Roam With Friends

Tag: glow party

Camping With 100 (or so) Friends: Organizing Tips and Tricks
Have you ever invited a few friends to go camping with you? Camping is fun but camping with other friends is like…more fun. How about inviting 130 friends to go camping with you? Yep, I have done that.

In August 2019 we held our 8th Annual Family Campout at Smithville Lake. And while I did not take attendance, I think we had nearly 130 people there.

I started organizing and planning this annual camping trip years ago…well 8 years ago. I invited a bunch of friends who had kids to go camping. My thought was, as cool as I think I am as a parent my daughter would have a much better time camping if she had friends. So I over invited hoping for one yes. Instead, I had multiple yeses. The daughter had a great time but so did everyone else. So we have kept doing it.

And having fun while we do it.

Planning and hosting a giant camping trip really isn’t much different than hosting a party. You need a mix of structure with unstructured, a wide range of personalities, food, and a venue. I am honestly humbled and honored that so many choose to come camping with us.

Activities for this years campout were diverse. We have found that some activities need structure and others just need a place to grow. Organized events are important but allowing time for campers to synthesize is also very important. I have learned over the years that there are two types of campers: the watchers and the doers. Our success is making room for both types.

This year we had several structured activities:
- A return of boat races. Any former cub scouts who use to do raingutter regatta. Same concept. Pro tip here; skip the cheap boats from Dollar Tree.
- Sip and Paint. Amazon had mini canvases and I asked volunteers to bring acrylic paints. We set a painting station up at a picnic table and campers could come/go all day. For the life of me, I can’t believe I know so many creative talented people who can really paint well!
- A giant chalk bag fight. I happened to find some chalk bags at Dollar Tree. I thought the kids would love it. I couldn’t predict the adults were going to love it just as much (maybe more) than the kids. Either way, everyone was chalked.
- A washer tournament. Two years ago we introduced a washers tournament. It has been a lot of fun. And I remain thankful to the duo who organizes the tournament, deals with the rules, and the over competitive players. (Just kidding, we have no over competitive friends!) I love that my role is to advance the bracket and announce the next games. Easy stuff. I can handle the easy stuff.
- Our annual glow party: black lights, UV body paint and a play list. Is there a better way to spend a Saturday night? We do not think so!
In addition to the structured activities, at their leisure campers could: swim, boat, bike, hike, or fish. There was plenty of organized activity as well as spontaneous activities (I loved the breakout musicians!) and even some down time. The weather was perfect. Well, except for that rain storm on go home day. We could have done without that.

Oh well, ya can’t have everything.

While this started out as a personal invitation from me to camp, we are well beyond that. Our camping trip has grown by word of mouth. From one camper to the next, this camping trip gets recommended to someone new every year. Our current camper population is made up of “OG’s (those who have been around for all 8 years) to newbies (first year campers) and everything in between. We have tent campers, campers who rent RV’s, and day campers who just swing by for the day and go home at night. The most important attribute the campers have is they all are coming to enjoy the outdoors and the companionship of others.

Feeding hungry campers is always the area that I struggle to get right. We have streamlined the menu as much as possible: walking tacos for lunch, hot dogs and s’mores for dinner, and pancakes, biscuits and gravy for breakfast. But the quantity of each items is honestly a stab at a moving target! I have given up the dream of no leftovers. Instead, I open any leftovers to those who linger on the last day. I mean can you go wrong with two days of walking taco’s?

As our group grew, communication became even more important. Last year we had a giant paint ball fight and I found myself waiting with a group of anxious children on other kids who were at the park or out swimming. I searched my brain for some way to communicate to everyone at all times about events as they were happening. In the end I chose to use two communication tools: one is the website Sign Up Genius and an app called TEAM APP.

I use the sign up genius for all the community meals. I list out all needed ingredients and how much is needed and campers can sign up to bring the items. The most asked question around food sign up has always been how much do I bring? My easiest answer to that question is “most of us have an idea of what it would cost us to provide groceries for our family for three camping meals so we strive to contribute that number.”

The TEAM APP is an app my daughters cheer team was using. It suddenly dawned on me during cheer season that this type of communication app would work perfectly for us. In this modern world we can count on someone or several someones to have their phone with them. So I set up a team on TEAM APP and communicated to everyone who registered for the campout to download the app and join our team. This was so much faster than a group text. The administrator can send quick important messages out to everyone all at once.

