Families of all kinds, love to spend time camping in the summer. With all the beauty this world has to offer, there’s always a place to camp out under the stars and create magical family memories.

A big part of the camping experience is cooking in the great outdoors. Campfire cooking can take on many forms and a trip to your local sporting good store will help you get started.

But what will you cook?

How about Buckwheat Pecan Pancakes for breakfast and Camp Au Gratin Potatoes for lunch. These are just two of the many recipes you’ll find in the 101 Camping & Outdoor Recipes ebook.

Take a look -

Buckwheat Pecan Pancakes For Camping
(mix in a ziplocak bag)
2 c Buckwheat flour
1/2 t Salt
2/3 c Wheat flour
2 t Baking powder
2/3 c dry milk,Instant
3 T egg (optional), Dried
(in a small tight container)
2 T Oil
2 T Molasses
(add when mixing)
2 1/2 c Water
1/2 c Pecan halves
(for topping when done)
1/4 c Butter (optional)
1 c Maple syrup

This is a camping recipe. Assume moderate heat on a campfire or pack stove. When ready to cook, mix all ingredients except the butter and syrup and let set a couple minutes. If stiff, add a little more water. If you heat the pan well first, no oil is necessary; however you will need a good, flat metal spatula. If you have time, place 3 or 4 pecan halves on each cake instead of mixing them in. Serve hot with butter, syrup or jam. Can be saved for later in the day.

Only $3.00 for ebook

Ready for lunch?

Camp Au Gratin Potatoes
1 can of corned beef, 2 cans of tuna or similar meat
2 boxes au gratin potatoes
6 c water
1/2 c dry milk powder
1/4 c margarine or oil
1 medium pot for heating water
1 large pot for potatoes
1 stirring spoon

Put the corned beef or tuna on the bottom of the pan. Open the potato packages and layer the potatoes on top of the meat. Sprinkle
the cheese powder over the potatoes. Put the oil or margarine on the potatoes. Heat the water to near boiling and add the dry milk. Pour the hot liquid over the dry potatoes and put the pot on a moderate fire to simmer gently for 40 minutes. This arrangement should result in a slightly liquid mixture. Turn the pot from time to time if it is being kept at the edge of the fire to assure it heat all the way around. The oil or margarine is to keep the liquid from foaming. A smaller quantity or none can be used, but more care to keep the liquid from boiling over must be made. Good served with something that will sop up the extra juices.

You’ll get these tasty recipes, plus many more!
#27 – Campers Cookies
#78 – Mountain Man Breakfast
#82 – One Pan Breakfast
# 83 – Onion Swiss Steak

Only $3.00 for ebook

One of the nice thing about using a pot as the basis of a craft activity is that it offers a different “canvas” than usual. Unlike the flat expanse of white paper, the shape and size of different types of pots can make for a wide variety of projects, and can remain interesting to kids, so they won’t easily be bored because they feel like it’s something they always do. In fact, you can fill more than a few lazy summer afternoons with a pot decorating project and each time the project can be different and interesting.

The best part about using flower pots as the basis of a summer craft project is that when the kids are done creating, you are not left with an art project that you put on your fridge for a few days out of obligation or send to the trash after a few initial “oohs” and “aahs”. Instead you are left with a functional item that can be used around the house, either inside or out, to plant some flowers, herbs or a plant or two – or you can earmark the finished flower pots as the perfect personalized gifts to give to teachers, grandparents, neighbors or anyone that you think could use a little pick me up.

So what do you need to get the kids creative juices flowing? Here are a few ideas, although there is really no right or wrong way to proceed with this type of craft project.

• Pots (you can buy clay or plastic pots in home improvement or craft stores and they’re pretty cheap)
• Acrylic paint
• Oil pastels
• Colorful gems, stones, shells, rocks or other small trinkets
• Glue (make sure it is strong enough to hold larger items like rocks, if used)
• Photos, magazine pictures, wrapping paper, or colorful strips of paper with modge podge – your kids can create a colorful collage right on the pot!
• Ribbon of varying widths (just glue in place)
• Waterproof sealer – if the kids are painting, using pastels, or creating a collage, you should apply a waterproof sealer over their finished artwork so it doesn’t get ruined the first time you go to water the flowers inside.

