Childrens activities

Ry-guy · 05-11-2012, 01:09 PM

So, we are fairly new to the RV lifestyle. We just recently purchased a Jayfeather 228 so the wife, myself and our three kids (seven year old boy and twin four year old girls) can head out camping on the weekends. But the wife and I are mostly apprehensive about having things to do for the kids so they do not go stir crazy. For the wife and I we can easily sit around outside and relax after a hard week of work. But we are worried the kids will have nothing to do and bug us to the point that it will no longer be fun going out. We are planning on camping in a bunch of different places. Some that are in the forest some with a beach and some in the mountains. Some times we will have some sight seeing to do but other times it will just be to sit around. Anyone else have a younger family who are out camping with nothing much to do and what do you do to keep your kids entertained so you could sit back and relax? There will be trips where it is just the five of us so there may not be anyone to visit with either. Am I just being paranoid or is there something we should plan on to ensure the camping trip is relaxing yet entertaining for everyone? Thanks

nylyon · 05-11-2012, 01:34 PM

Aside from their bikes we have a few outdoor games that we keep ONLY in the camper such as bean bag toss, and some ladder game with balls on a rope. Driveway chalk, bubbles, coloring books, "shut the box" game, Uno, fishing poles, butterfly nets, frisbee, whiffle ball and bat. Small screen room where they can do their own little "camping", basketball, tennis ball (just for throwing), kick ball. Of course if your kids are like mine, after an hour or so of them playing together, someone is bound to do something to the other one and this one did that and that one did this.......

The driveway chalk is great and will keep them busy for HOURS, but I have run across other campers who get cranky when the kids draw on the pavement? A big easel with black board and white board can serve instead of the black top, and be *almost* as much fun.

Quahog · 05-11-2012, 01:56 PM

Take the kids hiking on one of the trails and if you want them to have real fun, get a small pup tent and set it up outside. Kids will play for hours in their own space.

Phar0e · 05-11-2012, 03:27 PM

I keep an eye out during the year for puzzle books and activity books to put into grab bags. This year I found a book on making paper airplanes, tons of patterns of different styles. Starting them on collecting things is a great idea as well. Be sure to check with the hosts of a campground they sometimes have planned activities as well. If your kids are older 12 and up...you could check into geocaching where they use a GPS to locate hidden "treasure". Most parks and tourist spots have these caches waiting to be found. If not they can hide their own and take turns looking. Only thing is you need a gps and they have to learn how to use it.

bayleightucker · 05-11-2012, 05:11 PM

all other comments are great but also be prepared for bad weather, if you have to spend a day inside the tt, be prepared, board games, color books, videos,and a few cheap ponchos, so when you can stand no more, you can all take a walk in the rain. happy camping!

dg1971 · 05-11-2012, 05:33 PM

All of the above comments are good, but my advice is this.....Camping is a family event. First trip, involve yourselves with your kids, nature hikes, cooking out, smores, campfires, scary stories after dark, anything and everything you can do with them. Second trip, leave all of them with G.mom and G.dad and you two go and RELAX....do things at your pace. Then, just alternate with and without the kids. You will enjoy both.

jayeagle12 · 05-11-2012, 05:34 PM

Bring a paint set and pick rocks to paint, when we go to campgrounds we look for ones with swimming pools, Buy a little plastic aquarium tank and find out what new temporary pets you can discover. A frog will preoccupy them for awhile.

squidmotion · 05-11-2012, 05:53 PM

ok.. this wins long squidmo post of the day.... here goes:

we've played many hours of 'sorry' in a pop up... we also have a rule... no dvds can be brought camping unless the movie is over 20 years old... sometimes i enforce the 50yr movie rule (came up with that one on a hunch, works great).... we do bring along the PS1... it's fun to beat kids at pac man... WELCOME TO MY WORLD, YOUNGSTER.

bikes are great, but don't be surprised how far a child can go on one.. better sneak off a bit before a trip to get your wheels under you..

buy kids a digital camera of their own. getting them to keep a journal or scrapbook is fun as well... tell them to find something to glue in it from every place they stop.. (legal, of course)..

we've always tried to make sure campgrounds were more 'kid-friendly'.. maybe a playground or pool. maybe a lake for fishing... easy access to the beach without any dangerous roads to cross, etc.

be sure to let them help in anything that involves getting dirty, or messy... like helping dig out a stuck jeep... or cleaning fish in the rain... getting them to help hook up in the rain... give them some responsibility other than taking out the garbage.... making kids part of the team is a win-win.

we always include 'indoor' things into our trips, as plan B to a rainy day.. museums, maybe a movie in town, or something out of the weather and out of the camper...

like on the boat, when the fish aren't biting, or it's too rough, or the surf is crummy, it's always cool to go look for shells on the beach, or go snorkling, etc. etc. showing kids how boring camping (or fishing) can be is not the way to impress them with it.

also, if it's too hot during the day, nighttime hikes can be really fun, even for the young-uns... mornings are prime.. don't waste time on breakfast.... kids wanna GO. grab a pack of peanut butter crackers and a jug of water and enjoy the morning.....come in when it's early lunch, eat, nap, etc. when the sun comes out, then hit it again in the afternoon into evening...

