Camping With Kids
We love the outdoors! When it starts warming up, around May, we get the itch. However in our region, it will be 80 degrees one day and snowing the next. We try to watch the weather reports and on the first good weekend, we load up our trailer and head to the lake. We love mountain lakes, they are a little cooler in the hot summer, great fishing and seriously picturesque. We use to tent camp even when we had our first baby but when I got pregnant with #2 and was trying to sleep pregnant in a tent with a toddler, I told my husband we needed a trailer. It’s totally doable and there are a lot of tips out there how to save your sanity while tent camping with kids but this post is more for trailer camping or just day lake trips in general.
Kids love the sand and we all usually pick up some buckets and shovels at Target but I was online one day and found these sand “play food” kits that my kids just love! They make us all sort of pretend sand meals and it keeps them busy! These Ice cream kits are just so cute! My girls also love this cupcake kit.
Color scavenging hunts are the easiest!!! I grab some white paper and a crayon box and color little scribbles on the paper like pictured. Then the kids run around and see what they can find that matches those colors. No downloading scavenger hunt forms and remembering to bring them with, just crayons or markers and paper! I take a large Tupperware bin filled with paper, watercolor paints, crayons and markers and keep it in the trailer all summer. Its great for when they have some down time or if it rains.
Games!! We always have Uno in the trailer. Board games that are easier like Sorry are the best because they don’t have a whole lot of pieces but can accommodate a few kids or adults. Of course my kids wanted to play Monopoly which has a million pieces but it was time to calm down so I didn’t mind. Perfect for the cold early mornings while I’m cooking or again, random rainy days.
Toddler camping chairs are one of the best purchases! This thing saved us when our youngest was 1. We used it the whole summer and would put snacks or toys on the tray when we would all be in our own chairs. It kept her occupied and perfectly content. We bought it at Cabelas:
Sunglasses!! Every kid needs a pair of sunglasses. Did you know your eyes can get sunburned? My girls eyes get really sunburned easily. Their dad had some eye issues growing up and has some sensitivities so maybe that’s where it came from, who knows! I make them wear them constantly, but finding a good comfortable pair was hard!! Usually they twist them and break them in the first 5 minutes anyway right? (insert eyeroll) I was on Instagram one day and found these kid sunglasses that you can purchase here called Ro-Sham-Bo baby.
These glasses are seriously kid proof. They also float long enough for me to grab them when my kid just tosses them out of the boat because they want to see what will happen. If you click on their site you can see how they twist all over and don’t break, they are super cool! They are also very comfortable and made really well. We purchased ours back in 2016 and still use them today! They come in a variety of colors and sizes with super cool names based on shows in the 90s, yes!
Yogurt Berry Cones!! Some weekends I like to make these treats for the girls, usually during the 4th of July weekend when it’s extra hot out! I don’t have an exact recipe because it’s all by taste. I just take some yogurt of whether that’s flavored, greek, coconut, your choice. Then I pick all their favorite berries (which is every berry in our case haha). I cut the berries into bite size pieces and mix them in the yogurt. If the berries are sour, I add a little honey to taste and mix up. I put this in a tupperware and freeze it. About an hour or so before they want to eat it, I take the container out to thaw so it’s soopable. Scoop into cones and eat! We are all obsessed with this healthy treat on hot days!
I hope this quick little list helps you if you are interested in camping with your kids but don’t know where to start or what to bring. Kids adapt and are usually just happy with being outside but sometimes we need a little backup plan if the weather doesn’t cooperate or if we get the “I’m bored” comment. I haven’t had one of those in a while thank goodness! We love camping and will be found in our trailer every weekend until October! Remember, if you need a great homemade marshmallow recipe for s’mores, check out my Homemade Marshmallow Recipe. Also little tip, to make s’mores even better, leave out the grahams and chocolate and make a marshmallow cookie sandwich. They are not healthy but neither are traditional s’mores. Life is about balance and this is something that is too yummy to pass up!!
