What do you do (if anything) to prepare your kids for camping in the BW? I'm guessing most people here camp other times of the year with their kids, which offer all sorts of teachable moments.

Things we've done:
Practiced orienteering.
Played games related to reading a trail, leaving signs if your lost or what to do if you get lost.
Swimming lessons.
Fire starting.
Canoed local waterways.
Read whatever we can get our hands on about trips with kids into the BW.

Other skills you sharpen? What would you recommend? What would you like to try?

Good question!

We're lacking here for sure. We paddle around home, and let kids take kayaks solo or canoe nearby.

I'd like to capsize with them at least once per summer. Have had them do it in the yaks but not the canoe yet.

We do camp in non-BW places, and in our yard, but I have yet to make the kids set up the tent by themselves - that would be on this summer's agenda I think. I did try it last summer, but kids AND I didn't have the patience at the time to do it justice.

YES to swimming lessons.

I've been letting them paddle more and more when we're up there - I mean with no adult in the boat. Usually there is another boat available for a "rescue" should that be required... but one day, the big canoe was off fishing and I let the kids paddle the other one and I was on shore - it was windy and I realized they should know what to do if they got blown off course. SIT TIGHT and wait after blowing to shore, or shout for help if you see other paddlers, etc. It was swim-able, but I wasn't sure if I could catch them.

Good question - time for "Wilderness Challenges" for the kids I think!!

BW - Good info. I think letting the kids paddle is key.

How do they like capsizing? I don't think my kids would dig it, although I think its a good idea to practice. We've owned kayaks, and have unintentionally dumped. The kids didn't get back into a boat for a little while after that. :)

Some other ways to prepare kids:

-Get them involved in the packing. Even if the involvement is small. Since each of our kids carries a small pack, they can choose two things for entertainment (stuffed animal, mini colored pencils, book, disposable camera, etc) to place in their pack.

-Give each kid a personal "packing list" and a waterproof compression sack to stuff their things into.

-Involve the kids in the menu planning. We let our kids offer up ideas on what we should eat for meals/snacks. Sometimes they even help pack the food pack.

Yes, sometimes it means things get packed a little helter-skelter, right?

Granted, a younger child isn't going to need much preparation. A bag of tootsie pops will do. :)

Great advice by everyone so far.

It took a while for mine to want to get back into a canoe after the first time we swamped. Luckily it was at a Scout camp with lots of other boaters around, so they were out of the water pretty quickly.

My oldest (8) and I have been talking lately about him going on a trip in 2012 as he'll be 10 and he thinks he'll be 'ready' by then.
My daughter, 6, I'm sure won't wait until she's 10 to go on a trip provided she stays interested in the outdoors.

I think in our case the biggest help in preparing my kids is taking them camping and getting them comfortable for extended periods outside.

Involving them as much as possible is a great idea and helps them take ownership of the trip. Its certainly something I plan on doing when planning my son's first trip next year! :)

in the summer I take the kids canoing about 3-4 times a week, spring and fall we have swimming lessons. We have lots of camp fires at home. Our oldest have been sleeping in a sleeping bag every night since she was 4 lol (she loves it) she is now almost 7 (hay its a cotton bag not for camping and its easier to clean than sheets!). in the winter we set up tents in the living room. We practice portaging as a family or do day trips on the rivers around here that require portages. We fish A LOT

quote paddlefamily: "How do they like capsizing? I don't think my kids would dig it, although I think its a good idea to practice. We've owned kayaks, and have unintentionally dumped. The kids didn't get back into a boat for a little while after that. :)"

They like it fine when the water's warm, ha! Make a game of it and show them how it floats even when underwater and how to hang on to it or scoot along with it, etc. Not sure if they'll remember when it's freezing cold and bigger water, but it's fun around the dock anyway.

Canoearoo, your kids are gonna be camp counselors before they are age 10!! They're really getting to live the outdoor life, good job!

mirth- It's great that your beginning to plan for your son's trip. First time, right? Is your daughter interested as well? Maybe you'll have two paddlers?

