The Ultimate Camping Scavenger Hunt For Kids

Camping is the perfect family vacation especially if you are trying to leave the busyness of life behind and reconnect as a family. One way you can reconnect with your kids while camping is through activities like a family scavenger hunt. Whether you pair up in teams or search for the items on the scavenger hunt individually this activity is perfect to do on your next camping trip. 

This post was written in partnership with Zulily. Make sure to check out the Camping Essentials Checklist For Beginners as well as many other great ideas at The Find By Zulily.

Camping Scavenger Hunt For Kids

Since camping happens in the great outdoors it makes sense that this scavenger hunt should include outdoor treasures as well as camping-specific items too! To keep your job easy I've put together a great family scavenger hunt you can take along with you on your next camping trip. Invite other campers to join in with the fun too. 

Scavenger hunts are fun because they encourage those participating to look more closely at the surrounding area while they hunt for the items on the list. They can also be quite competitive (especially in my family), so consider offering a prize for the first person to complete the scavenger hunt - like an ice cream cone or an extra s'more for dessert. 

Lastly, scavenger hunts are great for any age to participate which is why it is the perfect activity to do while camping with your family or a big group.

Here is the printable link for this cool camping scavenger hunt!

Ultimate Camping Checklist For A New Camper

If you are new to camping it might seem a bit overwhelming to know what to bring when you go on your first camping trip. No need to stress - I've got you covered with this post I wrote The Ultimate Checklist For A New Camper for The Find by Zulily. Click to get the full checklist before you adventure out on your first camping trip.  

What's For Dinner?

Now that you have a great activity planned for the family the next thing to figure out is what to serve for dinner! Don't worry I've provided you with 5 Easy Meals To Make On Your Next Camping Trip so you don't have to stress about dinner while on vacation! 

How To Organize Your Busy Life - Free Daily Planner Printable

A daily planner is a useful tool to help you keep track of your goals and get control over the never ending "to-do" list! When life feels super busy and chaotic a daily planner can provide some organization to your fast paced life.  

This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. For more information please see my disclaimer page. Thanks!

Organize Your Life With A Daily Planner

I used to just jot down my to-do list on a piece of scrap paper and leave it on my kitchen countertop only to find it missing or thrown away by lunch time. How frustrating! 

Since I started using this daily planner printable I have to say that it hasn't gone missing or gotten thrown away yet! Woo-hoo!! I think my family has caught on that this is mommy's list and nobody dares to toss it out absentmindedly! 

Because this daily planner has helped me keep my task list and goals organized, I find that I get more accomplished during the day than I was doing before I started using it. Plus I just love the decorative border and the fact that I can print out a new planner page each day.  

Each morning before I start my day I sit down at the computer, print off a the daily planner and jot down the tasks I must do that day as well as any goals or notes I want to remember.

Since my list and notes are written on the daily planner everyone in my household can actually read it too and it doesn't get tossed out!

Yeah for organization!!

Daily Planner Printable

This daily planner sure has helped me out so I thought I would share the free printable with you too! Click HERE to get the printable pdf file.  

I keep my completed planner pages in a three ring binder so I can refer back to them in the future. At the end of the month I like to flip through the pages to see how productive I was during the month. It is amazing how quickly you forget all that you accomplished!

This is the first time I've created a pdf daily planner and I'm so proud of my new skills. 

If you want to make the planner editable you can use this cool tool on PDFescape.com. I learned how to do this by watching Youtuber, Sandra Eide. Her tutorial on how to create a fillable PDF in Canva is easy to follow and well done! If you are interested in learning how to do this yourself click on her name (above) and it will take you directly to the video on Youtube. 

Looking for more helpful printables? Get instant access to all of the free printables I have created right HERE. Go check it out and let me know what you like or would like to see in the future. 

A Babysitter Survival Plan for Your Teenager Plus Free Babysitter Information Sheet

This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on and make a purchase I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. For more information see my Disclaimer page.

Is your teenager looking for ways to make a little extra money but she isn't quite old enough to get a "real job"? Babysitting is a great option for a responsible, mature young teen to earn some cash and learn some valuable job skills.