Just about any type of craft items you have in the house can be used to decorate the pots – just let their imaginations be their guides. Then, if you want, you can fill another afternoon by getting a bag of soil and some seeds, flowers or small plants, and having the kids plant them in their newly decorated pots.

This summer fun craft idea was contributed by Andrea Cohen, an editor at DIY Her Way.com,a site filled with home improvement advice, how-to info, and creative project ideas geared to women of all ages.

So, what is going on out there that is new and exciting? Read on.

Skurfing
A noncompetitive sport that is thought to have originated in New Zealand lends itself to the towable venue but requires more skill than the water tubes and floats. The combination of water skiing and surfing produce what is known as skurfing, which is akin to the American sport of wakeboarding.

Allan Byrne and Kevin Jarrett are believed to have been the first to use a modified surfboard pulled behind a motor craft in the early 1980′s. Byrne lent the Skurf board to Jeff Darby who began to produce it with some friends. Later, their design was produced under royalty by Tony Finn, from San Diego, a surfer who was erroneously given credit for the invention. Bruce McKee and Mitchell Ross manufactured the first plastic molded skurfboard named the McSki, which changed to the SSS ski board, and finally settled on the name Wake-snake in Australia. The board featured adjustable foot-straps, a concave tunnel underneath, and a fin at the rear.

In 1984, the same two men, having negotiated with a company in the United States, launched the American version called Surf-ski. Tony Finn was at the show for the release of the Surf-ski and went on to negotiate with Darby for the rights to produce it under the Skurfer name.

Skurfing is still more popular in Australia than the United States, but it is catching on fast. Although it is a non-competition sport, the freestyle pastime has many highly individualized forms. There are primarily two different types of skurfing, because of the board. Noseriding is skurfing on a long surfboard;the freestyle includes turns,
cutbacks, even spins. Boards have various designs, some with dual fins, and some with none at all, which require more balance.

What about the times when you are loafing along the shore and you’re not being pulled around behind the boat? What kind of activities can you associate with water sports besides swimming and diving? Check out another import to the states.

Waboba
In the late 1990′s, Jan von Heland of Sweden was experimenting with a Frisbee, throwing it upside on the water trying to get it to bounce. This led him to brainstorm about an object that would do just that. He began to experiment with different materials and compositions.

Heland eventually came up with a ball that would bounce off the water. He patented it the Waboba, which stands for “water bouncing ball.” It took him several years to perfect the ball, and then it took off on the Australian and Swedish beaches. Recently it has entered Europe and the United States.

The ball spawned the game by the same name, which is played in shallow water to allow the players to toss the ball down and out to get it to bounce. Waboba is a team sport in which points are awarded by bouncing the ball to teammates.

Each team has at least two players. The person with the ball attempts to bounce the ball to a teammate while the other team attempts to intercept. The ball must bounce at least once between teammates for the catch to be legal. When a team has successfully passed to every member without interruption, they receive a point.

Of course, the other team attempts to do the same thing if they can intercept the ball. Players must also pass the ball within five seconds of receiving it or forfeit. The defensive team can tackle opposing players as long as they do not tackle the one with the ball. Holding another player is not allowed.

The special ball is about the same density as water and floats when not in use. The ball is not made for use on land and hard surfaces, but it will take rough handling in the water. There are a few versions of the ball, some larger and some lighter.

There’s an official Waboba site, with videos, blog and comments from different boating and sporting groups. So check out something new this summer!

What kind of water sports do you do that other people might not know about? When the weather’s getting hot, it’s time to cool yourself in the most natural and fun way you can.

There is simply no excuse not to have fun at the beach with the wide variety of recreational products for the water available today. Whether it’s a game, a sport, or riding on a towable tube, there is fun to be had. Suit up, and cool off.

