Camping with Kids
Built around Gary’s yearly grandkid camp: real jobs, knots, whittling with gloves and glasses, map and compass, and fire skills with an adult close by. Plus the safety basics every family needs: water, getting lost, whistles, sun and heat. For parents, grandparents and anyone taking young people outdoors.
On this page
Gary’s grandkid camp
Each year, Gary takes all six of his grandkids camping.
The six grandkids have their own trailer. Gary has taught them slingshots, whittling, fire-making, map and compass, and knots. Each child has cut-proof gloves, safety glasses and a multi-tool; his oldest grandson got a kids’ version at five.
The kids help with the cleaning and the cooking. In Gary’s words, they were “voted best grandkids in the campground.”
“It’s wonderful to see them interact without any adults. They’re dependent on one another.”
The six don’t often get the chance to be together at the same time, so camp is special. They look after themselves and do everything on their own, and Gary doesn’t have to step in. They sing, tell stories and do all kinds of fun things, with no other adults around. In Gary’s words, “I just love to watch and see them interact together.”
Gary says what he wants most from these trips is simple: “I want the kids to have skills, knowledge, confidence and a close relationship with their cousins.”
When a flood hit the campground recently, they learned how it changed the ecosystem, re-diverted campsites and ate away the ground.
A few ideas run through Gary’s camp that any family can borrow:
- Kids get real responsibility. Their own space, their own jobs, and the trust to sort things out among themselves.
- Real skills, with real safety gear. Knives come with cut-resistant gloves and safety glasses, and an adult teaches first.
- Everyone pitches in. Cooking and cleaning are part of camping, not something that happens to you.
- The outdoors is the classroom. A flood, a storm or a beaver dam is a lesson, not just an event.
What it means for you: you don’t need six grandkids and a trailer to start. One night at a nearby campground, one new skill, and one job each is plenty for a first trip. Kids remember the trip where they lit the stove or tied the tarp, not the one where they watched.
Real jobs for real campers
Children are happier and safer in camp when they have something to do. Match jobs to age and ability, and always to a grown-up’s judgement.
| Age (roughly) | Jobs that work |
|---|---|
| 3 to 5 | Carry their own small pack, help unroll sleeping bags, collect pine cones or small sticks where allowed, put garbage in the bag, help set the table, water-carrying with a small bottle. |
| 6 to 8 | Help pitch the tent (holding poles, pushing in stakes), sweep out the tent, wash and dry dishes, fill water jugs, help plan a meal, tie simple knots, pack their own clothes from a list. |
| 9 to 12 | Pitch a small tent with help, guy out lines, cook a simple meal on the stove with an adult beside them, tend a campfire with an adult, read a map, check for ticks, help a younger child. |
| Teens | Set up camp, plan and cook meals, light and put out fires, navigate on a hike, help with levelling and hook-ups, take responsibility for younger kids for short periods. |
Make the jobs visible: a simple job chart on the picnic table or the trailer door works at home and in camp.
Knots
Knots are the perfect camp skill: cheap, quiet, useful every day, and something kids can show off. Gary has been teaching them since his days as a Boy Scout leader.
As a Boy Scout leader, Gary had a rule: rowdy kids sat in the corner until they learned one knot. It became a competition, and he bought a book of more than 3,800 knots to stay ahead of them.
His favourites are the bowline, the Prusik hitch, the half hitch and the clove hitch. He taught all his kids, keeps paracord in his pocket, and when a kid is bored he throws them a piece and teaches them a knot. The grandkids all know their knots.
Start with the knots camp actually uses:
Bowline
A fixed loop that won’t slip or jam, and unties easily afterward. For tying a line around a tree or post.
Taut-line hitch
An adjustable loop for tent and tarp guy lines. Slide it to tighten the line.
Clove hitch
Quick to tie around a pole or a tree, for starting a lashing or hanging a line.
Two half hitches
A simple, secure way to tie a line to a ring, post or tree.
Our Knots every kid should know page walks through these and more, step by step, with practice tips.
Whittling and knives
Slingshots need the same care as knives: safety glasses, a clear range with nothing and nobody behind the target, and an adult watching.
