AlphaTrilogy.com

23 October 2007

Camping With Kids, Part 1

Posted by Darrell under: Guest Writer Series .

Camping With Kids, Part 1
by Wade

I felt bad getting them a video game.  Boys of that age should be running around the woods, playing war, trying to hook thier first brown trout.  See, with the custody battle of late, it appears that the twins may never get to go camping with their father, and may grow up never knowing the wonders of the outdoors that I came to love at about the same age.  Enter yours truly, an overly ambitious, just married type with no kids.  No kids?  I’ve never even taken them for the night, let alone what may be my greatest adventure yet: Camping with Kids.

So we’re heading off to the Chattahoochee National Forest, just outside of Amicalola Falls State Park in Northern Georgia for mutual learning experiences, and what I hope will have a positive impact on them for the rest of their lives.  I have so many questions to sort out before Saturday, but I know it’s impossible to prepare for everything.  Do I teach them how to build a fire, or will my sister kill me for lending that knowledge to second graders? Dig a hole, or drive fifteen minutes to the lodge? And most importantly, how can I make this a positive experience for them as they grow and mature?

Here’s what I have so far, any comments or suggestions would be most helpful - you know, avoid one disaster at a time kind of thing.  We’re getting lunch on the way, so all I’ve got to cook is supper and breakfast, oh and teach them how to make smores. We’ll visit the falls, do a short hike to some trout pools, and stop anywhere along the way that they find interesting. I’m bringing them an air mattress, a sleeping bag, and extra blankets. A flashlight for each one, wet-naps galore, and some snacks, and then we should be ready for anything.  Is there anything else kid-specific to bring to the woods?  Surely, and I’ll include that long list of “I wish I hads” next time.  I’m going to follow up with my findings next week, and probably have what many will find a fun, safe, albeit humorous incursion into mother nature.

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Wade is looking for your suggestions on his camping trip with the kids. Please feel free to post your suggestions in the comment section below. He has also promised to write a follow up article about how his camping trip went. Wade is the author of the Great Outsmores Blog. If you haven’t read it yet, please check it out. For his diligence in preparing this article, I’m going to send him whatever he wants from the AlphaTrilogy Swag Shop. Thanks Wade!

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