Best outdoor games/activities for kids on a weekend?

[jcarlin]

Just me and the boy (9) going on a three day backpack jaunt this weekend. There will be camping, fires, woodcutting, water purifying, hiking, and fishing that will all be necessary to entertaining. I'm trying to think of something to fill in a lull or two that he'll appreciate. Building a couple of traps or trying to get a friction fire going will probably work, bringing a slingshot and having some competition will probably be a thing as well. Wondering if there's a skills based activity that any of you enjoyed or would suggest along those lines to round things out.

[Solitario Lupo]

Teaching him stuff to be a survivalist is great for someone who likes the outdoors. Back then I would always try to make a weapon for protection even if it was a spear. Teach him how to heat treat the wood. Or look some stuff on the internet. I'm sure you can find some cool stuff on it for him. Good luck be safe and have fun.

[Gary Devine]

Just be careful JC, when you pick up wood to cut, because as you already know PA. is loaded with venomous serpents.
Zip up your backpacker's tent screen also. Stay safe.

[fitch270]

Put some effort into meals. Good food, especially something special just for camping goes a long way. I have no idea how heavy you’ll be loaded so it could be anything from cooking on a stick to Dutch ovens. We’re just a couple weeks from having blueberries, maybe by you they’re ready.
Have fun, hope the weather holds out.

[jcarlin]

Put some effort into meals. Good food, especially something special just for camping goes a long way. I have no idea how heavy you’ll be loaded so it could be anything from cooking on a stick to Dutch ovens. We’re just a couple weeks from having blueberries, maybe by you they’re ready.
Have fun, hope the weather holds out.

Good stuff all.
We've 'packed before, just never only me and him.
I'm a fan of good eating. There'll be plenty of food, hopefully fish for dinner, and some freeze dried pouches for backups.
the food list is probably going to run as pre-frozen omelettes for first morning breakfast with bagels and jelly for day two.
Lunch might be more of a trail snacks and jerky kind of a thing. Gorp is still king.
Dinners hopefully some fish (trout are possible on this stream at this time of year, but it has a very healthy population of sunfish.) Hot dogs and marshmallows for roasting.

It might be a little early for blueberries here, but the kid is basically a small bear when they're available. You could keep him busy for an afternoon by pointing him at a good few bushes.

[jcarlin]

Just be careful JC, when you pick up wood to cut, because as you already know PA. is loaded with venomous serpents.
Zip up your backpacker's tent screen also. Stay safe.

You know, In all the time I've spent in the woods (though a lot of it is cold weather) I've seen a bare handful of copperheads and a little more rattlers in PA. They're definitely there, but the place is hardly over run.
Admittedly, some of them in the area we'll be at.

[jcarlin]

Teaching him stuff to be a survivalist is great for someone who likes the outdoors. Back then I would always try to make a weapon for protection even if it was a spear. Teach him how to heat treat the wood. Or look some stuff on the internet. I'm sure you can find some cool stuff on it for him. Good luck be safe and have fun.

That's a good call.
That and making a quick handy self bow are both good ideas.

[jcarlin]

Put some effort into meals. Good food, especially something special just for camping goes a long way. I have no idea how heavy you’ll be loaded so it could be anything from cooking on a stick to Dutch ovens. We’re just a couple weeks from having blueberries, maybe by you they’re ready.
Have fun, hope the weather holds out.

I could also bring 5 pounds of cheddar flavored goldfish crackers for the weekend and he'd probably happily snack on that the whole time.

I forgot to mention coffee and hot chocolate as staples.

[fitch270]

Put some effort into meals. Good food, especially something special just for camping goes a long way. I have no idea how heavy you’ll be loaded so it could be anything from cooking on a stick to Dutch ovens. We’re just a couple weeks from having blueberries, maybe by you they’re ready.
Have fun, hope the weather holds out.

If you can carry Pilsbury type biscuit dough you can wrap it around a hotdog for a fire roasted pig in a blanket. Or you can just cook it on a stick. My kids both enjoy that.

[jcarlin]

This is an excellent opportunity to start teaching navigation skills. Get the kid to help stay on course via map reading and using a compass. Also, download a good navigation app to your phone and use it as a teaching tool.

You know, this occurred to me yesterday too. I think on the middle day, for a start we're going to hike from a base camp and make him responsible for the simple act of staying on trail. Discussing the simple acts of sticking to a bearing by siting on an object, moving to it, than find the next point is on the agenda. I may see if I can make that a scavenger hunt.

[MattM37]

This is an excellent opportunity to start teaching navigation skills. Get the kid to help stay on course via map reading and using a compass. Also, download a good navigation app to your phone and use it as a teaching tool.

Had to smile, there -- I hadn't thought of the navigation part, but some kind of nature scavenger hunt crossed my mind when I read your question.