VolunteerSpot offers this free eBook filled with ideas and tips for camping with kids. Whether you camp as a family, a school, or with Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts, this eBook is sure to spark some ideas and add more fun to your adventure. Checklists and templates for using VolunteerSpot's free and easy online sign up tool ensure you get to your campout with everything you need. Have fun camping with kids!
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Great Ideas for Camping With Kids
1. Inside this eBook
Camping! Ideas for planning meals,
sports, and creative
Fresh Ideas for Families, activities
Scouts & Youth Groups Simplifying group campouts
Packing lists
Safety tips
Fun for the whole family
3. Camping with Kids
The Great Outdoors Page 4
Packing List Page 5
Getting There can be Half the Fun! Page 7
Easy Meal Ideas Page 8
Take a Hike Page 13
Nature Activities Page 15
Art Activities Page 17
Drama in the Outdoors Page 18
Sports Activities Page 19
Other Camping Activities Page 20
Safety and Ground Rules Page 22
Helpful Hints Page 23
Camping with Kids / VolunteerSpot DOING GOOD Just Got Easier!
4. The Great Outdoors!
Camping is fun! Camping also provides a perfect opportunity for children to learn about bonding
with nature and with each other. Many groups including Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and churches,
hold annual camping trips. Camping with other families can be loads of fun too!
Whether you’re a parent, troop leader,
or volunteer organizer, we’ve created
this eBook with you in mind. Our
camping eBook is filled with stress‐free
ideas and tips to make your next
camping trip fun, safe and exciting for
all.
We hope this eBook will spark your
creativity, and make the planning
easier by providing tips on how
VolunteerSpot can help you make sure
everything is covered before you even
get in the car!
Camping with Kids / VolunteerSpot DOING GOOD Just Got Easier!
5. Packing List
Check out this handy packing list for your next camping trip. Make adjustments depending on the local
weather, terrain and wildlife. It will help to keep your camping essentials in one place. Have kids help with
the packing, and remember to bring their favorite pillow and stuffed animal!
Toiletries Clothes Gear
Adhesive Tape Cap or Field Hat (sun Camp Chair
Bandages protection) Canteen or water bottle
Comb / Brush Extra Pair of Shoes Compass
Dental Floss Hiking Shorts Flashlight & batteries
First Aid Kit Light Jacket Day Pack for Hiking Activity
Insect Repellant (non‐aerosol) Light Sweater / Sweatshirt Ground Cloth
Scissors Long Pants Laundry bag
Soap Rain Poncho Laundry detergent (small)
Sunscreen Flip Flops (shower) Matches
Washcloth Shoes for Hiking and Water Pocket Knife
Play Sleeping Bag
Entertainment Swimsuit Sleeping Pad / Mattress
Books, Cards, etc Towel Waterproof Bags
Camping with Kids / VolunteerSpot DOING GOOD Just Got Easier!
6. Plan Ahead with VolunteerSpot!
When camping with a group, it’s a good idea to plan meals, activities, and
essential supplies ahead of time. Use VolunteerSpot to coordinate who brings
what. This can help avoid having ten large pots for boiling water, but no
spatulas to flip the pancakes! Things to plan for include: tents, lanterns, cook
tops, coffee pot, musical instruments (e.g. guitar, harmonica), food, canoes,
fire starters, firewood, First Aid Kit, Emergency Radio.
Camping with Kids / VolunteerSpot DOING GOOD Just Got Easier!
7. Getting There can be Half the Fun!
Are we there yet? The following ideas will make the drive to your camping
adventure fly by. The kids won’t want to get out of the car!
Christmas in the Car: Wrap some small, new toys (or old ones,
forgotten at the bottom of the toy box) and healthy snacks Twenty Questions: Take turns thinking of a well‐known
individually. When the kids get restless, or about every hour, let person, animal, place or thing. Everyone else takes
them open a new toy! turns asking “yes” or “no” questions to figure out who
or what the leader has in mind. Whoever guesses
Tin Foil Fun: See how many crazy shapes the kids can make from correctly gets to be the new leader. If nobody guesses
pieces of tin foil! correctly after 20 questions, the leader reveals the
answer and gets to select the next leader.