Whittling teaches patience, hand skills and respect for a sharp tool. It’s also one of the easiest ways to get hurt in camp, so Gary’s grandkids each have cut-resistant gloves and safety glasses, and they learn from an adult first. Whether and when a child is ready is the parent’s or grandparent’s call.
Ground rules worth teaching
- Gear on first. A cut-resistant glove on the hand holding the wood, and safety glasses. Chips and broken tips fly.
- Sit down to whittle, with elbows on your knees and the work held out in front of you.
- Clear space. Hold the closed knife at arm’s length and turn in a full circle; nobody should be within reach. Others stay out of that circle.
- Cut away from yourself, and away from your other hand, your legs and anyone else.
- Small, controlled strokes. Take off thin shavings. Forcing a big cut is when the blade slips.
- Close or sheathe the knife whenever you stop, stand up or walk, and hand it to someone closed, or handle first.
- A sharp knife is safer than a dull one, because it needs less force. Sharpening is an adult’s job until a child has learned it properly.
- Use soft, straight-grained wood, and never carve living trees or anything in a park.
Know where the first aid kit is before the first cut, and how to apply firm pressure to a cut. Our mini first aid kit page helps kids build their own.
Map and compass
Phones lose signal and run out of battery. A paper map and a compass don’t. Learning to use them is also a good way to help kids understand where they are, which is the best defence against getting lost.
Gary’s oldest grandson was learning about maps and compasses in cadets, so they printed out some maps and bought each child a compass. The kids spent a whole afternoon at camp using them. In Gary’s words, “They all had a blast.”
- Start with the campground map. Have kids find your site, the washrooms, the water tap and the way back from the beach.
- Orient the map. Turn it so things on the map line up with things you can see. The compass needle helps: line up north on the map with north on the compass.
- Learn the landmarks. The big hill, the river, the tall trees, the road. Kids who know two or three landmarks are much less likely to get turned around.
- Practise short walks where the child leads with the map, and the adult follows.
- Watch the sun. In our part of the world the sun rises in the east, is in the southern part of the sky at midday, and sets in the west.
- Make it a game. A simple treasure hunt using compass directions and paces works for most ages.
Fire skills, with an adult
Lighting a fire is one of the proudest moments of a camping trip. It’s also a skill to teach slowly, with an adult right there, every time, and only when fires are allowed. Check fire bans first.
- Fire rules before matches. Hair tied back, no loose clothing, closed-toe shoes, no running near the fire, and a clear circle around the pit.
- Water first. A full bucket or large container of water beside the fire pit before anything is lit.
- Use the fire pit or ring provided in a campground. Elsewhere, Alberta’s advice is to choose level ground sheltered from wind, away from dry grass, bushes and overhanging branches, and clear a metre around the pit.
- Build small. Tinder, then kindling, then a few larger pieces. A small fire is easier to control and cooks better.
- Adults strike the match until a child has shown they can do it safely, then the child lights it with the adult beside them.
- Never leave it. Someone responsible stays with the fire until it’s out.
- Put it out properly: soak it, stir it, soak it again, until you can’t feel any heat from the ashes. Don’t bury it; it can keep smouldering.
On a windy day, the best fire lesson may be explaining why there’s no fire today.
Learning from what’s around you
Gary’s grandkids learned about a flood by watching what it did to their own campground. Every camping trip has lessons like that waiting:
- Rivers change. Look for flood debris caught high in trees, cut banks, new gravel bars and channels. Talk about why we don’t camp right at the water’s edge.
- Weather you can feel. Watch clouds build on a summer afternoon, feel the wind shift before a storm, notice how cold it gets on a clear night. Our Kids section has more weather science.
- Wildlife signs. Tracks in the mud, beaver chews, bird calls at dawn, deer at dusk. Watch from a distance and never feed animals.
- Night sky. Away from town lights, the Milky Way, satellites and meteors are easy to see. See dark skies.
- Leave what you find. Take photos and drawings, not rocks, flowers or bones.
Fun at camp, rain or shine
Kids remember the things they made and found. A few simple activities, packed before you leave, can save a long wet afternoon.
