Bringing Nature Back – My Insights into Camping with Kids

“The nature of childhood has changed: There’s not much nature in it.”

I remember playing outside as the sun set, the distinct change in temperature, the flicking on of the street lights, the calls of parents as they rounded up their kids for bedtime.

I remember sitting in the backseat driving to my parent’s cabin in Newfoundland, the truck throwing my brother and I around as we drove over bumpy, muddy, un-paved roads surrounded by thick pine trees.

I remember putting the worms on hooks and dipping the rod off the wharf to catch sunfish, and chasing birds and squirrels through the forest. 

With all these memories comes a feeling of happiness and nostalgia for days of leisure, play, fresh air, friendships, and fun.  It’s not surprising then that I want the same for my children. But I’m raising kids who will never know a time without the internet, and who have increasing exposure to technology.   According to market research firm Childwise, “children aged five to 16 spend an average of six and a half hours a day in front of a screen compared with around three hours in 1995.”  (BBC)

“The nature of childhood has changed: There’s not much nature in it.” (Whole Child)

Alongside the desire for my husband and I to pass along our passion for the outdoors to our kids, there are a number of researched benefits to outdoor play for children – more creativity, higher levels of fitness, more friends, better sleep, and less depression, to name a few. (Washington Post) This is why getting outdoors for hikes, outdoor play and camping are an important part of our family fun.

We had our first camping trip as a family of three when our son was just 10 months old, driving from Ontario to Seattle through the U.S. in our pop-up camper.

We left Niagara Falls and drove through Detroit, Chicago and Des Moines, arriving in Boulder Colorado to stay at Rocky Mountain Park.  From there we went to Mammoth Lakes and then made our way to Yosemite, Lake Tahoe and Lassen Volcanic National Park in Northern California. Finally, we headed to Trinity Alps, then Crater Lake and finally Seattle. It was an eye opening experience to camping with a baby.

Since then we’ve gone on numerous camping trips, with both our children, who are age 4 and (almost) 6. These experiences have not only taught me a lot about myself, but have also opened my eyes to how to make the most of a camping trip with kids – from the park itself, to equipment and even my expectations. Here are my insights.

ONE – Find other families to camp with.

Although our kids play quite well together, like any relationship there comes a time when the other person may no longer bring you joy (i.e. they are just getting on your nerves!).  If you’re in the middle of a campground and all the normal comforts of home are missing, the transition from happy cooperative kids to fighting misbehaving kids can turn a camping trip into a downward spiral.

Having other kids around who your children know, and who you know, can take the pressure off, particularly if they are close in age.

Besides the obvious benefit of more kids to play with yours, the outcome for us as parents is to spend less time providing entertainment and more time with our own friends, relaxing and enjoying the moment too.

Not to be prescriptive, but sometimes it even helps to go with parents who share similar values to you. For example, if you like to keep a watchful eye on your kids you may find it more relaxing to go with another parent who follows a similar approach.

TWO – Throw “normal” routines out the window.

I like naps for my kids, making sure they brush their teeth and feeding them eat healthy food. It’s probably a common desire for most parents!  But I have learned that trying to keep these routines in check all the time while camping can bring unnecessary stress to myself and even take away from the “experience” of camping.

I remember when our youngest was a little over one year old. Her bedtime and that of her brother was relatively early.

Being the “official” bed “tucker-inner” at home I continued my role while camping.

Teeth were brushed, pajamas were on, and bed time stories were read.  But there was no way our little girl was going to stay in her floor level bunk. All I wanted to do was get them both in bed so I could enjoy some camp fire, s’mores, beer drinking adult time. 

Now when we go camping the kids stay up until we go to bed. It becomes a family affair. We all enjoy the fire, eat junk food, take part in the conversation and then we all participate in the bedtime routine, which usually ends up with two kids whose eyes are closed before their heads hit the pillow! If you want to keep to the routine I might suggest sharing the responsibility so that one parent is not always inside the tent or camper, while the other enjoys the starry night sky.

THREE – Find parks that are close to “towns”.

Depending on how long you’re going camping for it’s sometimes nice to be able to leave the campground and go “somewhere” for a change of scenery. Unfortunately we can’t control the weather, so on those days when it’s raining or it has rained all night and the ground is sopping wet, we’ve often packed up the kids and gone to town. Never has a trip to Walmart and McDonald’s been so fun. We don’t worry about making breakfast or planning activities. We just jump in our truck and enjoy a few hours outside the campground.   

