Giveaway: The Down and Dirty Guide to Camping with Kids
Summer is upon us and many of us have camping trips planned with the family…or wish we had our act together and had camping trips planned. In conjunction with the start of summer and because we love supporting moms/dads who write books on top of everything else that they do, we are delighted to give away a copy of Helen Olsson’s Book – The Down and Dirty Guide to Camping with Kids. Helen Olsson is a freelance travel and skiing writer and a contributor to the New York Times Travel and Escapes sections, where she writes about family, outdoor and adventure travel. You can also check out her blog Mad Dog Mom: Adventures with Kids. Perhaps, Stacie and I should go on some adventures that don’t involve food.
Helen shares the lessons she’s learned over the years camping with her family. In her informative and often humorous book, Helen guides parents to the different camping activities they can do with their children of all ages (from infants to teenagers.) Parents and children will learn about campfire safety, sun protection, first aid and the perfect way to roast marshmallows over an open fire. You may want have your older kids even read this book before a trip, so they can help you with the packing and planning.
The book is broken up into four helpful parts: Getting Started (planning and gearing up), In the Field (campsite basics and camp grub), Activities and Adventures (recreation, camp arts and crafts and boredom busters) and Hygiene, First Aid and Safety (important stuff). Stacie and I are obviously most interested on camp grub and Stacie is going to be doing a post on food to take along or make while camping. Sunset Magazine – another favorite of ours – has a spread of some pretty awesome and easy camping recipes. If you have any favorites, do share them with us.
The GIVEAWAY: – “The Down & Dirty Guide to Camping with Kids”. To enter, you MUST leave a comment at the end of this post telling us about your favorite camping experience (with or without kids), link to a camping recipe, your summer camping plans, why you do/don’t camp (you are allowed to say you “hate camping”) with your kids or anything else related to camping (or not camping) with families. You can even leave a comment as simple as “wish we were going camping this summer”.
Be sure to include your email address on the comment form (it’ll be visible only to us) so we can contact you if you win.
The giveaway will be open till 12:00 midnight PST Monday, June 25th, 2012. We’ll select a lucky winner using random.org and announce the winner here on the blog.
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MORE WAYS TO WIN OUR GIVEAWAY – if you really want this book!
Because this book is so great and we know you’re going to want a copy, we’ve included a few other ways to win. We’ll give you an additional contest entry for each of the following, up to 4 entries total per person. To register your additional giveaway entries, please let us know that you liked/followed/subscribed in your comment. Please leave the comment on our blog and not on our Facebook page or Twitter.
- Like A Little Yumminess on Facebook or let us know that you already like us.
- Follow @alittleyum on Twitter or let us know that you already follow us.
- Subscribe to A Little Yumminess (use the subscription form in the top right corner), or let us know that you already subscribe
Good luck and thanks for participating! Open to US and Canada residents only.
I hate camping! Now, can I have the book so I can learn to love it? Honestly, when I think camping, I think communal bathrooms and mud and bugs! Not a fan. I do love the greenery and hope that I can get over my fears one day to enjoy the all American camping experience.
Camping makes food taste better! Hope you’ll try the recipes in the camp grub section of the book. the bars are delish! Thanks for spreading the word on the book!
You are most welcome! It’s good stuff – we are happy to help spread the word!
Some of my best memories are of camping as a kid with my family. Wandering through forests, swimming and fishing in rushing rucers , cooking and eating by the campfire.
Il look forward to creating some more memories for and with my kids but I haven’t been camping in a long time so this book sounds like the perfect way to get back into the swing of things.
My family camped all the time when I was a kid, and I loved it, so I definitely want to make that a part of my son’s life. We took him camping for the first time last summer and he had so much fun getting dirty, roasting marshmallows, singing campfire songs, etc.
i am not a camper, but am reluctantly trying to learn as my daughter is so excited about going.
Kids will do that to you – they love camping!
My standout camping memory was when I was about 7 y/o, my first time camping with my family and some family friends. My mom whips out her hair dryer from her duffle bag and says…”ok, where can I go wash and dry my hair” ..and a few minutes later …”what do you mean there’s no hot water?” … Needless to say, my dad was reluctant to take us all camping again! My camping experience is minimal at best and basically my only exposure after this family trip was through Girls Scouts and Indian Princesses. But I don’t want my kids to miss out on the overall camping experience….which I clearly need some help with!
This is timely as we are planning our first camping trip with the kid the weekend after 4th of July! Thanks for the opportunity!
We love camping with our kids. I’m looking forward to a planned camping trip this summer to Pictured Rocks in Michigan. It’s so beautiful and there so many rocks! What boys don’t love rocks? Pictures from the first trip we took 4 years ago. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jw4lk/sets/72157627089475542/
What a great sounding book, I could really use it. we have a 2 camping trip planned for July. Can’t wait!
I’ve been to camping several times but those are the times without the kids. I’d love to know all the tips about camping with the kids. It sounds like a great book for a beginner camper like myself.
Follow your FB already.
And twitter.
I can’t say I have had a favorite camping experience, but it’s definitely more fun with the kids. The kids are begging to go camping, but my husband prefers the comforts of home and is more of a city slicker. We haven’t gone camping in several years. We are planning a trip to Yosemite next June, does that count?
