Going on a camping trip with kids is always interesting, right? Children love to play and have fun in nature but how about you change the game and plan an educational trip to the outdoors? Camping should be fun but if you also teach them some survival skills and nature basics that won’t hurt.
In this article, I will show you which educational camping activities are perfect for young kids. I guarantee you that they won’t get bored over them as they will be occupied with new things. Check the camping ideas that will awaken their curiosity and the will to explore.
Learning New Things in Nature
I will show you how you can teach your children some new skills, and knowledge through games, play, exploration, and other types of activities so they will be more educated and prepared for life.
Camping Activities
In this section, I will list activities that are linked to camping itself. Invite your kids to help you with the tasks around the campground and they will know how to survive in nature when they get older.
Pitching a camping tent
Invite your children to help you to set up a family cabin tent where you will spend nights and play. Grab the instructions and start building the tent. I see how children help their parents set up a tent at the camps and they can be of great help.
Kids can pass you the poles or even insert them into the sleeves. Give them an easy task so they will be able to accomplish it. Talk to them in the process so they will know what has to be done to enjoy tent camping.
Make a tour inside a tent when you will be done with the setup and show them what features the tent has and how to adjust them regarding the needs.
Making a Campfire
Teaching them how to make a campfire is important. The first thing to mention is that fire is dangerous and can make damage or hurt people, so they should be cautious while starting it and when it burns.
Ask your children to go pick some kindling and tinder while you pick some logs. Go in the forest together and pick the firewood. Set a fire together while explaining the process.
Cook your Favorite Dishes
When you have a campfire burning, you can make some delicious meals. How about making some pancakes or s’mores for the kids? Let them bake a pancake and put their favorite filling on.
Learn from Mother Nature
Mother Nature is our biggest teacher. Plan a daily hike in the woods where you will explore a new area, learn about the trees, and wild animals. If the trees have marks, teach them why the trees are colored. Get some books about plant recognition so they will learn to identify the plant species. It is especially important that you teach them about poisonous plants like poison ivy, poisonous oak, and others that they should leave alone. You can also download an app about plant identification on your phone if you want.
Make an Herbarium
Kids can pick some of the tree leaves and plants and make a herbarium. Tell them to pick 10 plants (tree leaves, bush leaves, or plants from the meadow). The picked items should be dry to put in the herbarium.
What does the herbarium have to have? Each plant should have its (Latin) name, place, site, date, and the name of the picker. I enjoyed making one when I was young, and I am sure your children will too.
Grab some Nature Books
I encourage you to pack some kid's books about nature. These books are great as the children will be able to stay occupied, have fun and learn at the same time. Pick picture books like pack some kid's books about nature. or others if you have younger kids (3-7 years).
Before going to the wild, go to the library with your kid and let him pick his favorite books to read at the campsite.
Play Scavenger Hunt
I love this game! It is a game where the participants make a list of items that must be found in nature. You can make two teams. Each team should find all the items first to win the game. I recommend that you pick items such as an oak tree leaf, a fruit, a feather, etc. so children will learn about nature while searching.
Do you want to make a scavenger hunt even more exciting? Give a task to take a picture of a bird or to record the sound of an animal. Don’t forget to take a camera or a phone to do that.
Play Games
Play games that involve nature like deer, deer, deer, fire tender, food chain lap-sit, flower face, judge nature says, and others that will make your camping trip interesting and educational.
Teach them about Good Camping Etiquette
When you go outdoors with the kids they should know how to behave and what is good camping etiquette. Teach them about the “leave no trace” rule and put a few garbage bags around the camp so they will throw trash there and not leave them on the ground in the camp or in the woods.
Teaching your children to be responsible and environmentally aware is important as they will leave the place as it was, without changing the natural habitat of the wild animals. Did you tell them that bears love food and trash? Make sure you mention this fact so they will be strict to leave the place clean.
Use your imagination and include activities that you see as worthy to do at a campsite with your family members to entertain and learn. Happy camping!
“Tadej Kozar is \the founder of Camping Valley. The site is an extension of my lifestyle and passion for outdoors. Everything that I learn, experience, and find valuable is on the site for you. We live in a technological era, but nature is reminding us more and more that we should go to the places where our heart and soul feel like home.”
