Glamorous - The Art of Glamping/ Family Camping

I've enjoyed camping for my entire adult life.  As a camper coming from a pretty adamant "non-camping" family, most of my childhood experiences centred around weekend Scouting trips during Brownies and Girl Guides.  Over the years Chris and I have explored a lot of beautiful places around Ontario in the provincial parks we've visited.

While I've had a blast on trips with Chris that involve 20KM hikes and picturesque canoeing in Bon Echo and beyond, these aren't usually the best introductions to camping for little ones.  In the past I may have turned up my nose at the idea of glamping, or making camping too kushy and easy, cause you're supposed to be roughing it, right?

In the years since Molly and Jack were born camping itself has become a little more difficult.  There was the time that it rained so hard that Molly and I slept inside our compact car (not comfortable).  Or when we decided to take a two year pause from camping because curious toddlers and fire are terrifying.  Last summer our camping trip came to an abrupt end when we had to throw out our 10 year old tent because all of the weatherproofing spray in the world could no longer prevent it from turning into a swimming pool.

Molly helping set up our new tent "Camper Van Tent"

This year we bought a new tent, that isn't supposed to leak (so far it hasn't)...and decided to try something a little different in terms of our camping experience.  After having difficulty trying to secure a camping site at a provincial park on the long weekend (or one that would allow you to bring wine), we decided to try out a KOA camp ground in Campbellville, an American based camping/ almost, but not quite glamping facility, that makes the experience a little less rough.

Here are 10 reasons why parents may want to consider trying out a KOA site:

1. They have impeccable washrooms
There are no outhouses at KOA, only washrooms with showers and flush toilets.  This also makes life easier for people changing diapers.

2. Need a washer?  They have one!
Damp sleeping bag, or kid fell into a bog on a hike, no problem.  You can wash and dry your clothes without leaving the camp grounds.

3. They deliver your firewood, right to your door/tent
You place the order, with the delivery time, at the camp store and it arrives just in time for dinner.  Ours arrived late,and the kids and I were getting hangry, but the staff were very friendly and even gave us some additional logs at no cost for the inconvenience.

Gatherer Molly

4. It goes beyond tent camping
While we camped in our new tent, KOA facilities have little cabins or yurts and trailer parking for those who can't get comfortable sleeping on the ground.  While we love our cosy little tent, this opens up the doors for spring or fall camping, when it's colder at night but you still want to enjoy the great outdoors.  The park store has all the supplies you may have forgotten!

5. Movie nights
On weekends they have an outdoor movie on an inflatable screen to help keep kids entertained.  A week later the minions are still talking about watching Scooby Doo under the stars.

6. A real kitchen
I like cooking over a fire when I'm camping, and we still did this, and I even don't mind hiking over to a tap at a park to get water for my dishes, but when it's raining camp cooking is terrible.  At KOA there is a communal kitchen for dish washing and cooking, which is great for clean up, and even better for heating something up if it's been raining and you can't get your fire started.  They also have BBQs available for those who want to fire up the grill without using their camp fire (anyone with toddlers)

Snack time

7. It's all about the kids
There are playgrounds and kid focused activities.  These include "crafternoons", and our site had a bouncy castle, balloon animals, and face painting on Saturday.

Balloon flower

8. Bringing in some charity
On Sundays in the summer they host a pancake breakfast, with the proceeds going to helping to send kids with illness, who need extra medical attention to KOA Care Camps.  This no fuss breakfast is a great way for parents to "divide and conquer", Chris was able to take down most of our camp while the kids had breakfast and played on the playground.

9. They have a pool
There was a warm outdoor pool for us to splash around in alongside the kids.  This was a definite highlight for the minions.

10. They are close to other facilities
Provincial parks and conservation areas have great trails, KOA doesn't, but they were only a 10 minute drive away from four different, amazing hikes, also when we went hiking in Halton Hills Conservation Area we were able to still pay for our hike and support Ontario Parks, which is always a win.

While I still have a soft spot for the "roughing it" camping in provincial parks, I enjoyed our slightly pampered weekend away with the kids.  I am also looking forward to trying out some spring or fall camping with the kids in the near future.  For a softer integration into the great outdoors and camping I highly recommend testing out KOA!

Campfire moments

To read 7 tips for camping in the rain click here

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A Marshmallow World

There is nothing quite like a meal made on a camp fire.  It takes a little bit longer to cook, but that smoked taste is always well worth the wait.  The more time I spend camping with little ones, the more creative I've tried to become with camp cooking...with a particular focus on dessert.  Here are two recipes that are easy to make camping (even easier if you complete some preparatory work ahead of time) that have been enjoyed by many, big and small.

Jackie and I camping Summer 2013.

Campfire S'more Cones with "the works"
Ingredients & Supplies needed:
Aluminium foil
Sugar or waffle cones (note: the bigger the cone the more items you can melt inside)
Miniature marshmallows
Milk chocolate chips
Fresh Fruit (we used sliced bananas and strawberries)

Step 1: fill the cone with all of your tasty fillings
Step 2: wrap cone in tin foil and heat over camp fire
Step 3: unwrap, let cool for a minute and enjoy the gooey goodness

It should be noted that while we were camping recently a feisty teenage raccoon (our niece named him Turkey) broke into our kitchen tent and ran away with a half full bag of mini marshmallows.  Thankfully everyone had just enjoyed their cone desserts so the kids were more amused then upset.  The legend of Turkey will live on in many of our campfire stories (and the merit of lessons about putting away your food before you visit the tap for dish water).

