How to Keep Kids Occupied when traveling/ Camping?

[XL Bar]

I have two boys 5 and 7 who have been camping since they were infants. We have a no DVD policy, though we do allow the Leapfrog electronic learning games on the drives but they are time limited.

We cook a lot. Eat a lot. Wood gathering and fire starting is fascinating for kids. Don't forget to bring the fun camp food that kids can make themselves (smore fixins', hot dogs, marshmallows)

Shovel and bucket.

I ususally have a big spool of paracord in our camp kit. On our last trip the kids made "bug lassoes" (5 year old's terminology!), snares, friendship bracelets, bows, "bullwhips", slings and all manner of cool stuff.

Bug hunts and scat hunts are fun.

Have some hand cranked radios and lanterns. The kids love it to be "Their Job" to crank up the radio or light.

A kid carrier backpack is a must. The kids loved riding in it when they were younger. I even now will stuff my 5 year old into my Arc'Teryx pack if he gets tired or whiney on the trail.

We have a cheap $25 Walmart "Family Fun Tent" that the kids can play in and roughhouse as much as they want. Saves the wear and tear on our good tent.

Just have fun and don't have much of a plan.

Brian

 

[rynosurf]

I like to bring kites if I'm going to be in an open area; glow sticks can keep them occupied for a while at night.

 

[calamaridog]

While I personally hate resorting to it, a DVD player is golden when all else fails...

I agree. For traveling to and from a destination, a few movies will help break up the trip. Or when I'm trying to cook dinner or make camp to occupy the youngest kids who are too small to help.

 

[nwoods]

Flashlights are like candy, just make sure you bring enough batteries. Headlamps are good, but nothing beats a couple of mini-MagLites and a pack of AA's.

I agree about the hatchet and jacknife training.

My kids love bugs and dirt, and frequently bring an abundance of both into the tent. Climbing trees is a sport without equal. Climbing rocks is a close second, and one that frankly, makes me nervous when they are bouldering the larger granite piles we have around here. They have no fear and have not yet learned mortality. They will climb anything and everything.

Learning to void in the outdoors is always a novelty that they like to tease each other about.

Campfires are hypnotic. They can sit there for hours.

Stars. My son really likes the stars when we get out of SoCal and away from the light pollution and up to a decent altitude. I've been teaching him constellations and orienteering.

Destinations. Mentioned earlier, but really important. Have destinations that are kid oriented. Plan stops along the way, pull over if you see something that looks like it might be interesting, they usually are.

One of the things we've been doing lately that has been a big hit is related to Bionicles and Lego's. Bionicles are more "playable" than regular Lego's, and there is a great online LegoClub where kids can post pictures of their creations and vote on them. We now go find cool locations and pose their creations and take pictures. They can't wait to get out somewhere interesting to take these photos. Here is a recent one:

In the car is always more difficult, but my kids do fairly well. An 80gb iPod and a healthy collection of ancient Disney audio stuff helps. A lot of VeggieTale "Silly Songs", etc... and of course stuffed animals and more Bionicles.

We are also enjoying the fact that they both picked up Chess this year, and now bring a travel set and play on the way. Helps time pass for Dad too.

Here is a photo taken after 3 days on the road. There is a lot of work involved in capturing this moment, and I'm proud of it, but then, I have the best kids in the world, and I'm blessed to be married to the woman who was instrumental in raising them that way:

 

[RoverMack]

Any specific suggestions for how you keep your kids occupied (like 2-6 year olds) when you go on camping trips? I'm trying to convince my wife (and myself) that our daughter is ready for the first family camping trip (primitive, no camp ground, she is 3 years old). Any proven suggestions are very much appreciated. Thanks..

My sons first camping trip was at 3 years old and is now 10.
Longer road trips, 7 hours to Tahoe in a couple of weeks the PSP's, I pods, and Note book computer for watching DVD's are useful
Catapult, compass, flash light, whistle, fishing / bug net, some sort bug container to catch bugs of all types, chasing lizards (careful not to get close enough for them to drop their tail), marshmallows, fire, glow-sticks, binoculars, fire starters, cooking, collecting rocks (where permitted), old soldier forts, Indian archaeological sites, petrogryphs, ghost towns and mines, rivers, radio controlled 4wd electric cars, their first knife, family radios, exploring, climbing, sliding down sand dunes, scree running, skipping stones, kites, model gliders, not having to shower, books (age appropriate) about wildlife and spotting/identifying tracks, black light for scorpions at night (they glow), telescope- star chart- reciting Greek myths (timeless), skinny dipping in hot springs, climbing fire towers, cowboy history, having their own equipment, water bottle, survival pack etc, harmonica, climbing trees, hammocks, keeping a journal / drawing, humane small animal traps.

