• Spend Less
  • Have Fun
  • DIY
  • Home
  • Travel
    • Indiana
  • Good Food
  • Family Life

↑

Chaos Is Bliss

Living through the chaos to get to the bliss. Spend less, do more, love life.

  • Spend Less
  • Have Fun
  • DIY
  • Home
  • Travel
    • Indiana
  • Good Food
  • Family Life

Fake Camping with Kids | When You’re Not Yet Ready for the Real Thing

This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for details.

July 13, 2017 By Ann-Marie 7 Comments

If you're new here, welcome! Subscribe to my email updates so you don't miss a thing. Thanks for visiting!

"Fake" camping with kids - when you're not yet ready for the real thing! Tips on camping with kids to make memories that will last a lifetime!
It’s no joke that parenting is not easy.

Like many families, we don’t have a lot of blissful meals together. One child (or all three) hops up when the doorbell rings, someone is complaining about the meal, there are a multitude of interruptions when any of us are trying to speak, and it’s an all-around hot mess.

It’s … chaos.

So when I have friends that have these amazing family vacations and camping trips and make nothing but lasting memories, I either don’t believe them, or I envy them.

Take camping for example. We’re just not ready for The Real Thing. So what did we do instead? We “fake” camped.

"Fake" camping with kids - when you're not yet ready for the real thing! Tips on camping with kids to make memories that will last a lifetime!

Fake Camping

“Fake” camping with kids is what I call going through the motions of a real overnight, tented adventure, but without the aftermath. Without the parents arguing over how to put the tent up, reminding the kids to keep dirty shoes out of the tent, scary spiders crawling inside the tent and dangling over your head as you try to sleep (I know it happens, I just KNOW it does).

  • There is no tent, because we’re moving around the park, and a tent would likely require reserving a spot on the campground ( = money saving tip!).
  • There is no whining about playing on electronics, because we leave those at home.
  • There is no scared-of-the-dark, or scared-of-bears, or scared-of-creepy-things-in-the-woods, because with the late sunset, we leave before it gets dark.

There IS exploring, hiking, frisbee throwing, playground climbing and swinging and sliding, observing, searching, and of course, loads of (relatively) chaos-free fun.

"Fake" camping with kids - when you're not yet ready for the real thing! Tips on camping with kids to make memories that will last a lifetime!

Tips for Fake Camping

Before you go “fake” camping, here are a few tips to help you plan and prepare:

  • Bring a First Aid kit with essentials like Band-aids, antibiotic ointment and anti-itch cream; and don’t forget to pack bug spray and sunscreen.
  • Print a fun scavenger hunt for the kids (you’ll find several on Pinterest), or we used these Camping Bingo boards. I had three clipboards for my kids to use, but you could use magazines or books as a surface for kids to write on.
  • Wear tennis shoes or hiking boots, and consider tossing rain boots in the car for creek stomping!
  • Bring a small bag of charcoal as you can always find an empty grill to cook on. Don’t be like us, and bring firewood. We had the idea that we could build a campfire to cook our food on, but as it turned out, the only fire pits were for reserved campsites. Oh, and don’t forget a lighter!
  • Pack a cooler with drinks, and healthy foods like fruits & veggies for snacking. We also pack ice in a Ziploc bag, to have fresh ice cubes in our drinks throughout the day.
  • Bring your portable chairs and a few blankets to toss on the ground. You can take turns exploring the area, or laying on the blanket reading a book while you’re waiting on your grill to heat up.
  • Remember to bring a trash bag to collect your trash, and drive it back home with you!

And above all, remember to bring your camera. When the fun memories start to fade from your mind, you can always look back at your photos and smile:

"Fake" camping with kids - when you're not yet ready for the real thing! Tips on camping with kids to make memories that will last a lifetime!

What other essentials would you bring along for “fake” camping with kids?

Take a look at more of my family travel posts:

  • 7 Must Haves for Beginning Campers
  • 5 Tips for a Chaos-Free Road Trip
  • Family Travel | St. Louis, Missouri and Part II

This article was first published on July 29, 2014.

The easy camping recipe you can't leave home without! Campfire Skillet Apples, an apple recipe you can make on the stove or over a fire.

(Visited 4,708 times, 48 visits today)

Filed Under: Articles, Family Fun, Family Life, Frugal Tips, Travel

Comments

  1. Ashley @ Simply Designing says

    July 30, 2014 at 12:57 pm

    Fake camping sounds my style! We “camped” in a cabin this year and that worked better for our family then a traditional tent camping. Definitely would need to bring bug spray and sunscreen for my little ones (and myself!)

    Reply
  2. Katelyn F says

    August 16, 2014 at 2:27 pm

    This is such a funny post. We took the kids real camping this summer and enjoyed it, even the peeing in a bucket and pumping water and cooking around a fire. But, it’s not something I want to do every weekend! I like your ideas for a fun outdoor adventure but without the cost, expense and headache of full-blown camping expedition. Thanks for linking up to the HDYDI link up too! Yeah!

    Reply
    • Ann-Marie says

      August 18, 2014 at 1:24 pm

      Peeing in a bucket – oh wow, um, that is definitely *not* on my ‘bucket’ list! So funny!

      Reply
  3. Hussain says

    March 28, 2022 at 9:31 pm

    Thanks for sharing this Ann. Fabulous Post!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Target Practice: Have a "Ball" with Fruit Shoot #StuntHunt | Chaos Is Bliss says:
    August 7, 2014 at 5:48 pm

    […] “Fake” Camping with Kids […]

    Reply
  2. 10 Family Fun Activities | Cheap Is The New Classy says:
    August 11, 2014 at 12:12 pm

    […] Fake Camping with Kids | When You’re Not Yet Ready for the Real Thing | Chaos is Bliss […]

    Reply
  3. How do you do it? Parenting Link Up #36 - What's up Fagans? says:
    August 18, 2014 at 7:00 am

    […] starts school for the first time.And I loved Ann-Marie of Chaos is Bliss‘s post about how she “Fake” Camped with her kids because they just weren’t ready for the real thing… and it saved them some money and […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Don't miss Out.

Subscribe for the latest recipes, fun, money saving tips, and more straight to your inbox!

From The Blog:

50 Free or Cheap Things to Do with Kids This Summer

Have a child that loves the outdoors? Here are some fun party planning tips for a nature-themed birthday party.

Nature-Themed Birthday Party Ideas

Easter Bunny Letter Printable

College Dorm Checklist | What to bring and what to skip

Chaos Is Bliss is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

<span class="icon-someicon"></span>

Pinterest

Visit Chaos Is Bliss's profile on Pinterest.
  • Home
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure Policy
  • Contact
  • Work with Me
  • Clean Chaos

Welcome,

I love sharing ways to spend less, so families can do more! My passions are cooking, late night TV and being amused by my witty husband and three kids. Read More

Get on the list!

Subscribe for the latest recipes, fun, money saving tips, and more straight to your inbox!

Copyright ©2025, Chaos Is Bliss. All Rights Reserved.
Design by Pixel Me Designs