The campfire burned softly. Our neighbors serenaded the night with a banjo and a guitar. The creek gurgled behind us. The clouds pulled back to reveal a swath of stars. The three older kids were asleep together in one of our two family cabin tents. The babies, exhausted from sweeping the dirt and rocks with their little bodies, slept in their mama's arms. The four adults talked, telling stories and sharing struggles.

Only an hour from home, our two families felt miles away from our daily routines. In one night away, we re-connected to the natural world, our families forming a bond of shared experience that would last a lifetime.

The thought of car camping with kids sends shudders through some parents. Others don't want to go because they haven't let go of the idea that camping should not involve cars, Coleman stoves, or short walks.

Don't get me wrong; camping with kids is not easy. It takes a lot of planning and work. But it is absolutely worth it.

For our family, one of the keys to a happy outing is to go with another family. More adults mean the workload is shared. The kids need less attention when they have other kids to play with. It's more like a vacation then just another location to bring all your family dynamics and habits.

We started out slowly, just one night out. We left at a leisurely hour on a Saturday morning and got home early Sunday afternoon. Our meals were simple. On one of our first trips we brought cans of chili and corn muffins. We've progressed to chicken fajitas or reheated casseroles. (Remember, you'll have a cooler). Breakfast is instant oatmeal, juice, scrambled eggs, or pancakes. Some people love to cook outdoors. Some are like me- I prefer to keep cooking to a minimum so I can enjoy the fact I'm not at home cooking.

With little kids, hikes are short, more like an amble than a hike. We spend lots of time jumping off of logs or trying to climb boulders. With older kids, we've had impromptu games of pinecone baseball out on a hike. Some kids (and parents) enjoy sitting by a stream and painting with watercolors. An easy take-along craft is making Gods' eyes with two twigs. All you need to bring is some different colored balls of yarn.

I've found that around three, the kids start to do their own walking, thank goodness, since carrying them (at 30 plus pounds) is not much fun. Young children don't have the need to see a lot of new places or find the perfect view spot. They focus on the immediate environment. While we were admiring the reflection of the mountains in the lake, they were finding mushrooms and touching the water in the rushes. It's a good idea to bring guidebooks for whatever interests you--flowers, trees, reptiles, birds, or mammals. We keep bird books in the car all the time to encourage using guidebooks.

One thing I've noticed is that most kids don't get bored outdoors. Preschoolers can spend hours chasing monsters through the trees and giving them snacks. Stumps become rocket ships. An overturned bowl becomes the fire to put out with water from the stream. The older kids like to help set up tents, collect firewood, or try fishing. Babies are happiest crawling in the dirt and pounding on fallen logs. While they get very dirty, they are learning about the outdoor environment. Putting them in playpens is like caging a bear cub after a long winter's sleep--not good for anybody.

Camping gives families the chance to be together without distractions. When we are removed from the familiar, we have the opportunity to create new ways of being, within our own families and with others. On one memorable weekend, our friends' and our three year-olds, who previously didn't want to play together, moved into a new dynamic of cooperation and sharing. By the end of the trip, they helped each other climb up the rocky trail. We all felt more connected to each other as we worked together to be safe from thunderstorms and marauding bears and shared the magic of good friends gathered around the campfire.

Copyright © 2003 Anna Stewart. All rights reserved worldwide.