Here’s a fun recipe that the kids like: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/banana-boats/. Maybe winning this book will encourage my husband to plan a camping trip.
I am already a subscriber to A Little Yumminess. =)
I am following you on Twitter. =)
I “liked” your page on FB! =)
Looking forward to camping with my kids this summer!
Never camped as a kid. Fast forward…. 2 girls, in Girl Scouts…. and now, i’ve been camping with family, large groups, and my troops for over 10 years. Love every minute of being outdoors – even when I had contacts!
Hope I win the book just so I can pass along more camping recipes to my girls! thanks!
Best memory – racoon trying to paw its way through our troop tent in the middle of the night trying to get a candy bar tucked deep in one of our girls’ duffles…that sure scared them! None of them EVER snuck in food in their duffles ever again! And, yes, I did warn them.. before it happened.
I love camping! My husband doesn’t, so much. But, he’s being a trooper and going with me and the girls in a couple weekends. My favorite thing to do is to camp near a beach and walk around finding fun water creatures/looking in tidepools. But, if you ask my 5yo, she’ll probably say her favorite part is roasting marshmallows.
My favorite camping experience was when I met my husband while camping and doing conservation work in the Netherlands Antilles in the Caribbean! We love camping and we cannot wait to bring our baby girl -due in September- to enjoy the great outdoors with us.
We love camping! My husband camped every year as a kid and continues to do so. My kids love it. I even brought my daughter when she was 1. We love the campfires, the hikes and mostly, just being out in nature. My husband teases me and says I “glamp”. Oh well!
Here’s a great camping dessert: banana boats! Take a banana, make a length-wise slit in it but don’t cut all the way through. Stuff the opening with peanut butter and dark chocolate chips (and optionally marshmallows, although I skip them). Wrap in tin foil and place over or near the camp fire. Let them get gooey and warm. Unwrap and eat with a spoon or fork. YUM!!!!
Great idea! Love it!
Yes and we make banana boats as well! It was a childhood favorite. Next time try Hobo Stew…Cream of mushroom, ground beef, frozen veggies (you can put just about anything in it really) and wrap it up in foil and toss it in the fire! Instant bowl of stew!
awesome!!
Favorite camping memory was when my Dad would take all four of us girls camping and we would try his patience as it took hours to get the tent up amongst all the giggles… what a sport he was!
I have become a camper because with 3 kids, it’s a whole lot cheaper than the 4 star hotel. We bought a fixer upper pop up and are about the embark on a 9 day camping trip. Thinking we might be crazy, but the memories will be priceless.
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We usually camp upstate NY at least 3-4 times each summer. My favorite time was when we went in the fall a couple of weeks before the state campground we like (Mongaup Pond) closed for the season. It was so peaceful and pretty with the colors of fall reflecting in the lake.
We have been going camping for years, and last year took our 8 month old for her first camping experience. It was surprisingly simple. But now she is 19 months old and we have bravely committed to 3 weekend trips to the Catskills. Wish us luck!
Our favorite camping recipe is cedar plank salmon, with vegetable skewers and couscous. Super easy to prep on the campsite and you can’t go wrong (unless you forget to soak the plank before putting it on the campfire….)
I would love to win this camping book for one of my best friends sho she could get over her fears of camping and more importantly would make her hubby’s camping dreams come true
) Hate to be stuck in the middle with those two…This book may just be what they need 
)
Last year I took my 6yo camping for the first time in Tilden park. He loved it. he got to run wild with his friends without worrying about cars, or strangers and only his imagination and energy to limit him. This was the first time he experienced such freedom and the outdoors at the same time. They even had a little “Lord of the Flies” thing going. He became a camper for life! I could not ask for anything more.
Yay, camping with kids!
Here’s hoping they are both over their coyote phobia by the next time we give it a try.
I loved the one time we went camping with our 1 and 3 year olds. It was fabulous because the campground was called Pi-Pi which the kids called pee pee (making it all the more entertaining), there was a great river with a little beach, the little one screamed all night until she hit her car seat where she passed out, and then both kids got stomach unhappiness the next day. Despite the craziness (and driving home in the evening of our 2nd day, instead of staying the 2nd night), it was a really memorable experience!
Oooh, I’d love to win that book! Not only would I use it to plan our family vacations, but I’d love to have it as a resource for my girl scout troop. They’re getting to be teens now, and I want them to take over planning for their own trips. Sounds like this book would make it easy for them to understand how to plan!
I have never been camping and wish to know how to do it with my young sons.
My favorite camping adventure was sleeping in a tent in April, close to the Grand Canyon, and waking up to find the tent bowing/leaning in on us . . . we looked out and saw that the world had gone white: Spring Snow!!!
Going on our second camping trip with kids. Our first time was last year and our youngest wasn’t even 1 yet. I can’t wait to see how different this trip will be. Camping is “in tents” especially with kids
I would love this book. I think we’re taking our two year old camping for the first time this fall!
I can’t wait to take my 4 & 2 year old camping – I know they will love it and it is something that I want to incorporate into our lives. We are planning to go in August for our first adventure.
We love camping and will be taking five trips this summer with our kids (3 and 6). Love reading everything we can about better and fun ways to camp with kids.
I would love this book. First camping trip with the kids this summer =)