but this isn’t necessary. For a full camping checklist, you can use an online resource. However, here’s a quick overview to get you started.

What to Bring

• Camping basics: Bring the basics you’d need for any camping trip; these are things like tents, sleeping bags, flashlights, ice chest, towels, camping knife, and LOTS of water.
• Health and Safety: Prescription medications, first aid kit, sunscreen, bug spray, hand sanitizer, and santizing wipes
• Clothing items: Daily wear, sturdy shoes, extra socks, swimwear, swim shoes, and light jackets. Remember, weather will impact the clothing you need to pack. Plan accordingly!

What Not to Bring

• Perishable food: Uncooked meat, milk, and frozen treats are not recommended for extended trips. Only bring refrigerated items if you plan to use them the first night.
• Electronics: Leave the iPads, gaming devices, and other devices at home. Bring one phone for emergencies, but disconnect it from wifi.
• Too many clothes: Bring versatile clothing for your trip, but don’t be afraid to re-wear what you bring. You are camping, so rough it! Don’t waste precious space with unnecessary clothing.

How to Pack it

• Clear plastic tubs: Being able to see what you have makes packing so much easier. Pack everything in clearly labled, categorized tubs for easy organization and packing.
• Backpacks: Have each of the kids pack their own backpack. Encourage them to bring a couple of toys, books
• Quick-grabs on top: Make sure the items you will need first, or more frequently, are at the top of the pile.
  

Setting Up The Site

It’s tempting to immediately start to explore once the car is unpacked, but there’s important work to be done. Explain to your kids that setting up your campsite is vital to having a fun and safe camping vacation. To make sure that everything goes smoothly, here are some of our tips for setting up your site.

Tips for Smooth Setup

• Have a test run: Try camping in your backyard first. Figure out your sleeping arrangements and practice setting up your tents before you hit the road.
• Set up the site: Set up your tents as soon as you arrive at the campgrounds. You don’t have to try setting them up in the dark, especially when kids need to go to bed.
• Tour the Site: Show the kids around the site and the campgrounds. Show them where the bathrooms are, where to get water, where to go for help, etc.
• Build a fire: Build a fire together! This is a great opportunity to get them involved, and to teach them a new skill. Even smaller kids can participate by gather twigs and wood.

Activities for the Family

It’s finally time to start talking about fun! The whole point of going on a camping trip is to spend some quality time with your loved ones to make memories. There’s a million things that you can do together when you get outside, but if you need some ideas to start, here’s a few we recommend.

Family-Friendly Activities

• Study nature: Bring some books to study local plants, animals, and bugs. You can  make this educational experience extra fun by turning it into a scavenger hunt.
• Campfire activities: There are dozens of games, songs, and stories that are specially meant to be played around the fire. Give some a try!
• Talk to each other: You are here to bond, so you should try talking to each other. Try asking fun questions and telling stories to get to know each other again.
• Cook together: Everyone loves a good meal, and kids love the novelty of cooking outside. Get them involved by having them help make some campfire treats.
• Play Games: Campgrounds are the perfect place to try some new games. Try some lawn games like flag football, horseshoes, and relay races.
• Watch the skies: City lights and busy days make it hard to watch the skies. Try taking some quiet time to go cloud watching and star gazing.
• Arts and crafts: Get creative with some arts and crafts inspired by nature. Try making nature rubs with leaves and trees, drawing what you see, or making pebble art.
  

Camp with us at Mt. Greylock Campsite Park

Taking the time to bond with your family is an important part of life. If you are looking to get back to nature and reconnect with your loved ones, come visit us at Mt. Greylock Campsite Park.

Our grounds are perfect for families of all sizes and ages! With clean facilities, an activities center, and even a pool- there’s no shortage of things to do. Our experienced staff can help you make the most of your family vacation, so you can focus on enjoying camping with your kids. 

Start making memories and book your site today!