Sit back and enjoy your summer camping trip with these easy tips.
Bug-off With Herbs
Some of nature’s remedies can get rid of pesky intruders. Mint, for instance, attracts “good bugs,” and also deters “bad bugs.” Repel ants and flies by spraying diluted peppermint essential oil (10 parts water to one part oil) around doorways and windows of your tent or camper. Keep mosquitoes at bay by adding dried sage leaves to your campfire. They will be repelled by the scent and smoke.
Let There be Light
Put solar-powered garden lights near tent stakes, that way you won’t trip over the lines in the dark. Create a great lantern by wrapping a headlamp around a gallon milk jug filled with water (pointing the lamp toward the water).
Portable Potty
A portable camp toilet will make life a lot easier if you are camping with small children. Attach a toilet seat to the top of a 5-gallon bucket and add some kitty litter in a plastic garbage bag. This will avoid making “scary” after-dark trips to the latrine in the woods.
Food on the go
• For a quick breakfast, make up pancake batter before you leave home and pour it into piping bags. Simply snip off the end and pour the batter into a hot skillet.
• Place wieners on sticks and wrap each wiener with canned biscuit dough. Hold over hot coals and cook. Bring extra dough, wrap it around sticks, and once cooked dip in melted butter and cinnamon sugar for a fun treat.
• Freeze gallon jugs of water and place in your cooler to keep food cold. Use as drinking water as it thaws.
• For easy tin-foil dinners, wrap veggies, meat, and potatoes all together in individual packets and cook on hot coals, rotating during cooking. Cooking with foil makes clean-up a breeze.
Sunburn Soother
Tea contains tannic acid which is cooling and will pull the heat out of a sunburn. Tannins will eliminate the sting of the sunburn and remove the redness out of the burn as well. Wet the tea bags and place them directly on the sunburn.
Activities
Children love being active and there are numerous ideas for keeping them entertained. A scavenger hunt, nature walks, playing games, and canoeing are some fun ideas that parents can actively participate in. Simple things such as gathering firewood, water, and helping with campsite chores such as washing up after meals together can be rewarding for children.
