Kids love camping because … well, it’s exciting to be outdoors in open space; the new opportunities for play and exploration are abundant. As too are the new experiences: seeing the sky change and the stars pop-out; feeling the air chill as the day’s warmth rises into the night sky; meeting new people and making new playmates.

Not to mention, staying up late.

• Take a torch
• Wrap up warm

Tips and advice

There are so many reasons to take children camping, but these are not really the focus of this post. Instead, this post is to introduce the notion of ‘off-peak’ camping, that is camping outside of the normal camping window.

This could be:

Going for a night or two away mid week… I’m going to pick my little ‘uns up from school one afternoon and take them camping for the night; returning them ready for school the next morning.

Going for a night’s camping some where remote and natural – this could be on a hillside, by a stream or lake; basically, somewhere where there isn’t an official campsite!

Even camping in the garden when the weather gets a bit wintery – we plan to try a sub-zero night under canvas as soon as the temperatures drop. With little children like ours, we’ll naturally try this near to home just in case we need to abandon adventure and head for our beds :o)

And remember: all of these early childhood experiences that have an element of excitement, mild suffering (cold, hunger), and adventure will result in your children having an appetite for the simple but exhilarating things in life, as well as helping them appreciate and be thankful for the hand they have been dealt – and to make the most of it!

Happy camping.