This year I asked several friends to text me the answer to one simple question: “What is your favorite thing about the family campout?” The responses melted my heart. (thanks guys!) Let me share some of the nice things:
1. “We were nervous, lots of new people, meals, events…but man it was the best. Come as you are and be ready to make new friendships and just share in good, wholesome [fun].”
2. “We love all of the family activities, specifically the glow party! It’s a safe environment for the kids to explore. Feels like a great way to kick off school season!”
3. “My initial reaction [to being invited camping] was “heck no”! But as I thought about it and processed my feelings, I realized that camping was never going to be something that I introduced to my family because it was never introduced to me as a child. I wanted better for my kids. Tagging along while someone else (Pam) planned everything out for me was a super safe, and not too overwhelming way for me to be a better mom for my kids.”
4. “We love that the loop is made up of our group and for the most part, not outsiders. We don’t know everyone but someone in our group does and it makes me feel a little more at ease with my kid running around having fun.”
5. “We love the family activities…having a group makes meals and activities more fun due to competition, shared meals, and playmates for the kids so the parents can enjoy sitting on occasion.”
6. “I absolutely love the camaraderie of the family camp out! Lots to do and fun meeting new people! The community meals are great because you don’t have to cook an entire meal yourself.”
7. “I love that we are big enough to have the entire loop, my child enjoys playing with all the other kids, I really enjoy the group meals because it takes stress off of me to meal plan.”
8. “The thing I enjoy most about the campout is how excited Pam gets when she talks about it and starts planning.”
From the very first campout I have enjoyed organizing and planning this weekend for everyone. My heart swells thinking this weekend has become important to others.
January 14, 2020
6th Annual Family Camp-Out

According to The Short Chic she has two camping trips that are her most favorite camping trips of the year. The first is our Annual Halloween Camping Trip and the second is our Annual Family Camp-Out. We started the Family Camp-Out six years ago in 2012. It started as a desire to introduce our kids to camping. We thought it would be “funner” if we could convince a friend or two who also had kids to join us. To our surprise, that first year we had about 35 campers. That is 35 people who wanted to go camping or introduce camping to their family as well. We have continued to gather every year since then. Some come for the day, some spend a night, while others have graduated up to three nights of camping.

In September 2017 we had our Sixth Annual Family Camp-Out at Smithville Lake. For the past several years we have camped in the same spot and this year, we moved the camp-out to Loop F. Moving to this loop gave us beautiful views of the lake and easy access to the playground, bike trail, and restrooms/showers.

This year we fought with the elements. It was super windy Friday night, which prevented us from showing our outdoor movie. It rained Saturday afternoon, which pushed us all inside our campers and threatened our Glow Party. I know now the maximum kid capacity of our camper, or at least the number that will lead me to uncorking a bottle of wine.

We ended up with an extra spot from a cancellation so we found out how nice it is to have a “party” spot. We also learned that total strangers will pilfer your party spot when they think no one is watching. Thankfully in a large group camp-out someone is always watching.

I personally learned that I am over tie dying t-shirts. I learned that walking taco’s are always a hit and everyone loves a glow party. Okay, maybe I love the glow party the most. Allen learned not to bet money on my Family Camp-Out knowledge or maybe he learned not to place a bet over Friday evening cocktails.

Each year we still entice someone new to try camping. Beth, Ken, and Martin joined us this year. The rain did nothing to woo them over. I do hope they know it has only rained once before. Two rain storms in six years is not bad, huh. Please try again, Beth! Not new to camping but new to the family camp-out was also our college friend, Joy and her family. There are three families who have attended every single camp-out: us, The Todd’s and The Bell family. We affectionately call ourselves the OG’s.

Each year the Glow Party inevitable draws a total stranger to the fun. Meeghan found this out during a game of Simon Says. Some random little girl just joined in the game. I wish everyone could have seen Meeghan’s face when the little girl told her she had no parents there. That same little girl proceeded to cover every inch of her body in glow paint during the glow party. I should make a mental note that I need more glow paint before the 7th Annual Family Camp-Out!

I am happy to say that our friends Jaime and Aaron made a return visit. Neither Dawn or Mary needed urgent care and no one was hospitalized during the camp-out. And I think no one was happier that Nikki was able to make it than Mary!

Plans are already under way for our 7th Annual Family Camp-Out. We are leaving the month of September as I heard so many tell me how busy that month is.

As I reflect back on the six years of our family camp-out and really look at that first year, I realize this was truly the beginning of our love of group camping and our Roaming With Friends.

See you soon at the campground!

March 14, 2018
5 Tips For Hosting a Large Camp Out

For the past five years we have found a way of sharing our love for camping with our friends through our annual Family Camp Out. What started off as a desire to go camping and finding a friend, or two, to join us tent camping in the cooler fall weather has grown into something I never could have imagined. This year we had nearly 60 people (16 families) join us as either weekend warriors, overnighters, or day campers for a weekend of games, activities, camp food, fun, and relaxation.

As you can imagine organizing, planning, and hosting a camping event does not happen overnight and requires some attention to detail. Here are 5 tips to help you plan a large camp-out for your family or friends.

1. Select a Setting: The setting to any gathering is important and a camp out should be no exception. Finding a campground that will allow a large group to gather and has sufficient parking can be a little tricky. We originally selected Smithville Lake because it is beautiful and we could pick a loop that was close to the public restrooms which was super important when we were all tent campers. We keep returning to Smithville Lake because I have not found another campground that will let us buy day parking passes and park on the grass near the sites we have rented. One last tip about the setting, find a place that allows advanced reservations or will do group reservations.

2. Select a Date and Invite Some Friends: We live in the Midwest and have a lot of weather considerations; spring and fall are unpredictable and the summer is humid and hot. We selected the fall and hope each year for sunny days and cooler nights. Most of the families attending the camp out are no longer in tents but we still have some tent campers who do prefer fall to summer. Each year the weather has challenged us and surprised us; we have encountered near freezing temperatures, wind, storms, and even sunshine.

