Tips for Camping with Kids Visit a Spring This Summer TRAVEL

Camping with kids may seem like a tough challenge, but it doesn’t have to be. A family overnight outside is a great way to initiate the younger set to the joys of being in nature. From babies to teens, kids of all ages will find so many things to captivate them on a camping trip:

Here are some tips for getting started – and for making the experience a memorable one.

Practice Camping at Home

If your kids are outdoor newbies, pitch a tent in the backyard or even inside your home. Let them hang out in it and sleep in it so they become comfortable with a new sleeping environment. Try a family day outing at a close-to-home park. Spend a half day or so at a park and see how your kids react to the experience.

Set Reasonable Expectations (or Expect the Unexpected)

Face it — things happen – muddy hands and faces, s'mores matted in hair, a leaky tent, or a late-night trip to the bathroom. Going into a trip knowing that there will be bumps helps when dealing with them as they arise. They also make great memories and stories later in life. (Pro tip: Refer to any trial or tribulation as an adventure.)

Find the Right Campsite

Pick campgrounds with amenities that suit your family’s needs. Some campgrounds have ballfields, beaches or swimming areas, streams or rivers, and playgrounds; others offer picnic tables, flushing toilets, and hot showers. If it’s your first time out, start small, stick close to home, and choose more developed campgrounds with buckets of amenities. Work your way up to more remote or adventurous locations or longer trips.

Pack the Right Stuff

Let your child have a say in the packing process. They’ll appreciate getting to have input, and it’s a great opportunity to teach them what to bring along and what to leave at home. If your kids are older, create a list for them to pack. Remember to pack clothes so you can layer.

Get the Kids Involved

It can be frustrating trying to set up a tent or prepare a meal when the kids are running around getting into things. Plan and assign them tasks appropriate for their age and ability; little ones can gather kindling, and older kids can wash dishes or set up their own tents.

Pack Food Kids Like

Allow your kids to help contribute to menu planning so they get excited about the trip. Ask them what they would like to eat and what treats they want. Pack foods you know they’ll like. Keep ready-to-go snacks that are accessible while you’re traveling and at the campsite.

Research Activities

Know what activities are available at your destination. Be ready with some potential ideas when the kids say: “I’m bored.” More developed campgrounds have bulletin boards that map out easy nature trails. Can you rent a boat or is there room to ride bikes?

Think Safety

Once you get to a campsite, set ground rules for where your children can roam, and talk about what they should do if they get lost. What are the boundaries? Are they allowed beyond the parking lot or near water? At night, make sure they have access to a flashlight or headlamp.

Stick to a Familiar Bedtime Routine

If you read with your child before bed each night, don’t skip it just because you’re camping. Young kids love routine. Put them in sleeping pajamas, brush teeth, and read. For babies, keep their sleeping habits as close to routine as possible.

Find Balance

A full day of camping and recreating can make even adults tired. Schedule activities that are fun for everyone yet allow for some downtime off your feet.

You’re not going to create the perfect experience the first or even second time out. Take notes at the end of each trip to remind yourself what you should bring next time, what you can leave behind, or how you might do things differently. j

Springs offer visitors unsurpassed locations to swim, snorkel, scuba dive, and observe wildlife. Luckily for us, Florida has a wealth of recreational opportunities available at springs.

Boating and Tubing

Discover the secrets of a spring up close and personal in a canoe, kayak, or inner tube. Of all of Florida's spring parks and recreation areas offering canoeing, kayaking, and tubing opportunities, Ichetucknee Springs State Park is considered by many to be one of the finest in the state. With more than seven miles of swiftly flowing river and three separate canoe and tube launches, it can attract as many as 3,000 visitors a day during peak summer months.

Camping and Picnicking

Connect with friends on a picnic outing or stargaze during a camping trip at any one of many great parks located at springs.

During the day, picnickers can swim and snorkel in the clear, cool waters of headsprings, walk along nature trails, and gaze deep underwater on glass-bottom boat tours. At night, under a canopy of stars and enveloped in a symphony of crickets and tree frogs, campers can literally have the springs to themselves, as it might have been for Florida's first residents 10,000 years ago. Many spring parks offer cabins, tent camping, and sites for recreational vehicles, as well as showers, convenience stores, or concession stands. Canoe, kayak, and snorkel rentals can be found at the water's edge at several spring parks.

Swimming and Snorkeling

Immerse yourself in a spring and your breath will be taken away, first by the chilly waters and then by the incredible array of fish and turtles that you’ll see. Florida's cool spring waters provide quick relief during the sweltering summer for local residents and visitors from afar. Beneath the surface, springs also support one of the most diverse freshwater ecosystems in North America. With only a mask, snorkel, and fins, you can discover this world for yourself, seeing fish up close, unique underwater plants, and maybe, even a manatee.

Scuba Diving and Cave Diving

Florida is famous around the world as a scuba and cave diving destination. From deep cave diving by researchers and scientists at Wakulla Springs to recreational cavern and cave diving, Florida's springs offer a chance to probe depths where few will ever go.

