Camping at half term with young family - any suggestions?

[Pos1]

Hi all

I'm a relatively new camper and going away at half term with my dh and two girls (3 and 6). This is the first camp we have been on on our own. Normally (I say normally but we've only been twice - once with only one child and last year with two) we go with my brother and his family who are seasoned campers and all the kids play together and keep each other entertained. So I wondered if anyone had tips for camping with children- things you need, things you don't need, and top tips etc...

Things I used to take included a small plastic food box of lego/duplo, colouring in, sticker books and drawing kit, craft kit - beads to make necklaces and that sort of thing, reading books, jigsaw. I always used to have something new and exciting to make for when the weather turned. Ball games, frisbee.

Making bread on sticks and toasting marshmallows can pass an hour or two.

The stick book is great for making outdoor things from twigs if you like that sort of thing, take a pen knife though. I remember being stuck in the Lakes about 3 miles from the tent with a 6 year old. We walked and the heavens opened so DH ran back along the road (we had walked over the hill) to get the car as DD couldn't cope with the walk back in the torrential rain. While he was gone we made fairy boats with bits of bark, twigs, leaves and petals and sailed them down the river, she was quite happy by the time he returned.

Nature/bug/flower book and a magnifying glass were always well used too. You can get the sticker books for bugs/insects for little ones.

Apart from that I can't remember much else!

Have a plan for entertaining them while you're pitching and striking your tent - it can take twice as long if you have to keep stopping to sort out little ones. Have to confess we have resorted to letting them watch a DVD in the car before now - in my defence it was lashing down with rain.

YY to small box of Lego, sticker books, colouring. Things like a handful of toy cars. Simple card games if they are ready for that kind of thing. You could also fill your washing up bowl with plain water and let them do pouring etc with plastic cups. Simple outdoor toys too.

Collapsible plastic crates and those big cheap Ikea bags are really handy for storage in the tent.

If it rains it can be handy to have a small airer to attempt to dry stuff assuming you have room in your tent. Also plastic bags for clothes in the shower and flip flops to wear in the shower are handy.

I usually cook something at home to take for the first night, that can just be heated up and eaten with bread (eg chilli)

Thanks for the replies. Will put together some boxes for them to take next week. Fingers crossed it's not raining.....

waterrproof trousers/dungarees and wellies/crocs we use a collapsing crate thing as a shoe box and have a sacrifical towel to sit on when taking them off inside to minimise wet getting in the tent if raining..

thermals, hats n gloves, potty , head torches

often its trying to keep them contained/quiet in the morning thats the hardest....have been known to go for a walk at 6am so not to disturb other campers as ds sometimes wakes at dawn chorus....

lots of wipes and snacks - if u have lidl near you we take a bag of their choc croissants as pretty indestructible and get early morning hunger dealt with before you have to get up and do something for breakfast - we also have been known to take porridge pots (i hate porridge)- uses same hot water as coffee and warms for the day.

Sticker books like these work for lots of kids and are relatively low mess
www.usborne.com/catalogue/catalogue.aspx?cat=1&series=645
the works often have great make n do stuff cheap...

outside - if warm small inflatable paddling pool / water pistols their own mini tent -
camping is great have been taking ds since he v small but its not always easy

our first night dinner is often sausage in baguette - I cook the sausages and make/buy salad before we go... then can be eaten cold if no time to warm sausages up- would also recommend not putting tent up hungry and have been known to have small beer prior - if we're all fed there seems less of a deadline ( we often go fri after school and arrive tea timeish so have learnt the hard way -food first then tent)

table and stools like this are handy as kids can sit at it whils you do other stuff as its height adjustable..
www.towsure.com/foldaway-camping-table-and-stools-set?catargetid=520002630000002094&cadevice=c&gclid=CIH-rLCgxMUCFaoEwwod800Amw

oops sorry for essay- hth