Camping with Special Needs Kids

Debbie with Zachary, Joshua and Benjamin

My friends Debbie and Bryan (or, as I call them, SuperMom and SuperDad) love to go camping with their two older boys, 11-year-old Benjamin and Zachary, 7. So far Joshua, their 4-year-old, has stayed home with Mom while the older boys head out with Dad, but they plan to all camp together one day.

All three kids have special needs, and preparing a camping trip to accommodate Zach and Ben takes a little more planning and flexibility than it might with some kids, but – as Debbie is quick to point out – it’s totally doable... and totally worth it!

Bryan, Zachary and Benjamin on the trail

Benjamin has high-functioning autism and reflux, and Zachary has a dairy allergy. To accommodate Zach’s allergy, Bryan packs simple camping food (hot dogs, bread and oatmeal, for example) and is careful to read the labels when he shops. They also pack medication. Ben’s needs are more complex. Sometimes he is afraid to try new things or feels anxious. Debbie makes sure Bryan has some little bribes to smooth the way (like candies), and they often camp with another family, which means that Ben can stay behind at the campsite with someone if he doesn’t want to join an activity.

Benjamin

Benjamin loved Cub Scouts and did great with them, but it turned out that Boy Scouts calls for a level of social and emotional maturity that he isn’t quite ready for – Scouts normally meet and camp without parents, for starters. While typical 11 and 12 year olds can handle that level of independence, Benjamin found it difficult without the support of a parent.

Debbie says, “Having kids with special needs always requires flexibility! Many times we have headed home early from a trip (whether it was camping or not) because someone got sick. There are often sleep issues in new settings, as well as the need to bring safe foods or read labels if sharing in a group.”

Zachary

And when it’s time for 4-year-old Joshua’s first camping trip, another level of planning and flexibility will be involved. Joshua has a metabolic disorder that makes him fatigue easily, dysphagia (a swallowing disorder), reflux, food allergies and an autism diagnosis. Debbie says, “Because Joshua fatigues so fast, we will need alternate activities for him if the others want to hike. He has a stroller wheelchair, but most trails and terrains will not allow for that. He does walk, but can’t walk far. It may work to have one parent - most likely me, as I tend to get tired, too! - stay behind after part of the hike, enjoying nature, maybe taking some photos, while the others go further.”

Future camper Joshua

“The best thing about camping for my husband and the kids,” Debbie says, “is simply that they enjoy it! It’s nice to find an activity they all can agree on. And it’s nice, being that we live in a city, for the kids to have some quiet time in nature.”

TIPS from Debbie and Bryan for first-time campers:

• Hope for the best but expect the worst! You just never know how things might go.

• If the first night is rough, consider cutting the trip short rather than dragging out a tough time. You can always try again another time.

• Bring as many familiar items from home as possible (bear, pillow, special blanket, etc.).

• Remember this is about making memories with your kids, not about perfection.

• Take lots of pictures! “Our kids love looking at the pictures of nature and wildlife (and themselves!) on the computer once they are home.”

• Pick a campground with amenities you like. “We like campgrounds with fishing nearby.”

• When picking a campground, try someplace close to home the first time. Look at the map of the campground and choose a campsite close (but not too close) to the restrooms or outhouses. Also talk to other people who may have been there before.

• Bring some bribes, like little candies, to convince kids who may be fearful to try new things.

• Nighttime is fun for roasting marshmallows or reading with a flashlight in the tent. The Scouts often prepare and perform silly skits. Try it!

• Try camping with a group or another family. “Being that my oldest does struggle with social skills, this is an opportunity for him to try and get to know others and share a common interest.”

Thanks for the tips, Debbie and Bryan! And give us a call next time you’re planning a trip near the New York Metro Area so we can tag along!

PS. You can follow Debbie on Twitter: @momx3deb. She also volunteer tweets for @popsiclecenter.

