March 07, 2008
Special Aniversary Issue
The Official newsletter
from www.family-fun-camping.com
Issue # 6
March 2008
In this issue
- Section 1: The value of camping
- Section: 2 Fun ideas for kids
- Section: 3 Tips and tricks with general thoughts
Welcome to the sixth issue of around the campfire we are will be
doing more with this monthly feature so please be patient, for now we are trying to get the basics done while providing you some Relevant information!
Please feel free to visit the site and use the contact us forms located on many pages to make a suggestion or comment.
Section: I The value of camping
In this digital age it is not hard to find the value of taking a family camping trip, With the I Pods, cell phones, hand held games and various other electronics available to keep us busy we some times forget about the value of human interaction. Families usually are on one the go from sunrise to sunset; this is where escaping to back to nature can be a much welcomed change of pace. Parents every day have to compete with all kinds of distractions like work, bills and the stress of running a house hold. When enough is enough and you want a break camping is a natural choice, the woods provide a nice calm backdrop to rediscover time as a family.
The best idea if you’re new to this activity is have a trial run in a local campground or state park; this allows you to have the experience without the major time and financial investment. Your own back yard is a cool place to test out camping on the younger crowd, most kids will be much more comfortable sleeping in a tent in their own back yard than in a strange place.
When it comes time to purchase your equipment you will notice there is usually a substantial difference in quality and price, I would caution you sometimes you are just paying for a name brand so research is a strong recommendation. The price is usually the overall purchasing for most people just remember buying quality once is more cost effective in the long run. Personally I have had excellent luck with Coleman, Kelty and Igloo does this mean they will work for you? That is a good question because everyone treats their equipment differently.
Section II: Fun Ideas for Kids
The whole point of going camping with the kids is to have fun right so loosen up and try to let they have some fun letting your kids have some freedom could do wonders for their spirits. The set up and break of your camp site provides you the opportunity to let the kids help with thing they normally would not have a chance to. Some area(s) to consider are packing up the cloths, pillows or even clearing all the debris from the area the tent will be pitched in. The younger the camper the more important these opportunities become since they help build confidence and moral.
I did mention fun so let the games begin! Nature hunts are a personal favorite of my campers and it is fun for us taller campers as well A quick idea is to combine this with searching for kindling for your campfire and you have fun and function combined. I Spy works really well in the woods since there are a lot of similar objects to choose from.
The best way to cool down and have fun is a water balloon fight! This is harmless fun that allows everyone to relax and cool off at the same time. I would like to also point out that playing catch, badminton and Frisbee also can provide hours of family fun.
When you cook letting the kids help can actually be an activity and let them expand their comfort zone, make sure you keep things safe but interesting. There is always the time honored classic such as roasting marshmallows and Smores to help keep every one happy.
You also can buy the kids an inexpensive camera so they can make their own scrap book from the camping trip; this is a crafty idea that you can get a lot of options from like gifts for grand parents, opportunities for custom calendars and so on.
Since we are talking about pictures make sure you bring enough film, batteries ECT to capture all the fun memories to share and enjoy for years to come. I have learned the hard way to leave the camera on automatic so it can adjust the flash, shutter and so on.
Section III: Tips tricks and general thoughts
Every one enjoys a better way of doing something, so I have provided some useful ideas my family uses when camping for instance:
- Using plastic painter’s tarps to help keep the rain off your tent.
- Buying a folding rack to help clean your campsite of debris prior to pitching your tent.
- Placing a tarp under your tent slightly smaller than your tent floor to help keep you dry.
- Using rocks to secure the inside edges of you dining canopy.
- Using an outdoor door mat outside your tent door to help keep dirt out.
- Using bungee cords to secure the coolers from curious wildlife.
- Cleaning all food from your site nightly and disposing of it at the dump station.
- Keeping a charged flashlight near every ones sleeping bag for emergencies.
The tips above are a guide and should be treated as such you are the best judge of what is right for your family. Do you have a tip you would like us to pass on? Feel free to contact us.
I have some other suggestions for you that could defiantly help out; when you use a state park in your area usually you can walk the camping area and check out the sites. I personally find it hard to make a decision on a site just from a map on a computer screen. The best tool for reservation my wife and I have used is Reserve America. The reason is simply because they make it simple and easy once you are ready to book.
We now come to a major item that can affect your vacation, what to pack and how to pack it. You will want to make a list of the essentials’ and stick to it, taking too much gear is a real pain no matter what way you look at it. When you start packing your vehicle make sure the large flat items form the base in the truck area, layering the small odd shaped gear on top is a great way to improve overall storage capacity. I also use the inside of coolers, sleeping bags and under the seats to get every square inch I can out of our car.
A pre trip inspection of the vehicle we help ensure you make it their and back safely so be sure to perform one. Please remember your vehicle may require more air in the tires, take longer to stop or handle differently when loaded down so make sure you adjust your driving to meet these new conditions.
When we go camping I like to watch the weather in the area we are going for about a week or so to get an idea of what to expect, we usually print the seven day forecast and bring it with us to have a general idea of what to expect.
Life is always throwing surprises your way so make sure you leave the camp grounds office number with some one back home in case of a emergency, also check to see if you will get cell phone service in the area your staying in. In rural areas a pre paid phone card makes a lot of sense if you need to contact some one back home. When we travel to a new area I like to call the office of the campground and ask any questions before we leave to make sure we are properly prepared, not knowing you will have to bring your own tools, bed linens(for cabins) or pots and pans can be a unpleasant surprise when you are not prepared. You may be saying to yourself I will just email them, you could how ever I find talking to the actual people helps me get a feel for the overall professionalism of the campground.
The final tip I would like to pass on is the use of Space Bags for increasing storage, these are the vacuum sealed bags that shrink to half their size. When you use these you can really save some space.
I would like to personally thank you for subscribing to our News letter and look forward to talking to you in the next issue.
Remember to Find Your Family Camping
Scott
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