Fun Activities For Rainy Camping Trips

A little bit of rain doesn't have to spell disaster on your next camping trip. Showers
are often a part of camping in the spring, but they don't need to put a damper on
your outdoor adventure. Salvaging a rainy camping trip just takes a little creativity
and a positive attitude. Below are some tips for packing, entertaining and surviving
a rainy camping trip.

PACK FOR RAIN NO MATTER WHAT!

A spring camping trip can be suddenly thrown for a loop when the skies decide to
open up for a quick burst of rain. Whether you are experiencing a short rain event or
an all day soaking, packing for the worst weather conditions is always a good idea.
Below is a list of entertainment items to pack that could be lifesavers when the rain
comes:

1. Playing Cards
2. Travel Games
3. Small Musical Instruments such as a Harmonica
4. Board Games
5. Books
6. Cell Phones

RAINY DAY CAMP ACTIVITIES

Making the most of a rainy camp vacation starts with adopting a positive attitude.
Don't let the weather dampen your mood, instead have fun trying some of these favorite camping games for kids:
1. Tic Tac Toe  Get the adventurous ones to gather rocks and sticks and small
twigs to make a tic tac toe tournament. Use the large sticks to build the
boards and the smaller twigs and rocks to use as Xs and Os. As players are
eliminated have the winners challenge each other until there is a grand
prizewinner. Award the winner with a prize.
2. Obstacle course  Set up an obstacle course using materials from the
campsite. Have teams hop over coolers and run around picnic tables, do
jumping jacks, etc. Break up into teams and have each come up with a name
for their group.
3. Scavenger Hunt  Use the letters in your family name or the name of the
campsite to create a list of scavenger hunt items. For example, if your name
is Smith. You would need to find five items that were not brought from home
each beginning with the letters S, M, I, T and H. Award the camper who finds
the most creative items using from the wilderness using all of the letters.
4. Create a silly story  Ask everyone to get his or her favorite book or magazine
and bring it to a central location at the campsite. When everyone is gathered
ask him or her to find a good line in his or her books/magazines. Taking
turns, each camper reads their favorite line one after the other and turns
them all into a funny nonsensical story for the group.
5. Crazy Commercials  Pair off in teams of two or three and gather one item
per group and put them in a bag. Ask each team to pick a random item from
the bag. After the selections are made give each team five minutes to create
a commercial about their item. Tape each commercial on your cell phone
and play them back for the group. Have the campsite vote on their favorite
commercial. Award the team with the most votes.
6. Board games/cards/travel games  Spend the day playing games. Have
everyone bring their favorite game under the tarp and spend the day playing
games and sharing time together. Many of yesterday's favorite board games
have been turned into fun card game versions that are easy to pack and
transport for camping.
7. Got a Compass? If you have a compass with you, check out our article on games that can be played with compass.