Best campfire stories for small children

[treacletart]

We will be camping with lots of friends and about 10 kids (ages 3-8) in July. It'll be a first camping trip for many and I'd love to make it extra special with some spooky/funny stories that won't actually induce nightmares. Do any of you seasoned family campers have favourites you can share? (Blimey, I'm thinking campfire stories before I've sorted a tent - have I got my priorities right?!)

yes, those are the right priorities.

I want ideas too, so am bumping it for you.

Maybe there's a book somewhere. Anyone know?

My dad used to tell one about when he was a boy and he went off camping with friends and something scary happened - doesn't matter what, maybe he went to find water and knocked on the door of a cottage and inside was a scary old man who grabbed hold of him and started pulling, and pulling his leg.....

'.....just like I'm pulling yours now'.

The content of the story is not hugely important but you have to tell it with a completely straight face and start off by swearing blind this was something that really happened. Fortunately as it ends on a joke you don't go to bed and have nightmares.
I remember it had a huge impact on my brothers and me when we were about 9.

Thats the kind of thing Kathy thanks! But I'm also after some really entertaining starts and middles. I don't trust my improv skills. I'm convinced the right stories will leave lasting good memories

There is a great book called " my hairy toe" its fantastic !!!!! you can get it from a libary. Easy to memorise kids up to 10 love it and my DS now 4 loves it and has done for ages.

ooh the brownies find it really funny/scary and no night mares....best done in a scottish acccent

Don;t forget to get them singing too. rounds are nice if you have confident enough singers or lots of people. but anything you all know the words too will do. My camp fire* memories from childhood all revolve around the singing.

• 3 or 4 a year age 4- 14 than rather more for a few years before they became drinking sessions at about 19.

What about the one where she gets out of the car and realises the banging noise is the bogey man banging her boyfriends severed head on the roof of the car??

Seriously I would stick to fairy tale ones, or nature. I remember as a child being totaly enthralled by a lovely old man at a youth hostel telling me all about the rabbits and how he came out in the morning and they all talked to him, he told me all their names and what they were doing, I hung on his every word. Woodland magic!!!