5 Evening Activities to Enjoy with Kids When Camping

After dinner, evening and the night time can be a chore or a pleasure when camping with kids. The thing is to make it restful and fun. For all of you. Here are five suggestions that don’t cost anything. Enjoy!

Build a campfire. If the campground allows, build a campfire with the kids. Have the kids gather kindling, sticks of various size, to help build a blaze inside a fire ring. Yes! This will take some time. And you need thick logs to keep the fire burning. Campgrounds usually sell a small pack of seasoned firewood. Seasoned wood is wood that has sat for a few years, drying out. This allows the wood to burn better.

While the fire burns down into coals, tell stories. Make them as fantastical or adventurous as you’d like. They don’t necessarily need to make sense. Just be fun to tell. The important thing here is to listen to each person tell his or her story. Don’t forget to applaud!

Roast marshmallows. Once again, allow the kids to find a long stick to use for roasting. Buy chocolate and graham crackers, if you want, so you can make s’mores. Never leave young children unattended by a fire. And remember to make sure the fire is completely out before leaving the campsite or going to bed. Wetting down the coals should do the trick.

Watch the sunset. Check with the campground or any park you are visiting to see where you can view the sunset. Get to the sunset observation point with enough time to watch the progression of the sun going down. We’ve seen many sunsets all over the country.

Star gazing. Grab a blanket and a flashlight and find a good viewing area of the night sky. Then recline on the blanket and watch the stars pop out. Use an app on the phone to help you identify constellations and locate planets. I use StarTrackerLite because it’s free. But don’t forget to put away the phone and just enjoy the beauty of the night.

Look for any meteors falling into our atmosphere. According to google, meteors are “small bodies of matter from outer space that enter the earth’s atmosphere.” They usually burn up upon entry. They look like white streaks. If you’re lucky, you’ll see a bigger meteor enter the atmosphere, allowing a longer viewing time. We saw one in Pennsylvania that looked like a long white cigarette with an orange tip.

Try to follow satellites on their path across the night sky. During the summer, you can watch the lightning bugs come out and flash. Listen for the chorus of bugs or tree frogs singing in the night.

Nighttime can be exciting when you find activities to enjoy as a family. Oh! And that flashlight I told you to bring when watching the stars come out? Depending how far you had to walk to find an open viewing area, you might need that light to get back to your campsite or the car.

Thanks so much for reading Camping with Five Kids. Please stop by again! Till then, enjoy life’s adventures.