 

Water Balloon Hoarder

The Ultimate Summer Book for Little Kids

Because today is the first day of summer, I am reminded of one of my favorite, favorite children's book, Summer by Alice Low, illustrated by Roy McKie.

McKie is well known by the books he and Dr. Seuss created together, like 10 Apples Up On Top, In a People House, My Book About Me, etc.  All wonderful books.

But there's something special about Summer. The simplicity and sweetness of Low's poetry, coupled with McKie's joyful and innocent illustrations truly evoke the carefree summer days of childhood.

I encourage everyone to go out and buy a copy if you don't have one already - but get a vintage copy on eBay, because when they reissued it a few years ago they changed the colors and omitted a couple of key pages. (I don't know why some people think they can improve on perfection, but there you have it.) Anyway, there are plenty of decent copies of the old one to be had.

For a wonderful bio on McKie, go here: http://bit.ly/kCoXRS .  That site is www.vintagechildrensbooksmykidloves.com and there's hours of fun browsing there.

Happy Summer everyone, and a special prize to anyone who reads this to their kids by the light of a firefly lantern.

Preparing My Son for the Urban Wild

by Andrew Hunter

It's Day 2 of our countdown to Father's Day, and guest blogger and new dad Andrew Hunter shares with us some big city survival tips. 

This morning, my son and I watched our first sunrise together. I am a new parent. So, lately, I have seen plenty of sunrises. But the one this morning was the first that my son showed interest in. He has just awaken from the fourth trimester so everything interests him these days. This morning after his 5 o’clock bottle he started to fuss because he wanted to sit up and look around. I positioned him on my lap to face our kitchen window. The sun started to peek over the church a few blocks away. I leaned over to look at him. He had his eyes set on the bright outline of the church spire and a big smile on his face.

Nico

As you might expect of a new father, when I saw his grin, memories of my own childhood discoveries of nature flooded my mind. Most of them were set in the mountains of Idaho, where I spent my summers. My grandparents had an A-frame cabin on a desolate lake in the Cascade Mountain range. My grandfather built it himself. He was a Depression Era child, the first modern do-it-yourself generation, and determined to teach his city grandson how to live off the land. He taught me how to build a fire out of what had fallen to the forest floor. He taught me which wild berries were good to eat, which ones were not, how to fire a rifle and roast food over a open fire. He even took advantage of the local kids’ tricking me into my first snipe hunt to teach me how to set traps for small animals.  

This all summed up to a rite of passage, a passing on of knowledge on how to survive when money was tight, even though he himself had flourished as well as any in the post war era and deep down he knew he and his family would have to fall pretty far to ever need to eat roadkill again. Thinking about this, I took stock of my own situation: well educated, well employed, living in a nice neighborhood in the best city in the world to live in, Brooklyn. I realized that my son would have to fall even farther than I to need the survival lessons my grandfather gave me. Instead of feeling comforted, however, I worried that I would not be able to assure that my own son experienced this rite of passage. I looked around my house wondering how I might teach Nico to use the resources that the concrete forest provided.

First thing, I figured, he’d need to know is how to start a fire. Right? Man first moved up when he learned to harness fire. But where the hell would I teach him to make a fire? I suppose I could cordon off a parking space on 5th avenue? Does the city not designate a day for taking over parking spots? For fuel, we could use an old Onion or Gotham Writers Course Guide, anything that we could grab from the free paper boxes on the street corner, or maybe the NY Times my neighbor always leaves in the lobby. The Sunday Times rolled up would make a perfect log! I’ll have to shred the Onion for pine needles. Roll up a half dozen Gotham Guides to look like twigs of kindling. I’ll hide the lumber under parked cars and tell my son, “Okay, Nico. First we start with pine needles. Go find me some pine needles.” And he’ll scavenge under the cars. “Time for the kindling,” and he’ll bring me the Gotham Guides. Before we light up our pile of metro news, I’ll warn him, “Now son, always make sure you get a permit before you burn something in public?” That will be my little addition to the lesson, the bit of knowledge I learned on my own, that I added to the family tree of knowledge. Think of how that advice will serve a dual purpose, how it might save him a trip to the jailhouse during college.

