Camping

 

This year will mark my family's first camping trip in several years.  We will be camping with friends.  I will most likely be overheated, cranky, and paranoid about my kids getting too close to a river; it should be fun.   I've always had a weird relationship with camping; I enjoy it sort of, maybe, well parts of it.   I recall Indiana beach being fun until my parents discovered that our tent had been vandalized.   Wisconsin Dells was a blast, except for tiki torches nearly setting the tent on fire... The last time we attempted camping it stormed a majority of our time there.  From 7th grade through my senior year, I'd spend a week at a camp.  It was a school trip taken at the beginning of each school year and the best part of those trips was just being in Wisconsin.  I think my most successful camping trip, was when my parents would pitch a tent in the backyard and let me sleep out there, (so long as the yard was skunk free for a night).  Seriously though, this trip should be fun, really it will.

Not only is June National Camping Month but the last full week of June is National Camping Week. .  The general hope is that camping will allow people to cultivate an appreciation for outdoor activities; especially for kids.  This did not work for me but, other people may have more luck.

A Book of Camping and Survival Projects for Kids Who Love to go Wild by Owen, Ruth

"Could you survive in the wild? Young readers will be able to answer yes after tackling these engaging and educational DIY projects focused on survival. Each project is broken down into easy-to-follow steps, allowing young learners and reluctant readers to feel accomplished as they complete each achievable task. In addition, safety tips and materials lists help readers practice being prepared--a truly essential skill for survival! Featuring vivid photographs and a high-interest topic, this guide is sure to spark creativity in readers at a variety of levels"--Provided by the publisher.

Camp & Cabin Cookbook: 100 Recipes to Prepare Wherever You Go. by Bashar, Laura.  

When it's time to head out for a camping weekend, there's no reason to compromise on great food. It's easy to whip up delicious meals with the recipes in this book: instructions include supply lists and prep work that can be done ahead of time and options for cooking both out- and indoors. The Camp & Cabin Cookbook is a feast for the eyes, with gorgeous photographs of every dish, from breakfast to snacks to dinner. Don't leave home without it!

Field & Stream's Guide to Camping by Nickens, T. Edward

Camping is one activity that's much more fun when one has the right skills and know-how for the outdoors. Field & Stream's editors have collected 87 essential pieces of advice about camping that will make readers into leaders of the campground. Pitching a tent, making knots, building a fire, and cooking a delicious outdoor meal are all part of this wide-ranging guide. Visual aids and numbered directions make each skill comprehensible, while beautiful color photographs will inspire readers to pack up and head outside.

The Down and Dirty Guide to Camping with Kids: How to Plan Memorable Family Adventures and Connect Kids to Nature by Olsson, Helen

Outlines economical options for family camping vacations, sharing irreverent, anecdotal, and practical guidelines for families with young children while explaining how to select gear and address needs with a minimum of stress.

Once in a Blue Moon Lodge: a novel by Landvik, Lorna

Set adrift when her mother sells the salon that has been a neighborhood institution for decades, Nora Rolvaag takes a camping trip, intending to do nothing more than roast marshmallows over an open fire and under a starry sky. Two chance encounters, however, will have enormous consequences, and her getaway turns out to be more of a retreat from her daily life than she ever imagined. But Nora is the do-or-die-trying daughter of Patty Jane, who now must embrace the House of Curl's slogan: "Expect the Unexpected." With her trademark wit and warmth, Lorna Landvik follows Nora and an ever-growing cast of characters between city and wooded retreat, Minnesota and Norway, a past that's secret and a future that's promising, but uncertain. Responding to a mysterious letter with a Norwegian postmark, Nora's grandmother Ione travels to her native land to tend to a dying cousin and her husband-two people who played a painful, pivotal role in her past. Nora accompanies her and is surprised by her grandmother's long-ago love story-but even more surprised by the beginning of her own.

The Clover Girls by Shipman, Viola

"Elizabeth, Veronica, Rachel and Emily met at Camp Birchwood as girls in 1985, where over four summers they were the Clover Girls--inseparable for those magical few weeks of freedom--until the last summer that pulled them apart. Now approaching middle age, the women are facing challenges they never imagined as teens, struggles with their marriages, their children, their careers, and wondering who it is they see when they look in the mirror. Then Liz, V and Rachel each receive a letter from Emily with devastating news. She implores the girls who were once her best friends to reunite at Camp Birchwood one last time, to spend a week together revisiting the dreams they'd put aside and repair the relationships they'd allowed to sour. But the women are not the same idealistic, confident girls who once ruled Camp Birchwood, and perhaps some friendships aren't meant to last forever..."--. Publisher's description.

The Daydream cabin by Brown, Carolyn

"A headstrong woman discovers it's never too late for change in New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Brown's spirited novel about lost hope and second chances. Substitute counselor for wayward teens isn't how public-school teacher Jayden Bennett planned to spend her summer vacation. However reluctant, she's hiking up her jeans and heading for remote Piney Wood Academy in north Texas. Two months. Seven days a week. Few amenities. And three troubled girls daring Jayden to make a difference. She understands what she's up against. She has her own burdens to bear. Jayden's not in it alone. The devoted elderly couple who run Piney Wood trusts in Jayden's tough-love approach to get the job done. So does drill instructor Elijah Thomas, whose hardened boot-camp hide conceals a heart broken one too many times. Jayden is making it beat again. For both of them, falling in love is a risk. Because all summers must come to an end. But with each new sunrise on these rustic acres, Jayden."-- From publisher's description.

Just A Boy And A Girl In A Little Canoe by Mlynowski, Sarah

"Nineteen-year-old Sam's summer isn't off to a great start. Her boyfriend, Eli, ditched her for a European backpacking trip and now she's a counselor at Camp Blue Springs: the summer camp her eleven-year-old self swore never to return to. Sam expects the next seven weeks to be a total disaster. That is, until she meets Gavin, the camp's sailing instructor, who turns her expectations upside down. Gavin may have gotten the job just for his abs. Or that smile. Or the way he fills Sam's free time with thrilling encounters--swimming under a cascade of stars, whispering secrets over s'mores, embarking on one (very precarious) canoe ride after dark. It's absurd. After all, Sam loves Eli. But one totally absurd, compeltely off-the-wall summer may be just what Sam needs. And maybe, just maybe, it will teach her something about what she really wants."--publisher

Nothing Happened by Booth, Molly

Bee and Hana Leonato have lived their whole lives at Camp Dogberry. Their parents own the place, and every summer they look forward to leading little campers in crafts, swimming in the lake, and of course, throwing legendary counselor parties. This year Bee and longtime counselor Ben have a will-they-or-won't-they romance that's complicated by events that happened-- or didn't happen-- last summer. Meanwhile, Hana is falling hard for the kind but insecure Claudia, putting them both in the crosshairs of resident troublemaker John, who spreads a vicious rumor that could tear them apart. At the Fourth of July sparkler party, will the all find the courage to untangle the truth?

Camp by Miller, Kayla

"Olive and Willow are happy campers! Or are they? Olive is sure she'll have the best time at summer camp with her friend Willow - but while Olive makes quick friends with the other campers, Willow struggles to form connections and latches on to the only person she knows - Olive. It's s'more than Olive can handle! The stress of being Willow's living security blanket begins to wear on Olive and before long ... the girls aren't just fighting, they may not even be friends by the time camp is over. Will the two be able to patch things up before the final lights out?"--Provided by publisher.