A tent: home away from home?
Photo by: Ben C. (Stock Exchange)

Good morning, campers! Today on AllCampgrounds we continue our “Camping for Everyone” series with a look at the group that can be some of camping’s toughest customers: children. If you’re a life-long camper, you may be used to roughing it and want your children to appreciate the beauty of nature; but just how to go about it in a media-saturated world where young teens and adolescents send thousands of text messages a month? It can be done! Our handy guide will have your kids camping quick.

Plan a family outing: Unless your child is the adventurous sort and is already interested in “getting away” to summer camp, you should probably introduce camping with a family outing. The outdoors can be pretty strange if you’re not used to it; add to that the stress of being away from home, fitting in with plenty of new kids, and having to unplug and you’ve got a pressure cooker that could distract from what’s really important.

Set some standards: Part of the challenge of getting a modern kid to camp these days is teaching them to unplug. Even in the morning before school and in those little spaces between classes, kids find ways to stay connected with quick text messages and e-mails. Even though many camp grounds offer internet, you’ll want to set standards and boundaries for using it and other high-tech toys. For example, you could set a certain time limit through the day or permit texting only before bed. In any case, be sure the rules you come up with are ones you’re willing to follow yourself!

Bring something from home: This is the flip side of the advice above. Even though you want to give kids the opportunity to get in touch with nature, going slow and being consistent is usually better than going “cold turkey.” An item from home (it needn’t be a cell phone!) that they can enjoy at the end of the day will keep them grounded. As you continue to camp out with your kids, you can set higher expectations for them to be “present” in nature. A handheld game unit might be a good bet (don’t bring the entire game library) or anything else that your child enjoys.

Pick camp grounds “where a kid can be a kid“: When it comes to children, not all campsites are created equal. There are plenty of camp grounds that offer fun low-tech activities for kids, like hayrides and bonfires. Some of these may not be “cool” enough for a savvy youth, but unlike in a residential summer camp, most of the events are optional and parents can get in on the fun too, if desired. One of the best resources for this is Kampgrounds of America. KoA camp grounds are franchised, all adhere to set quality standards, and generally have lots of fun things for young folks to do. If there’s no chance to get “bored”, camping is much more likely to leave a positive impression.

Start small, end big: There’s no reason that you can’t bring the whole family to enjoy the wonders of a place like Yellowstone National Park, or even backcountry camping in a rugged setting. But as a first trip, it might be asking a little much. Smaller trips give kids the chance to learn about nature and outdoor safety in a protected environment. If you start a family tradition of going camping every year or on certain special occasions, it’ll be easier to move up to more and more unspoiled territory, and it’s just possible that everyone will get more out of it, too.



Big trees of Sequoia National Park
Photo by: Mo Moore (Stock Exchange)

Welcome back to AllCampgrounds, fellow campers!

From today on, we’ll be beginning a whirlwind tour of major camp grounds, parks, and natural reserves throughout the United States.

There are thousands of camp grounds coast to coast to choose from, whether you’re camping RV resorts or looking for something a little more wild and rustic!

We’re not going in any particular order – variety IS the spice of life, after all – so I think we’ll pick up with KOA campgrounds, California. Expect to see famous, infamous, and just-about-unknown sights as we hit the trail

What is a KOA Camp Ground, Anyway?

KOA is Kampgrounds of America, a franchise of campgrounds that has properties in most U.S. states and throughout eight Canadian provinces. Like any other franchise, KOA camp grounds all adhere to certain standards; for example, all KOA grounds are “pet friendly” for those who have dogs or cats, and service animals are always welcome. KOA also makes much of its 600-point annual inspection process, which is used to ensure all grounds are in top shape. And this kind of rigorous standard is really something, since there are almost 500 KOA “kampgrounds” in operation, all owned and operated by entrepreneurs who “have what it takes.”

KOA Versus the World

If you want to learn about camping quick, KOA has a good reputation as a place to start, especially if you plan to bring along the whole family. Kids and Fido (or Fluffy!) generally get along pretty well at one of these sites. Next on the list for newcomers and families alike is national and state parks; and of course, there’s always your local, privately-owned camp ground.