Gary has brought crafts along for his grandkids at camp. In his words: “I took a bunch of leather and leather work tools out. My grandkids had a great time. We also did tie-dye t-shirts.”
They also made paracord slings and a staff sling, then went out practising throwing tennis balls. In Gary’s words, the “kids had lots of fun.”
Gary always encourages the grandkids to bring books and other things to do. In his words, “Reading is very important.”
Scavenger hunt
Write or print a list before you go and give each child a pencil. In a provincial or national park, tick items off by finding or photographing them rather than collecting them. Leave natural objects where they are.
- A feather
- Three different kinds of leaves
- Something smooth, and something rough
- An animal track or a bird’s nest (look, don’t touch)
- A cloud shaped like an animal
- Something that makes a sound in the wind
- Something red, something yellow, something blue
- The direction the wind is coming from (west, around here, most days)
Map and compass afternoon. Print a map of the campground or a nearby trail and give each child a compass. See Map and compass below for how to start.
Crafts that work at a picnic table
- Leather stamping. Pre-cut leather blanks, a few stamps and a mallet make keychains, bookmarks and bracelets. An adult handles the knives and hole punches.
- Tie-dye shirts. Do it outside on a plastic tablecloth, with gloves and old clothes. Bag each shirt to set for several hours, then rinse in a bucket and pour the rinse water down a sani-dump or toilet, never into a lake, creek or the ground near water.
- Paracord bracelets and knots. Good practice for real camp knots. See Knots for kids.
- Paracord slings. Braid a simple sling from paracord, or make a staff sling with a sturdy stick, and practise with tennis balls only. Pick a wide open space well away from campsites, vehicles, windows and people, and ask the campground first.
- Nature journal. A small notebook for drawings, leaf rubbings, bird sightings and the day’s weather.
When the weather turns
Southern Alberta storms can blow up fast, and the wind can make a tent miserable. Keep a rainy-day bin ready in the trailer or vehicle:
- A deck of cards, a couple of small board games and a book to read aloud
- A book of their own for each child
- Craft supplies that don’t need a big table
- Glow sticks and a flashlight for shadow puppets
- A weather notebook. Be a weather detective: record the clouds, wind and temperature every hour and see what changes.
If you hear thunder, a tent is not shelter. Move into a building or a hard-topped, all-metal vehicle (not a convertible), and wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before going back out.
Water safety
Lakes, rivers and reservoirs are the heart of many camping trips here, and they’re where the most serious accidents happen to children. The Lifesaving Society, Canada’s drowning prevention charity, offers simple rules:
Within arm’s reach
Always keep young children within arm’s reach of an adult near water. The Lifesaving Society notes that most children who drown were alone and playing near water.
Wear a lifejacket
On boats, docks and in open water, a Canadian-approved lifejacket or PFD that fits snugly and doesn’t ride up over the chin or ears. For children, look for a large collar and a strap between the legs. Inflatable PFDs aren’t allowed for anyone under 16 or under 36.3 kg. Check the fit each season as kids grow.
Never alone
Never swim or boat alone. Older children swim with a buddy, and an adult is watching.
A designated watcher
At a busy beach or campsite, agree which adult is watching the water, with no phone, and hand over clearly when you swap.
- Rivers are not lakes. Our rivers can be cold, fast and full of hidden currents, especially in spring and early summer and after mountain rain. Wading is very different from swimming.
- Reservoirs can be windy and choppy, and inflatable toys can blow offshore quickly. Keep inflatables tethered or in calm, shallow water only.
- Campground beaches have no lifeguards. Park Lake’s beach, for example, is unsupervised. An adult is the lifeguard.
- Stay away from irrigation canals and ditches. The St. Mary River Irrigation District warns that canal water can be very cold and fast-moving, and the banks slick and steep, making it hard to climb out. Swimming and tubing in canals are prohibited. Never go in after a pet or a toy; call 911.
- Don’t drink and swim or boat. The Lifesaving Society’s message: alcohol affects balance and judgement, and sun, wind and dehydration make it worse.
