Happy Campers

By Carolyn Dekat

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Practice and Anticipate
Once you've "arrived" you will want to set up camp. Answer children's questions as they arise, and ask for their ideas for solutions if they are worried about things like what to do if it hails, or what would happen if the tent fell down. This is also the ideal opportunity to get reacquainted with your camping gear, so that all essential items are present and in working order before you're in the big, lonely middle of the great outdoors.

The packing phase was intended to see to it that you had the food you needed and the equipment to cook it, as well as the utensils with which to eat it. The actual preparation, eating and clean-up will tell you what didn't get on the list that should have.

Lights Out!
Lastly, night falls, and it's time to sleep. This is where the test run has its greatest payoff. Children's minds are amazing, and their inexperience will prompt questions that adults cannot always foresee. It's a great time to extinguish fears about sounds, shadows, bugs, wild animals, and darkness. If you do the test run far enough in advance, you'll have time to use books and tapes to explore the things that interest or concern your children.

Additionally, you can gauge what it takes to keep everyone comfortable. If one member of the family tends to overheat easily, perhaps a light blanket and floor padding would be better than a sleeping bag.

The rewards of camping are many. A backyard test camp can keep the few potential drawbacks from becoming big disasters. With proper planning, good communication and help from everyone in the family, you can enjoy camping and one another. After all, who doesn't love a happy camper?

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About the Author: Carolyn Dekat is a homeschooling mom and freelance writer living in Oklahoma City with her husband and two sons. Her writing credits include several homeschooling articles published both online and for a variety of journals and newsletters across the US. Under her alias as Word_Countess, she hosts a weekly writing workshop for MSN's women's community, WomenCentral and has several writing articles online as well. She also enjoys writing essays, short fiction and children's stories. Visit her site here. This article Copyright © Carolyn Dekat 1998. Reprinted with permission.

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