This is excellent advice, not just for camping, but for life in general.
I have learned that, given a choice between ways to spend my time that I believe I would enjoy equally much at the time (say, going camping vs. staying home and playing computer games), I will be tempted to choose the easiest or most comfortable or most convenient, but instead I should, at least some of the time, choose the one that will expand my store of memories and life experience: in years to come, I’ll be glad I did.
And whatever you do, don’t ever try to have an adventure. An adventure is something unpleasant happening to someone else a long way away. You never want to have one.
Correction - when referring to “Honey - I’m off to see what’s on the other side of this tremendously skinny footbridge overlooking this cliff” type adventures, they’re referred to as Adventures.
Take potholders and rags.
Messing with open flames (campfire, gas stove, etc.) will make things hot. Chances are good you’ll need a potholder, and they take up minimal space.
When camping, everything gets dirty. Keep a few rags on hand to wipe the dead bug out of an empty cup, wipe the dead bug off the picnic table, wipe the dead bug off your hand where you squashed it against your arm…you get the picture. We keep several wet, rinse them well when we visit the bathrooms, and hang them to dry on the line or keep to reuse. (You’ll take rope, right?)
I’ve been camping with the Hallkids at all ages and haven’t take much more than a deck of cards and a frisbee to entertain them. Little kids like to 'explore" around the campgrounds, so keep an eye on them. (Everyone should have a whistle, and instructions on when and how to use it!) Kids are great at collecting everything from interesting rocks, to firewood. They will also get filthy, but they wash off pretty well. Don’t sweat how dirty they are until you pull up in the driveway at home.
Food always tastes a million times better while camping, regardless of what it is. That being said, it will take 10 times longer to fix a meal at a camp site than it does in your own kitchen, so prepare in advance. Don’t wait until the sun is starting to set before you start dinner preparations. Have lots of healthy snacks on hand because the camping air makes everyone hungry (along with setting up tents, hunting for firewood, “exploring”, etc.). Take lots of water–you’ll be more thirsty as well.
Don’t forget your tennis skirt.
When my sisters and I go camping, we each spend some time finding a Campfire Poking Stick. It’s fun to poke a fire in a helpful way.
We entertained ourselves one rainy night by making a light show on the inside of the tent. We used our flashlights shining through half-full wine glasses and beer bottles. I don’t know if that’s a step up or a step down from shadow puppets, but it’s still a great camping memory. 