My last entry on camping supplies reminded me of “pretend camping”. Many years ago a friend and I decided to our little boys up to the mountains for a hike. We parked near a picnic area and had a nice hike with our children. When we came back down from the hike, we spread out our picnic and let the kids play in the little creek while we talked. A couple of hours went by and the kids still didn’t want to get in the car. My friend and I didn’t either. We knew that traffic, boring chores, yard work, and dirty houses waited for us once we left the mountains. And the boys were being so good and happy. Leaving the peaceful forest didn’t sound good to us either. We wished we’d brought camping supplies.
The boys wanted a campfire, but we didn’t have matches. We walked down to the camp store and ended up buying sodas, peanut butter for supper, marshmallows, and a small pack of firewood. The kids were thrilled with their fire and with roasted marshmallows. One of the kids declared that he loved to pretend he was camping. That night, we got home late. Since it was summer, the sun was just going down. We were tired, but happy with our relaxing day. We decided that the day was like all the fun of camping, without all the work.
The next time we went hiking we brought matches and firewood. We brought supplies for dinner, an extra set of dry clothes for the kids, and pajamas – so we could tuck them right into bed when we got home. We only went “pretend camping” a few times, but I have really fond memories of that summer.It was a fun way to spend the day with our preschoolers.
Also See:
How to Hike With Small Children