About The Author

Jane Warren is a water sports enthusiast who swims, scuba dives, goes boating & sailing, and rides and pulls towable water tubes. She spends 6 months of the year at the beach in Grand Cayman, or other natural water locations. During that time, Jane has plenty of opportunity to enjoy the water, and always has plenty of friends and family who visit, and want to be out on the boat, riding around or being more active!

Out of this love of water sports, Jane publishes the website TowableTubesDirect.com where she provides information and reviews on water sports equipment including towable tubes, skis, wakeboards, kayaks, and water trampolines. Some of the brands she has reviewed include Sportsstuff, Aquaglide water tubes, and Rave Sports, and Airhead. One of the most popular boat ski tubes this season is the Multipsport inflatable, a great versatile tube for towing, windsurfing, and kayaking.

Therefore, you might want to think about which kind of citrus juicer would be right for the job. There is the simple lemon reamer, which will turn juice out of your lemons with a simple twist, where you hold the lemon in your hand and the reamer int he other hand, turn it around a few times while pushing the fruit half onto the juicer and you will get plenty of juice out.

Then there is the citrus press, which by way of force and a lever will bring the juicing mechanism into the fruit half and squeeze a lot of juice from your fruit. This will probably be easier on your hands then the reamer, because of course you would not need to twist it. It is only operated by the lever, so kids will probably find it easier too.

Then there are electric citrus juicers. If you want to use one of these then it will make it much easier for everyone involved, because it will either press, masticate or turn in such a way that the juice gets out of the fruit without you needing to do any manual work. Usually the push of a button or at most you may have to hold the fruit lightly in place.

When you have made your lemon juice with whichever juicer contraption you chose, you can then dissolve sugar in water or use a glucose syrup mixture, mix with the lemon juice, mix with water to taste, and chill. Get glasses together or plastic cups if the children are small, and straws, and if you like cut some slivers of lemon with a slice into the middle that can sit over the edge of the cup. Then, let your kids decorate the stall and set up a sign or a poster advertising the stall. Your kids will be sure to get some customers because in this day and age, real fresh lemon juice is pretty hard to come by! Most of all, encourage your kids to have fun!

Well anyways, the best kind of summer is spent with the family. If you are married and you have got some kids, my congratulations to you and hope that your summer would be filled with fantastic activities. Life can be so monotonous and boring without kids and once you have got them, how can you ever live without them! I know my kids regularly pester me to buy them some toys and this summer I understand there are some cool new toys to look at. If the toy maker is smart, they would be putting out toys which can be played in the pool because that is where most families and kids would be hanging out this summer. So what are some of these interesting toys?

First up would be the toy water guns. Gone are the days when the toy guns were simple contraptions which squirts little amounts of water out for fun. These days these toy guns have got bigger and meaner. Ever seen the range of Super Soaker toy water guns? Those toys are really for the big guys. Not to mention the power of the water blast can be overwhelming. Don’t try playing with these toys at home on dry land because everything is going to be wet!

If you want less violent toys to play with this summer, maybe you should check out the Little Tikes Ultimate Beach Ball Sprinkler. This baby is the perfect toy for the scorching summer sun. The toy is in fact a giant beach ball with many sprinklers or in layman terms holes sporting the outer layer of the ball.
To really have some great fun you only need to connect a hose to this over sized, colorful beach ball sprinkler, and bingo! What you have now is a new wet and wild summer water playground for your kids! The benefits of having water is that kids just love to play with water and getting wet and also splashing each other! That is why you should get this cool Beach Ball Sprinker.

These are just some of the many toys that I would recommend you to buy this summer. If you are interested to buy more cheap toys online, do check out my website.

One of the nice things about using a tent made from canvas as opposed to nylon is that a canvas one feels more like an enclosed space for the kids. Since the material is heavier and is not easy to see through or to even hear through as much as nylon, it really feels like a playhouse with four walls and a roof where the kids are free to play games and explore inside without adults seemingly lurking nearby. Another great thing about using canvas, from an adult perspective, is that the material is breathable and most tents have mesh covered windows and doors to keep air flowing through the tent while keeping the bugs and the bees out.

