Why Families Should Go Camping
English 090
Writing Fundamentals
Professor Kathryn Whitener

DeAnn Richards
November 16, 2012
Revised
November 27,2012
Final revision
December 8, 2012

In today’s life style, with the hustle and bustle of busy families, camping can be a relaxing alternative to achieve quality family time. Most families consider quality time, to be the family sitting down to dinner together. Maybe an evening of television or video games is an idea of family time. There are actually families that consider sitting in the living room and texting each other, quality time.
A weekend camping is a great way for a family to bond. Leave the video games, computers and the televisions at home. Instead, take a walk or a hike with the family. Sit around the fire at night and have smores. Tell stories and play games. If you don’t know any games, make them up. My family likes to play the Alphabet game. We start with the letter “A” and “I am going camping and I am taking “apples”. The next person has the letter “B”; “I am going camping and I am taking a bicycle and apples….and so on through the entire alphabet. Even as adults, my daughters enjoy playing this game.
Most campgrounds have organized family programs to participate in. At the Ohio State Parks, there are programs such as family movie night, bug races, organized nature hikes, archery and even kids crafts. They also offer things such as putt- putt golf courses, rental bikes, basketball courts and volleyball. Some of the campgrounds even have their own lake which offers private camp beach and canoeing programs. Some parks even offer programs such as “Junior Naturalist” and “Junior Ranger”. These programs introduce children into a deeper understanding of nature.
Family movie night consists of a G or PG rated movie. These movies are enjoyable for the entire family. Usually, popcorn and drinks are made available for donations. These donations are used to provide more popcorn and drinks for future movie nights. The bug races can be really interesting; for a bug race, children need to find a bug of their choice. There are stipulations to the kinds of bugs that can participate. Stinging bugs are not allowed, this is for the safety of the naturalist as well as the children. The children then name the bug and take it to the naturalist. The naturalist will talk to the child and explain to him what kind of bug it is. She will then write the bugs name down along with the child’s name. The bugs are then categorized and the race begins. The race is done in heats of three bugs at a time. This continues until the final heat in which the “fastest bug at the lake” is announced. The children all get prizes and the fastest bug wins a special prize. The bugs are then released to go on with their lives.
Some of the programs that are offered are state or federally funded. These programs include the archery program and the canoeing program. Certain criteria have to be met by the naturalist and the volunteers that help with these programs.
The kids craft program that is offered at Cowan Lake State Park, is one of my favorite programs. Each week, craft projects are offered free of charge. At these craft sessions, the children learn the importance of recycling. Approximately ninety percent of the crafts are out of recycled materials. These items include, soda bottle bug houses, paper tube binoculars, paper tube Christmas ornaments and towel holders that are made out of plastic rings. The children enjoy doing this and it helps the environment.
Families can visit the nature center at many parks and then enjoy a walk through the woods. Look for the different birds and bugs that were seen in the nature center. Look for different animal tracks or homes. Taking a hike with the naturalist is an educational, fun way to learn. When hiking with the naturalist, she will point out things that regular people would never notice. Sometimes, evening hikes are offered; this is a neat way to see nightlife.
I remember growing up at one particular campground; Cowan Lake State Park, in Wilmington, Ohio. My family camped there every year. I have very fond memories at Cowan Lake, as a child and as an adult. This is the same park that I took my girls to and the same place that they take their families to. Three generations of my family all learned to ride a two wheeled bicycle there. One winter, our camping supplies included a snow shovel; we had to clear a spot for our tent. But the memories that weekend included building a snowman and a snowball fight. As an adult, I sit at our campsite and just look around and reminisce. I remember when the giant trees were just little saplings. I remember when the newly paved roads were gravel. Cowan Lake State Park holds many fond memories.
If a person were to consider camping and did not have the appropriate camping gear, consider borrowing a tent from friends or family. Once people try it, they can gradually make the investment, a little at a time. Camping gear makes great Christmas and birthday gifts. Every Christmas, my grandchildren get a new camping item. My grandchildren now consider it a tradition. Some families find that they enjoy camping enough that they eventually purchase a camper. There are many pros and cons to having a camper. In a camper, you are better protected from the elements. On the other hand, most campers are like having a house on wheels. Many of the newer campers come equipped with everything from a television and dvd player, to microwaves and air conditioning. My fiancé and I are camper hosts at Cowan Lake. We volunteer our services. We show movies on movie night, we help campers with any problems that arise; we clean up the sights after campers leave. The kids craft program is another program that we help with. Six months a year, we are in a tent. We have no television; we entertain ourselves by reading books and walking around meeting new people. We have no air conditioning; we use fans even when it is 100 degrees outside. We have no microwave; a majority of our food is cooked on or in the fire.
Many of our lifetime friends are strangers that we happened to camp beside at one time or another. Meeting people at a campground is the best way to meet the nicest people in the world. A campground is probably the only place in the world that you know it is safe to let you children be free. I personally know people that I met over 20 years ago, just because I let my children eat marshmallows with their children at a campground. Making food in a campfire is a good way to meet your neighbors. Sharing recipes and camping tips is a great way to make lifelong friends.
I have such a strong belief that all people should try camping, that, once a year, we would have a parent free camping weekend. I would take my three daughters and as many as 12-14 extra children camping. To this day, many of the same kids still go camping and now take their own families.
Even though all of our children work and the grandchildren are all getting into their own things, time is always made for camping. In my opinion, nothing is more fun or relaxing then a weekend camping with the family. Camping will make memories that will last a lifetime.