Day 58: camping inspiration

Today is the day folks! We are camping out tonight.

Now we had originally planned to find a local campsite where we would be able to spend some time hiking or playing in water and then camp but with all of our travels and over exhausted children we have decided to hold off on that adventure.

For tonight we are going to simply try cooking out and sleeping out in our backyard. We will set up the big new tent that we got for the family, build a fire, cook our dinner and s'mores outside.

Sam got introduced to the tent the other day and was VERY excited.
Not sure how well her, or Avery, will do sleeping in it but we will see!

For some inspiration on camping I am turning today to my friend Amber (remember she guest blogged for me here) who recently took her daughter out for some tent camping! Check out what she had to say about the experience here.

And another reader (HI TAMI!) sent me her camping experience and some great camping advice for other moms! Here is her story and advice:

We just got back from a 5 day tent camping trip to Wyalusing state park. It sure was hot and humid 2 of the days so we planned a lot of trips to town or to little shops etc with a/c. Some tips or suggestions: raccoons do not care if there are poopy diapers in your trash - anything is fair game. Throw the schedule out the window - nap times and bed times often get shifted but they will eventually sleep. Bring easy to make food and have lots of snacks handy. I got a hook on high chair from Craigslist and it worked perfect on the picnic table! Also remember, there are% 20usually no bathtubs in a campground. Adrian was fine showering with me but you may want to bring a plastic tote (can also be used for storage) for a tub. It's also fun for the kids to spalsh around in a tub of cold water when it's hot. Electric sites are great if available. We used it to put a fan in the tent at night. It helped with all the heat but also the white noise helped everyone sleep better. Adrian even slept thru a bad storm at 5:30 am. Bring a new toy/book/etc, even something from the $ store is cheap fun entertainment. Glow sticks at night were Adrian's favorite. Be prepared for mosquitoes - we used lots of bug spray but inevitably kids will get bit, usualy in the face. It looks horrible but they do go away. Just some tips I've learned from camping twice this summer with my little one. - Tami

SO, are you feeling inspired yet to get outside and go camping? Well if you need another nudge how about some GREAT prizes!! (Tami and Amber consider yourselves already entered to win these!!)

Acorn Naturalist came through for me again! They have to be just the most generous company ever. Love them! Anyway, they sent me another box of amazing goodies that I set aside just for the August Challenge. Here is what this month's challenge winner will receive:

Fandex Tree ID Guide - I talked about the bug version here, this is the same thing just for trees. It is so easy to match a live leaf to the great picture on the guide and the information is outstanding! Perfect for young learners.

The Pop-Up Port A Bug - Best bug holder around! It compresses down to the size of a frisbee and is soft and flexible. It is perfect to throw in a beach bag, camping bag or backpack for any occasion.

The World's Best Bug Jar - this thing is so cute and perfect for little critters. The magnifying glass on top folds back so that you can also watch the bug move around in life size.

And finally, my FAVORITE...

Two Way Bug Viewer - this guy will be found under several different Christmas trees in my life this year! I have used these at multiple places where I have worked and they are AWESOME! You take the triangular part off and set the bug in there. There is a lip on it (like a petri dish) so that it can hold aquatic insects safely as well. You can hold it up by the handles and look UP at the bottom of the insect or you can set it on a table/ground and look through another magnifying glass to see the top. It really is a genius way to see and study an insect.

Okay, so what do you have to do to win these great prizes? Simply take your kid/kids camping in the month of August and send me a recap (pictures are AWESOME). If you have a blog, are on facebook or twitter you will get an extra entry for posting about it on those sites and linking back to here (be sure to leave me a comment or email letting me know you did it!)! Lots of ways to get extra entries!!

Didn't get a chance to go camping yet this month? I am feeling generous so I am going to give everyone the holiday weekend as well, even though that is technically September! So you officially have until September 7th to go camping and let me know about it to be entered to win.

Okay, GO people and get busy camping.

Be back tomorrow with updates on how our adventure went!

5 Comments

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Posted by: Retro Jordans | 08/27/2010 at 07:28 PM

Those are all fantastic gifts ! I would love to win...we have NEVER been camping before...I am going to have to act fast and be creative! =)))

You have such a fun blog...I love it!

Posted by: sherri | 08/28/2010 at 03:58 AM

I'm so sorry I live in the UK! I really like the Acorn Naturalist Company. Even reading through their catalogue gives me ideas!

I've found the pop-up port-a-bug very popular with pre-schoolers. Often it's just used as a basket! The world's best bug viewer really is good. But I do tend to lose the magnifying lids.

A good camping book for babies and young children is Jennifer Aist's book "Babes in the Woods".

Posted by: Juliet Robertson | 08/28/2010 at 07:17 AM