We are going camping this weekend with our 15 month old and I am curious on other people opinions on things to do with her. We have a camper trailer and going to National Forest so there will be nothing to do. We figure going for some walks and letting her just get dirty, but I was looking for some ideas for other things to do. We are going to collect pine cones and I will take glue and glitter to dip them in...any other suggestions? I just want her to have a good time! You all are wonderful! :)
Take bubbles and a flashlight for her... my kids love to play "catch tinkerbell" with flashlights when it's dark (or even when it's not so dark) the other thing they love rain or shine is an umbrella- I don't know why but they are facinated with them. Go on walks and play the 'I spy' game... I know she is too young to truly play it but with flowers in bloom and everything else it's a more interesting way of pointing things out!
Oh man! There are lots of things you can do when you take your daughter camping! Just letting her explore will keep her busy for hours! Take a shovel & pail so she can dig in the dirt, and maybe a ball and some fun little board games for that age to keep her busy. Walks and roasting marshmallows are always fun! I'm sure you'll all have a great time, I LOVE camping!
My family has always loved camping, I agree with the others there are lots of things they can just naturally find to do, and I loved the pine cone idea, as well as the flowers...
You could also bring things like splash balls, and a tub you can put water in for your daughter to play in - then when she gets older you can camp next to mellow streams to play in. (well she can now too, but its an extra thing to watch out for when they are little) You can also bring some corn starch, its extremely fun for the kids to play with but way too messy at home. You add a small amount of water to corn starch and watch how if you keep it moving it stays somewhat solid then as you stop moving it it turns to a liquid type texture again. A fun science experiment type activity. We also keep a camping log, a notebook in the camper that we can write down our trip highlights in and the kids add pictures or short stories about there favorite parts of the trip.
Have Fun,
S.
Do you have a hiking backpack? What do you guys like to do when you go camping? We've taken our kids camping at various ages, from 2 months and up. My boys have loved being outside from the moment they were born, so we didn't have to think up anything for them to do. They just tag along with us on what we wanted to do/see, and had a great time. They also eat and sleep better from all the excitement, which is a bonus!
We go on walks and see what the park offers. Which park are you going to?
You really don't need to "plan" anything, they just love to be outside getting dirty and exploring everything around them, we are a camping family and so are our friends and other then planning smore's some nights we don't worry about it, the kids find stuff to do all on their own even the little ones.
On your hike(s) look at the different flowers. Now is the perfect time to look for those tiny little flowers that hide near the bases of the trees. My 22 month old just loves looking for flowers and oohhs and aaahhhs over everything little thing. You can find a plant press at Hobby Lobby/JoAnn and have "keepsakes" for later if you scrapbook. Also, depending on where you go, you may find a creek or mountain run off. If you're in an area thats warm enough, splashing would be a ton of fun for your little one. Good luck and have fun :)
We also take our two boys camping and we always have so much fun. I know that you have a little girl but one thing that my boys always love is cars. We bring some little cars and trucks and they love to play in the dirt with them. They collect rocks and sticks and make a whole little town and road to drive the cars on. You could pick up some cheap cars at the dollar store for her to take along. We also let each child take a small backpack with toys from home that they want to bring. Have a great time.
We did alot of camping with our son last year and he was only about 10 months and it was great. We brought a enclosed baby gate that sort of looks like a octogon and put some blankets in it and just let him play. He loved it. Just remember the bug spray. My doctor says it is safe on babies 6 month and up and bring lots of layers cause it can get really cold at night. My son slept in a hoodie to keep his head warm and he was fine. You will have so much fun. I am hoping to go this year as well and we have a 4 month old so that should be interesting. Good luck