My kids sometimes balk and ask "why is it that for nearly every family trip we go camping?" Once they get going, they usually get into it and enjoy things.

Canoearoo - You win the star for the most paddling with kids, ever. I am in awe. I am so happy to hear that another child in the world prefers her sleeping bag over conventional bedding. Our daughter spent the better part of last summer sleeping in her bag. Do you have a favorite river that you paddle? We need to send our kids to you to learn how to fish. We're not too good at it.

Paddlefamily - Thanks. He's mildly autistic so some things are better planned out in great detail. He's into maps and gps so I figure that worst case he'll make a good navigator. Yes, it'll be his first time on any kind of non-car camping kind of trip. Closest we get to that is Scout camp up in Northern WI but even then the car's nearby and there's lots of people around.
My daughter likes to go camping too, and she's had her share of time paddling in a canoe with me as well.

I hope I'll have two paddlers at some point. I think I just need to keep their interest in camping high and everything else will fall into place.

I really wish I owned or had easy access to a canoe. Nobody I know around where I live has a canoe that I know of, and my wife isn't terribly fond of the idea.

Our daughters will be 6 and 4 this coming summer. We spent a couple of summers doing state park car camping. Last year we did edge of the BWCA car camping doing day trips into the BWCA with both of the kiddos. We also did an overnight type trip into the BWCA with just our 5 year old last summer.

This summer we have one edge of the BWCA car camping trip/w day trips planned and hoping to find a time to take both girls into the BWCA for a short trip. Our 2 week road trip to Washington State is making it difficult to fit in anything else.

Last summer was the first summer we had our own canoe so we were able to get out and paddle around home. That practice time helped a lot. Looking forward to getting to do that again this year. An important lesson we learned from that local paddling before getting to the BWCA was that they each "needed" their own paddle.

Oldest loves looking at BWCA maps. The walking trail near our house has maps along the trail and she loves pointing out where we are, have been, and are going on the map.

2 or 3 rounds of swimming lessons each year

There is a wildlife refuge 15 minutes from our house where we spend a lot of time hiking in the woods.

BWCA youtube videos are a big hit with them during the winter

We pick up garbage we find on the ground whenever we are out and about. Our oldest does it often now without being prompted.

Don't know who's more fired up for this summer. Me or them. Backing out of the driveway last week our oldest said. "Daddy, how long until we get to go back to the boundary waters" Now, that's music to my ears :)

Well I also homeschool all 3 kids and our curricum is geared towards the outdoors as well. Nature studies, are daily and when the snow is gone we school outside. I take the kids (3 of them 7 and under) by myself canoeing on the pond out front. We also go on the river that cuts through our property when it is slow running and high enough. Then the Rum river connects to our river and we swim on the sandbars (and fish them) when ever we can in the summmer. when our middle daughter was 3 she caught a 21 inche walleye on a snoopy poll in the BWCA lol. The almost 7 year old has done 9 bw trips, the 5 year old has done 8 bw trips and the 2 year old has done 5 I think?

Great info everyone.

ducks- Looks like you have a nice trip in the works. I agree, kids really like it when they can have their own paddle. So far, we've paddled with all five of us in the canoe, so everyone has to share the paddle or we'd be smacking each other. BW Youtube videos - good idea, never though of that one. Good job on leaving no trace.


Canoearoo- We homeschooled through last year; it did provide some interesting outdoor learning. Good grief a 3yo catching a 21" walleye?! Geez, the thing would have been as big as her.

People might be familiar with these, but there is great local (MN/WI) paddling with overnight camping options. The St Croix and the Namekagon Rivers both offer nice weekend trips for families. Easy paddling, no portages. Both offer shuttle services.

quote ducks: " "Daddy, how long until we get to go back to the boundary waters" Now, that's music to my ears :)
"

Awwwwww. Love it.