If your teen has never done any babysitting on their own I highly recommend that they gain a little experience with kids before they venture out into babysitting on their own.

Here are a few ideas to help your teen gain valuable babysitting skills:

Babysitter Survival Plan For Your Teen

Mentoring Opportunities:

Volunteering in the church nursery or a Sunday school class as a junior helper is a great way to gain some experience. Being paired up with an adult who can guide and instruct them will help your teen gain confidence.

Have you ever heard of a "mommy's helper"? Basically the teen spends time watching the child(ren) 

when the mom is home. The mom gets to do chores or relax while your teen gets to know the kids (and mom). It is like supervised babysitting.

My daughter offers this type of service to the mom for free since the mom is like a babysitting mentor for my teen (win/win for both). Not only does my teen become familiar with the kids, house and family expectations but the mom gets to know my teen who will hopefully become a regular babysitter for them in the near future. My teen daughter has been a mommy's helper to a few neighborhood mom's that resulted in future babysitting jobs.

Babysitter Emergency Info Sheet

The first time your teen babysits for a new family , whether they know the family really well or not, it is important to make sure the teen sitter is prepared in case of any emergencies that might arise. One requirement I have for my teen is to have the family she is babysitting for complete a babysitter information form before they leave.

Information like the house address, parent's cell numbers, neighbors to call, parent's full name (Mr. Smith doesn't help if there is a real emergency - you need the dad/mom's full name!), allergies and other information that your teen might need while watching the kids gets written down on the info sheet.

This handy form is right at my teens fingertips in case she has questions or if a real emergency arises.

click to download

First Aid/CPR Training

Having your teen attend a First Aid/CPR class at the local Red Cross is another great babysitting survival tool for your teen. Becoming certified in CPR is a valuable skill that shows parents how serious your teen takes their babysitting job. Being well prepared for anything is important. 

click to buy

Access To A Phone

The last piece of advice I want to impart is to have your teen ask the family they are babysitting for if they have a home phone available to use when the parents are out. Land lines are not as common as they once were and more than likely the parents (mom & dad) have their own cell phone and will be taking it with them when they go out. If your teen doesn't have a cell phone make sure to have your teen communicate this with the parents so they aren't left babysitting without a phone. 

As a parent of a teen you might want to consider purchasing a pre-paid type of phone for your teen to take with them when they are babysitting. They are relatively cheap and can be "re-loaded" with time as it gets used. Always check to make sure the phone has adequate funding before a babysitting job.

click to buy

Activity Bag

When I first started babysitting I used to pack a bag to take with me filled with coloring books, crafts, games and other fun stuff to share with the kids I was babysitting. No matter what I brought the kids loved it because to them these games or crafts were something new to them - it wasn't just stuff from their own house. Kids love to explore new books, crafts and games and by bringing a few things from home I knew they would be engaged and entertained for quite some time while I was watching them.

Bored kids can sometimes equal trouble so help your teen out by suggesting they bring a bag of fun stuff with them on their next babysitting job. A trip to the Dollar Store or just rummaging through your own craft supplies to find fun projects or a board game to do is simple and will pay off in the long run.

click to buy

click to buy

Babysitting can be a fun job for your teen that teaches them so many great lifelong skills so help them start by first being prepared. How about you? Do you have any additional advice you can share to help other parents prepare their teens for babysitting? Share in the comments below!

How to Create A Family Journal and Why You Should Start Now

This post contains affiliate links which means if you make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclaimer page for more information.

Do you ever find yourself saying "Oh, I should write that down!" after one of your kids says something funny, wacky or inspiring. I know I say this all the time, but regrettably I never end up writing them down. These are memories and I don't want to forget them!

Here are some funny things my kids have said to me or my hubby or done over the years (that I do remember) that I thought you would enjoy reading:

How my son expressed his love to me when he was 5:  "Mom, I love you more than a dump truck"

What my son age 4 says when he is inspired:  "I have a good un-dea..." (idea)

My middle daughter just tells it like it is: "Dad, you have the worst breath ever"

The time my son crawled into our bed just to snuggle one last time with us before he fell asleep. 

