5 Fun-Filled Outdoor Activities For Camping With Kids

When camping with kids, what activities are best? There are the old standbys of hiking, fishing, swimming, and kayaking. For parents, these activities can be as useful as Badge Clips. But what about the times between those activities? There are the times when your child is waiting for a meal to be served. There are the times after dinner when there is not enough time or daylight to go on a major camping activity. And there are times when your kids just need a break from "regular" camping activities. Regardless of when they are used, these activities will ensure that there is never a dull moment for your kids, during the next family camping trip:

1. Making skits a hit. Kids love to be in the limelight, so camping skits give them the opportunity to do their best Shakespearean impersonation around the campfire. You can find several camp skit scripts on the Internet. Make sure that you rehearse the skits with your kids. One child can even serve as a narrator, to make the skit more dramatic. When your kids perform the skit for you, make sure that each of them is ready for his or her part. Also, the older kids can help the younger kids, and particularly with lines.

2. Mother Nature up close and personal. A Coleman for Kids Nature Viewfinder makes an excellent tool to allow your little ones to explore their world. Within the campground, they can examine the soil, plants, sticks, rocks, and insects in the area. Also, they can investigate the grain in the picnic table, and count the knotholes it contains. You can then teach your kid about how knotholes can help to estimate a tree's age.

3. North by northeast. First, all the children must learn where North is on the compass. Have them choose one object that is directly north, south, east, and west. A chosen leader then shouts out one of the four directions. Then the kids must race to the object that is in that particular direction. The child who last touches the object is eliminated from the game. After a few rounds of the game, you can add the intercardinal points (Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest). Then add a new object in each of those four locations, to make it more challenging.

4. Making an impression. Drawing and coloring make excellent activities for kids, and this activity allows them to nurture their artistic skills. Along with your Clear Vinyl Badge Clips, make sure to pack some blank sheets of paper; and colored pencils or a pack of crayons. At the campground, have your child collect objects with textures, such as leaves, tree bark, and stones. The kids should gently rub the pencil or crayon over the image, allowing an image to magically appear on the paper. Put a label on each picture, to remember what it is, who made it, and where he or she made it.

5. Beyond marshmallows. With this activity, children do not cook using a campfire. They can eat the campfire itself! Gather a paper plate, fork, spoon, and a cup of clear water for each kid. The ingredients should include coconut (shredded), licorice, pretzel sticks, raisins, and red hots candies. The plate is the campfire site, the spoon is a shovel, the fork is a rake, and the cup is a water bucket. Meanwhile, raisins form the fire ring, coconut is the tinder (for starting the fire), kindling should be represented by pretzel sticks, and a sprinkle of red hots signify the campfire's coals.

Family camping trips can be about more than hiking. Using some fun activities can make camping as effective as practical Mylar Badge Clips. Happy family camping!