Camping is a wonderful activity the entire family will enjoy. Full immersion into the great outdoors allows your clan an opportunity to unplug from their electronics, connect with nature and bond in a genuine way. When you camp, you can continue the practice of a health-conscious lifestyle and environmentally-friendly habits you use at home. Here are some of the foods, products and methods of eco-responsible camping you can share with your kids on your camping getaway:
Healthy Food
The term “camping foods” will often conjure ideas of hot dogs, potato chips, and processed snack foods. However, it is unnecessary to sacrifice your health and grab these convenient, yet unhealthy foods that also produce a large amount of waste from their excess packaging. There are a number of natural food items you can easily pack and transport for your trip, so you and your family can stay healthy and energized. Visit the bulk bins at your local natural foods store and store up on some of the essential grains, oats, nuts and dried fruits you’ll need for your trip. From the bins you can grab some rolled oats for morning oatmeal with berries, which will only require heated water from your camp stove for cooking. You can also create your own variety of trail mix from the bins — which is an easy way to ensure your trail mix isn’t overloaded with candy or extra sugar. A healthy dinner recipe idea is homemade chili. Individually purchase organic canned beans and stewed tomatoes, and then add them together in a large pot over your camp stove with your desired seasonings.
Kid-Friendly Products
Insect repellent is an essential item that will keep your family safe from pesky bug bites. There are a number of herbal insect repellents that can be found online or at your local health foods store that aren’t full of harmful chemicals. Bite Blocker Natural Insect Repellent Spray is an all-natural, DEET-free, non-chemical, non-toxic and hypoallergenic spray. Bite Blocker is a waterproof formula that will protect from mosquito and blackfly bites for up to eight hours and provides two hours of protection from tick bites.
Rather than purchase paper plates and napkins for your meals, invest in an enamel dinnerware set you can use for all your future camping adventures. REI and other outdoor stores offer sets that include bowls, plates and mugs in a quantity of four that maximize heat distribution and are easy to wash. Bring along reusable water bottles for your trip, too, so you don’t create plastic waste from disposable, plastic water bottles. One of the best water bottle options is the Hydro Flask as it will insulate both cold and hot beverages within its vacuum sealed canister.
Safety
Bicycles can help you and your family roam and explore the natural beauty that surrounds your campground. Make sure you are all equipped with helmets, which will greatly prevent the risk of injury in case of an accident. The company Thousand has manufactured a bike helmet made from eco-friendly materials — like vegan leather — and is produced in ethically-minded factories. They have a patent-pending magnetic closure, which reduces the risk of pinched fingers and the safety standards of the helmet go above and beyond those required by the US and EU. While you are in the wild, you should also make sure you will still have communication access in case of emergency. Satellite phones work in the most remote locations, so you and your family can rest assured that you will be able to contact help in an emergency situation wherever you are.
