Camping Tips for novices and experts

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Camping for kids

By Angie & Ryan Brown

SCHOOL IS over and we are ready to party!

We made several suggestions to mom and dad for our summer vacation — Disney World, rafting down the Colorado, an African safari, or a surfing vacation in Australia. After carefully considering our suggestions, they made one of their own — camping.

To make things worse, they even gave us homework. We did some research and came up with a list of equipment a family needs for a two-day camping trip:

Tent Airbeds or other form of mattress Sleeping bags and a few blankets Pillows Chairs and a table Cooking and eating utensils Gas cooking equipment (fires are not always permitted) Cooler for food and drink Plenty of food Water containers Flashlights or lantern Beach toys

Cooking for kids (and dad)

Here are a couple of delicious recipes we found that kids can cook, with adult supervision of course.

Smores Put marshmallow(s) on stick. Place over open flame. Brown marshmallow, place on Graham cracker with a piece of chocolate over hot marshmallow. Place Graham cracker on top.

Cheese dogs 8 to 10 hot dogs ¼ pound cheese 8 to 10 sourdough rolls 4 tablespoons butter

Split hot dogs, and brown split side down. Remove from heat, spread cheese on split, and brown skin side down. Brown sourdough rolls, add butter and serve with hot dogs.

Trout on a stick

There is nothing better than cooking food on sticks over a fire.

We found that the key to success with this is to let the fire burn down to the coals, and use a pointed green willow or hardwood stick. If these types of sticks are not available, use hot dog forks or hamburger holders.

Light a hardwood fire or some charcoal at least 30 minutes before you plan to cook. Thread the stick through the cleaned trout (or bass) and start to cook it with the back down, so the thickest part of the trout gets the most heat. Then cook both sides. When the trout flakes with a fork at the thickest point, it’s done.

Camping tips for novices and experts

Helping children feel comfortable in the wilderness

By Chantal Macartney

AS A CHILD, camping with my family was the highlight of summer.

I loved getting out into the wilderness, carving walking sticks with my brother, and learning to build fires with my dad. Here are some ideas that can make your canoe trips and camping experiences more enjoyable.

Camping with children

Kids love camping, and it’s great to be able to bring your children out to experience wilderness for themselves. When camping with children, there are a few extra precautions to take because they don’t share their elders’ zeal for selfpreservation.

Always make sure that older children stay in earshot, and younger children within eyesight. With all its attributes, the wilderness serves up potential danger for the unwary, including sharp stones, roots, and fallen trees. Children can wander out of sight and become disoriented in the time it takes to have a coffee, so constant monitoring is required.

Watch for happy wanderers

Teach children what to do if they get lost. Tell them to choose a nearby tree, and stay with it until they are found. Make this into a fun activity by giving the children whistles and showing them the standard three blasts that signify a distress call. This is an exercise you can practise even before you leave home.

Adults stay warmer than children do because they’ve built up a small layer of fatty tissue. But it’s easy to keep kids happy during camping or canoe trips; just dress them in layers. (And, unlike some adults, wee ones don’t equate discomfort with the amount of clothing they’re wearing.) Before heading out on the trail, help your children to choose comfortable layers of clothing to wear that suit the predicted weather. When the day warms up, your little ones can peal off a layer and stuff it into their backpack, or add a layer from the pack to suit their needs.

Light up their lives

Flashlights are among a kid’s favourite toys. Make sure each child has one. Children can make shadow puppets, defeat evil aliens with their light sabres, or read before bed. A flashlight can make a child feel safer about being out at night, or during those midnight trips when nature calls. Even adults feel more secure at night when they have a good beam at their disposal.

Games that you enjoy at home can take on a whole new dimension when played by flashlight. Try playing simple games like cards or Snakes and Ladders, and see how the night time atmosphere adds intrigue to familiar family fun.

Good habits start early

Childhood is the best time to teach humans to respect the outdoors. Children are information sponges and they’ll readily adopt their parents’ good and bad habits in the outback.

Show them the proper way to dispose of garbage, especially when hiking or going on day trips. Tell them why you shouldn’t burn Styrofoam in the fire, and why you shouldn’t take glass into the back-country. Your guidance will last them a lifetime.

And, it’s always more fun for kids when they have a playmate in camp. Two children can amuse themselves more easily then a single child, but that doesn’t mean adults are off the hook for constantly monitoring their whereabouts.

Don’t feed the fauna

Feeding wildlife is risky. Enticing animals with food can lead to atypical and perhaps even dangerous animal conduct. At worse, it can alter an animal’s behaviour by making it dependent on humans for food.

Never corner a wild animal, no matter how small. An animal without an escape route can become aggressive and attack. If the animal does not run off, back away slowly.

When camping in a park or conservation area, make sure you inform officials of any sick or aggressive animals that you see. This will make the environment safer for others in the future.

Beware of any animal that shows no fear or apprehension in your presence. It could have rabies. Foxes, skunks and raccoons are the most common rabies carriers in Ontario, particularly in the southern part of the province. Rabies has also affected small populations of the big brown bat, woodchuck and muskrat.

Summer is a terrific season to introduce little ones to camping, so take a little bit of time to plan for your outdoor adventures. With an extra splash of creativity and adventure, your little ones will be pleading for more camping trips, not just in summer, but fall, winter and spring! —Chantal Macartney is an avid camper, canoeist and backpacker.