Have desided to bite the bullet and take the grandkids camping.......for couple days....any suggestions on what to take.....and how to keep them occupied...they are 2 girls aged 8 years and 6.5 years....any help appreciated..

Dave

Hi Terry..thanks for the info.........We are heading north of Adelaide to an old sheep station.....north east of Burra....have been told theres couple dams full of yabbies....so I bought a yabby opera house net...that should keep them excited for 5 mins...luckily we not going alone.....I'm hoping there will be other kids there...we be arriving there on a friday...and home on sunday...I dont get to spent much time with them.....and I am hoping this will bring us all closer.... Dave

Dave, taking the kids yabbying is something they will never forget for the rest of their lives.  Here am I nearly 59 years old and I can still remember going with my Pop when I was just 5 years old.

Like the song says "Memories are made of this"

Have fun

Ma

-- Edited by Ma on Saturday 17th of October 2009 07:20:52 PM

No portable DVD player or other electronic devices. They won't die of withdrawals over those few days.  Camping fashion may give them another perspective. One may be a "tom boy" while the other may be a "lady" complete with fashion consciousness. Ouch! Good luck with that one. They start early these days. What an adventure you're embarking on.Talk to them while driving along.  Ask what they like and don't like.  Share your knowledge of the districts you pass through and how people make a living eg farming and type of farming.  Show them you're interested in them and their lives.The main road north through all those little villages, tell them how they got there, what the road used to be like and the type of vehicles which travelled those roads.Maybe some reading or activity books for their down time, but no TV or DVD's.This is your time with them, as well as their time with you.  Yabbying will be a hoot, and there may be some fish out there too. Check out the birds you see, Wedgies along the way, and all sorts of others near the water.Talk about other vehicles you pass, even the road trains. If you can, show them the shearing shed, and explain what it all means and how it was done.Geez, the list is endless.  You could ask them to write and draw pictures about what they've seen - the good bits and not so good bits.It depends on what interests the kids, but now is a time to introduce some new stuff into their lives, and I'm sure they will return the favour.  What a great trip you're going to have.

Hi,, My son and his family live on the same property as me....grandaughter 8 and grandson 5 I agree with cruisin granny....i personally can't bear the dvd players in the car and the dsi games...I reckon it's up to us grandparents to pass on the fun that can be had with the simple things in life....that is what I do with my grandkids and they really love it and I really love it too takes me back......I see my g.kids every day but they still look forward to Nan looking after them when Mum and Dad go away. I reckon that has to mean something!....But in saying that TV and Games are really great to settle them down when you just need a break or to catch your breath.. Think like a kid and you can't go wrong

Welcome and well done Dreamchaser. Look forward to hearing more from you about your travels and life in general. This is a very friendly, helpful, supportive non-judgemental site most of the time. We all have a back slide from time to time, but it's usually accidental. Safe and happy travels. Cheers Chris

Cruising Granny wrote:

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This is a ........non-judgemental site most of the time.

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Until Rolly gets his dander up and starts raving on about human stupidity

 

Thanks for the great replys.....there be no TV or DVDs that weekend.........its all about getting away and having fun... Dave

Non judgementa site l?? What?? well there goes my fun. Where is DaveO when I need him??

What Ducky? You want us to judge you? We'll leave that to Rolly I think. I'll volunteer to referee if you should need one.

Referee Granny??................only referee?? Bugga...............I was looking for help !! Might need it if Rolly is any good at the judgement bit hehehe

You're a big boy now Ducky. By the way, I'm curious about your avatar. Where are you stoking that fire? It looks like mallee country somewhere in SA.

Sorry Granny..............I only just spotted your question. The fire is on the banks of the Murray about 25 k's out of Wentworth on the old Renmark Road. Nice little spot.....has all the right attributes. Way off the road, just far enough out of town, and a bit of good fishing (if you aren't too concerned about catching fish) yabbies etc. I'll take you along next time :)

Disco Duck wrote:

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Sorry Granny..............I only just spotted your question.

The fire is on the banks of the Murray about 25 k's out of Wentworth on the old Renmark Road. Nice little spot.....has all the right attributes. Way off the road, just far enough out of town, and a bit of good fishing (if you aren't too concerned about catching fish) yabbies etc.

I'll take you along next time :)

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I'll be there. I can't remember the last time I had a feed of yabbies. Bring it on!

 

probably too late for this but hey who gives a porcupines pizzle. taking the kids, grandkids or your own is either the most rewarding time you can have or the most harowing time of your life, they must be kept busy at all times, they must be kept amused or you will suffer, however it is easily achieved, no tv, no video games and no dvd, make this time "special", all to be involved give them enjoyable chores that simply must be done, all to gather firewood or kindling including you pair this is great time for talking, a boss for setting the fire (interchangeable each night), this includes lighting the fire, a boss in charge of "stoking" the fire (interchangeable each night), a boss of the water (kettle), a boss of the camp oven, a boss for the yabbie net, a boss for cleanliness of the campsite, you get the picture give them responsibility for certain jobs around the camp, fire is one of the most important things so get them highly involved with that, show them how a glowing stick can make pretty circles and pictures in the night sky with a deft flick of the wrist, show them how fire climbs, show that a tee pee is the best way to ignite kindling give them a book on different bird species and buy a couple of pairs of binoculours, maybe a telescope for looking at the moon, show them what lives in the creek and how the circle of life develops in there, a wonder under every rock awaits and it's acompanying explanation, what lives under the bark, not all spiders are nasty, show how a huntsman will flatten itself out to get under that narrow bit, look for the ghekko, listen for the bentwing bats and watch for silhouettes against the moon, listen for owls, what sort is it, mopoke or boobook, where do lizards go at night? you will have an oppurtunity here to show the kids what a wonderfull world we live in, use it to it's full advantage, I showed our kids and they have always had a respect and a wonder for nature, use this time to bond and talk with them, show how important they are to you, great foundations for the future growth I cant wait for my grandkids to get up big enough to take them out and say " hey here's the world and guess what, it belongs to you" enjoy the time with the kids, this time flicks past in an instant then you are just a lonely old fart with not much to do, instill the wonder and it is there forever, I've got it and all I say is "THANKS DAD"

Thank You All!!!!!

It was too hot to take grandkids.....maybe next time Dave