Camping Out Ideas - Ideas for mommy and son bonding activities or processes?

Ideas for mommy and son bonding activities or processes?

We are very, very active family in outdoor activities (hunting, camping, canoeing, fishing, skiing, hiking, four-wheeling, snowmachining), but when Daddy is away on a hunting trip or similar, my five-year old son and I have a hard time connecting! I have taught him all the wild plants of Alaska, we go skiing and hiking together, but otherwise don't have any similar interests. He would rather play with his "boy" toys than play games with me and I cannot condone or simulate interest in war, guns, Army, etc. imaginary play. Any ideas for a thirty-year old mom with my single child five year old son when Daddy isn't around?

Public Comments

You guys like the outdoors how about the Zoo. You can read books about fishing have him help plan Camping trips. get some magazine subscriptions kids love to read theres tons of outdoor magazines like field and stream or Geographic kids.
fort making (indoors with pillows or outdoors); building stuff (legos, blocks, marble tracks; wedgits; magnetix; etc.); freeze dancing; hide-and-seek; scavenger hunts; treasure hunts; board games; cooking projects; puzzles; art projects; science projects; reading; playing catch; biking....
Five year olds can play lots of board games. Have a fun evening playing, Monopoly Jr., connect 4, sequence, checkers and other fun board games or teach him to play cards, slap jack, rummy, crazy 8's, old maid.
Read to him and get him involved in the book. Just get down on the Flore and play with him. Let him help in cooking.
Go for treasure hunts!! Make a list together (rock, green leaf, bird, yellow car, etc), go for a walk and check off everything you find on your list. This will give you a great opportunity to talk about important things like who can jump the highest, what animal is the stinkiest and what he wants to be when he grows up! Go home have him help make cookies and eat them together while watching his favorite movie!!
With Veterans/Remembrance Day just having passed what about incorporating his military interest into a learning experience. The military is far more than just fighting bloody battles. Reading about Veterans, poetry about war (IE; In Flanders Field), crafts with a "war" theme but not in a gory sense (grab some coloured sand at a craft store and some glue sticks and print off some colouring sheets with a Veterans theme or poppies, glue certain areas then cover in the sand , or how about putting together a small care package for a member of the military fighting overseas and writing letters, even at 5 he can colour a picture or add stickers. If there are any Veteran care centers in the area you could ask if they allow children to come in and talk, the elderly love having visitors and are especially welcoming to children in my experience. Another aspect of military life are survival skills, grab a book from the library and learn how to do things such as, purify water from a puddle, find wild plants that are edible, build a lean-to or "track" birds and wildlife. Or you could pick up a cheap disposable or digital camera (they sell cheap ones in the 20 dollar range at toys r us) then send him into the back yard to "scout" the area when he is done he can report back to you with his finding and you can go over the pictures to find a spot to set up a base, then incorporate some of the survival skills.
I agree with your decision to discourage violent games; we don't allow toy guns or weapons in our home, either. But boys are usually very rough - and - tumble, and we have to just to with it. How about getting some sports equipment - football, some baseball gloves and a batting tee, or some hockey equipment and roller blades? You can let him be active and even a little rough without being violent, and you'll have a great time. My three - year - old son loves to play football, baseball and hockey with me. While I'm often sore at the end of the day, it's really fun for both of us. And, my son will one day be able to say that his mother taught him to play baseball while Daddy was at work!