Summer is here and a favourite summer pastime is camping. Young or old, experienced or not, camping is a tradition that everyone can share. There are numerous Ontario Provincial Parks to explore. Whether you travel to a far away campground for a week long getaway, check out a local campground for the weekend or just campout in your backyard for the night, its great to get outdoors and connect with nature.
5 Reasons to take your kids camping
- Camping teaches children to enjoy the outdoors: In the hustle and bustle of everyday living, we lose touch with nature. The more time children spend outdoors, the more comfortable children become with nature. There are so many things that can only be discovered once you venture off the beaten path, and camping allows you to do this as a family.
- Memories: Things that happen during family vacations that at the time may seem a little disastrous, are actually the things you will remember years from now and laugh about.
- Health: Being outdoors and away from it all allows you to breathe in clean, fresh air. Outdoor activities also include being active, whether you are hiking, fishing or exploring.Being outside will also give you a good dose of vitamin D.
- Family bonding time: Camping will allow you to do so many things together as a family that maybe you don’t or won’t do at home because of the busy lives you lead. You can work together to set up camp, prepare meals together, go hiking, swimming, fishing, explore nature and all sleep in the same area.
- Vacations that are affordable: Vacations can be expensive. Yes, camping has a fairly large upfront cost with all the equipment you need to purchase initially. But driving and camping is more reasonably priced than hotels and airfare for a whole family.
The thought of camping with children may be a bit nerve-racking. The thought of packing, traveling, setting up, preparing meals, keeping them entertained and keeping everyone safe may be a little overwhelming, here are 13 Tips and Tricks for Camping with Kids.
Traditional Campfire Treats: Try these traditional campfire treats;Children will love seeing food being cooked in a new and exciting way.
Spider Dogs 
What you need:
- Hot dogs
- Knife
- Roasting stick
- Campfire
- Condiments
What to do:
- Cut the ends of the hotdog lengthwise, creating four sections on each end.
- Be sure to leave at least ½ inch section in the middle uncut so you can insert the roasting stick.
- Insert roasting stick in middle of hotdog and roast.
- Allow to cool, add condiments of choice and enjoy.
S’mores
What you need:
- Marshmallows
- Cookies or Graham Crackers
- Chocolate bars (jersey milk, Reece Peanut Butter cups, Aero etc)
- Roasting stick
- Campfire
What to do:
- Pierce marshmallow with roasting stick and roast over fire.
- Get two cookies/graham crackers and place a square of chocolate on one of the cookies/crackers.
- When you are done roasting the marshmallow, place between the two cookies/graham crackers and squish together and pull off of the roasting stick.
For more campfire recipes click here https://tinyurl.com/o6a6x2h