If you’re lost: hug a tree
Any child can get separated from their family in a busy campground or on a trail. The Hug-a-Tree and Survive program was developed in the United States after the 1981 search for a lost boy, first adapted for Canada by the RCMP, and is now an AdventureSmart program for children aged 5 to 11. It gives kids a simple plan:
- Tell an adult where you are going.
- If you are lost, “hug a tree” and stay put. Staying in one place makes you much easier to find. A tree, a big rock or a bench all work.
- Keep warm and dry.
- Help searchers find you by answering their calls and making noise so you can be heard and seen.
The whistle
Give every child a whistle on a lanyard or clipped to a jacket, and teach them how to use it: three blasts, a short break, then three blasts again means “I need help.” A whistle carries much further than a voice and doesn’t wear out.
- Practise at home so they know it’s for emergencies, not for fun.
- Dress kids in bright colours on hikes and around big campgrounds.
- Agree on a meeting spot, such as your site’s picnic table, in case anyone gets separated.
- Teach them your site number and what your camper or tent looks like.
- Tell them searchers are friendly and want to help, even if they’re strangers.
Why should you stay put if you’re lost? When you keep walking, the people looking for you have to search a bigger and bigger area. When you stay in one spot, they can find you much faster. That’s why you “hug a tree”: the tree keeps you in one place and keeps you company.
Wonder: if you were lost, what could you do to help people see and hear you?
Try this: practise your whistle signal: three blasts, a short rest, three more. Then make a plan with your family about where to meet at the campground if you get separated.
Sun and heat
Southern Alberta gets a lot of sunshine, and children burn and overheat faster than adults.
Sun
The Canadian Cancer Society recommends extra care whenever the UV Index is 3 or higher, which is most summer days here:
- Seek shade, especially in the middle of the day.
- Wear a wide-brimmed hat that covers the head, face, ears and neck.
- Wear tightly woven clothing that covers the skin.
- Choose close-fitting, wraparound sunglasses with UVA and UVB protection for children.
- Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher, and reapply a generous amount at least every two hours, and after swimming.
- Babies under 6 months: Health Canada says not to put sunscreen on them. Keep them out of direct sun and heat, in the shade, with a hat and light clothing that covers their skin.
Heat
Health Canada notes that children are especially at risk in extreme heat.
- Have kids drink water regularly, before they say they’re thirsty.
- Plan active play for the morning and evening; rest in the shade in the afternoon.
- Watch for heat exhaustion: dizziness, nausea, heavy sweating, headache and unusual thirst. Move to a cool place and drink water.
- Heat stroke is a medical emergency: high body temperature, confusion, fainting, or very hot, red skin with no sweating. Call 911, move the child somewhere cooler, apply cold water to large areas of skin and fan them while you wait.
- Never leave children or pets alone in a parked vehicle, or a closed trailer, even for a few minutes.
For storms, lightning, cold nights, ticks and wildlife, see Weather and safety.
Packing for kids
Clothes
More than you think: two changes per day for small children, wool or synthetic layers, rain gear, a warm hat, dry socks, and sturdy shoes. No cotton for cold or wet days.
Sleep
A sleeping bag that fits, a good pad, a familiar pillow or stuffed animal, and a headlamp of their own.
Safety
Whistle, bright jacket, lifejacket that fits, sun hat, sunscreen, water bottle, any medicines, and an insect repellent suited to the child’s age. The Canadian Paediatric Society says no DEET for babies under 6 months, no more than 10% DEET for children, and icaridin from 6 months. An adult should put it on, outdoors, never inside a tent.
Fun
A length of cord for knots, a magnifying glass, a notebook and pencils, cards, a ball, a field guide.
Our home-ready page is a good companion: many of the same habits that keep kids safe at home keep them safe in camp.
Kids in our parks: what the park staff say
The two big parks near Lethbridge have very different hazards. Here’s what the park agencies tell families.
Waterton Lakes National Park
- Never leave children unsupervised in the campground.
- Pick up small children right away if a cougar, wolf or coyote comes close. Stand your ground and don’t run.
- Edges and cliffs. Near steep ground, keep well back from the edge and supervise children closely.