 

[calamaridog]

Flashlights are like candy, just make sure you bring enough batteries. Headlamps are good, but nothing beats a couple of mini-MagLites and a pack of AA's.

Just wanted to point out this uber cool solor flashlight here. My daughter loves it and my nephew (who can break anything) has not broken it yet:

http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5907&highlight=flashlight

Indian Cove Campground? Joshua Tree?

 

[Mlachica]

One other thing that I don't think has been mentioned is crafts. Go to a craft store or the dollar store and look for age appropriate crafts.

Recently we made a wooden sail boat. We used glue and some paint. Then we took it down to the creek and sailed it on a string.

Another thing that I just remembered is water guns. Just get the little cheap one's and you can shoot each other while down at the water.

 

[mmtoy]

Whatever they're interested in home will usually keep them interested on the road...

My 5-year-old loves chess. So, for car trips, I bought a $5 game boy cartridge that has a chess game, checkers, Othello, etc. on it. That keeps him occupied for hours and it doesn't feel like I'm rotting his brain with "pointless" video games (I do play video games and don't think this should devolve into a discussion of their merits or lack thereof).

We also plan lots of stops. At dinosaur museums, dinosaur tracks/fossils, creeks, anything to get him out of the vehicle for a few tens of minutes. We always plan ahead so we know what is on the way so we can have some place to stop every couple of hours.

Once we're camping, we just let him enjoy himself. We couldn't stop his curiosity if we wanted to, so we just go along and answer his questions and encourage him to explore physically and mentally. I'm working myself up to getting him a hatchet... Maybe another year. Or two.

I don't think children need reasons to go camping, at least not until they're old enough to want to spend time with their friends instead of their families. Then it's time to bring their friends along too.

This weekend we're sending him camping with his grandparents. :wings:

 

[nwoods]

Indian Cove Campground? Joshua Tree?

Close. yes, it's Joshua Tree, but Sqaw Tank at the junction of Berdoo Canyon and the Geology Trail (road). My kids LOVE to climb rocks.

Calamaridog...are you a navy sailor? Sailors are referred to as Squids by the Marines, and everyone knows a salty dog or old sea dog or two...

 

[nwoods]

Conal, a catapult? Is that Irish for sling-shot?

 

[articulate]

• Glow Sticks
• Marshmallows
• LOTS of stops.
• Book reading by flashlight.
• Never forget the nap!

So far, I don't exactly think lots of stops are key as much as long stops. A 2 hour lunch stop for instance - play hard, hit the road . . . naps fall in line.

Everybody loves fun with glow sticks!

 

[jim65wagon]

A 2 hour lunch stop for instance - play hard, hit the road . . . naps fall in line.

I hope that's the kid doing the napping and not the old man behind the wheel!

 

[burke]

This is a great thread, I am taking some mental notes.

I think part of it is starting them young. We made it a point to get our daughter out real young and at times it was a trial in the baby stage. Now that she is a three year old I try to just get her interested in the trip with her own little map and dora-compass and a constant message of what animals we should be looking for. We've had her in 10 states so far and hopefully many more to come.
A lot of national parks do little camp fire skits aimed towards kids. We sat in on one on "nocturnal predators" in Great basin NP a couple months back and we all enjoyed it.

Oh yeah, we try to expend energy also. When visiting Mesa Verde we would have her run laps at the sites.

 

[Pskhaat]

Another thing that I just remembered is water guns. Just get the little cheap one's and you can shoot each other while down at the water.

Jolly good!

 

[Pskhaat]

naps fall in line.

Let me guess, y'all're still lucky as can be with children who sleep? I don't know what our genes created, but we got a whopping aggregate of 20 minutes from our 7mo on the most recent 8.5hr drive... :O