The first time I took my son camping and he said all weekend "this is the best time ever" 

My youngest son refused to eat a grilled cheese sandwich because he said "I'm a boy I don't want a "girl cheese" sandwich." 

These are just precious to me and I don't want to forget these great memories and events. So writing them down is exactly what I started doing!

All of them! - In ONE place.

No more sticky notes, napkins, paper plates or scrap pieces of paper, which all end up getting lost somewhere with these little gems written on them.

Instead I started a family journal that any of us can use to write down quirky things or great memories. I can just imagine 20 years from now flipping through these journals with my grown children and possibly grandchildren reminiscing about the good old days what was said by my children at the time. Pure treasure!

I found these wonderful journals to use for our family journal and I wanted to share where I found them with you. This journal is a printable created by Sunny Day Family and it is amazing!

Click To Learn More

My favorite thing about this journal is that I can print as many pages as I want from my own home! The journal contains 16 pages total all undated. The blank daily and weekly pages are a great place to write down those funny things your kids say or an activity you did together. I'm not a traditional journaler so what appeals to me about this journal is that it isn't a traditional style journal. I love just quickly jotting down memories and moving onto the next task on my to-do list!

Here is what I wrote yesterday in our family journal:

7/2 - Taught "J" how to dive off the diving board! He was all smiles.

Simple right! No need to write line after line of text to capture this simple memory!!

In addition to the undated pages I just mentioned, this pack also has a monthly recap pages. On these monthly you can record milestones, holidays and a favorite moment(s) from the month. Isn't that so COOL!!

Can't remember whose side of the family you celebrated Thanksgiving with last year? No problem - check your family journal monthly recap page where you wrote down how special the day was at Papa and Nana's house for Thanksgiving in 2017!

The really nice thing about this journal is that you don't have to wait until January (start of a new year) to begin! Because the daily/weekly pages are blank you can start anytime. You can purchase this printable from Sunny Day Family HERE. (affiliate link).

Pulling It All Together

After you purchase your printable from Sunny Day Family I recommend you print out the pages you want on card stock or some other sturdy paper. If you have a 3 ring binder all you have to do is hole punch the printed journal pages and insert them into the binder. Another option would be to hole punch the journal in 3-5 places down the left side and secure with brass fasteners. If you want to get really fancy you could purchase this sweet little comb punch binding machine and make your journal look professional! (affiliate link) It's a small investment but something you could re-use over and over.

purchase HERE

What are some of your everyday memories? I'd love to hear about them! Leave a comment below and let me know.

Make This An Epic Summer and Get Organized With A Summer Activity Planner

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• The following may contain affiliate links which means if you click on it and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. For more information see my Disclaimer page.
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• The kids are out of school for summer break and your job is to help them have a summer that is full of fun, educational, active and relaxing for the next few months.
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• Impossible job? No!! You got this mama!! 
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• No more "I'm bored, there is nothing to do" from little Susie because this summer you have a plan - an AWESOME boredom buster plan! Make the most of those precious summer days by planning out your activities, creating a to-do list and even checking off a bunch of your bucket list ideas. 

All you need to do is use this Summer Activity Printable by Sunny Day Family, brain-storm some ideas with your kids and print it off! Kids thrive when given a routine and predictable schedule and this printable will help you and them stay sane this summer. Act now and get 25% off with the code FRIENDS. (affiliate link)

The Summer Activity Printable has the following pages for you to use:

• Summer Bucket List

• Summer Reading List

• Weekly Family Fun Planner

• Daily To Do List

• Monthly Calendars for June, July, August

• Summer Fun Coupon Book with 18 Coupons!

Click HERE to purchase

Looking to reward your kids this summer as they help with chores around the house? The 18 Summer Fun Coupons are completely customizable for you to use with your kids. Who wouldn't want a ice cream date with dad after mowing the lawn? My kids would probably fight over that chore if the coupon was for a trip to the local ice cream parlor!

Below is a great chart with age appropriate chores for kids. Summer is a great time to teach your kids house hold management (e.g. laundry, dishes, vacuuming!)

You can read my previous post about kids and age appropriate chores HERE  which also includes a FREE printable Chore Chart.

Click HERE