- Deer in town. Mule deer in the townsite may have fawns and will defend them aggressively, especially in spring. If you see one, take the kids and leave the area.
- Ticks. Rocky Mountain wood ticks are common in spring and early summer. Check children, and pets, after every hike.
- Calling for help. In an emergency, call 911 and say you’re in Waterton Lakes National Park.
Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi Provincial Park
- Hold them back. The park’s campground guide asks parents to stop young children running ahead and climbing the hills and rocks.
- Rattlesnake rules for kids. Stay on the trails and out of long grass, look before you sit, and if you hear a rattle, freeze until you know where the snake is. The prairie rattlesnake is the only venomous snake of the four found in the park.
- If someone is bitten, stay calm, go straight to the nearest hospital (in the Town of Milk River) and tell park staff. Don’t try to suck out the venom or put on a tourniquet.
Lakes, reservoirs and algae
After hot, dry weather, some prairie lakes grow a greenish film of blue-green algae. Alberta Parks’ advice: don’t let children play in or near affected water, and keep pets from drinking it, because it can kill animals. Advisories have been issued close to home, including Milk River Ridge Reservoir (2021) and Henderson Lake (2024). Check the Alberta Health Services active health advisories before a beach day.
Numbers to keep in the car
- 911 for any emergency.
- Health Link 811: free nurse advice, 24 hours a day.
- Poison and Drug Information Service, 1-800-332-1414, day or night, if a child eats an unknown berry, plant or mushroom.
Sources
- Lifesaving Society Alberta and Northwest Territories, Water Smart tips (arm’s reach, lifejackets, never swim or boat alone, alcohol): lifesaving.org
- AdventureSmart, Hug-a-Tree and Survive (history, ages 5 to 11, stay put, answer searchers): adventuresmart.ca
- Canadian Geographic Education, Hug-a-Tree and Survive (the four rules and the whistle signal): cangeoeducation.ca
- Canadian Cancer Society, Be sun safe to help reduce your skin cancer risk: cancer.ca
- Health Canada, Fact sheet: Staying healthy in the heat: canada.ca
- Government of Alberta, Campfire safety: alberta.ca
- Knife and whittling ground rules are general practical guidance, not from a single official source. Use your own judgement about each child’s readiness.
- St. Mary River Irrigation District, Canal safety: smrid.com
- Health Canada, Important sunscreen safety tips for Canadians (babies under 6 months): recalls-rappels.canada.ca
- Canadian Paediatric Society, Caring for Kids, Insect repellents for children: caringforkids.cps.ca
- Transport Canada, Choosing lifejackets and personal flotation devices: tc.canada.ca
- Government of Canada, Lightning safety when camping (your tent is not safe; shelter in a building or an all-metal vehicle; wait 30 minutes after the last thunder): canada.ca
- Parks Canada, Wildlife safety, Waterton Lakes National Park (children unsupervised; pick up small children; ticks): parks.canada.ca
- Parks Canada, Safety on land, Waterton Lakes National Park (steep edges and children; ticks; 911): pc.gc.ca
- Parks Canada, Townsite Campground, Waterton Lakes National Park (mule deer with fawns): parks.canada.ca
- Alberta Parks, Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park Campground Guide, 2016 (young children running ahead and climbing): werklund.ucalgary.ca (copy of the Alberta Parks guide)
- Alberta Parks, Writing-on-Stone safety tips (rattlesnakes): albertaparks.ca
- Alberta Parks, Snakes of Writing-on-Stone brochure (four species; first aid for a bite): albertaparks.ca
- Alberta Parks, Algae advisory information sheet (children, pets): albertaparks.ca
- Alberta Health Services, Blue-green algae advisories lifted in South Zone, 2021 (Milk River Ridge Reservoir): albertahealthservices.ca
- Global News, Cyanobacteria advisory at Henderson Lake, September 2024: globalnews.ca
- Alberta Health Services, Active health advisories: albertahealthservices.ca
- MyHealth Alberta, Emergency phone numbers (Health Link 811; PADIS): myhealth.alberta.ca
- MyHealth Alberta (PADIS), Plants (call PADIS, anytime day or night): myhealth.alberta.ca