Camping Down-Time Activities

As an adult, I think of camping as down time, but when you're going with kids, that's not usually true. In fact, it can be a bit chaotic. One great thing about camping is the variety of activities to do that you may not usually have access to - like fishing, hiking, or playing in a river or lake. All of which are fun and entertaining, but there comes a point where you need a little "down-time" activity for everyone to do, (or even the kids to do) while the adults are getting dinner ready. (It's probably obvious that my kids are still young enough to need supervision).

In Monday's post I mentioned that my kids are card sharks - yes, even the 6 year old! - and that we love puzzles, but I didn't mention another favorite... ORIGAMI!!! Yes, the Japanese art of folding paper! Don't knock it till you try it! It's not only fun, but challenging too!

A couple of years ago I went on a treasure hunt through Barnes & Noble (one of the best stores ever!) and found origami books with activities for different skill levels. One book I bought was for animals and another for dinosaurs! How fun is that? They even come with paper in all sorts of  perfect patterns to make learning and folding more fun.

Basically, what I ended up with was the perfect down-time activity for any occasion, even camping! My kids love it, and while we sometimes work on our own, or race to see who can finish first... we also work together on the more difficult patterns to help one another and implement that whole 'teamwork' thing people are always talking about. Yay us!

So there you have it! Origami --- Japanese art skills in the great out doors! Give it a try!

Well, I want to run out and get an Origami book - just for me! But I bet my little guy would do it with me. There's still some summer left for us to do it, too! Thanks so much for the awesome tips and posts this week and sharing your sweet family photos!

Leigh Covington is the mother of three active children and a full time student at Grand Canyon University, finishing her Bachelors in Secondary Education emphasis in English. Fueled by Coca-Cola, she spends the majority of her time watching soccer games or gymnastics lessons, while sneaking in a sweet treat to satisfy her chocolate addiction. She also teaches the youth at church and loves spending time reading a good book whenever she can find a free minute.