My family is not exactly what you’d call “outdoorsy.” I like the IDEA of camping, but the fact is my experience with it is minimal. I bought one of those “instant” tents, in which you basically just have to pull the corners and it sets itself up, and I still had to read the instructions about five times. I don’t know how to light a campfire, I never remember bug spray, and I have a fear of wildlife. But, seriously, I really, really want to camp! I think it’s one of those childhood things that the kids would really be missing out on if I gave into my indoorsy ways.

So, I practically threw the tent and sleeping bags in the car the minute Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation (CCPR) asked me if I’d like to attend their Family Campout. Hmm, do I want to take credit for taking the boys camping while CCPR does all the work? Yes, yes I would.
Thank you to Carmel Clay Parks and recreation for sponsoring this post
Do you know about this annual event? Every summer, for one night only, CCPR offers camping at West Park. You bring your tent and sleeping bags and they provide the food and fun. This year’s cost was $10 per person, which covered a hot dog dinner, s’mores, a donut breakfast, and lots of fun activities throughout the evening. Activities included crafts (this year the kids could tie-dye towels and do sand art), family board games, outdoor games, a scavenger hunt, and it coincided with West Park’s Friday night movies in the park. Beware: there are more activities than you can possibly do!

My goal for our campout was just to have fun and chill. It was just me and the boys, as the hubs is not a big camper, so he stayed home with the dog (who, also, is not the world’s greatest camper). Sign-in started at 5:00, and we got there about 5:30. I am *kind of* a perfectionist, and it’s really hard for me to just be calm and not attempt to fit every scheduled activity into our time. So I just kept reminding myself, “we’re here to have fun, we’re not going to worry about doing it all.” The boys were so happy to be out, they didn’t want to rush to do anything. We set up the tent and then they just ran around for a while. Grilled hot dogs and chips were served in the main shelter until 7:00, so there was plenty of time for people to get there and get settled in. After dinner, we just took a walk about worked on a scavenger hunt. I was a little disappointed that the boys wanted to play instead of tie-dying, but I let them lead the way. A little later in the evening, the volunteers set up fire pits for s’mores. Little Man was really, really excited to watch Space Jam under the stars as part of West Park’s Movies in the Park program, so after s’mores we took our blanket and claimed our spot for the movie. We had some extra time before it started so I spread out to read a book and the boys went to play some of the outdoor games that were set up, including basketball, which was Little Man’s favorite. After the movie ended it was dark and time to settle in for the night. Even though the park took care of most of our needs, one thing I forgot was a flashlight! So we didn’t have much choice but to fall asleep once we got settled into our tent. That’s OK, because at this point it was after 11:00. In the morning there was supposed to be early morning yoga. Maybe this still occurred, I’m not sure, because it was raining and I wasn’t leaving the tent until it was time to go get breakfast! Luckily, the rain eventually let up and we were able to get breakfast and then take down the tent and pack up without getting soaked. After breakfast there was one more craft that the kids could do, but mine were happy to just take their time getting packed up and heading out rather than trying to fit in another activity.

Overall we succeeded in having a relaxing time, and nobody could yell at me for forgetting the hot dogs (or marshmallows, or whatever important piece of camping I would inevitably forget)! I really hope we’ll be available to attend next year’s Family Campout, and we’ll make sure to invite friends along as well. The boys loved this experience, and it was the least stressful camping could possibly be for me. I’m so grateful to CCPR for offering this event, as it makes camping so much more accessible to all us city folk!