Using local grounds can be a good way to start a family tradition, but it’s important to know what you’re getting into; these can vary pretty widely in quality. For that, don’t underestimate the value of a local camper who has explored the area’s sites frequently; such sources of sage advice are usually easier to find in your own backyard than Timbuktu, no matter how great the views are there.

KOA Campgrounds California: Where to Start?

From the Sierra Madres to the Pacific coast, California has natural sites to suit every adventurer’s palette. And if you’re going to use a KOA ground, you’ll have plenty of options: there are well over 30 camps distributed around the state, and many of them accommodate tents, RVs, and those who want to stay in a cabin. Heck, there are even luxury features like swimming pools and wireless internet (!!) at a few, if you’re into that sort of thing.

The big winner for this year is KOA San Diego Metro, selected as one of the top KOA camp grounds nationwide in a survey of over 250,000 visitors. The site is very family-oriented, with hayrides, pancake breakfasts, and events all year around. Way up north, Crescent City KOA serves as the gateway to the state’s legendary redwood forests, and accommodates just about everyone, from RV campers to those who’d rather tent right in the woods. Last but not least, there’s Yosemite West KOA, offering direct shuttle service to Yosemite National Park’s most famous hiking trails. For more info on KOA, check out their site, where you can also find the KOA campground directory.

Now, is KOA right for everyone? If the thought of having wireless internet in your tent makes you wonder what the point of camping was in the first place, you might not adapt well to the experience. But as a starter, especially for today’s fast-paced, plugged-in generation, it’s a little less likely to be a shock than your average summer camp. And remember, you can rough it just as much or as little as you want at any good ground.

That’s all for KOA, but not for California. As we truck on, we’ll be looking at more sites and tackling tips and tricks for keeping your camping adventures fun. Don’t forget to write in and share your own favorite camping experiences, whether you’ve visited one of the “featured” camp grounds or have a suggestion of your own. We’re listening.

Make sure your kid is a happy camper! Photo by Jason Pratt

So how do you prevent the outbreak of World War III while the campfire is being lit and a nutritious breakfast is being prepared? Plan ahead. While everyone knows that the idyllic camping trip means cooking over a roaring fire it just is not always practical. First of all, if you try to cook over a roaring fire, everything is going to either burn or melt. This means that you have to build the fire and wait for it to die down. This takes time. Either you, the loving parent, will have to get up ahead of the kids (like that always happens), or you will have to lower your expectations until the kids are older and hopefully more patient. (LOL.)

There is a miraculous invention available to campers called a camp stove. Most camp stoves are lightweight and some are even foldable. They come in a range of prices and sizes. Some have one burner, and some have two. At this point, some of you diehard campers are cringing at the vary thought of propane cooking. Well, guess what? You don’t have to use the stove to cook your meals. You can wait for the fire. Use the camp stove to heat water for cocoa, or even oatmeal to stave off your little one’s starvation. Most camp stoves can heat water to boiling in around 5 minutes and obviously you won’t want the water THAT hot for junior’s chocolate fix. Instant oatmeal comes in a variety of flavors to soothe the savage beast until the real food is ready.

If for some reason you do not feel comfortable cooking on a camp stove for whatever reason, there are foods that you can prepare ahead of time.

Kids love frozen grapes. Just wash and separate several bunches of grapes before you leave home, and spread them on a cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for a few hours until frozen then put them in a Ziploc bag. Keep the bag in the freezer until it is time to transfer to the ice chest. Other fruit such as apples, oranges and bananas don’t need to be frozen, just doled out.

Speaking of Ziploc bags, pour individual servings of a kid’s favorite cereal into a sandwich, or snack size bag. Believe it or not, it is okay for a child to eat cereal without milk. If you are afraid your child will become calcium deficient in the few days that you are camping, feed the kid some cheese! No really; milk will keep perfectly well in an ice chest for several days as long as the ice is replaced as needed. The point is, it is convenient to hand the child some cereal to munch on until the eggs are done. True, there are individual, snack-sized boxes of cereal available, but have you seen the cost of those things?

One final food item to prepare ahead of time is trail mix. Trail mix can be made of whatever you want it to be made from. Ingredients such as the ever popular cereal, nuts, pretzels, dried fruit or raisins and even a few chocolate chips or M&Ms. I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that you don’t usually give your child candy for breakfast. The novelty of this action just might make the camping trip more memorable for the kid, and give you the time to prepare a healthy breakfast.