Cave divers can descend into large, open caverns, view rare fish and aquatic invertebrates, and test their skills in some of the longest, deepest, and most challenging underwater cave systems on earth.

Some of the most popular and interesting springs diving destinations include Peacock Springs and Ginnie Springs, the most visited freshwater diving spot in the world.

Nature Photography and Wildlife Observation

The springs' constant year-round temperature and stable water flow provide an ideal habitat for hundreds of species of native and migratory wildlife, including such unique animals as the bald eagle, river otter, and manatee. As a result, many springs parks and recreation areas offer an ideal location for wildlife observation and nature photography.

Of all of Florida's springs that offer visitors the opportunity to observe native wildlife up close, few are more famous than Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, which allows visitors to see the manatee and an incredible variety of saltwater fish through one of the world's largest submerged freshwater observatories.

Guided Tours and Special Events

Silver Springs first offered glass-bottom boat tours in the 1870s, making it one of Florida's first tourist destinations. This tradition spread to other springs and continues to attract visitors from around the world. Today at Silver Springs, you can take in a concert by the Beach Boys or other musical groups, and at Wakulla Springs around Halloween, you are guaranteed a scary encounter during the "Creature from the Black Lagoon" film festival. Weeki Wachee Springs, better known as the "Home of the Mermaids," was the first place to offer visitors a front-row seat to the world's first "underwater ballet." Many springs state parks and recreation areas also offer guided nature tours and other special events to help visitors better understand and appreciate the spring ecosystem. j floridadep.gov

Things to Do Education Events

STEAM & Stories

June 5, 12, 26,

July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, 3:30pm

STEAM & Stories (ages 5-12) is a live program inspired by a book. On Mondays each week, participants will read a book and then participate in a hands-on activity inspired by the book. Jacksonville Public Library, Mandarin Branch / 904-255-2665 / 3330 Kori Road, Jacksonville, FL 32257 / axpubliclibrary.org

Planetarium Night Live Presents “The Cosmic Web”

June 16, 7pm to 8:30pm

The Bryan-Gooding Planetarium at MOSH presents Planetarium Night Live!, a program that allows you to expand your mind and explore the cosmos through space simulations, storytelling, interactive demonstrations, and immersive, live-narrated video projection under the Planetarium’s 60-foot dome. There is an enormous structure in the Universe that our little neighborhood in space helps hold up. Share in immensity with this program that investigates the single largest pattern found in nature — the Cosmic Web. Doors to the Museum open at 6:30pm; show starts at 7pm. Suggested for ages 13 and up. Admission is $10 for Museum Members and $12 for Non-Members.

MOSH / 904-396-6674 / 1025 Museum Circle, Jacksonville, FL 32207 / themosh.org

FSCJ Summer Open House 2023

June 17, 9am to 1pm

Community members are invited for an Open House at FSCJ. Attendees will have the opportunity to apply on-site in the FSCJ Application room, get help filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), explore FSCJ degrees and certificates, discover opportunities to get involved on campus, meet FSCJ faculty and program representatives, get answers to your questions regarding financial aid, scholarships, and admissions, and more. Free to attend, but please register so they know how many to plan for. FSCJ has several campus locations throughout Jacksonville; however, this event will be held at the South Campus. FSCJ South Campus / 904-6462300 / 11901 Beach Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32246 / www.fscj.edu

DoDad's Lab presents "Air Science"

June 20, 10:30am

The Professor is back with a science program that will blow you away. Professor DoDad will be sharing about the Science of Air. The Professor will be sharing science demonstrations, music, comedy, and a return of Joey, his favorite sidekick. Free. Clay County Public Library, Green Cove Springs Branch / 904-284-6315 / 403 Ferris Street, Green Cove Springs, FL 32043 / www.claycountygov.com

Leverage Your Summer to Get a Head Start on Fall • June 21, 6pm

Summer is a great time for students to catch up and get ahead at their own pace. Parents will learn about tips they can implement and programs in which their child can enroll to avoid falling behind during the summer while still enjoying their break. This includes which key areas and subjects to focus on over the summer. Free to attend this virtual event. Revolution Prep / 877-738-7737 / www.revolutionprep.com

A Parent’s Guide to Helping Your Student Achieve a More Organized State

June 29, 9pm

Join speaker Katherine Marino for an hourlong interactive webinar designed to equip parents with effective digital and physical organizational techniques for their students. This webinar will provide industry-leading strategies on topics such as binder setup, planner use, and color coding to organize digital resources. By attending, you’ll not only learn these techniques but also discover how to introduce and support your students in consistently utilizing them to establish positive lifelong executive functioning habits. Free. Revolution Prep / 877-738-7737 / www.revolutionprep.com

Blacksmith Demonstration with Underhill Forge • July 15, 10am

Join library staff for an afternoon of learning about blacksmith work and its history. The demonstration will be presented by Jacob Underhill from Underhill's Forge. The program is suggested for adults but check with the library to ensure appropriate age attendance. Free to attend. Clay County Public Library, Orange Park Branch / 904-278-4750 / 2054 Plainfield Ave, Orange Park, FL 32073 / www.claycountygov.com