Creative Camping: Bringing Fun into the Forest

I've always been a creative parent. Chalk it up to a childhood with little money to spend on anything but imagination or call it all a product of never quite growing up.

I love looking at everyday things and finding ways to sprinkle wonder onto them. I can't tell you how many times we've turned dinnertime into a birthday party for a favorite stuffed animal, how many times we've found "mysterious" trails of glitter left behind from the tooth fairies latest visit.

But when it comes to the outdoors, it's where I pack my creativity the heaviest . . . that especially rings true for camping.

 As a child, I loved the outdoors. I did. But there was just something about a tent in the middle of the woods that just gave me the heeby jeebies. So, when my husband and I take our own children for a weekend of camping, I always come equipped with creative play, sprinkling it on every corner of our stay. It just seems to take the nerves out of both nighttime and daytime worries.

Never the secret keeper, I wanted to share this couple of fun creative camping ideas with you and yours. Here's hoping they bring you and your clan as many wonderful memories as they have brought to mine.

• The Fairy Hunt – a great way to shed some light on night fall, turn firefly watching into a fantastical fairy hunt. Allow the little ones to capture the "fairies" in their hands, make a wish and set them free. Once the kids are down for the night, sprinkle a bit of glitter aka "fairy dust" around their sleeping bag. They'll remember it for a lifetime!

• The Nature Nook – leave your family mark on your little piece of dirt before heading home. Take along a few unfinished bird houses along with environmentally friendly paint. It will give the little ones something to do in the daytime and by the end of the weekend, the dried product can be hung up from a nearby tree, providing a home for all those robins you enjoyed watching from your favorite tree stump.

When it comes to dreaming up a fun trip for you and your family, remember, there's always room in the suitcase for a little creativity.
Creative wishes from our tent to yours!