Tuesday, February 2, 2021

4 Things to Know When Camping as a Family

 

4 Things to Know When Camping As A Family
4 Things to Know When Camping As A Family -

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Sometimes, it doesn't get any better than family camping holidays. There's just something special about loading up your car and heading off into the wilderness with your kids. It's a break from your hectic life and a chance for your kids to experience all the wonderful nature around them. If your family is a bit guilty of spending too much time on your phones or staring at the TV, a camping trip is such a brilliant idea to help you all reconnect with one another. Plus, it's an awesome way to see stunning sights without spending a fortune!

Still, before you go on your camping trip, there are a few things to know about camping with your family.

4 Things to Know When Camping as a Family

Personal space is essential.

You'll be around each other for a fair few days, which is nice, but it can get a bit strained at times. Especially when you go to sleep, and everyone is bundled up close to one another. This usually happens when you make the mistake of not having a big enough tent. Usually, the golden rule with tents is that there's no such thing as a tent that's too big! Big tents give you all plenty of space to lie down and sleep with a bit more privacy.

In some situations, it might make more sense to pack multiple tents. This is probably ideal if you have older children who can be trusted to stay in their own tent together. With younger kids, you should keep everyone in one place for safety reasons. Just make sure you have a big enough tent to accommodate the whole family without you all feeling like a squashed sandwich. 

Practice makes perfect.

Have you ever put a tent up before? If not, you can easily assume that it's simple. How hard could it possibly be? Well, if you want a decent tent, putting it up can be pretty tricky. There are lots of poles to fit into different slots, strings to tie, sheets to cover - it's a pretty substantial task! The absolute worst thing you can do is buy a tent and only open it when you go camping. This leaves you with no experience in putting it up, and you will quickly become extremely frustrated.

Nothing dampens the spirit like two hours attempting to erect a tent. It sours the mood, and you might not even be able to get it up. In which case, your trip is ruined before it's started! Instead, you should practice putting it up and taking it down at home. Buy your tent, give it a few test runs in the garden, and you'll soon feel confident. Then, when it's time to set up camp, you're ready to get things done as quickly as possible. Nobody is stressed, the mood remains happy, and you can all enjoy a brilliant trip.

Children get bored very easily.

You probably don't need reminding of this! However, if you think kids get bored when they're at home, can you imagine how much worse it is when they're on a camping trip? With none of their usual home comforts nearby, it's easy for kids to get a bit grouchy and bored. This is normal, but there are ways around it!

Effectively, you just need to be prepared for it. That could mean bringing lots of different family games to play, and various other toys that they can enjoy. It also helps if you camp somewhere with loads of activities nearby. For instance, camping near a safe lake or beach is ideal as your kids can spend time playing there. This is why a lot of families decide to camp in actual campsites, rather than just in a random place in the middle of nowhere. Campsites are usually still in the middle of lovely natural places, but they have the added benefit of providing more activities for kids. This can include a park, games room, and all the other children from camping families! It's a chance for your kids to make friends and try lots of cool activities. As a result, they will never feel bored on camping trips. 

Prepare for the unexpected.

Ideally, your camping trip goes off without a hitch. Everything goes perfectly, and there are no issues for you to worry about. This can happen a lot of the time, but there's still a chance that something might go wrong. So, prepare for the unexpected and have contingencies in place to deal with them.

For example, you might end up puncturing a tire while you're driving to your camping location. This is more likely to happen if you have to drive off-road for a bit, or on dodgy surfaces. In either case, a punctured tire is a big issue as it grinds you to a stop. You can't go anywhere, and the camping trip is over. However, if you prepare for this and bring a spare wheel or puncture repair kit, then it's no longer a big issue. Sure, it's an annoyance, but you have the means to deal with it on your own. The same goes for things like broken pegs for your tent. If you're unprepared, a broken peg can mean that your tent has no way of being nailed down. This means no place to sleep, so you have to spend the night in the car before going home. Of course, if you carry replacement pegs & other replacement equipment, this isn't a big issue.

Essentially, you have to expect the unexpected on family camping trips. All manner of things can go wrong at any time, but you can prepare for them. With the right preparations in place, these issues won't ruin the experience! 

Summary

At the end of the day, camping with your family is such a beautiful experience. It's one of the best ways to travel together, and one of the least expensive. Everyone should try to do it at least once, so start looking for the best camping locations in your area. That's another benefit of this - it's a way to go on holiday without having to leave your country. Just make sure you think about all of the things mentioned above!

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4 Things to Know When Camping as a Family


Will your kids be equipped to face the giants? Will they stand?

