Camping activities/outdoor activities

[mommy4ever]

I'm so ready for camping season to start.

I'm trying to plan activities for my kids. We do ALOT of camping. We camp every weekend May to September. So I would like some new ideas for things to do.

The ages of the kids are boy: 14, girls 9, 11, and 4. The little one hangs out with me, or plays at the park with her siblings. I'd like to have some organized activities to do with the kids, as well as independent. There are alot of kids at hte site, so even some large group activities that might be parent led. They are very good at being busy on their own. They love the outdoors and the extra freedom they get at the site. But I would like to organize some things.

Activities we already do:
badminton
track ball
pass
sprinkler on super hot days
wading pool
blow bubbles
soccer

indoors:
various small craft kits, would love some ideas with no kits, as they get pricey, all 3 girls love crafts, but for the little one, open ended is best.
coloring
painting

Things kids do:
hunt for bugs
catch frogs/tadpoles
bird watching(we set out food for the birds, also had baby owls last year, expecting more this year).

Further ideas would be great

[Laurie in Bradenton]

Make a plant field guide. Collect plants and press them in either a plant ress or a heavy book. Look them up in the evening. This does take alittle preplanning on your part with a few books. If you don't have them don't worry. Look the plants up when you get home. We have an Eastern Tree guide full of leaves. Over the years we've tried to find every tree in the book We mark down where we've found them and when and added a leaf. This book is now packed with great care as we don't want to damage any of the leaves hanging out. Going on ten years. "Don't forget the tree book." is said more than once when we pack for a trip.
We have gone to our local goodwill book store and second hand store of ID books on everything from shells to mushrooms and wildflowers. Its amazing how competitive kids can get about knowing the proper name to things. We've collected dozens of items like odd pinecones, abandon turtle shells, butterflies off car grills (ick) all in the name of knowledge.

Laurie in Bradenton

[CampCrazyMom]

Make casts of animal tracks! My girls love doing this. We bring plaster of paris along on every trip. Make a "ring" out of some sturdy paper, stick it in the mud (preferably) around the animal track - mix up your plaster and pour into the track. After it sets, it only takes a few minutes. You have a cast of an animal track!

We also make rubbings of tree's. Take a thin piece of paper, crayon and put against a tree and rub! You can see the different barks that trees have. This year we're on the look out for a tree identification book, I may have to break down and spend full $ on one at Borders.

I have a 10 & almost 7 yo. We camp all summer long as well. It sounds like you're at the same campground? Yearlys? We're all over the place. My girls spend as much time as they can in creeks catching frogs, crawdads, bugs you name it.

If you're not "yearly's" have you looked into Letterboxing? We try to look up a box if there is one in the area that we're camping at. I think the website is letterboxing.org

I cannot wait for camping weather!!!!

[mommy4ever]

Yes, we're seasonal campers, same site May to September. Love it. It's really easy, load up coolers and dufflebags and we're good to go! So much easier than hauling hte trailer every weekend. So much cheaper on gas too.

Those are a couple of good ideas.

Now we're having one of the girls whole team come for a weekend and I want to plan some activities for 8-10yo girls, 15 of them..lol. Ok, they are coming with their families.

[Ceashels]

Are you able to organize a treasure hunt? I'm sure all of the kids would enjoy the activity. The team that fiinishes first wins a prize like a bag of homemade cookies.

Make a list of clues that will lead the kids to a volunteer that will give them the next clue on the list.

Scavenger hunt. Have the kids form teams and provide them with a list of clues to certain objects that can be found around the campsite or that volunteers will be able to provide.

What about a tournament for a certain game that you can spread out over a weekend. Have a signup sheet for a common yet popular game (checkers, connect 4, battle ship, etc) and have the winners of each game progress to play another winner. The last one who wins... wins!

[Athena31]

Our kids enjoy a good waterballoon fight, hide and seek, campign olymipcs (you have different stations where they must do certain activites and then swith every few minutes example, hula hoop jumping rope stuff like that) it wears them out good too!