It’s officially spring break and as parents, we are all looking for ways to keep our children entertained more than ever since we are all quarantined to our homes for the time being. For many of us, we have been home for almost a month now, and cabin fever is starting to set in. Children (and parents) are getting restless and dysregulated because boredom and redundancy. Realistically, there are only so many options of places to go and things to do. So how about going on “Homecation” in your own backyard and going on a campout? It’s like a little mini vacation that will make you feel a million miles away without having to go anywhere!
My family and I had planned our first big camping trip for spring break before the world stopped and we were told to shelter in place. The kids were very disappointed, as were we as parents. Before we had children, my husband and I went tent camping a lot and wanted to pass the tradition on to our children.
But how do you pull this off? First and foremost, we don’t set our expectations too high. We understand that children have a low tolerance for change and acknowledge that they have a low attention span. We know that at any time we may need to pack up and head indoors. But the goal is to not go back inside for any reason (unless it’s weather or bathroom related). The second aspect to focus on is planning. There is no such thing as too much preparation! And even though we don’t try to expect too much, we do have to plan out as many details as possible for a smooth experience! Planning out items you need, activities to play, packing food in advance, etc will help you have the best experience. Pretend that you aren’t at home and can’t go back inside to get anything. Pack and pretend as if it were a true camping trip!
Before our time starts, we bring out everything we need so our trips inside are non existent or minimal at best. If we forget something we try to rely on what we have and survive without it if possible. We try to only come inside to use the bathroom. But if you have a young toddler, I also suggest you bring your training potty outside for any emergency trips or for the middle of the night! Our camping trip starts at dinner time. We have a grill outside in the backyard, so we prepare some burgers and or hot dogs and sides to eat on the backyard patio. We bring extra chairs to put up next to the tent with a little table so we can sit and eat there if we want instead of the table. Then we roast marshmallows and make s’mores by the fire pit together. Once we are done, we play one or two board games, read a book or two under the lantern, look up at the stars, and then go to sleep! This year, we made sure to dress warmly and bring extra blankets since the weather still isn’t that warm.
Since our kids go to bed earlier than my husband and I, we were even able to plan some adult time once the kids were in bed, and sat right outside the tent in our chairs or at the table where we could play cards, a board game, or even watch a movie together on the iPad! We try to limit the use of electronics while we are camping, since we wouldn’t typically have Wi-Fi in a real camping environment, but in this case, we made an exception to watch a movie together on the iPad. You can either do this outside the tent with chairs and a table or in the tent with headphones and a split jack.
We made sure to bring a lot of water and also food that would be low maintenance. Breakfast consisted of bananas and muffins. Nothing had to be refrigerated or cooked! We did bring out our cooler so we could have cold snacks like berries, cheese sticks, hummus, and yogurt but also brought other room temperature snacks like pretzels and crackers. For lunch I made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chips. Breakfast and lunch were easy and quick meals that required no cooking. Just don’t forget the utensils, paper towels, wet wipes, can opener, plates, and cups!
We mostly spent the day playing in the backyard and inside the tent. We packed puzzles, books, board games, crayons, paper, art supplies, and an assortment of toys so both of our children wouldn’t get bored. The sandbox was also a big hit! And did I mention we listened to a lot of music? We may have even had an impromptu dance party!
This quarantine camping trip was such a fun bonding experience for all of us. The kids had so much fun! It was refreshing to take time out of our busy schedules and mundane routines to mix it up and have fun without costing us any money (except for food). We barely used any electronic devices and found ways to have fun outside by exploring things we don’t normally choose to play with and do!
What are your plans for Spring Break?
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