Some of the parents I’ve spoken to about family camping these past few years have expressed some nervousness about how to keep their kids busy and entertained over the course of a weekend in the woods. While we tend to focus on “camping things,” like hiking, campfires and s’mores, it’s important to realize that just because you’re camping it doesn’t mean you can’t do some of the things with your kids that you already do at home.
How to make your own campfire starters
One of our traditions here in the Scribner household is making our own campfire starters by collecting lint from the clothes dryer in old egg cartons. We have found that this not only makes for a quick and easy way to start campfires at the campsite, but it’s also a good use for both egg cartons and lint!
Cool Camping Gadgets from CES
With a hat tip to Rohit Bhargava at the Influential Marketing Blog, comes this cool multipurpose radio that is used by the American Red Cross. If it’s useful enough for the American Red Cross to handout during emergencies then it’s probably worth considering for the campsite, too. The American Red Cross FR500 Solarlink, by Eton Corporation, covers all the bases with AM/FM/Shortwave and NOAA weather bands. It also incorporates a digital alarm clock, flashlight, an emergency beacon, and an emergency siren.
Outdoor Links for January 9th
Trying to decide where to go for that perfect family camping vacation this summer? Tony Farley can help you out, with his comprehensive selection of high-definition streaming videos covering places like Crater Lake National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Arches National Park, and many more. These videos really give you a feel for what you can expect from visiting some of our nation’s great parks and it really highlights the power of the Internet as a medium for sharing experiences.
Camp Greener to Help the Environment and Your Wallet
Developing an appreciation for the environment is a natural outgrowth of camping and hiking in the great outdoors. We tend to appreciate the things that we care about most and it’s natural to want to protect those things for our children and grandchildren’s future, so that they get to experience them as we have.
Green principles like simplicity and using resources wisely are perfectly aligned with camping in the outdoors, where you have to make do with what you have. Camping greener can also save you money, which is always an important consideration in times of economic uncertainty. Here are a few tips that we have implemented over the years, which have both saved us money and reduced our camping “footprint.”