Camping - Food & Games

K.,

Just a few ideas for you. I usually take a crock pot to cut down on how long I have to stand around and cook. I place a small pot roast, potato's, carrots, onions, celery (the veggies I cut up and place together in a ziploc) cover with water, turn on the crock (using the electric hook up at the camp) and enjoy my day. You can also do the same exact thing for chicken if you chose. I will even make my spaghetti in this as well. Easy to clean and little to no mess. The kids love it. We camp all of the time. However the first night we are like everyone else sandwiches or hotdogs.
For as things to do my girls love to go on a scavenger hunt. I will make up a list of things to look for print them off on a paper. Then when we get to the camp ground they get their paper/pencil and start their hunt. I also make a small little workbook for each one. I will print off papers with the title "Your Favorite Thing You Loved About this Camping Trip!" or "Your Most Hated Thing we Forced You to do This Camping Trip!" If your children are to young to write than have them draw the pictures of their favorite things. Go online to www.txpd.state.tx.us they have a plether of information for stargazing, birdwatching, etc... I love to bird watch. Alot of parks will have places specifically to do this at. They usually provide pictures of the birds to look for. Just in case you could go to Lowes/Home Depot for the Backyard Bird Book. It is about 2.99 I believe and it has 90 color photos and information about each bird. You could go to the Library and CHeck out a bird book as well.

Have a fantastic time. Camping is a wonderful way to teach our little ones about nature and how to respect it.

Dene'

I don't know about camping food, except maybe Frito Pie (chili in a bag of Fritos.) :)

But...I CAN give you some ideas about entertaining the girls. What about making Shadow Puppets? My kids LOVE shadow puppets, and it is hilarious to see what "puppets" they come up with and make. You could also make beaded bracelets/necklaces with pony beads and plastic line; the kits are sold at craft stores. What about a Nature Journal? You'll need some notebooks (or one that they can share) and tape. They can tape interesting objects they've found near the camp site that you can talk about (colors, textures, etc.) You can write down where you found it and the date and anything else you want on that page- maybe something funny that happened on the trip that day. You can take some permanent markers that they could make "Rock People" with. You could help them. They might even "dress up" their "people" with leaves as clothes, flowers as a hat, or even a stick as a fishing pole. Put on a play later with their "rock people" and just have fun with them.

Oh, there are so many ideas! Let me know if you want more. I just don't want to take up all the space. lol

We're going camping next week...our menu includes pancakes, with and without chocolate chips, "bird in a nest" (toast with hole cut in it with an egg in it cooked until the egg isn't runny), chicken fajitas and grilled chicken sandwiches. We've also done hamburgers & hot dogs, but tend to like the fajitas better!
Have fun!

We love camping! How many nights will you be staying? I usually do hamburgers and hotdogs the first night. Most camp sites have grills, but we take a portable one. I buy the pre-made patties. It is quick and easy. We also do pork chops. I throw the chops with the marinade in a gallon size ziplock bag the day we leave, and put it in the cooler. I usually use the lawry's 30 minute marinade, carribean jerk flavor. It is soooo good. My husband begs for it. You can also wrap potatoes in foil and throw them in the camp fire for a few hours. Some times I even bake them ahead and put them in the cooler. You can fry them up in the morning for breakfast. Jiffy pop is great fun for the kids. You can pop it right over the camp fire. A fun dessert for the kids is called banana boats. Take a banana, leave the peel on, slice the side open, and stuff with choco chips and mini marshmallows. Wrap in foil and put in camp fire until ooey gooey. Don't forget about s'mores!!! Like I said, we love to camp, I could go on all night. Let me know if you need any more ideas!!!

For food ideas, hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill. I would suggest making patties ahead and freezing them in zip lock bags. During the day chips, bread, lunch meat, juice box's, apples, bananas, grapes, crackers, and snack food.
You will love the park. If you go to the dollar tree you can get the girls butterfly nets, flashlights. They can catch firefly's. They will be exhaused by dark and ready for sleep more than likely. But a good trick is to use flashlight to teach them shadow puppets while laying in sleeping bag. There are a lot of trails and wild flowers. Bring bug spray, first aid kit and water shoes, they river bottom has lots of rocks that are slick. Don't forget your first aid kit, they will more than likely get a few scrapes.

Hi K.,

What we do is preparing a nice red pastasauce with minced meat and everything you usually trow in it. Freeze it, and when we go camping we put it in the cooler. That's for the first night. You only have two pits, one for the pan with pasta, one to heat up the sauce.
Second night we eat rice and an indian sauce with chicken, also already prepared and frozen. (one pan rice, one pan heat the sauce)
The frozen boxes help also to keep the cooler cool.
The thirth night we go to Mac Donalds. Or eat bread with a fried egg on top.
And the fourth night you're on your own! LOL

We love camping, but what we don't like is cooking on a two pit stove, you can't make a decent meal!

Good luck, happy camping, it is sooooo much fun.

I.

We camp all the time. Tacos are easy to make ahead. Just cut everything up and cook the meat at home, then all you have to do is heat the meat up once you are there. When camping, we usually skip the taco shells and just dump the meat, cheese, and veggies on a pile of Doritos - instant nachos.

As for games, bring a couple of their favorite board games along. Candyland, Shoots and Ladders, etc. Also, glow sticks in different colors are always a big hit.

I don't know much about camping food because I don't do much camping, but with three boys I better learn, huh?! LOL. Anyways, I have a 5 and 3 year old also and they love doing the game where you start a story and go around adding to the story. Like I will start out, "There once was a bear who..., then my five year old will pick up with his part of the story. The best response is always from my 3 year old who goes off in left field, but it makes for a silly story. I was also going to mention a Nature Journal. Good Luck!