Sing Songs: Take turns thinking of a theme, then see how many
songs you can sing under that theme. Travel Journal: Present each child with their own travel
journal and some new pencils. Encourage them to
write about or sketch things they see along the way.
Comedy in the Car: Print some funny, kid‐friendly jokes
and put on a comedy show in the car! Knock‐knock
jokes are always a hit.
Car Bingo: Take turns looking for road signs beginning
with each letter of the alphabet. A ‐ Arizona, E ‐ Exit, N
‐ Nashville, R ‐ Railroad . . . all the way to Z. The game
can also be expanded beyond road signs. C ‐ Cow, L ‐
Lake, T ‐ Truck, and so on.
Camping with Kids / VolunteerSpot DOING GOOD Just Got Easier!
8. Easy Meal Ideas
Cooking over the campfire sounds like fun. But, if you want to spend more time hiking and
less time cooking, here are some ideas for making your meal times easy and delicious.
“Thank you for the volunteer scheduling
service that you provide – it is nice to have
a free, easy to use website that fits my Pancakes
episodic volunteer needs very well! Keep
up the great work!” Bring along a few containers of pre‐made, dry pancake batter. Just add
Kristin, Volunteer Coordinator, Recreation water and pour!
and Cultural Arts Department, Lynnwood, Eggs in a Baggie
WA
Crack 1‐2 eggs into a plastic bag. Add omelet toppings like cheese, bacon
bits, ham chunks, onion, or mushrooms. Seal the bag, leaving in a little
bit of air. Mush everything together, write your name on the bag with a
permanent marker, and place in a pot of hot/boiling water. Remove when
fully cooked. Allow to cool slightly.
Walking Tacos
Into an individual‐sized bag of corn chips, toss some pre‐cooked,
seasoned ground beef, diced tomatoes, lettuce, salsa, and shredded
cheddar cheese. Easy and delicious!
Stew, Chili or Soup
Cook a stew, chili or soup before you leave home, then freeze in small
containers or muffin tins. Store in a zipper bag. When it’s time to eat,
plop the frozen items into a pot, heat slowly over the fire or camping
stove, and serve with some bread!
Camping with Kids / VolunteerSpot DOING GOOD Just Got Easier!
9. Let’s Play With Our Food!
Here are some ideas for keeping the kids busy while they prepare a meal!
Roasted Hot Dogs
At a campsite, children are all drawn to the mystery of
the fire. Have children roast their own hot dogs on a
skewer. Take this opportunity to educate younger
children about fire safety.
Dough Boys for Breakfast
Run a hot dog skewer length‐wise through pre‐cooked
sausage link. Wrap with canned biscuit dough. Hold
over fire turning frequently till biscuit puffs and turns
golden.
Orange muffins
Cut an orange in half and scoop out the fruit. Fill the
inside with muffin or cupcake mix and roast on the grill
rack of the fire for 20‐30 minutes.
Jiffy Pop Popcorn
An old classic; kids love watching the top expand. Since
it requires being close to the fire, it is best to assign this
task to an older child or an adult.
Camping with Kids / VolunteerSpot DOING GOOD Just Got Easier!
10. Let’s Play With Our Food! (cont’d)
Bobbing for Apples
Another old favorite! Children (and adults!) dunk
their head in a tub, one at a time, and come back
with an apple in their teeth. Not only entertaining ,
but the children then eat a nutritious snack.
Fruit Parfaits
Use plastic cups and have children choose from
various fruits, yogurt, whipped cream, and
nuts/sprinkles for toppings to make delicious camp
parfaits.
Ice Cream Ball
Available from many local sources and on‐line, this
ball holds all the ingredients for camp ice cream. By
rolling the ball around the campsite, the children
create the agitation necessary to make homemade
ice cream at camp. Yum!
Watermelon Races
Scoop most of the meat from a watermelon (save it
for dessert!) and cut the rind into “shoes”. Have the
kids squish their toes to get a grip on the melon and
race to a finish line. Keep a bucket of fresh water
nearby for rinsing off their feet! Then let the grown‐
ups have a turn!
Camping with Kids / VolunteerSpot DOING GOOD Just Got Easier!
12. Use VolunteerSpot to Plan Meals
VolunteerSpot makes it so easy to plan for who will bring what when
going on a camping trip with friends.
Camping with Kids / VolunteerSpot DOING GOOD Just Got Easier!