There are many ways that kids can turn an old tent into a playhouse. They can set it up inside as a house or school with some small furniture, art supplies and toys. They can set it up as a fort or make the tent become “home base” during active games like tag and capture the flag. The tent can be transformed, taking them to any location the kids want to be, and can become something different each time they are in the mood to play.
The tent can also be used to make believe they are on a camping trip and the kids can dream up exotic or interesting locales where their travels take them to. Kids can make believe they are away on safari and the tent is surrounded by wild animals, or they can imagine themselves whisked away to a tropical island and the sand and surf are just outside their door. They can make believe they are camping out under the stars within the confines of the Grand Canyon, or they can pretend that they are at their favorite cousin’s house that they may not get to see too often.

There are many ways to keep kids occupied all summer long without it having to cost a fortune. By unrolling an old tent lying around, you can open up endless play possibilities without ever spending a dime.

There are many types of trampolines to choose from for your backyard. If you don’t have tons of space, but still want enough room to be able to jump, an 8ft trampoline is a good choice. This model is large enough for people to jump on without getting hurt but is not so big that it takes up your entire backyard, leaving room for no other amenities. The only thing to consider about a trampoline that is only 8ft in diameter is that it is best to keep the number of jumpers to one or two at a time so no one falls off or gets hurt.

Of course, you can get trampolines in a variety of other sizes as well, depending on your needs, the size of your backyard and your budget. Larger styles will allow multiple jumpers at the same time but will of course take up more room in your yard. They will also be more expensive to purchase. Small models are okay, as long as you take the necessary precautions to keep jumpers safe within the confines of the jumping surface.

When it comes to safety, no matter what size you decide on for a trampoline, a good investment is to get an enclosure that goes around the edge of the apparatus. This keeps jumpers safely inside and prevents them from falling over the edge and onto the ground. Some models come with this safety feature included as part of the package you buy and with others you may need to buy it separately. However you have to get it, it is a very worthwhile investment in your family’s safety.

Having a trampoline is a great way to get the kids moving all summer long and may even inspire you to get out and get moving as well! It can be a source of fun for the whole family all summer long.

An exciting underwater target game that keeps kids entertained in the water for hours! Toypedo Football Challenge takes its patented Toypedos and combines it with an underwater football target to bring kid-powered fun to ANY pool.

Kids are sure to have a ball with this underwater football-themed target game. Includes: four 7″ Toypedos, plus a twist-and-fold 32″ target with four numbered goals. Toypedos glide underwater up to 30 feet! No batteries required.

* New underwater Toypedo target game with a football theme!
* Includes 4 seven-inch football-themed Toypedos.
* Target has four numbered goals.
* Twist-and-fold target for easy set-up, take-down, and storage.
* Mesh carry bag included.

Click Here To Purchase

If you stick to the way a country kid used to do it, maybe adding a modern convenience or two, fishing can be a fun and rewarding time that you spend with your child this summer. The best advice for getting started is to turn off the bass fishing channel, stay out of high-end fly-fishing and outdoor stores, and realize that you don’t have to be a “real fisherman” to have fun fishing. In other words, keep it simple like those country kids from long ago.

A way to keep it simple is to think of fishing as place, species, equipment, bait and techniques. Keep all these pieces simple and you will introduce your child to fishing in a way that is fun and in a way that just might ignite a passion that is positive for your soon-to-be adolescent. Let’s take each of these pieces in turn and make them simple.

You don’t have to find a top-notch fishing destination, rent a boat or learn to read a topographical map of a lake bottom to find a place to take your kid fishing. Instead, think about where you plan to spend time with them this summer. Are you planning to go on picnics in local parks? Check your local recreation department to find a park whose lake is known for urban fishing and that has good access for kids. Chances are you can find a park with this type of small lake with only a short drive – one you would have made anyway to enjoy a picnic.

You might also check out pay-for-fishing ponds that are suitable for children and are in easy driving distance. This is where species of fish become important. Don’t take your child to a pay-for-fishing pond that is stocked with catfish as the primary quarry or that has steep, brushy banks that are unsafe for children to walk around.

