Camping with the Grandkids

[steve dunham]

We are planning a summer camping trip . We will be taking 4 of our Grandchildren along with us . Many of the public campgrounds are already starting to fill up so we need to get our site reserved.
Thus my question " Has any one camped at Perrot State Park near Galesville Wi. or Whitewater State Park near Altura Mn ?" We are concerned about finding thing that will keep our Grandkids occupied / entertained besides staring at their cell phone.
Any reviews or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thank You

[gbaglo]

Ages? Gender?

[steve dunham]

1) Audrey age =9
2) Olivia age = 13
3) Katie age = 14 going on 25
4) Sam age =16

SO 1 boy and 3 girls ( 3 teenagers !!!)

[Oldtimer]

We’ll be praying for you lol

[gbaglo]

Lots of luck.

[Jim Bennett]

You'll be fine, and everyone will have fun. I like to let kids be kids, BUT when I say what must be, it will be.

I have no clue on the park, but gave it a quick look and it seems quite nice. Always stuff to do. I bet the kids would love an hour or two a day away from the grandparents to do their own thing.

[KarenH]

I don't know anything about the area but just looking at Google Maps of Perrot shows me lots and lots of trails within the park and a national wildlife refuge and several waterways nearby. Kayaking? Swimming?

From Trip Advisor (top ten things to do near Perrot): https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionsNear-g60336-d143690-Perrot_State_Park-Trempealeau_Wisconsin.html

And from the Wisconsin DNR: Perrot Recreation - Wisconsin DNR

[War Eagle]

Steve, Do you know anyone associated with Scouting (Girls Scouts, Boy Scouts) who could give you a list of typical forestry/wilderness badging-type activities? Or someone whose been a counselor at a summer camp who could give you a list of educational/fun summer-camp like activities that these age groups enjoy? Other than that, bicycles, binoculars, compasses, trail maps they could study before arriving, fishing poles if allowed, lists of typical wildlife to look for (day and night), small ledger/diary to record their activities/events, etc. If there is flowing water, take along some gold panning equipment for the heck of it. If an area that Native Americans inhabited, books they can read and use as a reference to identify any artifacts they might find. You could make a sheet pre-listing all the various birds and wildlife typical of the region and give each child a copy they can check off as they see and identify one. You could even make it into a BINGO type game. And for evenings, flashlights to explore for nocturnal critters (snipe hunting!), fire pit for smores, constellation map for the region and time of year, and lots of ghost stories. Do any of those sound feasible and maybe fun for the kids?

[h2owmn]

Are they sibs? Cousins? Depending on that, they may want more or less time with their own bro/sis. Headlamps that also go red for evening/preserving night vision are good. Don't forget helmets if bikes are along. All of them are old enough to participate in an early discussion about how we all get along in a small space together. Better that they come up with ideas rather than you guys having to make and enforce rules.

[Marry]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

We are planning a summer camping trip . We will be taking 4 of our Grandchildren along with us . Many of the public campgrounds are already starting to fill up so we need to get our site reserved.
We are concerned about finding thing that will keep our Grandkids occupied / entertained besides staring at their cell phone.
Any reviews or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thank You

Try find a campground without cell phone service!
They might grumble at first, but later love you for it! And you never have to tell, or yell, "put your phone aside" , which will give you peace of mind.

[cpaharley2008]

You may want to set up a tent for the teenagers, they seem to like to be left alone at that age.

[freetodream]

Whitewater SP has a brand new campground across the highway from the old ones that just opened last fall. Cell service was poor the last time I was there (2 yrs ago) because it is a hilly area & the campground is located in the valley. The park did not have wifi then but I'm betting they may now; might be useful to call the park for that info.

The park has several fun trails to climb with lots of steps to the tops of the bluffs ending with great views of the valley below. Some trails require keeping small kids in hand. They also have an interp. center, trout fishing & a popular swimming area in the whitewater river. It is a popular but usually not too over-crowded park to visit.

[War Eagle]

Can you play to each of their strengths and interests? If one is a "fashionista", maybe they can start planning everyone's activity-related camping attire (boots for hiking, rain jackets if it rains there a lot, etc.). If one is particularly into social media, perhaps they can start planning and designing a travel blog of the trip. If one is obsessed with music, perhaps even plays the guitar a bit, they can start pulling together lyric sheets for everyone for evening campfire singalongs. It would be great if you could do a little sneaking behind the scenes to gather mementos of their camping experience to surprise each of them with at the end. Maybe purchase a small embroidered park patch (if available) for each to start their own collection of patches of parks camped at. Maybe come up with a little lighthearted "award" to present to each the last night of the camping trip ("Most Enthusiastic", "Best Problem Solver", "Most Likely to Survive on their Own in the Wilderness", "Most likely to Never Want to Camp Again", etc.) You'll figure out the most appropriate awards as the camping trip evolves. More to do than time will allow....

[Dave Walter]

I would suggest planning one or two key activities each day and then "winging it" for the rest of the time. If you have too full of a schedule, you will find that the kids will soon tire of forever being in a rush to meet the schedule. Give them some time to sleep in or relax if they choose, and let them enjoy their holiday.

[CADreamin]

We took our two grandsons (ages 13 and 14) with us in 2016 on a 'road trip' from CA to South Dakota. While they did use their tablets in the car during those long stretches of 'nothingness', I had brought along car games which they loved playing (the 'find the license plate' game was a BIG hit). When we stopped, we tried to keep them occupied with hikes, bike rides, museums (kid-oriented), roadside attractions (reptile pits) and historic sites (Little Bighorn Battlefield). Board games during the evening were good ... until we taught them how to play Hearts. From then on, they begged us to play Hearts with them every night. We opted for KOA-type campgrounds so they had pool tables, banana bikes, and swimming pools. We all count it as one of our best vacations so just have fun and be thankful they still want to go with you.