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Archive for family ritual

5 Tips for Making Your Kids’ First Camping Experience More Enjoyable

Posted by My Camp Kitchen //
 February 12, 2014
Camping with Kids

Camping with kids for the first time can make any parent feel worried and a little unsure. Make the experience as enjoyable as possible for both you and your kids by following these five tips:

1. Do a practice run

If your kids have never been camping before, it’s a good idea to spend a night “camping” in your backyard. That way your kids can get a taste of what’s to come, and you’ll have a better idea of how they handle sleeping in a tent or camper.

2. Start small

You might prefer to camp in the wilderness with no running water, but a child may be most at ease camping in a more developed area. Start at a campground close to home with toilets and running water. You want to ease kids into the camping experience—not scare them away from it.

3. Get the kids involved

Letting your kids be involved in the planning process will help build their excitement and make them feel more comfortable with the overall camping experience. Have them help you plan out meals and let them pack their own bags. It will make them more aware of the responsibilities that come with camping so they’re prepared in the future.

4. Establish camp rules

Kids should have fun while camping, but it also important that they stay safe. Set up boundaries so they know where it is okay to roam while unsupervised and which areas are off-limits. You can also create a buddy system. If your kids wants to go off by themselves, they should always tell an adult first.

5. Plan activities

If your kids are used to being entertained by televisions, cell phones, computers, and other electronic devices, they might feel lost without technology. Plan fun activities though like hiking, swimming, and games to help your kids forget about their video games!

Camping with kids takes a little more work and planning, but the cherished memories you’ll create together make the extra effort worth it.

For more information on how to camp, check out our other posts:

C&NN Releases Updated Edition of “Together in Nature: Pathways to a Stronger, Closer Family” Tool Kit

Posted by Sky //
 July 15, 2013
Parent and Child Together in Nature

I follow Richard Louv and his work on getting kids and families back to nature. He is the man who termed the phrase “nature deficit disorder.” As a psychotherapist, I see this all the time. Anyway, here is link to a recent post by them well-worth reading:

Children and Nature Network (C&NN) Releases Updated Edition of “Together in Nature: Pathways to a Stronger, Closer Family” Tool Kit

30 Blogs That Help Parents Develop and Maintain a Family Routine

Posted by Sky //
 January 16, 2013
Family Toothbrushes

I wanted to share with you Carol’s blog. She has many posts on developing healthy family relationships through routines. Please click here to find great information on how routines can help your family!

Kids and Nature … What a Beautiful Thing

Posted by Sky //
 December 13, 2012
Child Embracing Nature at Sunset

I was reading through my emails this morning and found my C&NN newsletter. Opening it up, I read two beautiful pieces that I want to share with you.

Tierra y libertad

The first is written by a young man after camping with his family for the first time: TIERRA Y LIBERTAD: A Camping Trip Illustrates Nature’s Place in Family and Heritage.

Peace in nature

And the second, which I actually read first, was written by a young girl contemplating a beehive: PEACE IN NATURE: Aylee Tudek, 16, Shares Her Sense of Wonder.

Both are beautiful and so well-written. I could not say it better. Thanks, Juan and Aylee.

Family Ritual and Routine Correlates with Lower Mental Illness in Teenagers

Posted by My Camp Kitchen //
 May 3, 2011
Family Dinner

Numerous studies point to the benefits of family traditions. Regular family dinners were shown to be a consistent factor in the family life of Rhodes scholars. Research shows family ritual and routine correlates with lower mental illness in teenagers.

According to one of the largest federally funded studies, “Teens and Their Parents in the 21st Century: Trends in Teen Behavior and the Role of Parental Involvement,” family dinner times reduce teenagers’ risks of alcohol abuse, drug abuse, smoking, and early sexual behaviors. Routine creates predictability, which is critical for children. Ritual creates meaning and consolidates an experience into a memorable moment to identify with throughout life.

Planning the menu can be the first ritual of a family campout. Letting everyone pitch in ideas and list their favorite foods kicks off the fun. You begin to anticipate the enjoyment of the trip. Shopping, packing the car together, making a bag of snacks for the drive, and picking out the music for the road trip all increase the excitement. Then the family hops in the car, feeling free as a bird. The vacation has begun, and you have everything you need to relax into a rich and rewarding experience.

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“Wow! Awesome! Really Cool! That’s the impression I have with The Outdoorsman. Very well-constructed, and I think it will work perfectly for our Scouting needs. Easy to set up and surprisingly light. Thanks so much.”

