One of my all time favorite family memories growing up was going camping. Sometimes my parents would just pitch a tent in our backyard in good old Chicopee, MA and let my sister and I camp out in the backyard, but more times than not we would spend our summers camping at campgrounds. When my own children were younger, we didn't go camping often. There was something about camping with five children, three of them under 5 and in diapers, that took all the fun out of it. Now that our children are older (my youngest, the twins, are 8) camping has become an all time favorite family vacation that brings joy to us all. And while our last camping experience was more like glamping with a safari tent and a coffee maker for mom, we have also enjoyed many weekends tent camping together. In fact, my father in law owns some property off the grid in Chester and the kids spend many weekends throughout the year hanging out with grandpa at "camp". These adventures have not only become a fun filled family experience for us but have turned into some wonderful learning experiences for my children that they can keep with them for years to come. Even with the wash out this weekend, camping has still proven to provide a wonderful experience for my kids and below I give my top reasons why I love taking my kids camping and hope that your kids will be able to experience it too!
1.Electronics Free: As a mother of five, electronic devices have become a tool and babysitter more times than I would probably like to admit to help me have some free time or get things done. Just in this past year alone with the corona virus, my kids have had more screen time than ever between using technology to learn, socialize, and cure boredom when we were forced to stay home and socially distance ourselves from outside friends and family members. But camping provides an outlet for them to get outdoors and be electronic free. With either no electronics or very limited electronics, my kids are forced to find new ways to entertain themselves. Even for us adults, it is a time away from the screens and a time for us to play and talk with our children. We play games, we hike, we build fires, we tell stories and we participate in fun campground activities that we don't get to do at home. There is a lot that goes into setting up and taking down camp and all this work allows for much teamwork in a way that doesn't truly feel like chores. I cherish this electronic free time and it helps me alleviate some of the mom guilt that I have had over the years.
2. Independence: Camping gives my children so much independence, more than I probably ever allow them at home for whatever reason. My children help set up tents, build fires, and pack and unpack their own belongings. They have learned to cook eggs and hotdogs on the fire and get to set up their own sleeping arrangements as they see fit. When we go to campgrounds, we give our children the freedom to ride throughout the campground without us because we don't have the same worry as we do at home like worrying they will be hit by a car. They choose the activities they want to participate in each day and come and go as they please (with a few check ins throughout the day). Once back at our campsite for the night, we do not impose a bed time and allow them to decide when they are tired. Watching them enjoy this freedom and independence makes my heart happy and it makes me so proud to provide these larger opportunities to make their own choices.
"The greatest gift you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence." ~ Denis Waitley
3. Fire Education: Kids and fires is a combination that has always made me very nervous so with camping I took the opportunity to teach my kids about the dangers of fires and how they can always stay safe. Our kids have never learned more about fire than they do through camping. Sure, we discuss fire safety at home and have a fire escape plan if ever there was an emergency, but they don't experience fire first hand besides through our gas stove. While camping, the kids have learned how to build their own fires, what to do if a fire gets out of control, how to use fire to cook, and how fires can spread rapidly and create a path of destruction. This past weekend we even discovered how hard it is to build a fire with soaking wet wood. :) Now sitting around a campfire watching my kids roast their own marshmallows and trying different types of smores (hello Reese's Peanut Butter Cup smores) makes me smile from ear to ear and worry a whole lot less. We even discuss how people in the "olden days" used fires to survive. It's such a great learning opportunity and it helps this momma feel safer knowing that the kids are well educated on the matter.
4. Exploring Nature: One thing this year has brought out in all of us is a new found love of nature. Having to socially distance ourselves from everyone this past year has lead us on many new hiking adventures. In these adventures, we have come to learn a lot about the woods, birds, trees, and animals and camping allows us to take those adventures even further by actually spending much more time in the great outdoors. The kids (and myself) have become much more aware of nature and spend time just listening and being mindful of all that is around us. They point out squirrels and different types of birds, admire new types of trees and are always so cautious as not to leave anything but our footprints behind. In our last few camping trips we were reminded why we must always remember to not leave any food out in the open as it will bring on the wild animals. One trip we came face to face with a skunk who was getting into some forgotten chips and another time a squirrel jumped out of a box with hamburger buns in it in the middle of the day. We have done many nature studies during homeschool this year and I am able to witness how much they love it during our camping trips. This past Memorial Day weekend was tons of rain but that didn't stop my children from hopping on their bikes and riding around the camp grounds soaking wet. We love the sounds at night and the way the trees look in the dark sky. We love the illumination of the fire and staring up at the stars while listening to the crickets. Nature is so beautiful and I love that my children have come to admire it through our camping experiences.
"Time spent amongst trees is never wasted." ~ Katrina Mayer
5. Making New Friends: This past year has been a lonely place for so many of us as we were stuck home or on the other hand thrown into working more hours than we ever imagined. Wearing masks took away smiling faces and socially distancing ourselves from people we rarely went without seeing made so many of us, including kids, so sad and lonely. Kids were forced out of schools and only had their computers and electronics to see and communicate with friends. My kids left their beloved public schools to stay home and be homeschooled together with their mom. While homeschooling has become a wonderful learning opportunity for us all, I could see how much my kids missed being around other kids their own age. Going to campsites, especially this past Memorial Day weekend when things were finally starting to open up, has allowed my kids to make so many new friends. They played with kids they never met before from all different areas and even exchanged phone numbers and addresses for pen pals. Watching them find one special friend or hang with a group of friends their own age reminded me how much kids need that social interaction and camping is such a great opportunity for that. This past trip I saw my kids make friends with our camping neighbors, play basketball with kids twice their age, and watched them learn new dance moves from groups of kids at the weekend dance party. What outdoors gives to nature, campground activities gives to friendships. I love that camping gives kids from all over a way to connect and just be kids.
"Every new friend is a new adventure ... the start of more memories. " ~ Patrice Lindsay
Pleasure to Meet You!!
Hi, I'm Carrie. i have been with my husband Matt for over 10 years and we have 5 children and a fur baby. I'm originally from Chicopee and although I have moved around a few times in my life, we have been living in our home in Aldenville for 9 years now. My family and I are love our neighborhood and enjoy connecting with other. When I am not homeschooling our 4 youngest children, I enjoy hiking, exercising, reading and traveling.
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