Now for foraging. I thought, “That’s going to be a tough one.” My instinct was to say, “NEVER, ever forage in the city.” But come on. Be creative. We’ll visit all of the fruit and nut vendors on Wall Street. They’d never deny a little kid a free sample. I’ll say, “Son, if the vendor isn’t willing to eat one, don’t buy it.”

Firing a rifle? We can let his grandpa handle that one.

Roasting marshmallows? That was an easy one. We’ll use the gas stove range. But what about a roasting stick? I’ll teach him to steal a hanger from the dry cleaner’s recycle bin. I’ll tell him, “Don’t use painted hangars; you might get lead poisoning.” Then I’ll show him how to unwind the hanger into a make-shift roasting stick. “Always rotate your marshmallow,” I’ll say. “Otherwise you’ll set off the smoke detector.” Yep, I thought, I got that one covered.

As far as a snipe hunt goes, I’ll have to wait until his friends sucker him. I figure even Park Slope must have a local version of the snipe hunt. The problem is whether or not the hunt is on the Prospect Park Pond or the Gowanus. Snipes always live close to water.

Seriously. I’ll have to teach Nico how to trap rats and take a rabies shot or how to make a bio hazard suit? I cannot say that I am looking forward to that one.

I thought of his future lessons in comparison to mine and felt humbled that they would pale to those my grandfather gave me, But I suppose my grandfather felt the same way comparing the advice he gave me and what he got on how to feed his family off the land, since he knew I would probably never have to worry. Nico’s memories will be his own I suppose and he’ll know I gave him what I know. Hell, my grandfather’s father was a bone dry Lutheran and Grandpa taught me how to distill my own grain alcohol. Speaking of which, Nico, here’s one to remember: “Never go cheap on booze, shoes, and toilet paper."

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Andrew Hunter lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn with his wife and son. He is the Community Manager and a Featured Reviewer for fav&co. He also writes fiction. But no one has yet to deem his make believe stories fit to publish. Someday.

10 Fun Camping Games for Kids

These simple games are well liked by all kinds of kids, no matter what their different interests or abilities, and you can play them all without any special materials or equipment.

1. Scavenger Hunt

A scavenger hunt is a great way to get kids interested in a nature walk. You can walk along the trail while the kids hunt for things on a list and check them off as they find them. Real nature lovers leave everything just as they find it and take a picture for a keepsake.

Here are a few ideas for your list:

• a rock shaped like a heart

• a feather

• a bird’s nest

• a maple seed whirligig

• a red leaf, a green leaf and a yellow leaf

• moss

• a pinecone

• a slug

• a snail

• a frog

• a fish

• something a raccoon would like to eat

• a flying insect

• a crawling insect

• animal tracks

• scat or manure

• a snake or a worm

• a squirrel

• a flower

• a mushroom

• a tiny pebble no bigger than the fingernail on your pinkie

• something purple

• a deer

• a piece of garbage (to take with you and throw out)

2. The Alphabet Game

This game is a particular favorite with our family. The kids search the campground or trail for things that start with each letter of the alphabet, in order. It’s a fun way to explore and get the kids moving on an overcast or cooler day.  

3. Marking Trails

Kids can put bent sticks in the forks of trees or place brightly colored leaves or rocks at strategic places along the trail. They can also make arrows with stones along the trail pointing the way (at a curve in the trail, for example). Kids figure out all kinds of ways to leave markers, and it’s fun to come back the next day to see if the markers are still there.   

4. Competitions

This is an old parenting trick; using a competition to get the kids to put their socks on or clean up their toys. At the campsite, it’s fun to see who can collect the most kindling for the fire, or who can drag in the longest stick. On the trail kids can compete to see who can find the biggest rock, or who can jump and touch a tree branch, etc.