Once you have a date set, start inviting friends. I did not look for friends who liked to camp, I started with friends who had children. My goal was to create a weekend of camping that my kids would enjoy and playmates were central to that. One friend I invited was so shocked she literally asked if I had sent the invitation to the wrong person as she had never been camping in her life. As she laughed about it, she actually let the idea sink in and she decided to join us. My dear friend Deanna has been at every single camp out and tells me every year that without this opportunity her two kids would never experience camping. So, when looking for guest, don’t limit yourself by looking for campers instead open the opportunity to others and they might surprise you and themselves!

3. Activities: There is absolutely nothing wrong with free play but no parent wants to hear the words, “I am bored” especially during a weekend camping trip. Each year we attempt to plan a few activities we think the kids will enjoy just so we can proactively ward off those three dreaded words. Pinterest can provide you with a plethora of ideas: nature scavenger hunts, wood chip necklaces, stamped metal, painted rocks, and one year we even had our very own raingutter regatta. In addition to the activities we have also do crafts. Every year we have either tie dyed, reverse tie dyed, or screen printed a t-shirt. It makes me very happy to see a returning camper wearing shirts from previous years.

This year, our fifth year, we started the morning with an oversized adult coloring book poster that I found at 5 and Beow. It allowed for quiet time while parents fixed breakfast or just enjoyed a cup of coffee in the quiet morning hours. Mid morning we a painted pet rocks. By late morning we had started tie dying t-shirts and by the afternoon all the kids had migrated to the lake to play in the warm water and the cool clay mud.

4. Food: As I have previously stated, this camping event has morphed from tent camping to mostly RV camping (although we still have several tent campers) and many of those camping had never been camping prior to our first year. The menu for the weekend was fairly prescriptive at the request of the guest. By our second year, we had a menu that pleased everyone and we have kept it year after year. You would think someone would complain but they have not, and until they do, I am going to keep doing what works.

We have a balance between community meals and on your own meals. One of the main reasons we do community meals is because of the amount of children we have at the camp out. Small children, as well as picky eaters, tend to shop between their friends to see who has the most desirable meal. So to avoid one parent being targeted to feed a large number of kids, we chose to organize community meals. We use a Sign Up Genius for the community meals and campers bring their own drinks and paper/plastic wear. Determining how much of each item we will need is probably the hardest part of the entire planning. How many hot dogs per person, how many bags of marshmallows, how many eggs for breakfast? Each year the attendance at the camp out changes so the amounts change as well. This one aspect of the planning probably causes me the most grief so I start mapping this our early so I have time to gather as much input as I can. Despite the grief, you know what? Only one time have we came close to running out of food and more often than not, we walk away from the weekend with very little leftovers!

Here is a sample of our tried and true menu: Friday Evening and Saturday Morning are on your own meals. Saturday lunch is a community meal of walking tacos (a camp favorite). Saturday evening we light a huge bon fire and have a hot dog buffet: chili dogs, bacon wrapped dogs, dogs stuffed with cheese, and even corn dogs in a pie iron! After dinner we break out the smore’s to round off the night. Sunday morning we have a community meal of eggs in a bag and hash brown potatoes.

If you select to do community meals, I would suggest that you ask for volunteers to help get the food heated up, fire pit made, and to help keep things rolling. An event this large takes multiple hands and there is no harm in asking for help in the set up, the delivery, and the clean up of community meals.

5. Continue the Fun After the Sun Goes Down: Fun can be found around every corner at the family camp out all day long. For years, the kids played on a picnic table at an empty campsite next to ours and somehow the water fountain just accidentally gets the kids soaked EVERY SINGLE YEAR. The lake is great for fishing or wading and the sandy beach is perfect for building sand castles. But my final tip is simply, the fun does not have to end when the sun goes down. Find a way to keep the young guest and their parents engaged right up till bedtime.

A few years ago, we found ourselves with some old florescent light fixtures and we decided to recycle and reuse them by hosting a glow party every Saturday night of the camp out. We fix the lights to our awning, open a few bottles of glow-in-the-dark body paint, add a few glow sticks, create a play list, and we have ourselves an instant child friendly dance party at the campground. Young and old guest alike will enjoy watching their clothing change appearances under the black lights. Seeing parents and kids dance together for a few hours is just another memory that makes me happy.

Dancing and glowing the night away is one option for using night time but there are other ideas worthy of consideration. Night hikes are awesome and with limited sight other senses increase creating a whole new learning experience. If you plan a night hike, I strongly recommend introducing a whole new crop of campers to the sparks Wintergreen Lifesavers make. Star gazing is another fun activity if your camping setting is dark enough.

I hope these 5 steps help you create a weekend camping trip with your friends or family that is just as memorable as our Family Camp Out. To all the folks who came out and attended our camp out, thank you. I had a great time and look forward to next year!

I am going to leave you with a collection of short video’s of the glow party. They are so cute I can’t keep it to myself!

September 26, 2016