Camping for Groups: Organization is Key
Camping for groups requires organization, activities and the dedication to keeping everything on track
Once you’ve organized camping for groups both large and small, you’ll still always find that your shining moment is about the time that everyone starts to arrive at the campground for Dads & Kids Camping Weekend.
When you arrive on the first day, be sure to introduce yourself to the campground personnel and tell them that a pizza lunch for the next day is on you. Also let them know that the entertainer(s) will be coming, when this will be and where to send them. This is also true for the ice cream truck if you are having one.
Then, don’t forget to show up on Saturday morning and drop $50 on their desk for the pizza or, better yet, have it delivered. Include some assorted soft drinks. As discussed earlier, it’s a great way to make friends and to help ensure that you are left alone.
Back to the event itself. The entire weekend is “free form.” Camping for groups can be very relaxing and entertaining all at the same time. The dads and kids do whatever they want: hike, bike, fish, swim, play catch, hang out. They can do this because mom is not there to tell them to mow the lawn or clean up their room.
Many kids seek out the friends they made in previous years and perhaps have not seen in twelve months. Dads do the same, spending time with former neighborhood friends or co-workers.
A typical morning finds many of the kids are up at the crack of dawn on both Saturday and Sunday, ready to go with whatever the day’s activities are. Some will just be hanging out at their campsite, waiting for dad to prepare breakfast, while others begin their sun-up bike patrols fueled by a Hershey Bar, a few Cheese-Its and a glass of orange juice.
Families get together and share morning cooking responsibilities and food. Lunches and dinners are generally also communal events. I wrote a little bit about this in A Day of Campfire Cooking Recipes. It’s all a lot of fun and, as I share in my book, is a bit of a “life lesson” for the kids in sharing, self-sufficiency, safety and watching out for others.
Listen, I’ve got a great 45-page step-by-step handbook that shows you how to organize your own Dads & Kids Camping Weekend and it includes everything you need to know. Read more about my Dads & Kids Camping Handbook.