Tip Sheet: The Great Outdoors

kids camp (flickr:saritalad)

1. The first thing we do at a campsite is to make a larger circle around the fire ring (either draw it in the dirt or ask the kids to make it with pebbles). This becomes the “force field” and cannot be crossed by chairs or kids or anything else (except moms and dads, who of course have special powers). It is also important to teach kids not to walk between a person and the fire—always walk around. Violaters are typically sent to the camper or tent. A campfire is serious business. –Autumn from Big Timber, MT

2. If your car has a panic button, you can use it as a security alarm system when staying at campsites or in motel rooms where your door opens directly to the outside. Presumably, your car is parked nearby. Put your car keys beside your bed at night. If you were ever in danger from an animal or intruder, you could press your car’s panic button to set off the alarm. The car horn would sound repeatedly until you turned it off or the battery died. You can reset it with the button on the key fob chain. –Laurie from Ashburn, VA

3. My children, aged 8 and 12, love to ride their bikes when we go camping. I always pack along our walkie-talkies. The new ones are reasonably priced, rechargeable, and have good reception up to 10 miles. I keep one and they take one. They can ride all day as long as they (1) stay together, (2) stay in the campground, and (3) communicate with me through the walkie-talkie. This way I can relax and not be worried about the kids. —Stacy from Redding, CA

4. One of the most important things to teach your kids when you go camping is how far is too far to wander from your campsite. Our own rule for our 4-year-old is that he has to stay where we can see him. We let our 9-year-old wander within earshot. He knows that if he ever realizes that he is lost, he’s supposed to stay put. We give our children whistles to wear around their necks, and we instruct them to blow the standard distress signal (three short blasts) if they get in trouble. –Heidi from Beaverton, OR

camping (flickr:anjanettew)

5. Before a camping trip, I always buy glow sticks for the kids to use. It saves the batteries in the flashlights, and the kids love them. –Tony from Mesa, AZ

6. I have a pop-up camper, and with four or five of us in there along with our totes and suitcases, it was crowded. To make more room, I bought a Rubbermade storage bin with a snap close lid for each member of the family, and wrote our names on them with a permanent marker. Now I line the bins up outside of our camper and leave them there. The bins are weatherproof and bugproof when shut all the way. Now there’s no need to keep running in and out of the camper all the time for a forgotten hat, dry socks, or towels. And having the extra room inside the camper is great! –Toni from Wappinger Falls, NY

camp fire kids (flickr: steven.martimucci)

7. My kids share a lot when we go camping: A tent, gear, meals, personal space. But one thing they simply don’t seem capable of sharing is a flashlight. When darkness falls, they used to fight over the flashlight for making shadow figures, telling ghost stories, and getting around the campsite. I bought them each their own flashlight, and the arguments stopped. –Todd from Burlington, VT

8. Resist your children’s pleas to allow high-tech gadgetry at your camp. You’ll give them the gift of being able to entertain themselves without their TV, GameBoy, laptop, or iPod. They will learn how much fun it is to just talk, play cards and boardgames, and get lost in their own thoughts. And best of all, they will be able to truly tune into nature. –Kathleen from Spokane, WA

Banish vacation boredom with our printable travel games for kids.