13. Take a Hike!
Hiking is a great physical activity and educational too! Depending on the age,
attention span and temperament of your campers, hiking may require some
activities to entertain them along the way.
“VolunteerSpot makes it
easy to get more parents
involved. Thanks!” Donna, Wildlife
Girl Scout leader, While hiking, tell the kids to keep an eye out for wildlife. Count
Minneapolis, MN the number and/or types of animals spotted. Then, use the list
to educate them about each type of animal.
Nature Scavenger Hunt
Print a list containing pictures of the common bushes, berries,
trees and leaves found in the area. Have each hiker or group
try to identify all the vegetation on the list.
Stop, Look, and Listen
Every so often, throughout the hike, ask everyone to sit or
stand in place, and be as quiet as possible. Then wait for the
sounds of the forest to come to life.
Camping with Kids / VolunteerSpot DOING GOOD Just Got Easier!
14. Take a Hike! (cont’d)
Count Your Steps
While hiking, the first child in the line counts his first
step as 1, the second child then counts out loud step
number 2, all the way down the line; returning to the
front of the line after the last child has counted his
number.
The Silly Walk Hike
The line leader creates fun new walks/dances/steps
for the following kids to copy. This activity makes the
hike go faster, especially for the younger kids. Be safe
and only play this game on flat hiking trails.
Fairy and Gnome Villages
This activity is terrific for younger children. While
hiking, have kids point out possible fairy and gnome
homes, including hollow logs, fallen trees, boulders,
large leaves, etc.
Camping with Kids / VolunteerSpot DOING GOOD Just Got Easier!
16. Nature Activities (cont’d)
A Piece of Nature Guess How Many
Have each child find an “interesting” piece of Give each child a plastic container. Ask them to fill the
nature. One rule is they can’t pick items off container with small rocks, sticks or acorns. Then have a
living things, only items that are on the ground. contest to see who can guess how many items are in each
Have the children share their item with others in jar. This activity will keep them busy for hours!
a show and tell format.
–Variation: have children find items that are
“curious”, “colorful”, “funny”, or “funky”.
–Variation: have children answer two
questions for their item. If they could name
their item, what would they call it? If their
selected item could make a sound what would
it be?
Build a Shelter
Individually or in groups, see if it’s possible to
build a shelter using just pieces of wood and
leaves found on the ground. Kids learn how
difficult it can be to survive in the wilderness!
Camping with Kids / VolunteerSpot DOING GOOD Just Got Easier!
18. Drama in the Outdoors
Play
Have children make up a play about friends, camping, their favorite activity, etc. Have them
perform the play in front of the group by the evening campfire or on the last day of camping.
Campfire Stories
As children sit around a campfire, have them create a story “in the round”. Each child takes turns
adding 1‐2 sentences to the story. Try out different themes like scary, funny, or silly!
Who Am I?
Kids mimic forest animals and guess who is what.
Camping with Kids / VolunteerSpot DOING GOOD Just Got Easier!
19. Sports Activities
Classics: Frisbee, soccer, football, rubber horseshoes, badminton,
potato sack races, croquet.
Rock races: Form teams. One child from each team carries a rock on a
spoon to a designated spot, then back to the next person in line. If
the rock falls off, the camper starts over. The first team to complete
the race, wins!
Water balloon races: See above, use water balloons instead of rocks.
Water balloon toss: Make two lines facing each other. One person
tosses the balloon to their partner. Then everyone takes one step
back. Continue until there is one team remaining.
Leap frog obstacle course: Instead of jumping over each other, jump
over rocks and logs!
Frisbee golf: Use the trees as your holes. See how many throws it
takes to hit the “tree targets”. Play nine “holes”!
Camping with Kids / VolunteerSpot DOING GOOD Just Got Easier!
20. Other Camping Activities
Glow Sticks
Many dollar stores sell inexpensive glow bracelets and necklaces. The glowing items will entertain the
children, keep them more visible for nighttime tracking by parents, and comfort those who might be
afraid of the dark.
Play Tent
Set up one or more tents to be used just for play.
Stock the tent with age‐appropriate toys and books.
The Play Tent allows for play in poor weather,
provides a place for those children who might
desire some privacy, and keeps the sleeping tents
clean.