5. Fairy Houses

Little kids like to make houses to lure in homeless fairies. On a nature walk, collect interesting leaves, rocks, sticks, shells, feathers and other pretty things, and then build a tiny fairy house in the woods or brush near your campsite. A fairy house has to be built someplace secluded because fairies are shy, and it has to be attractive because fairies are very picky, aesthetically.

6. Obstacle Course

Kids love obstacle courses.  Set one up using everything in the campsite plus whatever you brought from home that might be fun.   

A typical course might look like this:

• Crawl over the picnic table

• Hop three times on each foot

• Walk around the fire pit one whole time around

• Walk to the tent only on tree roots

• Sing happy birthday

• Hang off of a tree branch

• Do 10 jumping jacks

• Bring a log to the fire pit

• Tell a knock-knock joke

• Etc.

7. Hide and Seek

Hide and Seek is a different game at the campground than at home. The kids explore all the nooks and crannies of the campsite, find weird places to hide and get to know their surroundings.

Here’s how to play, in case you don't know:

• The person who is “It” covers her eyes and counts to 10 (or whatever number you decide on). 

• After she is finished counting she yells, “Ready or not, here I come!” and runs around and finds everybody in their hiding places.

• The last one to be found is “It” the next time (or the winner, depending on how you look at it).

8. Duck, Duck, Goose!

Another classic game that makes kids laugh and scream.

Here’s how to play, in case you don't know:

• The kids all sit in a circle. The kid who is “It” walks around the outside of the circle patting each kid on the head and saying “duck” for each one.

• When the kid who is “It” gets to the kid he wants to chase him, he yells, “goose!” and runs around the circle, with the “goose” chasing him.  If the “goose” catches him, the “goose” gets to sit back down. But if he doesn’t catch the first kid, the second kid is now “It” and starts around the circle again, patting heads and saying “duck, duck, duck…”

9. Bug House

Make an insect terrarium with a big piece of Tupperware or a large, glass jar.  I prefer the Tupperware, because it’s easier to see everything, but bugs escape less from the jar.

Here’s how we do it:

• Use a large container, like a big piece of Tupperware or a large, glass jar.

• Put some dirt in the bottom.

• Dig up some worms and put them in the dirt.  

• Go on a bug hunt. Step off the trail and turn over the layer of dead leaves to the soft, half-rotted layer underneath. Sift around and you will find tons of bugs.  

• Make the Bug House homey. Add some sticks, leaves, grass and couple of stones for crawling under.

• Give the bugs some food, like a little piece of fruit, and a dish of water.

• Keep the Bug House in the shade and keep the dirt moist.

• Take care of the bugs and set them free at the end of your camping trip.

10. Build a Fort

Build a special, kids-only hideout at the campsite. Here's how:

Pick a spot.

• Find an existing support you can build your fort against.  This might be a tree, a bush, a fence or a big rock.

Gather materials from the woods and campground.

• long sticks and logs

• lots of dead branches of all sizes

• old lumber

Gather materials brought from home.

• a tarp or two

• sleeping bags or blankets

• rope or string (or jumprope)

Build the fort.

• You can use a tarp as the floor, but if you don’t, sweep out and clear a nice floor for your fort.   

• Take your biggest pieces of wood and figure out how to make a frame for your fort, along with a supporting structure, like a tree or fence, or even without it.

• Tie the pieces together with rope or string.

• Fit and tie lots of thinner branches in for the walls. 

• Make sure to plan in some windows and a door.

• Make a roof out of branches, or use a tarp as the roof.

• Hold secret meetings in the fort.  This is also a good place to keep a Bug House.

Variation:  Or just build a quick tent - run a rope between two trees and sling a tarp over it. Weigh down the edges of the tarp with rocks. Done.

Have fun!


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