Gluten Sensitivity or Celiac Disease. What You Need to Know
You have no doubt heard of “gluten.” More products are labeled as such on the grocery shelves, for example. And I bet you know at least one person who is following a gluten-free diet.
But what exactly is gluten anyway?
Gluten is a mixture of proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley. Oats do not contain gluten, but they can be contaminated with gluten. The presence of gluten in flour gives dough its stickiness and elasticity. Gluten also helps the leavening of dough by trapping carbon dioxide gas within it. Thus, allowing the dough to rise into a nice fluffy texture.
Gluten is found in many foods such as cereals, breads, pastas, and processed foods, for example. These foods are made from the just-named grains. Gluten is even found in other products such as lip balms, vitamins and supplements, and medications.
What is celiac disease and what is its relationship to gluten?
If you have celiac disease, you are unable to eat gluten. It is an autoimmune disorder, meaning your body attacks its own cells, causing tissue damage. Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Diabetes Mellitus (DM) are two other examples of autoimmune diseases. In fact, if you have another autoimmune disease, it increases your risk of having celiac disease.
Normally, your body's immune system is supposed to defend itself against bacteria and viruses. However, in the case of celiac disease, ingesting gluten triggers your immune system to attack the gluten molecules, and ultimately its own small intestine lining. This then causes inflammation and damage to the intestine, resulting in poor absorption of nutrients.
What causes celiac disease?
There are three main things including your genetics, the consumption of gluten, and a trigger of some sort. This trigger can be things like stress, surgery, or pregnancy.
What are the symptoms?
Surprisingly, symptoms vary with individuals, and there are many kinds of symptoms. The symptoms can mimic lactose intolerance and irritable bowel syndrome.
Although most think of celiac disease as causing gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhea and weight loss, the truth is that not everyone experiences these symptoms.
In particular, adults tend to have less of these GI symptoms, but other symptoms such as:
Canker sores
Fatigue
Numbness and tingling in the hands and feet
Anemia
Osteoporosis (thinning of bones)
Depression
Joint pain
Headaches
Skin rash
Eczema
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
Low blood sugar
In fact, these above symptoms are sometimes referred to as extra-intestinal, meaning “outside the intestine,” and there's reported to be hundreds of symptoms.
Failure to thrive (not meeting expected standards of growth)
As already mentioned above, symptoms of gluten sensitivity are like the symptoms of other diseases too, so you need to see a physician to help you determine what is going on.
To complicate matters, some people with celiac disease have no symptoms at all! This is what is known to medical professionals as “silent celiac disease” or “asymptomatic celiac disease.” However, damage is still occurring to their small intestines, so getting a diagnosis is important.
But how do you find out if you have celiac disease, with or without symptoms?
Your physician can request blood tests that look for specific antibodies. If you test positive for the antibodies, then an intestinal biopsy (this is where a small piece of tissue from the intestine is examined) is done to confirm that you have the disease.
It is important to note that you do not want to start a gluten-free diet until you have been diagnosed otherwise the diagnosis could be missed.
What is the treatment for celiac disease?
Implementing a strict gluten-free diet is the only treatment currently. This allows your small intestine to recover from the damage it has been experiencing due to the exposure to gluten.
It is easier to implement a gluten-free diet when you are experiencing symptoms and want to feel better. However, for those without symptoms, it is just as crucial that you stick to this diet too to prevent damage to the intestine, as well as the development of other health conditions which can include:
Malnutrition
Miscarriage
Possible congenital birth defects such as incomplete closure of the baby's spinal column during pregnancy
Decreased height in children as they grow up
Cancer in the G) tract
Osteoporosis (thin bones)
Now that you have learned about celiac disease, another topic is worth discussing. That is the topic of what gluten sensitivity/gluten intolerance is.
You may also hear this referred to as “non-celiac gluten sensitivity.” In 2011, a study at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, reported that gluten was a culprit in gastrointestinal problems in people who did not have celiac disease. However, this researcher has since conducted more research and now states that the existence of gluten sensitivity/gluten intolerance/non-celiac gluten sensitivity is not fully substantiated, and further research needs to be conducted.
