When we finally gather all of our family members together and whisk them off to the great outdoors for a camping adventure, we look for things we can all do together.  Several criteria naturally present themselves while we search for possible activities. It must help us spend time together as a family and take advantage of the natural setting we are enjoying. Ideally, it will also help us to learn or appreciate something about the area we are visiting. Here are five easy ideas that campers of all ages should be able to participate in and enjoy:

1. ^[1]Purchase or borrow a book that outlines the vegetation common to the area and take a nature hike together seeing how many elements of vegetation native to the area you can locate.
2. Embark on a wild flower photo safari, snapping digital photos of as many different wildflowers you can each find. You could even divide up into teams and have a competition to see who “collects” the greatest number of different photos.
3. Make it a task for each family member to learn something unique about the area you are visiting or the campground in which you are staying and, around the campfire at night, present a “news broadcast” about that piece of information educating other family members on your topic of interest. Some examples might include the location and focus of a nature trail hidden in the campground, how the state park or campground received its name and what makes the natural area that you are in different from your home state or city. Topics are limited only by your imagination. Even the youngest members of the family should be able to come up with a new piece of information about the area to share, perhaps even surprising older family members with their creativity and ability to keep a secret about their findings.
4. ^[2]

   Maple, Basswood and Oak leaves

   A “scavenger hunt” for leaves from all of the different trees common to the area, park or campground. Be sure to caution that the leaves should be found lying on the ground, not ripped off of living trees.

5. Finally, when hunger pangs erupt, try holding a contest for the most creative snack to share around the campfire in the evening. This should not involve any intentionally nasty or disgusting concoctions, just a pairing of several foods the participant might like in combination with each other.
   ^[3]

   Red chili peppers, native to New Mexico, which we added to our salsa

   Who knows, a new favorite might just be developed. Be sure to make a rule that everyone helps to clean up! While this last suggestion may not teach you anything new about the area you are visiting unless you are incorporating a local delicacy in your new snack, it might just help you to enjoy it with a new tasty treat around a crackling campfire.

There are many other creative ways to spend time together as a family while camping. If you are running short of ideas, however, start with a few of these and they might just be a springboard to additional suggestions of your own. If you have ideas that have worked well, I would be happy to hear from you as we are always looking for new things to try on our trips as well! Happy Camping!

For more ideas of how to spend time while camping, browse Woodall’s camping ^[4] articles.

Last 5 posts by Diane Berry

• Ready, Get Set...Hike! ^[11] - May 12th, 2013
• From Williams Lake to Wheeler Peak? ^[12] - May 5th, 2013
• A Beautiful Spring Hike ^[13] - April 28th, 2013
• A Spring Camping Adventure ^[14] - April 21st, 2013
• Spring Excitement at the Taos Ski Valley, NM ^[15] - April 14th, 2013

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