—Brian Jasper, Scoutmaster, Marysville, OH

“We love our Camp Kitchens! Our old patrol boxes were built from plans. They were very heavy, and the legs were hard to assemble. Our Camp Kitchens were easy and fun for a group of Scouts to put together. The instructions were easy to follow, and the parts were well-organized. Everything fit together perfectly. The Camp Kitchens are well-designed and much easier for our Scouts to carry. All of our necessities fit neatly inside. In addition, set-up is easy when we arrive at camp. Thanks, My Camp Kitchen!”

—Scott Dory, Scoutmaster

“We are enjoying our [custom tailgater] bar—getting so many compliments and looks! It is great.… Thank you!!”

—Anna Dulcich, Happy Camper

“I want to tell you how delighted I am with the camp kitchen. We went camping this past weekend and found cooking to be easy and storing the gear convenient. Thank you also for the towels, coffee filters, and wine glasses. We used these as well. I will recommend this unit to everyone I know who camps.”

—Teresa Theesfeld, Happy Camper

“You make an awesome product! … Arrived home today to My Camp Kitchen waiting on my porch. Couldn’t wait to open it up and see the new improvements. I could not be happier!! The new legs are fantastic!! And having the extensions be able to stay with the box and not have to tote separate is just the ticket. We just placed our three kids’ names in a hat and drew the lucky winner of our old unit. Our oldest daughter won and promised to share with the other two and keep it in the family always. Thanks again for making a great quality product that we can be proud to pass on.”

—Scott Hall, Happy Camper, Grand Rapids, MI

“First of all, let me say I LOVE what I see and hear from your products. We are a Scouter family with two boys 13 and 11 active in our LDS Scout troop and a secondary traditional troop here in the San Francisco Bay Area.”

—Raoul Casares, Scout Father, Pleasanton, CA

“Nothing competes with camping. There is no remote-control camping. So when you get a kid out there making a fire, prepping foil dinners, roasting marshmallows, playing silly campfire games, and walking around in the dark with a flashlight, he is thrilled in a way that cannot be duplicated by technology. Go, Dad!!!!”

—Analisa Macias, Avid Camper and Daughter of the Snogrens

“The Camp Kitchen is just absolutely perfect and fits exactly how we wanted it to in our four-wheel pop-up camper. It is really well-thought-out, and I’m SO glad I didn’t try to build a DIY as I was previously planning. You have put a lot of camping experience into every little detail. And it is built for an air drop! It’s funny how excited my wife and I are about The Outdoorsman kitchen box, considering we have tens of thousands of dollars tied up in all sorts of technical outdoor gear. Your camp kitchen is truly worth every penny. Congrats on a classic.”

—Brooks Montgomery, Owner of Hart-Montgomery Outdoor Sales, Bozeman, MT

“My Camp Kitchen was the central spot for all the food and drink as everyone found it to be a great camping asset. It was at a comfortable height for preparation, and all the tools I needed were right there in easy reach. My Camp Kitchen is a wonderful product that I will continue to enjoy and tell everyone about.”

—Bill and Jodi H., Colorado

“We are so pleased with the custom table [designed to fit in our Teardrop trailer]! When my husband opened it and put it together, he said he wanted to use it as a standing desk in his office!! I am just so pleased to have such a beautifully designed and high-quality camp kitchen! I value these qualities in my NON-camping life … so it was wonderful to find that you were making something like this as most of the camping stuff out there is just awful!!! It has also been a great pleasure to work with you all. Thank you for all that you do!”

—Alison Richards, Senior Editor of Science & Food, NPR, Washington, DC

“I just received my Mini Chef last Friday, and it’s terrific. And it was like Christmas finding the extras inside! A really nice touch. Thank you.”

—Alison Richards, Senior Editor of Science & Food, NPR, Washington, DC

“Everything worked just great. You can see how much I have stored in the box—literally everything I need for cooking/preparation of food. The couple I went camping with were really taken with the unit—thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread!”

—Dave Weed, Happy Camper

“Wow! I just received the camp kitchen, and I have to say, the pictures don’t do it justice! Amazingly designed and built! Great product! I’ll send you some pics from the campsite! Thanks again, Richard!”

—David Esarey, Henderson, NV

“I love cooking with My Camp Kitchen. I have all that I need right there. Cooking outdoors is much more enjoyable than in our trailer.”

—Richard, Colorado

“For a beautiful cooking experience, the artfulness and craftsmanship of the Summit WOWS. It feeds the soul.”

—Susan, Colorado

“Just finished putting together your kit, and I really enjoyed the project.”

—Ed Watson, Happy Camper