Five ways to amuse the kids while trapped in your tent
After being trapped by poor weather in a ten by ten foot tent with two energetic boys, I will now always be asking myself as I pack for future trips, “what do I need to bring in case we are trapped in a ten by ten tent ?” When camping, as with most trips, there is a need to keep the entertainment-for-kids stuff light. I hope that being in a new environment will be entertainment in and of itself, but there will always be times when having a quick distraction in your pocket comes in handy. Here are a few lightweight or no-weight ideas to have handy in case you find yourself in the same type of situation:
1) Mini flashlights. We got ours at REI and I don’t know why, but the kids are crazy about these little lights that come in five different animal shapes. I think flashlights in general are great at doubling both as toys and as practical necessities. These in particular are strong enough to give some light and yet not blinding light, as they will inevitably be directed at your eyes. The handle on these also make them easy to attach to anything, making them accessible when you need it.
2) Deck of cards/games: Cards are so versatile, you can find games to play with any number of players and at most age levels. For the little ones (who can identify numbers), Crazy Eights and Go Fish are easy to learn and fun. Even younger ones can play an easy matching game or memory game. Older kids might enjoy poker or hearts, and you can always find broken sticks or acorns to use for wagering. Travel sized board games are also pretty easy to find nowadays.
3) Twenty Questions: Sometimes when things are getting rowdy in the car I will entice the kids to guess what I’m thinking of by asking me questions. For my kids I often start with a hint… “I’m thinking of something yummy for dinner…” After they have guessed it (my dinner repertoire is not so large) each one will inevitably want a turn thinking of something, and pretty soon we have killed a fair chunk of time. We also recently received an electronic game called 20Q where you always get to be the one thinking of something and the computer flashes questions on its screen. It keeps track of the number of questions as you press the “yes”, “no” or “sometimes” button and it tries to read your mind within twenty questions. This game is fairly small so I keep it in my purse for long grocery lines or doctors office visits.
4) Storytelling: My favorite kind of storytelling is one where each person listening must contribute to the story. An adult may start by setting a scene and introducing a character or two. Then as something begins to happen, the next person must continue telling the story. My creative husband is great at leading this game. If I end up in the lead, I often rely on well-known fairytales but try to change one major element.
5) Letter or Word Games: If your games need some focus, you can always fall back on the alphabet for game ideas. For example, one person says, “I’m going to a party and I’m bringing my… alligator purse.” The next person must remember what all previous items are and then bring another with the following letter: “I’m going to a party and bringing an alligator purse and a balloon.” If this is too complicated one can always play by only announcing what they will bring using the letters of the alphabet. Another game is called Grandma’s House. Each player must bring a gift to Grandma in order to be let into her house. Grandma silently thinks of a rule, such as gifts that begin with the letter f, or gifts that begin with the same letter as your name, or gifts that rhyme with a particular word… and each player in turn announces what gift they have brought. Then Grandma decides to welcome them in or not, depending on whether the gift falls within the rule. Grandma can make up players and announce what they have brought to move the game along. For example, “Betty has just come over with her beachball.” The game ends when each player is inside Grandma’s house.
Though you may not find yourself literally trapped in a tent very often, these tools may prove useful when an everyday adventure brings unexpected weather.
Oh, me likey!! These are also all good for being stuck inside the house for 5 months while there are sub-zero temperatures surrounding you.
CLEVER.
I have to say that is very clever ways to keep the little one’s entertained. I will use your advices once I really have my own kids. You are a very good writer.
Totally agree about flashlight. They can play with that all night long.
My kids are a bit more electronic junkies so we also pack their handheld games and it does help us a lot.. I know, we are supposed to get in touch with nature. hehe.. But sometimes mommy needs a break.