I'm 18 weeks pregnant and finally seem to be past the extreme fatigue and morning sickness, so I decided to take my son(9), nephew(8) and niece(6) on an in the city overnight car camping trip. My niece and nephew have never slept in tents before but he and my son are budding outdoorsmen. They had a blast playing, practicing and learning new skills. I didn't sleep but I sure had fun watching them.

No excuses! If we can do it, so can you. Get out there and practice your skills!

Camp set up - We kept it very simpl. We brought a small tent for the boys and a family sized tent for my niece and I plus, room for the boys if they decided to join us. Sleeping bags and extra blankets to keep us warm at night:


(First time in a tent and my nephew slept in it all night by himself. Super cool!



Chopping wood with an axe:


Batonning wood with a fixed blade:


Firecraft 101 with cotton balls, matches and a pot to boil water in:


Hobo stove:


Campfire cooking:



Primative cooking with rocks:
,

Foraging for crawfish:



Making spoons out of wood chips:
[img]http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h351/backpackjac/th_IMG_0398.jpg[/img]

Improvised stir sticks out of twigs:
[img]http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h351/backpackjac/th_IMG_0435.jpg[/img]

Way to go !

Glad to see kids away fron e-gadgets and living the real world.

Well done!!

Good stuff! I especially love seeing kids (safely) using outdoor tools and learning how to build a fire. They're basic skills everyone should know, but they're quickly becoming a lost art.

I'm a firm believer that the best toy for kids is nature. Teach them good safe habits, supervise them when you need to and let them go. It's amazing what they'll learn and come up with if you let them.

Thata boy, Roar! Can't wait to hear about your adventures!

Just got back from a weekend camping trip. Just a state park this time, but the smell of woodsmoke still evokes the wilderness. Was good to see the kids back in the woods building a 'fort' and collecting acorns. I'm sure the wild turkeys that raided their cache the next morning were grateful for their efforts.

Love it jac ... looking forward to an outing Labor Day weekend, and cub scout camping Sept 8th and Sept 28th - 30th. If DW makes it, and we don't forget the camera, should have some pics to post.

Speaking of pics, how do you get so many pics on photobucket? I can only have 5 on at a time?

I honestly have no idea about photobucket, Marc. I haven't done anything special. Just read and clicked. :-)