i guess the key (at least in our adventures) is to not go too hardcore for them... try to do things that you know they'll find fun, even if they haven't done that particular thing before... keep the pace more at a kids level... pause to look around... let them kind of feel the way, ask them how they are feeling (they might not tell you if they are feeling bad).. give them options on what is going to happen in a day... let them lead the pack.

i guess i could go on... good memories of our oldest who is now in college... and soon-to-be memories with littlesquid who is 5yrs old.... gonna be fun, getting to do it all over again...

by the way, and it probably goes without saying, take lots of photos... i mean A LOT.

clubhouse · 05-11-2012, 08:04 PM

As the parent of 6 & 4 y/o girls and 1 y/o boy all I can say is you are kidding yourself :-) No matter what you bring for kids of this age, including other kids, parents are the primary source of entertainment. There is very little sitting back and relaxing for the grown ups in our campsites---at least while kids are awake. Hopefully when they get older that will change, right now we are very happy to get 30 minutes of undisturbed RR. We just keep reminding ourselves we are make memories and will never get this time back.

squidmotion · 05-11-2012, 08:39 PM

yes... i guess i forget that i've always had 'kid' and not 'kids'..... it's easy to concentrate on just one... good luck with sibs.... hehehe. :P

clubhouse · 05-11-2012, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squidmotion

yes... i guess i forget that i've always had 'kid' and not 'kids'..... it's easy to concentrate on just one... good luck with sibs.... hehehe. :P

You haven't forgot, you have it very right. Look at you list nearly every activity has parental engaging. Its this interaction with them that keeps them from going stir crazy. Doesn't matter if it's a only child or a dozen.

Unfortunately this isn't real conducive to sitting around relaxing after a stressful week at work.

tslarson · 05-13-2012, 05:47 AM

As mentioned earlier, sidewalk chalk is a good "at the campsite" occupier for kids. My 11 year old daughter loves it so much we need to make sure the campgrounds (mostly state forest) have paved roads so she can draw. I was a little worried that people wouldn't like all the drawing on the roads, but really haven't had anyone ever indicate that, I don't worry about the other people any more. People that walk by usually stop to chat with her and admire her work. Have to look out for cars and bikes. I attached two picture of her work, yes that is me in the red shirt.

MrKong · 05-13-2012, 06:49 AM

Since they outlawed real lawn darts, a good game of Cornhole is always fun while camping.

Ry-guy · 05-14-2012, 06:47 PM

Thanks for all of the ideas! I packed a bunch of different things based on suggestions and am feeling pretty confident that we can keep them entertained at least for awhile. Ryan

Ladywendolyn · 05-14-2012, 08:12 PM

Our favorite kid activities are..
Acrylic paint set to find and paint a rock
Mini golf clubs.. If you have your own you can play often on the campground ones.. Or get them busy designing their own course and digging olds.
Skipping rope.. Tons of uses.. Even the boys use it for tying up the younger ones..lol
Old fashioned puzzles.. 100 pc only so they can actually finish it.
A compass and a whistle..Hours of fun
A volley ball set and a cheap lightweight ball that can not hurt anything..

squidmotion · 05-19-2012, 06:25 PM

another thing to remember.. sometimes our national parks have EXCELLENT programs for our kids... tours, hikes, etc.

great suggestions in here... i will be packing the chalk for my little one...

i plan to build a 'washer tossing' board...

we bring the skateboards as well.. we have longboard models, and they are nice for quietly cruising around... not for use everywhere, of course, but the kids sure think they look cool (and they do), as they glide around.....

my oldest (now 21) back in the day....

CruizinKim · 05-19-2012, 10:04 PM

We have tons of games/cards that are kept in the camper. They are allowed to bring DVD's for quiet time (after 9 or 10pm). The boys will throw a football & my daughter can't seem to get enough of her jump rope. This last trip, my hubby & I used a lightweight electric cord as a jump rope. She loved it! We also lucked out with a swinging vine located on our site. She loved that too!

robo59097 · 05-30-2012, 05:29 AM

I just tie them up to 3 different trees. Make sure to get locking collars so they can't get out!! hey, it's good enough for the dog.

squidmotion · 05-30-2012, 06:47 AM

yeah, i hear you...

you put a high voltage neck collar on the beloved family dog, that's ok... you do the same thing to your teenager, and all of a sudden you've gone to far......

McMonk · 06-01-2012, 06:22 PM

You know...we never really worried too much about that stuff. We generally camp in Provincial parks with little/no stuff specifically designed for kids. After a few bouts of "I'm bored" they figured out how to entertain themselves and its no longer much of a concern. We also had a small tupperware container which they loaded up with outdoor stuff to play with. Space is limited, so they had to plan out what they were going to bring. And lots & lots of books!

When the kids were the same age as yours, we had very little lazing about - it was all about getting "out there" and enjoying the world around us. Hiking, exploring, biking...the whole bit! Embrace it all now - when they hit about 11 they may not want to be camping any longer! and that comes faster than you can imagine....

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