Fairy Traps
Have young children decorate a shoebox as a fairy
trap and prop it up in the woods with a stick and
marshmallow ‘bait’. At night, sneak over and
‘spring the trap’, taking the marshmallow and
leaving a little fairy dust behind (glitter). In the
morning, children will be very excited to check their
traps, and thrilled to see the glitter remains of the
fairy who got away.
Camping with Kids / VolunteerSpot DOING GOOD Just Got Easier!
21. Other Camping Activities (cont’d)
Stalking Prey Nature Journal
Explain that only the quietest of animals will Give each child a journal when you first get in the car. Have
survive during the harsh winter. Have one them document their camping adventure. They can even
person (the “prey”) sit on the ground wearing press leaves between the pages to add interest. Encourage
a blindfold with sticks on the ground between them to not only write about their experiences, but to draw
their legs. The rest of the group are pictures of what they observe.
"predators" who are stalking their "prey" (the
sticks on the ground). Then the predators try
to make their way to their prey, without being
detected. The goal is to grab a stick. If the prey
hears a noise, they point in the direction of the
sound they heard. If they are pointing to a
predator, the predator “runs away” and tries
again. The prey can also wave around their
arms and hands to try and touch a predator
when they get close. If they touch a predator,
they must go back to the beginning. Take turns
being the prey.
Camping with Kids / VolunteerSpot DOING GOOD Just Got Easier!
22. Safety and Ground Rules
Ask each child to share one or two safety rules. Capture the ideas on poster board and post at the
campsite. Make sure the following items are covered:
Fire. If your children have never been around an open
campfire, make sure they understand what fire can do, what
they should never do (like touch it), and what to do if their
clothes or something else catches on fire.
Getting Lost. It's easy to get lost, even at a fairly civilized
campsite. Review what your children should do if they get
separated from you. Consider placing a hospital style
wristband on younger children with your name, phone
numbers and campsite number.
Animals. Children are fascinated with animals, but may not understand the difference between wild and
tame animals. While most wild animals will stay away from people, animals at campgrounds can become
accustomed to people, yet they are still wild animals. Be sure your children never approach or touch a
wild animal.
Water. Even children that are able to swim can have an accident in the water. Younger children should
always be supervised around lakes and other bodies of water. Older children and teenagers should be
taught to use the "buddy system" in and around the water. Even people who can swim should use life
vests when boating or canoeing.
Camping with Kids / VolunteerSpot DOING GOOD Just Got Easier!
24. More Helpful Hints
To keep track of the little ones, attach bells to their shoelaces and give each child a ribbon to wear with a
whistle attached, just in case they wander off! To keep track of the older kids, give them walkie‐talkies to
play with. Keep one walkie‐talkie at camp, and tell the kids to keep the walkie‐talkies on at all times just in
case you need to reach them.
Big, multi‐room family tents are appealing, but they can be hazardous in windy weather. Stake out all of
the extra support lines for extra stability. If the wind picks up, keep windows and screened doors open to
allow air to pass through. A spare set of poles might save you from cutting your trip short. Smaller tents
tend to fare better in the wind.
When camping with children, consider bringing several smaller tents rather than one big one. This
arrangement will give the older children more space, and will help get younger kids settled when it is
bedtime.
Coincide your next trip with a natural event like a meteor shower, the opening of cherry blossoms, or
when wild berries are ripe. You can send the kids out in the morning with a small bucket, and make berry
pancakes for breakfast! Simply stir the berries into any regular pancake mix.
Be prepared for bugs and foul weather. If it rains, just pull everyone under the rain fly or into the largest
tent and play cards, cribbage, or other games. If it’s a warm rain, let the kids play in the rain! Have plenty
of towels handy!
Camping with Kids / VolunteerSpot DOING GOOD Just Got Easier!
26. Additional Resources
Click here for Sample Class Parent
Letters:
www.budurl.com/BTSSampleLetters
See our other free eBooks with ideas
and best-practices for:
• School Carnivals
• Teacher Gifts
• Family-Friendly Volunteering
• Fundraising with Kids
• Bake Sales
• Talent Shows
and more . . . www.VolunteerSpot.com/ebooks
Class Parent Camping with Kids / VolunteerSpot DOING GOOD Just Got Easier!