Summer camping: Canoes, campfires and family time

Start a summer camping tradition with your family

By Diane Turner Maller

I knew I was doing something right when my eight-year-old daughter exclaimed, “I love camping!” Grinning wide through a mouthful of pancakes, she was the most contented camper who ever dined at the tiny table of our weathered tent-trailer.

From the beginning of my parenting journey, I was very conscious about wanting to share similar camping experiences with my children that I had experienced while growing up. My childhood perspective saw that, while camping, the basics of life were fulfilled and life felt unencumbered. Some of the most vivid and treasured memories from my childhood come from my family’s summer camping trips near Calgary.

But not everyone had the same outdoor summer camping experiences that my family did. And by the time my happy camper was in high school, she reported that many of her friends had never been camping. Richard Louv’s landmark book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, documents the dramatic change in modern childhood that has resulted in children spending less and less time outdoors.

What if you didn’t grow up going to camps? You may not have camping gear stocked and ready for the next summer outing. Reservations ought to be made and precautions considered before you are ready to pack up the car.

Get-away time is limited, and sending your kids to day camps or overnight camps is a growing option. However, if you opt to give camping a try, you and your kids could grow to love camping as a family, too.

Choose from abundant camping choices. These days, you can choose campgrounds that offer resort-like amenities, even Wi-Fi. Or you can camp out in your own backyard. And when you are ready to experience summer wilderness, more primitive accommodations are waiting to be discovered.

Once you have your camp gear together, getting to know your National and/or Provincial Parks is a good place to start. (There are many within a few hours of Calgary that are drivable and easy to find.) Well-established facilities normally provide shelters, bathrooms, trash disposal, and access to clean water. The presence of equipped and experienced park staff give support to your camping efforts and can provide peace of mind when you are away from home.

Slow down. When you arrive at the best location for your family, camping offers a chance to adjust your pace as there are no calendars with appointments to keep. Breathing the outdoor air is the first step in releasing accumulated stress from worries at home. Shift your perspective and notice what is unique and beautiful in your temporary landscape.

Create a simpler life at camps. The basic rhythms of mealtimes, planned or spontaneous activities, and evening time around the campfire are enough to structure your day. Young children are often happy to explore the microcosm of nature near a shrub, in a puddle, or under a tree.

Any early-birds in your family can revel in a sunrise while everyone else sleeps peacefully in the tent. Watching the sun go down as a family offers an opportunity to appreciate an everyday occurrence that we often miss or take for granted in our day-to-day life here in Calgary.

Connect to summer nature. When your home is decorated, edged, mowed, and landscaped, we lose track of nature’s natural tendencies. Summer camping is all about recognizing and appreciating native vegetation particular to the region.

Whether prairie, forest, meadow, or shoreline, your chosen campground offers an environment ready to explore. Guided nature walks and evening talks may be provided. Nature needs to be experienced first-hand by little and big hands; use all of your senses.

Develop outdoor and wilderness skills. Backyard camping is a good way to practice setting up the tent. You may also want to test the pad or air mattress you plan to sleep on. Do you know how to attach propane bottles to the camp stove?

“Some of the most vivid and treasured memories from my childhood come from my family’s summer camping trips near Calgary.”