Instead, make the species you go after the bluegill (or other types of sunfish that might be more prevalent in your area). I recommend the bluegill because you can find them anywhere, they are good bait biters, will put up a fight that is fun but because of their size, something your kid can handle, and the equipment and bait to catch them can be very simple. (Plus – if you are so inclined – if you do catch a bunch of bluegill, they are not hard to clean and they fry up good for eating.)

Equipment is easy. A cane pole that you can buy in any mass retailer that has a sporting goods section will do. Get light line, small hooks and sinkers, and a few bobbers and you are ready. The salesperson in that section of the store can show you how to tie on the line to the cane pole. Remember that a cane pole will require that you have good and safe access to the water from the bank. If you think you might need to cast the line out a bit from a pier or bank that is a little high, get a low-priced spin-casting outfit. These are the closed-end reels that are push-button operated for release of the line.

Also, be aware that a spin-casting reel is different than a spinning reel. Spinning reels are open-faced and are more difficult for small children to learn on their first try. I caution this because there are rod and reel choices that might look good for a child, but will be too difficult when they are first starting out. An example is the mini fishing rod. These are fantastic in terms of being compact; they can fit right in your picnic bag, and are light and easy for a child to hold. However, these usually come with an open-faced spinning reel that will make those other advantages moot when your child becomes easily frustrated trying to use it.

For bait, stick with crickets or earthworms, both of which can be bought at any local bait shop. If these give you the creeps, then look for simple, small spinning lures to use with your spin-casting rod and reel.

As far as techniques go, the cane pole is simplest. Just use the pole to swing your line back and out into the water. No overhead cast is needed or desired, just a swing of the pole, keeping the line under the rod tip the whole time. One or two times are all that is usually necessary to start getting the hang of it.

If you are using a spin-casting rod and reel, you simply reel the line to almost the tip of the pole, leave a little bit dangling, about half-a-foot. Then, push the button, raise the pole to a one-o’clock position over your head, and then cast the rod forward while releasing the button. It might take you a bit longer to get the rhythm down, but it won’t take long.

And most important, don’t turn your kid’s fishing time into a “coaching session” for your kid; let them get as good as they will at this. The main thing is fun and just spending time with them.

For a family, there is no time more exciting than holidays, birthdays, and the summer. Depending on how old your children are, or whether you and your significant other both work during the day, the summer can be very hectic or run smooth. I hope I can give you some tips to help you and your family have a remarkable, memorable summer, and hopefully hassle free.

By the time you know it, school will be starting up again. There are many fun activities to do during the summer that don’t require an enormous amount of cash. The first activity, which is almost a summer staple, is to either go swimming or visit a beach. Whether you own a pool, are a pool club member, or can pay to go to a local pool for a day, swimming is a great way to let the kids have fun in the sun.

If you are planning on going to a public pool, remember that Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be the busiest days, so if your schedule allows it, try to go during the week. As mentioned before, another great way to spend a day with the kids is by going to the beach. If you’re within driving distance to a beach, this can be a perfect one time opportunity.

In order to save on costs, pack a lunch for your family beforehand. Enjoying sandwiches with your feet in the sand can be just as rewarding as going to a restaurant for lunch. On those really hot afternoons, devote a day to staying inside. Whether you decide to watch movies, play board games all day, partake in crafts, staying inside can break the routine of the stereotypical summer spent all outdoors.

A good way to add some education to your child’s summer would be to visit a museum, zoo, or aquarium. The admission prices will vary depending on where you choose to go, but the experience can definitely be rewarding. Just remember that certain features inside these attractions do cost extra, so it’s usually best to plan in advance and check the attraction’s website beforehand. This will give you a good overview of directions, hours, admission prices, and any other special features that may be available.

Whether you choose to go on vacation this summer, or stay at home, remember to try and make the best of it. You may work year round, but your children have worked pretty hard during the school year as well, and look forward to having a couple of months to themselves. Be safe, and have a great summer!