20 Things Kids Need to Know About The Outdoors

My last post was about Geocashing, and while writing it I started thinking how kids would enjoy the “hunt” of it. The more I started thinking about kids, the more I remembered things that I was taught as a kid on my family camping trips. It inspired me to create a list of things that are important and sometimes fun to teach kids about the outdoors.

1. Don’t leave the campfire until it is dead cold
2. Drink plenty water, especially when hiking
3. Bring extra clothes (for cold nights/water misadventures)
4. If you are wearing sneakers, you just might slip
5. S’mores are much better with peanut butter cups
6. Early birds get the worm (I love a good morning hike)
7. Respect the campers around you, even if they’re not respecting you
8. Stay on the trail; it is there for a reason
9. The best camp chair is always Dad’s seat (Here are a couple of great ideas for “Dad’s Chair” – Big Bubba and Lounge Lizard)
10. Avoid leaves of three (poison ivy is the WORST)
11. Sunscreen is very important (and remember that you CAN get sunburned on cloudy days too)
12. So is insect repellent
13. Electronics stay in the car unless you are Geocaching (It was the Walkman when I was a kid, but these days with all of the electronics we have it’s important. Whole point of going camping is to get away from all that stuff)
14. Leave your campsite cleaner than you found it (Pay it forward for the next camper)
15. No food in the tent (or you might get an unwanted animal visitor or two)
16. Flat rocks are perfect for skipping (but your big brother will always skip better than you)
17. Avoid ponds covered in ice when not accompanied by adults
18. Night crawlers won’t hurt you (but telling your 5 year old younger brother that they taste like chocolate will get you in big trouble)
19. Running through the woods with a stick isn’t always the best idea. That stick could impale you.
20. Being outdoors is actually MORE fun than being indoors