3 Camping Trips Your Family Should Go On After Summer Camp
When your child returns home from summer camp, they will likely be excited about their outdoor adventures. This makes it an excellent time to deepen their appreciation of the outdoors by taking them on a family camping adventure.
Below are three camping trips you should take your child on this fall:
1. A Weekend to Remember Summer Camp
It is common for children to miss camp when they return home. They may miss the freedom they experienced as well as the camp culture, including singing songs and eating certain meals. This camp-sickness can get worse as school starts and your child's life becomes even more structured. To help combat it, arrange a throwback to summer camp.
Many summer camps will allow families to rent out an area of the camp, so you may be able to return to the specific camp your child went to. Even if you are unable to, you should try to get the camping culture as close to what your child experienced at camp as possible. For example, let your child teach you some camp songs and let them take the lead setting up the tent or cooking the meals.
2. A Backpacking Trip
A backpacking trip will allow your child to take the skills they learned during summer camp to the next level by putting them in more of a wilderness setting. If your child did backpacking as a part of summer camp, you can plan for a long weekend adventure. Otherwise, lower your expectations a bit and stick to an overnight trip for your first backpacking experience.
3. A Summer Camp Reunion
A few months after camp, but before winter weather hits, consider allowing your child to host a summer camp reunion with some of their camp friends who live in the area. Try to keep the group small and manageable and consider inviting a few other parents along to help with supervision.
A camping trip as opposed to a regular sleepover will help your child reconnect with their friends in the setting they originally knew them in, which can feel more comfortable.
Just because summer is ending, does not mean your child should stop camping. Be sure to squeeze in at least one family camping trip this fall.
