8 ways to make your camping trip rock

Sure, camping is fun and all, but what are you supposed to do when there’s downtime and no TV? Take advantage of the great outdoors, sistah! Here are eight things that you’ve just gotta try while you’re taking a break from civilization.

 

Argh, Where’s Me Treasure?

There are a lot of variations you can do on a good ol’ treasure hunt. First, you can actually have one or two people hide something and draw a map to it. Or if you wanna get really creative, have someone write out a series of clues that end up at the treasure’s hiding spot. (Just make sure that everyone else is occupied while the clues’ creator sets them all around the campsite.) A different version is to draw up a list of things you find outdoors – a heart-shaped rock, 2 maple leaves, a handful of pinecones – and divide everyone up into two teams. Then see which team can locate all of the stuff on the list and bring it back to camp the fastest.

 

Get a Li’l Starstruck

Spend some time under the night sky. Especially if you’re from the city, you’ll end up seeing lots of new things. And if you have time before you leave for your trip, print out a constellation map so that you can trace the starry pics for yourself. Just make sure you lay down when you’re looking up, or you’ll have a pretty sore neck in the morning!

 

Story Time!

You don’t necessarily have to tell ghost stories around the campfire if you don’t want to – there are still lots of other stories you can tell. They can be real or imaginary, so see how creative your fam can be. And if one person doesn’t wanna hold the spotlight for too long, try a game: Have someone start off with a sentence that begins “Once upon a time…” Then go around the circle, adding a sentence each. Chances are, it’ll get pretty hilarious.

 

Tree-hugger

Ever climbed a tree before? Whether you have or you haven’t, you should while you’re out camping. Find a nice, big tree with enough low branches to get you started. Then see how high up you can get (safely). You can take turns climbing it with your sibs and compete to see who can get up the highest. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be rewarded with an awesome view of the campground.

 

Not-So-Scary Shadows

At night, use a flashlight inside your tent to make up some shadow stories. Or just see what your hands can come up with. Shine the light toward the tent wall, and put your hands in front of it. To get the clearest picture, use a white tent wall or tack up a white sheet to throw the shadow against.

 

Shoot to Chill

Don’t forget to pack some squirt guns in with all your camping gear. On a hot afternoon, you can stage an epic squirt gun battle all over the campground. And if there are other campers nearby, maybe you can invite them to join in, too – the more, the merrier!

 

Collectibles

What’s your fave part of nature? Is it the nifty bugs, the pretty flowers, or the different types of leaves? Well, try collecting whatever you think is really neat. Unless it’s flowers that you can press into a book, you’ll probably have to leave your collection behind at the end of the trip. But if you start looking, you never know what kind of unique things you might find out there in the wilderness.

 

Cloud City

So you’ve already seen the stars at night, but have you glanced up at the sky during the day? When you just wanna relax and take a break from all those physical activities, spread yourself out on a comfy patch of grass. Check out the clouds, and see what pictures you can find. It may sound silly, but it can be really interesting to compare the things you find with what your pal sees.

 

What’re your best boredom busters when you’re out camping?

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by Carrie Ruppert | 2/1/2016
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