Any "must haves" for camping with kids?

patperry2766 wrote:
We took an entire box of toys/games with us for 10 days to Colorado. We ended up tripping on the box the whole time and decided it was a waste of space.

Glowsticks, marshmellows to roast & make smores, DVD player, bicycles and the normal books that we read at bedtime is all we'll probably take on the next trip.

But we had good weather and alot of family to play with so we never were forced to stay inside for any great length of time.

I was thinking the same thing with toys. I was going to give each kid a small box that they can bring whatever they can fit, but I'm rethinking that. They barely play with toys when we're home, so I don't think they'll be missed.

We have a few Kindles that they use for reading, but we can also download some movies just in case theres bad weather.

Bikes are a must, but I need to find a good way to carry 6 or them. I have Thule bars and a few trays, but need to getfeet to fit the truck.

We took an entire box of toys/games with us for 10 days to Colorado. We ended up tripping on the box the whole time and decided it was a waste of space.

Glowsticks, marshmellows to roast & make smores, DVD player, bicycles and the normal books that we read at bedtime is all we'll probably take on the next trip.

But we had good weather and alot of family to play with so we never were forced to stay inside for any great length of time.

Marsh mellows and sticks to roast them with.

Soooooo many good ideas.

The kids love (and love to fight over) flashlights, so they'll all get their own along with glowsticks.

Pie irons. You can make pizza pies, apple (any fruit) pies, breakfast sandwiches and much more. You can use this for meals or snacks.

Craft projects. Books about trees and bugs. Sometimes just sitting around the fire make up a story one word/person at a time is all you need. Have fun!

Oh yea, stars. If you have a smart phone download the SkySafari app. The constellations will come to life. Very interactive and educational. They will run your phone battery down with that one.

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A sense of humor, a sense of adventure, and lots of patience. That said, a few good astronomy charts creates some exciting evenings. There are a few good easy to read books on different cultural views of the stars. The American Indians have their own star stories. Also a calendar of satellite passes makes viewing for satellites a fun evening activity. We always gave each of the children a small storage box and a blank photo-type album, so they could collect memories and put together a travel log during the drive. Patience is a must, as you cannot send the kids out to play on the highway. You just have to create a firewall from the noise and conversation. Also, they must understand that there is no tattling, we are a team, we work together, and it is nobodies fault.
Enjoy, create lasting memories, and Happy Trails.

Around December you'll be able to find a complete paint set with crayons, brushes and washable paint at Michael's for about $5.00-$10.00. I buy a large pad of low weight artist's paper at the same time and it provides hours of fun. A deck of cards is useful as well but be sure to get a deck coated w/ lots of plastic. Last year I purchased a Kindle for the kiddos. Their schools require they read daily during the summer vacation (fine by me) so the electronic reader meant all the reading material was in one locale, paper didn't get soggy from the morning dew and it took up a lot less storage space. I purchased a version w/ a backlight so it was easy to read under the covers if wanted. We don't allow DVRs, PlayStations, etc. while camping so this was a big concession for me, LOL.
A battery operated Simon is great fun for all ages and keeps the other campers' kids constantly visiting. As well there is always Twister. It's lo tech, needs no batteries and takes up minimal space. I set it up in the screen tent on rainy days and let them "build muscles".
To keep toys to a travel able minimum I dedicate one small storage bin to children's toys. Doesn't fit? Then switch to something else or remove a toy. Simplifies everyone's life.