Long Story but, my aunt and her 3 kids had to move in with me a couple weeks ago. Since she's only about 5 yrs older than me the kids are more like nephews/neices than cousins and they want me to take them camping this weekend. So what I'm needing advice on is what to do with an 11yr boy and 7yr girl and still keep the two 2 yr old boys ( one hers one mine) occupied.

I am taking them to a pay campground on the lake so that we have a playground for the two littlest and obviously some time will be spent in the water but I need some activity suggestions for the rest of the time.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
David

Take up geocaching? Can you bring a frisbee or something likethat?

(i just realized i'm a little late here, but maybe it will be useful in the future?

for the 11 yr old; you might try making slingshots. it will take some prep and you'll have to be sure he is safe with a knife, very safe.
the key for success is finding the proper elastic (bicicle innertube or that rubber strap they use when they take your blood, etc.) if you can make a wooden Y at home before you go then he'll have a better idea of what to whittle. If he's the type, it will keep him busy for hours. just dont let him convince his sister to hold the target. A working slingshot is not easy, but with your help it should be fun.

For the 7 yr old or both, again depending on personality, a magnifying glass, transparent container, and perhaps a net could keep them involved all day. it would be especially helpful to have a book on bugs for reference.

oh, and there's a great book called "The Dangerous Book For Boys" that any 11 year old should enjoy.

hope this sparks some ideas. good luck.

Henry

Thanks to both of you.

Henry,

You're not too late at all, the camping trip will start tomorrow morning, spend the night then home Sunday. Sling shots are a great Idea. As for the Dangerous book for boys, I have a copy at the house. I bought it when we found out we were having a boy and it's on a shelf in my 2 yr olds room. I think it'll be going camping this weekend, thanks for that reminder.

David

That book recommendation is perfect. I bought it for my nephew for his 2nd birthday.

Teach them how to responsibly use fire, knives, hatchets, etc. and they will not only be more responsible outdoor people, but will likely enjoy their time outside quite a bit more. Knowing how to collect tinder, build a fire, and other skills is essential if you want to spend time outdoors, especially in Georgia with the massive thunderstorms that we see all the time. Of all the places I have been camping, North Georgia and the Smoky Mountains are the worst for trying to start a fire, since EVERYTHING is always wet. I think only a rain forest or jungle would be worse.

I bought both the Dangerous Book for Boys and the Daring Book for Girls for my future (and current) fun. I've also got the paradoy, the Dangerous Book for Dogs.

Well, we didn't get to camp ( because he had a headache and didn't want to go) but we did spend most of the day at the lake, built a fire and made smores. He also got a lesson on firearms safety and got to shoot the pellet gun a little. He was asking about camping next weekend by the end of the day yesterday. I did get the book out and let him go through it and there are a couple more activities he wants to try out ( didn't say what exactly) so hopefully it'll work out and we'll have some fun times in the near future.

David

Ok, we finally got to camp Saturday night. It was so hot and muggy in GA saturday that we didn't go out till after dark, so no pictures. In preparation ( and to kind of get him into the spirit) we went kit shopping during the day. Since we live in cartersville, we started off at the Going Gear store, got some zipper pull whistles and some firesteels and got a free write in the rain notepad. Looked at knives and flashlights but I didn't want to invest that amount in a kit that may get lost in a week or two. After a little chatting and gear picking we headed up to REI, and walked into a scratch and dent sale, got a few nice buys there but still didn't find just what we were after so we hit a pawn shop then walmart. We did end up getting together most of a nice kit for him to start with. Worked for backyard camping anyway.

Of all the things I planned out to do with him, the only things he wanted to do was make a fire, whittle, and sleep in a tent. He did get the fire started with his firesteel and some jute.

One major accomplishment, he went 24 hours without video games and had some fun. He wants to do it again so, hopefully, we'll get some more activities included next time.

David

Wanted to add a list of his starter kit.

Walmart "fanny pack"
walmart flashlight
cheap fixed blade knife
firesteel ( which I put an antler handle on for him)
Jute cord
whistle
hoof knife for carving
stainless steel drinking bottle
bandana
watchband compass on leather wrist strap
Book of matches in a ziplock bag


First aide and emergency kit was on me so I didn't put anything in his kit for that, I want his kit small and fun based for now. Anything you can think of to add, feel free to speak up, I'm all ears.

Thanks
David

I think that's a pretty good kit for a kid, especially if you are with him. If you want to get more into a full fledged survival kit, you could add things like:

mirror
headlamp
fishing kit
paracord

He does have some paracord but I didn't want to overdo it at first and wanted to keep it more fun than anything else. He did tell me he likes to fish but has never caught anything so, fishing is in the near future.

We both really liked your store and that condor knife was actually really nice for the money but, I just couldn't see putting that much money into his kit. So far I think I've got about 12-15 dollars in his kit total so, if he does lose the kit or lose interest it's not too bad of a hit. I did go home and regrind that knife I spoke to you about and it sharpened right up, I think the one side was just a little too steep of an angle.

Thanks Again
David