Nevertheless, there are many people and health professionals who believe it exists, and when they follow gluten-free diets, they report feeling better. Many reputable sites such as the Center for Celiac Research recognize it as its own condition. So, it deserves its own discussion.
Like celiac disease, symptoms in someone with gluten sensitivity or gluten intolerance can include digestive problems such as diarrhea, bloating, pain, or constipation. Fatigue, depression, and joint pain are other symptoms that can also be seen.
How this condition differs from celiac disease, however, is that the tissue in the small intestine is not attacked. No antibodies can be found when a blood test is done, so there is no definitive way to diagnose it. Usually, this diagnosis is made by trying a gluten-free diet to see if symptoms improve.
Celiac disease stats for those affected are about 1%. In the case of gluten sensitivity, it is higher at about 6% of the population. People with gluten sensitivity/intolerance are at higher risk of developing celiac disease through repeated exposure to gluten.
What kind of diet do you need to follow?
Now that you have the lowdown on what gluten is, and how it is related to celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, your next step is to take steps to remove the gluten in your diet. Even some non-food items (lip balms, for example) must be replaced.
If you have celiac disease, it is imperative that you never eat gluten. If you do, your intestine will not be able to heal, which can lead to long-term health problems. Even if you experience no symptoms when you eat gluten, but you have the diagnosis of celiac disease, you must stay away from gluten.
If you have gluten sensitivity or intolerance, no damage has yet been done to your small intestine, but to feel better and prevent the possibility of developing celiac disease later, you should also avoid gluten. However, some people with sensitivity or intolerance may cheat and eat gluten-containing foods occasionally. This is still not recommended, as it may bring on your symptoms.
To conclude, people with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity may experience many of the same symptoms. In both cases, gluten is the culprit, and avoiding it will improve your health.
I really expected this lasagna recipe to require more tweaking. But after one try, the gluten-free casein-free lasagna my husband made today turned out quite tasty!
He used brown rice lasagna for the noodles, and they cooked nicely. Although, my husband said that he had to cook them a bit longer than normal. This was not a massive surprise since legume pasta also takes a bit longer than traditional pasta. Speaking of which, I would have much rather used a legume form of lasagna, but there doesn't seem to be one of those types available on the market. Legumes would be a superior choice because of the extra fiber. I will keep my eyes peeled and let you know as soon as I find one.
The rice lasagna held together just as well as traditional white lasagna noodles.
The one thing I do want to mention is that this is a lightened version of traditional lasagna. It has way less sodium and fat and is far less rich than full fat lasagna. This is the way I prefer it anyway, since lasagnas that are heavy like the ones at Olive Garden, are just too rich and salty for me. It has something to do with what you are used to. So, if you are used full fat, super rich lasagna, you may not enjoy it as much as I did.
But I want to encourage you, if you prefer the rich stuff, to give yourself time to readjust to the lower fat and lower sodium content of the lightened recipes. I promise, it will not take long before you don't like that rich stuff anymore.
As far as the casein-free cheeses, we used three distinct types:
The mozzarella cheese in the casein-free, gluten-free lasagna is good, the Parmesan, not so much. So, I would use the mozzarella for the cheese topping next time. Although, it is true, that I've been enjoying the lasagna for several days in a row. It is quite satisfying as a lunch item.
We used light/white meat ground turkey instead of ground beef. I personally like the taste of ground turkey more than the taste of ground beef for most recipes. Meatloaf is an exception, for example. However, for chili, spaghetti sauce, enchilada casseroles, chili mac and lasagna, ground turkey is delicious. And it is way lower in fat and saturated fat. Not only that, but it is less expensive than ground beef. So, that's another benefit.
Anytime you combine a high protein food with vitamin C rich foods, your body will be able to better use the iron. This is the perfect dish for that. The turkey is a good source of iron, and the tomatoes and bell peppers are excellent sources of vitamin C.
Here are some other resources you might find helpful:
Add last 1/3 sauce, ricotta, and mozzarella cheese
Top with parmesan (or use extra mozzarella instead if preferred)
1/2 cup shredded casein-free parmesan cheese
Place in preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 40 minutes or until heated through and slightly brown. NOTE: the parmesan cheese will not appear to be melted like traditional parmesan.
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