Grilled Pineapple
One of the best things about this recipe is that you can prepare it before you go camping and bring it with you.  It will taste even better if you let it marinate over night.

Ingredients
Aluminium Foil
1 large pineapple (cut into rings or spears whatever you prefer)
4 tablespoons butter (melted)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/3 cup brown sugar)

Step 1: Prepare and marinate your pineapple (for a minimum of an hour)
Step 2: Wrap in Foil
Step 3: Cook over fire until toasty brown and enjoy the golden sweetness of this treat

I have a love/hate relationship with pineapple.  I love to eat it, however every once in a while I have an allergic reaction (which consists of lip swelling, ear itching and me consuming copious amounts of Benadryl).  I had some allergy tests run a few years ago and it turns out I'm allergic to something they spray pineapple with, not pineapple itself.  There is no way for me to guess what chemicals are sprayed on which specific pineapples.  I give in and indulge in this treat every once in a while because it tastes so good.  I have been lucky and never had a reaction when I've prepared grilled pineapple while camping.

What are your favourite BBQ or camping dessert recipes?

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Rain, Rain, Go Away - A survival guide to tent camping in the rain

I can't say we've always had the best luck weather wise when we've been camping, but it has been particularly abysmal the past few times we've gone since the minions were born: Like the time we were forced to sleep in our compact car which I wrote about here or a couple of weeks ago when we were facing a torrential rain fall while we were camping with the cousins.  Despite some of our soggy luck recently we are both still big fans of the great outdoors.  I've compiled some tips to make life a little easier and a lot more comfortable when you're outdoors and you know the storm clouds are coming.  I hope it helps!

Molly and Jack at the edge of a hiking trail in the rain!

7 Tips Essential Tips for Camping in the Rain

1. Take inventory of your equipment and manage your supplies before you go.  How many tarps do you have?  When was the last time you used a water sealant spray on your tent fly?  Does anything need to be replaced?  Don't forget extra batteries!
2. Be the man with the plan. Come with a variety of activities and lighting (hence the need for batteries) that makes it easy to enjoy your time inside a tent. This can include items like colouring books, stories, board games, crafts, a deck of cards, cross-word puzzles and a small supply of food that doesn't require a fire to cook. Our favourite no cook camping meal is a ploughman's lunch with crackers, cheeses, cured meats, pickles, olives, and sliced veggies - this also makes for a great picnic meal for a day at the beach if the rain decides to stay away.
3. Plan how you set up camp wisely. Don't put your tent up at the bottom of a hill, begging water to run into it. Set up on high ground and use your best judgement in terms of tree and shade (or rain) coverage.
4. Know what's available in the towns around your camp site. Sometimes a break from the rain such as catching a movie, going to a local bowling alley, indoor mini golf or great restaurant is enough to put everyone in a better mood.
5. Research the amenities at the parks you visit.  Camp facilities might have a laundromat on site or nearby that can help you dry out sopping wet sleeping bags.  Other parks offer indoor movies or indoor nature seminars that will give you a break from the rain.
6. A light rain never hurt anyone. If it's threatening to rain it's probably a good time to go for a hike. Trails aren't muddy yet and you can still enjoy what nature has to offer.
7. Know when to call it a day!  The last time we went camping there were severe weather alerts, warnings and over 40mm of rain expected over a 15 hour period.  Also despite our best efforts to rain proof our aging tent it was leaking, a lot.  Since the main thing Molly wanted to do was go swimming, we opted to pack up a day early and all enjoyed an indoor pool and camping food in front of Netflix instead.  No one regretted the decision!

To read tips on surviving camping with toddlers click here.

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Survivor

Since we survived camping with toddlers I somehow feel that I should get a special Girl Guides badge.  There is no baby proofing in nature, so you just need to wing it and figure out what works and what doesn't.  Since we just experienced it I thought I'd pull together a list of some suggested tips (best practices if you will) on camping with a toddler or in our case toddlers.

 

 

Tip #1

The larger the adult to toddler ratio the better.  Extra hands to wrangle a stray child or block them from the fire pit are helping hands and emergency room visit prevention hands.

 

Tip #2

Plan activities but know that things will need to go at a different pace than when you are camping with just adults or even infants.  Look for parks with playgrounds, beaches, nature trails and outdoor movies to help entertain little ones.



.

Tip #3

Keep the campfires to a minimum to avoid insane paranoia.  We had a grasshopper (single burner fuelled by propane) to make coffee and tea for breakfast along with muffins, fresh fruit yogurt and granola bars.  For lunch we noshed on wraps, this way we only needed the fire roaring for dinner and post-toddler bed time relaxation.*

 

Tip #4

Sometimes camping bath time will be a sponge bath, or baby wipe bath and that's okay because everyone knows mosquitoes hate dirty children.**



Tip #5
Know that you need to get things done when you can, sometimes dishes need to wait until after the kids are in bed, taking a nap or otherwise distracted in a safe and non-destructive activity.  Take these moments and run!


Tip #6
Have an extra bag of tricks up your sleeves that you don't use until you absolutely need it.  Busting out colouring books and crayons while we tore down camp totally saved our bacon.

Tip #7
It's going to be hard work, but I think it was worth it and if things go wrong, don't fret, by next year you'll be camping with totally different kids!


To read about our camping trip last year click here

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*This minimized the number of times we had to say, "How many times do I have to tell you Jack, stay away from the fire!"
**I'm fairly certain that I just made that last part up and dirt should not replace deet when camping.