Left by backpackers, Governor Dodge State Park |
Now we're out there. We check out a recently abandoned campsite only to find bread tossed into the brush and smoldering food cans in the fire ring. Do we walk away and pretend we never saw the messy campsite? Or do we recognize a teachable moment?
If we want to teach our children well, we pull out the extra trash bag we brought long just in case and get to work.
Teach our Children About Leaving Campsites Better Than They Found them
Campers are sure to encounter opportunities to teach children about
leaving campsites cleaner than found. Rejoice when you find campsites free from trash. Bottle caps, twist ties,
juice box straw wrappers, and other litter are common place. And it’s not just
a fact when car camping. Sadly, trash can be found even when backpacking or paddling miles into the wilderness.
Leaving a campsite better than we found it is a wonderful thing to teach
a child. What a valuable lesson, learning to leave the world a better place. Aside
from pack it in, pack it out, what else can we teach our children
about being good camping neighbors?
Ready to hike out with a bag of smelly charred food cans and bread slices from a neighboring campsite - in the trash bag dangling from the back of my pack. |
Teachable Moments Around the Campfire
If we have unused firewood, we can ask our children to help stack it neatly for the next campers. We can teach our child that a
fire must be put out before going to sleep or leaving. When our children step forward to throw trash into the fire,
we can point out the reasons we don’t burn trash. We don’t want the floating cinders
from the trash to land on our hair or tent. We and our neighboring campers
do not want to inhale fumes from plastic containers. We also don’t want to
pluck the charred, smelly remains of the plastic container from the fire. When our
trash fails to burn completely, the next camper feels obligated to clean up our
mess.
Teach Children Not To Feed Wild Animals
A chipmunk scampers into camp. Ants struggle to carry
dropped snack crumbs twice their size. After sunset, raccoons show up hoping for
an opportunity to forage. Our children are sure to enjoy watching these picnic pests, finding them cute. Charming
even.
Cute as it may be, we should not allow children to feed wild animals, intentionally or
unintentionally. It’s bad for wild animals, and it’s bad for people. The next
campers don’t want to be pestered by aggressive chipmunks or unintentionally habituated bears. Teach children that food scattered on the ground for a particular delightful creature will also attract
other animals and insects. Teach them that uneaten food
should be packed away. Although always important, when camping in bear country
it’s especially important to teach children to help us keep a clean camp.
Teach Respect For Others
When it comes to campgrounds, rules for quiet hours are
posted and often rigorously enforced. On backpacking trips, not so much
enforcement. But sometimes designated campsites exist within earshot of one
another. We can teach our children to respect a logical set of quiet hours. After 10 o’clock at night, the rule should be inside voices only.
Also, we can teach our children not to cut through or hang out in occupied campsites uninvited. This is about boundaries. Yes, we’re likely in a state forest, national forest or some other public space. But folks pay for permits and/or reservations. Kids wandering through others' campsites could walk into an uncomfortable encounter, especially after dark.
Campfire time is quiet time after 10 pm. |
When it comes to camping with kids, a little teaching goes a long way. For more on camping with kids, check out Mama’s tips for activities to keep kids happy and engaged in the wilderness, and camp chores for kids.
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