 

Will They Stand:  Parenting Action Pack
Will They Stand:  Parenting Action Pack

As Christian parents, we strive to raise our kids to face the giants of the world.  Although the world has seen turbulent times in the past, there are days when I think today's kids are facing a future unlike one we've ever imagined.  When I was growing up, I remember Sunday School teachers and pastors preaching about the possible persecution of Christians in the future.  I always felt that those situations were far fetched.  At the time, I couldn't imagine we would be living in a community here in the United States where Christians would face persecution, at least not in my lifetime.  However, for the past few months, I have watched as our world has changed almost daily.  Sadly, I no longer think Christian persecution in the United States is far fetched.  In fact, true persecution seems not only possible in my lifetime, but likely.  When my children were born in the 1990s, I remember feeling like my children would be growing up in a great time in history.  Desert Storm was pretty much over and we had not yet heard the words "Al-Quaeda" or "Taliban."  My children's futures seemed bright.  Now, I grow more and more concerned about the future they all face.  I know that God created my children to be born, grow up, and thrive in their own appointed time.  I know He loves them even more than I do.  They are His and He has a plan for their lives.  I know God has them. Yet, I still question, "Did we do enough?  Did we read the Bible to them enough?  Did we discipline them enough?  Did we pray enough?  Did we get it right most of the time?  Was I enough?"  If we are being honest with ourselves, we probably all, as Christian parents, ask ourselves these same questions.  The enemy wants us to think we failed and failed miserably. Finally, the question is, will our kids be equipped to face the giants of the world?  Will they stand?

Ken Ham and Dale Mason at Answers in Genesis have news about a parenting pack available to assist Christian parents who are raising children to stand in a world that wants them to fail.  First, let's listen to them as they describe this parenting pack.

 
 
Now, let's take a closer look at these great resources.

Will your kids be equipped to face the giants?  Will they stand?


"Our children are facing cultural “giants” that previous generations could never have imagined. Secularism, depravity, immorality, and apathy taunt Christians with a barrage of hate and intolerance. Will our children be equipped to stand strong against these giants, or will they be overcome?" - Ken Ham via Answers in Genesis

Will They Stand?  Parenting Kids to Face the GIANTS by Ken Ham

Will They Stand?  Will your kids be equipped to face the giants?
Will They Stand?  Parenting Kids to Face the GIANTS by Ken Ham

Our children face a world determined to challenge their faith.  The enemy would have them turn entirely against their faith.  They face cultural giants such as secularism and immoralities that I personally never thought they would face.  My children are grown now but if they were still under my God given umbrella of authority, I would love a resource like this one.  In Will They Stand, Ken Ham stresses the importance of raising strong believers who can stand against the evils of the world around them.
“This is a very different book—certainly different from anything I’ve written so far. It is part journal, part tribute, part devotional, and part ‘how-to.’ It’s also all heart, an expression of a passion, conviction, and commitment to the Word of God, all of which was instilled in me by my parents. It’s very personal too, as I offer glimpses into my childhood, adult life, and a number of my life experiences. You will find these glimpses sometimes humorous, frustrating, or convicting, but as learning experiences for us all.” -  Ken Ham (From the Introduction)
Check this resource out here, but keep reading because there is a full parenting pack offered at the end of this post. 

Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World (DVD)

Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World DVD
Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World (DVD)

This DVD, Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World, was filmed at the Creation Museum during the Equipping Families to Stand Conference. 
Each session is designed to help equip families to stand boldly on the authority of God’s Word and share the gospel in our increasingly secular culture. (Answers in Genesis)
Learn more about this DVD here, but don't forget to keep reading.  You might want to take advantage of the parenting pack at the end of this post.

Equipping Families to Stand:  What Every Child Needs in a Mom and Dad

Equipping Families to Stand:  What Every Child Needs in a Mom and Dad
Equipping Families to Stand:  What Every Child Needs in a Mom and Dad


This DVD, Equipping Families to Stand:  What Every Child Needs in a Mom and Dad, was also filmed at the Creation Museum during the Equipping Families to Stand Conference.  The sessions in the DVD are intended to help families to stand on the authority of God's Word and also to equip them to share the gospel to a lost world.

Check out Equipping Families to Stand:  What Every Child Needs in a Mom and Dad here.  Then, keep reading.  A special offer is coming at the end of this post.

The 10 Minute Bible Journey
The 10 Minute Bible Journey
The 10 Minute Bible Journey

The 10 Minute Bible Journey by Dale Mason with a foreword by Ken Ham features 52 illustrated accounts revealing a chronological Jesus centered story line "from creation to Heaven."  It comes with a fold out timeline.

Learn more about The 10 Minute Bible Journey here.  Then, up next is the parenting pack special offer.

SPECIAL OFFER

Will They Stand:  Parenting Action Pack

Will They Stand Parenting Action Pack
Will They Stand:  Parenting Action Pack

Now for the special offer from Answers in Genesis!  When you purchase the Will They Stand Parenting Action Pack (Will They Stand:  Parenting Kids to Face the Giants, Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World DVD, and Equipping Families to Stand:  What Every Child Needs in a Mom and Dad), you get The 10 Minute Bible Journey for FREE!

Learn more about the Will They Stand:  Parenting Action Pack here.  We hope you get your copies of these great resources.  

These resources are on sale at Answers in Genesis now at the time of this post (February 2, 2021).  They won't always be on sale so be sure to grab your copies now. 

Answers in Genesis offers a wealth of information and resources to help people and families stand boldly on the Word of God as we face a secular world under the influence of an enemy (Satan) who wants us to fail BUT GOD knew us before we were born as we were knitted together in the wombs of our mothers.

God loves you dearly.  He wants a deeper relationship with you.  Check out Answers in Genesis for resources to help you and your family develop a closer relationship with the Lord.

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Will your kids be equipped to face the giants?  Will they stand?
Equipping Families to Stand Boldly on the Word of God in an Ungodly World

 

Have you ordered my book yet?

Have you ordered my book yet?
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