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Beat The Camper's Blues

posted by AlumCreek @ 9:20am, Monday 18 July 2011.

Camping is a lot of fun. It feels so good to be outdoors closer to nature. But if you have brought the family along and you don't have your days filled with activity, then sooner or later somebody is going to say it. It always happens and it goes something like this.... “Mommy, Daddy, I'm bored” or “There's nothing to do”. It's like somebody just dropped a bomb on your camping adventure and it can ruin the mood or possibly even the whole trip. Fortunately this doesn't have to happen to you. First, tell them to leave their Game-boy, Playstation PSP, or whatever else they have on the market today at home. This is especially important if you have more than one child as they often will end up fighting over the blasted thing. Second, bring along one or more of these fun-for-everyone games on your trip.

Cornhole

This game is actually a load of fun as strange as the name sounds. The game has 2 sloped boards each with a hole in it that are placed 30 feet apart. Each player has 4 bean bags (alternatively filled with corn, hence the name) which they toss to the opposing board. The object of the game is to be the first team to reach 21. If you manage to make a toss into the hole, it's worth 3 points. Put one on the board and it'll net you one point per bag. Players alternate tosses and after all tosses are made, you add up the points. Only one team can gain points for the round. The points are added up for both teams and the difference between them is awarded to the team that scored the most for the round. You're practically guaranteed to have fun with Cornhole and you can find the official rules here.

Horseshoes

Almost everyone has played Horseshoes or at least seen it. The set-up is similar to Cornhole as far as teams go. You'll need 4 'horseshoes' and 2 metal stakes set up 40 feet apart. The game-play works best if you have a sand-pit to plant each stake into. You can play without the pit but be prepared to see your horseshoes bouncing and rolling away from the stake, which can be  quite annoying or even dangerous. Many campgrounds don't allow horseshoes to be played on-site for safety reasons so if you plan to play, be sure to check the campground rules first. If you aren't allowed to play Horseshoes, consider Cornhole or ladder Ball instead. Click here for more information about how to play Horseshoes.

Ladder Ball

Also known as Ladder Golf, Hillbilly Golf or Lasso Golf, among many others. This game is played by placing 2 'ladders' 15 to 40 feet apart. The ladders have three bars on them which players from each team will attempt to successfully toss and hang 3 bolos from. A bolo basically looks like a small section of rope with a rubber ball on each end. Scoring is determined by how many bolos stay on the ladder. The top rung is worth 3 points, the middle rung is worth 2 and the bottom rung is worth 1 point. As silly as this game may appear, it's actually quite challenging and lots of fun. Click here to learn more about this game.

If you have a large campsite you might also bring Bocce Ball or Croquet. These games are great fun but they hog up a lot of space to set them up properly. Also remember to bring some inside games such as Monopoly, Clue, or whatever is appropriate for your families age levels, as well as a deck of regular playing cards just in case it's one of those rainy days. If you don't have a good rainy day strategy then you're going to hear one of those annoying groans much sooner than later. Have fun!