How to get your children engaged with the planning of an epic adventure

I wanted to share an activity that me and the sprog did the other day. We were planning to go camping with the Ordinary Superparents off of Facebook (blogpost here). I really wanted to get her involved in the organisation of the adventure. She’s only 3 and has just started to write her name and learn letters so I couldn’t get her to write a list of things to bring. Instead I got her to draw a picture of the things she wanted to eat on the camping trip before we went to the shops. I wrote the words of the food items next to it. Judging by the number of sausages she drew she definitely wanted some sort of fry up!

Another part of the planning I asked her to help with was the choice of clothes. We pulled out anything she suggested and piled it on the bed.

Then I showed her the tiny backpack that she was going to use and told her that only the clothes she could fit in the bag would be brought. Like Gok Wan in a lady's wardrobe, the sprog started to fling clothes out. The first thing she decided to ditch were the pyjamas, quickly followed by the second change of everything else. We discussed what she would need if she got cold and she decided to keep the thermal shirt and added an extra fleecy jumper.

In the end the only change of clothes she actually used was a change of socks. Just goes to show how little stuff you need to take your kids on an overnight adventure. All the rest is ‘just in case’!

Other ideas to help the kids plan the adventure:

Ask them what type of adventure they want to go on. River? Sea? Mountain? Forest? Plan your trip accordingly.
Ask them how they want to travel. Walking adventure? Bike adventure? Boat adventure?
Get an Ordnance Survey map of your adventure area. Is there a footpath nearby? Show your child some routes you could walk together.
What facilities are there that you could use? I.e. is there a bike hire near your campsite? Is there a recommended bike trail?
Get them to pack the sleeping bags, tent etc. in the backpack so they know exactly what you are bringing and where everything is packed.

On the adventure...

Make them help put the tent up, collect wood, construct the fire, wash up the mess tins, etc.
Get them to help with food preparation. Even basic things like washing carrots.
Kids love cooking their own food, especially marshmallows and s’mores over the fire. Try and be adventurous and look for other recipes. Bananas in tin foil. Baking bread. Go on. Google it!
Get them to help with navigation. Even at an early age you can be teaching them basic map skills like how to orientate the map and how to work out where you are.
At the end of the day sit and discuss what the best bit of the adventure has been so far. What was tough? What have you learned? This is a great opportunity to show kids that it’s ok to open up and develop higher order thinking skills.

Whatever you do, remember, you are the judge of what you think is safe for your kids. Sending the sprog on an orienteering course in a forest on her own at 3 years old is probably not what I would deem as safe. Equally, getting her to roast her marshmallows unattended would probably get me in the dog house with the missus. You are in charge of your child’s safety but you are also in charge of their development (especially when they are young) so find your own middle ground there.

And enjoy it!

Good luck, have fun and until we meet on the next adventure, keep smiling!