Happy Camping- The Necessary Nonessentials

Camping with kids is a whole lot of fun. I can say that with all honesty- even through the bug bites and lack of sleep and temper tantrums and messy faces. The happiness it brings our family and the unplugged time we get to spend with each other is worth all those less-then-fun moments.  There’s always a learning curve when you try anything new with kids and luckily the more you do it the better you get at it.  Children begin to adapt to the camping enviroment and eventually everyone becomes more relaxed through the whole process. There is, however, a few of our favourite products that make camping with kids just a little bit easier and a lot more fun.

Natives Shoes-

We are a little obsessed with our Natives around here. They wash up so easily, they pass down from kid to kid seamlessly, they are easily put on (and taken off)  by toddlers and they are the perfect outdoor adventuring shoe. There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t get asked about what kind of shoes the girls are wearing and I’m constantly singing their praises.  Violet’s pair from last year made it through the whole summer, 8 weeks of winter tropical getaways and then passed on to Maeve with only a quick scrub and soak. After Maeve outgrew them we passed them along again, still in great condition. Any shoe that can do that is worth the price tag in my book. And bonus! They’re super cute and my kids always ask to wear them. I think they perfect for camping- they’re hybrid water shoes and if anyone walks through mud  (this happens often and usually on purpose) it only takes a trip to the water pump and you’re good to go right away. Comfy, cute and clever? #winning (scroll through my blog to see our Natives in action)
Find them here
Or you can locally purchase them at Oasis Shoes at WEM.

Bug Kit and a identification book-

My girls love finding all sorts of tiny creepy crawlies while out camping.  It’s become a staple to bring a bug kit, a net, and our “Bugs of Alberta” book.  It’s an easy independent activity they can do around the campsite while I’m making dinner or setting up camp. And they get to learn while having fun. Then the bugs get let go back to their little bug families and we go home without any souvenirs.
You can find simple plastic bug containers and nets at the dollar store, or sturdier ones like this one at MasterMind Toys.
This book has proved to be perfect for our trips (and it’s pretty facincating for mom and dad too!)

Tiny Tent-

Depending on how much space we have in the car we like to bring a tiny tent for the kids to play in. We have a small one person pop up tent we sometimes  bring along, but have now started to bring a super simple play tent. Why you ask? Because my girls like to play “house” in our tent. However, I don’t really like the bugs, dirts, sand toys and the like all over our sleeping space. So bringing a tiny play tent for them to go in and out of (leaving the door open as they wish) is a perfect compromise and keeps us all sane.
Ours is similar to this one,  but Ikea also has  this one

Fun Camping Snacks-

Snacks are very important part of the camping experience 🙂 I’m kinda a s’mores purist and like my s’mores the traditional way, but I have been known to add a little peanut butter or nutella onto the graham cracker. We also don’t head out without Jiffy Pop to cook over the fire or bread dough to make bannock (super easy to just buy pillsbury pre-made dough). We’ve mixed it up and made banana boats and waffle cones full of marshmallows, chocolate and strawberries, but whatever you bring, make it fun and create some memories.
In case you don’t know what Jiffy Pop is, follow this link for the yumminess.

Mini Lanterns-

Every kid I know likes playing with flashlights, headlamps or little lanterns. They make going to the bathroom in the middle of the night fun and story time at bedtime a memorable experience. The amount of times  I have to tell my girls to turn off their lights at night is probably a bit ridiculous, but they’re having fun and loving making shadows across the tent. We’ve had quite a few different models and types of lanterns over the past couple years, but our favourite one has a super cute smile and the batteries have lasted for ever. The dollar store also seems to always have different flashlights for kids as well, which is definitely worth checking out if you are trying camping for the first time and don’t want to invest in fancy kid headgear.
Mini Mioche carries our fav, this super cute one

Fire Colour Changer-

Changing the colour of the fire is always a crowd pleaser.  It’s cheap, it’s fun and kids (and adults!) can sit and watch the fire change colours contently. I have read there is a way to make this yourself, but for now we will purchase it at Canadian Tire or Cabela’s. Each pack doesn’t last long, so maybe bring a couple, but it’s the perfect way to end a day.
Funky Coloured Flames or Campfire FX available to purchase in store.

 

Honourable mentions-

-Footie pyjamas for camping early in the season or on colder weekends

-Bikes and helmets for exploring the campground

-Rubber Boots in case of rain or early morning dew

-Our favourite Camelback Water bottles to ensure no leaks and to keep them hydrated (it’s so easy to forget to drink water when you aren’t around a tap)

-Quiet time activities (Kids need downtime after running around all day. Colouring books, notebooks for journalling or simple crafts go a long way in the late afternoon when everyone needs some relaxing. If you are camping at an Alberta Park, most of the campground check-ins or campground hosts seem to have colouring books to give to the kiddos, and bonus, they are themed all about nature)

-Beach toys (ours also seem to double as cooking utensils to make leaf soup or stone smoothies around camp)

-cereal in little individual boxes  (Violet added that one in, along with the always welcome “good friends to play with”)