“How can families better prepare for taking
young children and teenagers camping, hiking, biking, boating and traveling in
general?”
· Start them young!
· Be excited - they might be unhappy to go, so you
might need maintain positive attitude
until your moving on the trail.
· If they are little - you cant expect them to hike
the whole time, so expect some carrying.
· Be prepared! Sunscreen, water, insect replant and
food!
· Dont even go if the weather isn't nice. Try to plan
for success!
· Involve the kids in planning, show them the map
discuss routes and take their input seriously.
· Go with other families, having a friend can be
invaluable.
In the Backcountry
- First
time out? Choose
a campsite destination not more than a mile or 2 from a trail-head. If for
some reason you need to bail out, you won't have too many steps to
retrace.
- Take
a kid's perspective: Say your child spots an
interesting insect along the trail. To you, it's just another
beetle—you're thinking about the 2 more miles you need to hike to the
lake. To your child, it's a really cool beetle—he's wondering why Mom or
Dad is so worked up about getting to some lake. What to do? If your goal
is to have your child associate backpacking with fun, at times it's good
to adopt your child's priorities.
- Adjust
your expectations: We've heard tales of
families attempting difficult, off-trail backpacking expeditions. These
can be tedious and exhausting for kids. If the trip is unpleasant, you run
the risk of giving kids a negative impression of the outdoors, an attitude
that can take a long time to reverse.
- Share
the load: Give
kids a kid-size pack and let them carry a few lightweight items. Snacks,
water, a sleeping bag, perhaps, or their rain gear. Adults, meanwhile,
should play Sherpa for younger kids so the journey doesn't exhaust or
discourage them.
- Self-sufficiency: Kids like
to feel a degree of self-sufficiency. So, for example, instead of having a
family water bottle, give each child his or her own water bottle (or
hydration system) so they can choose the time they want to drink.
- On
the trail: If
you have 2 or more adults in your party, it's usually smart to have one in
the lead and one serving as the caboose, with kids in the middle.
- Share
chores: Enlist
your child to take part in camp chores. Try asking your child to be in
charge of keeping things neat and clean. Kids seem to grasp the concept of
caring for nature more intuitively than adults, so this is usually one
assignment that's a perfect fit for kids.
- Be
safe: Make
sure your kids always carry a whistle (teach them to blow it if they
become separated from you) and have easy access to a flashlight or
headlamp. For the younger ones, attach a lanyard to both the whistle and
light and tie them to one of the child's belt loops.
·
HAVE FUN!!!!!
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