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Back in April this year, our family went for our first camping experience in the outdoors. Not the glamping kind, mind you.
It was the proper 2D1N outdoor camping experience, complete with pitching our own tents, sleeping overnight in the tent with no fan or aircon, having packed meals and enjoying a good dose of fun activities together as a family.
You see how gadgets did not feature a single bit throughout our camping experience? 😂
But I do not want to lie - Camping is a ton of work with kids and of course, there are bound to be some minor discomforts here and there. But the wifey and I love it because we think it is an important and invaluable bonding activity to do together as a family.
It would be far easier just to stay home, where everything is convenient and comfortable, but then my monkies would miss out on the many great lessons to be learned from camping. And I love to take them camping simply because of these 5 reasons:
1. Precious family bonding time
Sleeping in a tent is one way to get everyone together in close proximity. But more than that, it allows you as a family to do so many activities that possibly you don’t (or won’t) do at home because of the busy lives we lead.
We played ice-breaker games together with other fellow family campers, enjoyed water sport activities, went on a jungle night walk and even cooked our own muah chee using solid fuel!
2. Experiencing nature
Did you read about a UK study where a sample of school children knew more about Pokémon than they did about wildlife? Oh-emm-gee. Truth is, kids hardly get a chance to be in contact with nature nowadays. So the more time spent outdoors, the more kids may appreciate nature.
During our camp, we went for an intertidal walk along Sembawang Beach, where we got to spot marine creatures and learn the importance of conservation. Nothing like seeing the occasional crab and hermit crabs, and having them in your palms!
3. Appreciating the small things
Let's face it, it is so easy to take things for granted at home but after a long day spent outdoors, there’s nothing quite so wonderful as sitting and enjoying a hot packed meal together.
Oh, and learning to be thankful for the dry comfy mattress and hot showers at home too. Heh.
4. Trying new stuff
Camping isn't all about nature, it's about learning new stuff and trying things out for the first time too. The monkies had the opportunity to learn more about Astronomy through a star-gazing session during our last camp.
I have not really seen my monkies that excited because it was the first time they had ever seen the craters on the moon up close. We were even lucky to be able to view Jupiter through the telescope!
5. Great way to break out of the daily routine
We tend to take things easy after a while, and it may seem a struggle to think of new activities to spend time with the kids come weekend. One can only visit the malls, watch movies or visit the same playgrounds for a finite number of times. So there is nothing quite like a family camping trip to shake things up, trigger new conversations, and create wonderful lifelong memories.
Plus, getting to eat cup noodles for supper isn't exactly a routine in my family. Which probably explained why their faces lit up brighter than any of the stars that we had seen that night while slurping the noodles. LOL.
SO ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR FAMILY'S CAMPING ADVENTURE?
If it is your first time, I suggest signing up for a mass camp where all the logistics will be taken care for you... things like the tent, meals, activities, and even toilet and shower facilities.
The camp my family and I attended was organised by People's Association (PA) Water-Venture (Sembawang) and was held at their new 7,000 sqm campsite at 57 Jalan Mempurong in Sembawang (beside their existing campsite at 60 Jalan Mempuroung). The campsite can accommodate about 200 campers and comes with ample facilities like separate sheltered areas for meals and activities.
The great thing about joining such a camp is all of the activities AND food is taken care of, including the tent, so families get to focus solely on bonding with one another.
AND GREAT NEWS! PA is organising another THREE different Family Thematic outdoors camps during the upcoming year-end school holidays!
Unfortunately, one of them is already full but there are still two more camps for registration:
2D1N Family Pets Camp
Dates: 10 and 11 November 2018
The camp aims to get participants to:
• Learn fun facts about your furry friend, and the Do's and Don'ts
• Experience being a pet owner through pet workshops
Camp Fees:
PAssion Card (Child) : $ 40.00
PAssion Card (Adult) : $ 60.00
Non-PAssion Card (Child) : $ 60.00
Non-PAssion Card (Adult) : $ 80.00
Families for Life P.L.A.Y. Camp 2018
Dates: 17 and 18 November 2018
In partnership with PA Water-Venture (Sembawang), Families for Life P.L.A.Y. Camp aims to promote stronger bonds between parents and their children! Be equipped with active parenting skills and learn how to inculcate positive values in your child with the array of exciting activities which includes an interactive parent-child workshop, kayaking with your child and a special outdoor race "Race to Connect". And best part is, the fees are heavily subsidized!
Camp Fees:
PAssion Card (Child) : $ 25.00
PAssion Card (Adult) : $ 45.00
Non-PAssion Card (Child) : $ 35.00
Non-PAssion Card (Adult) : $ 55.00
Camp fees include: Tent, 4 Meals (Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast and Lunch), Campsite Shuttle Services, Camp T-shirt & loads of fun activities
Sign up via the link here: www.onepa.sg/event/details/a026648578
If you are signing up, here are a few handy tips too:
- Camps begin in the morning on the first day and end at approximately noon time on the second day.
- Camp fees include: Tents, meals, shuttle services & indicated Activities.
- The minimum signup is 2 persons and a maximum of 6 persons.
- No age requirement for the camps but parents are expected to supervise their children throughout the camp.
- You can bring your own tent if you wish.
- For Water Activities, there is a minimum age of 10 years old.
- Covered shoes are compulsory for ALL water activities.
- Upon confirmation of registration, you will receive an information kit which includes a packing list.
- You are encouraged to bring your own utensils (fork and spoon) and a mug/cup.
- There is extremely limited parking space at campsite.
- Shuttle services from Sembawang MRT station will be provided. Please wait at Taxi Stand 10mins before the bus arrival. Shuttle service will also be provided on Day 2 after the camp.
- There is a non-halal Tze Char restaurant on Level 2 of PA Water-Venture (Sembawang). You can bring along cash to buy additional food and/or ice cream.
Do sign up for the camps really soon because as far as I know, the demand can get really high!
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