We just returned from our #FamilyFieldTrip where we went camping in the Grand Tetons & Yellowstone National Parks. It was an amazing experience! The mountains and those Geysers were awe inspiring and spectacular to witness.
Preparing for this trip was what inspired this month’s lesson plan: Yoga For Camping.
Camping gets us out of our world of clocks, calendars, and schedules. Tools that cut the now into pieces divorcing us from abiding mindfully in this ever flowing present.
“In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful.” -Alice Walker
My family never went camping, but my husband, being an Eagle Scout, has a plethora of experience. I love the outdoors, being in the woods, smelling the pine trees, taking in the rainbow of wildflowers and feeling my feet on the uneven dirt paths, fills my cup.
We spent 7 days in a tent, cooking over a Coleman stove and campfire and peeing in the woods and I loved it!
5 Reasons Why Every Family Should Go Camping
- Time to Unplug. Other than our phones, mostly used for picture taking due to lack of service, we left behind all electronic devices behind. What a treat it was to not be tethered to electronics!
- Family Time. Watching the kids explore and have new experiences. Listening to them recount stories on the trail and, at the end of every day, all five of us would crawl into the tent together and fell asleep, the kids cuddled up between Bill and me. It was pretty sweet to fall asleep together like a pile of lemmings.
- Amazing Views. Whether you go hiking, boating, exploring or just stay on your campsite you will have amazing views of your surrounding but of your children as well. To watch a child interact with nature is something you don’t want to miss. Slowing down and just watching them swim, seeing them try to get a butterfly land on their finger, dig in the dirt or learn how to start the evening’s campfire.
- The Ease. To be honest, this was not hard-core backcountry camping (something Bill is desperate to get us into). We did have a car. We had sleeping pads, and warm sleeping bags (it got down to 40F most nights) and a camp stove. We had potable water. We had flush toilets available.
- Making Memories. We are all about giving experiences to our kids rather than more stuff. So camping really fits the bill for us. My entire family would agree that our best memories are when we are traveling or camping altogether. Games, like UNO or Phase 10 get played for hours or new games are formed like Guess Where, like a ‘remember when’ game. I would not trade these moments or memories for anything.
“Now I see the secret of making the best person, it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth.” – Walt Whitman
Get this lesson plan today and begin this adventurous sequence will have you wanting to pitch a tent and roast marshmallows under the stars from anywhere.
Try some of our campfire favorites on your next camping adventure whether it’s in your backyard or in the backcountry.
Resources:
www.nemoequipment.com/five-reasons-why-family-camping-trips-are-important/
www.growingplay.com/2016/03/5-reasons-why-every-family-should-go-camping/
www.todaysparent.com/family/camping-with-kids-and-loved-it/