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Camping for Kids
If you’ve never been camping and don’t know what to do on your first trip, don’t worry! It’s easy for youth to camp like a pro once they get the hang of it.
Follow these five easy tips so that you can enjoy the outdoors while staying safe and showing respect to nature.
Stay on trails
Many Illinois state parks are large, meaning that if you aren’t careful, you could get lost. The best way to avoid getting lost is to stay on trails.
Trails are the paths that connect campgrounds and other areas together. There are usually signs with directions at certain points in a trail to help if you do get lost.
Respect wildlife
Never feed wild animals. Human-made food and snacks are unhealthy for a wild animal’s diet, and feeding animals makes them less fearful of people.
Always keep a safe distance from wild animals – even the smallest ones may bite if they feel threatened.
Leave it be
Don’t take natural souvenirs like rocks, shells or flowers. These items are important habitat for smaller animals like insects. Always leave nature the way you found it for others to enjoy.
Pack smart
Bring reusable water bottles, plates, and cutlery (forks, spoons, and knives). Plastic bottles, plates and cutlery can only be used once and are wasteful. Animals sometimes find these on the ground and try to eat them, causing injury or even death to the animal.
Pick up litter
Trash outside of bins becomes litter, which harms animals that try to eat it. Litter also makes parks less beautiful to visitors.
Always pick up litter that you see on trails or on campgrounds and place it in the nearest trash bin. If you see any litter that appears to be dangerous, such as broken glass, leave it alone and tell an adult so that they can take care of it.