FOUR – Find parks that have fun kid things to do.

There are a number of different camping options available to families.  Some options in Ontario cater specifically to children (Like Niagara’s Bissel’s Hideaway Resort), others are KOA campgrounds within/close to the city, and some are provincial parks (among many other options).

Our experiences have brought us to Canadian provincial parks, as well as State Parks just across the border, past Buffalo.

A great park to visit in Ontario is Arrowhead Provincial Park in Huntsville.  It has three sandy beaches with change facilities on motorboat free lakes. There’s rentals for canoes, kayaks and mountain bikes and some great easy hiking that’s good for kids to take part in including one that rewards you with a waterfall. As a bonus, for anyone who likes their coffee, there’s a Tim’s Horton’s just outside the park.

We also like to frequent two parks in the States.  It’s a quick drive across the border and avoids the north bound cottage traffic leaving Toronto.  One is Six Flags Darien Lake in Buffalo. NY.  This is a great park for kids and adults alike. There’s lots of fun rides for all ages, a restaurant, a store, and options to rent a trailer or cottage or to bring your own camping “home base”. In the evenings they have an entertaining laser show that plays with music combined with fireworks (Ignite the Light).  And there’s often a number of bands or concerts that play there and many events.  Here’s the schedule of events if you’re interested. My only “negative” feedback is that the park is loud at night.  So if you’re intent on getting the kids to bed early it may be hard to settle them down with all the music and fireworks at nighttime. For really good prices there are great deals offered on U.S. cyber Monday for summer bookings.  And we have found the best time to go is early June or September because it’s not overly busy.

A really fun State Park is Allegany, in Salamanca, NY, particularly the Red House area. What we really like about this area is:

• The cool “ninja” playground – Our kids can spend hours there on the zip line, spin cups, and ninja nets.
• The beach – It’s so close to the playground that you can keep watch on your kids no matter where you are.  The beach also has great shallow parts and a life guard. 
• The path around the lake – We bring our bikes and bike around with the kids; the best time is just as the sun is starting to go down.  Great light for pictures! 

One “negative” about the park, which you can’t control, is the weather. We often call the park “Alle-rainy” because it seems to rain quite often.  But we still find ourselves attracted to the area and go every year. It’s breathtaking.

FIVE – Bring the right gear and equipment, and other tips.

• If you have room, bring your bikes.
• Pack movies for rainy days.
• Bring a good tarp (especially if you’re tenting) – in case you get some really crazy rain. And make sure you include lots of rope to tie them.
• A drill (to use on the jacks if you have a trailer, rather than rotating them manually).
• Variety of sports/toys like bubbles, soccer balls, frisbee, beach items.
• Bring life jackets, and wagon for the beach (to carry your gear).
• Pack water bottles for the kids – so you’re not using plastic bottles all the time.
• If you think it’ll rain at night, pack up your main items, including your outdoor mat.  Then you don’t have to roll it up when it’s soaking wet the next day.
• Look for camping deals – like cyber Monday for Darien Lake.
• Put some identification on your kids in case they get lost (ex: your camp site, a phone number). You can also buy those glow-in-the-dark wrist bracelets for night time.
• Don’t let your kids play hide and seek.  I swear it’s like swimming…you can have lots of people around, and someone is still bound to get into trouble i.e. they may hide “too well” (I speak from experience)
• Pack camping necessities like sunscreen, hats, bug spray.
• Don’t leave your food/garbage outside!
• Anything else? Please share!

Unfolding Tip:

Don’t let the nature of childhood change.  Make sure there’s nature in it!

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References:

Collin O’Mara, Collin. (29 May 29 2018). Kids do not spend nearly enough time outside. Here’s how (and why) to change that. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2018/05/30/kids-dont-spend-nearly-enough-time-outside-heres-how-and-why-to-change-that/?utm_term=.ad17eb0d0e3b

Wakefield, Jane. (27 March 2015). Children spend six hours or more a day on screens. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-32067158

Be Out there – National Wildlife Federation. Whole Child-Developing Mind, Body and Spirit through Outdoor Play