Economical And Practical Family Vacation Tips

It should come as no surprise that the people who manage and care for Montana's State Parks are some the most avid parks users.

“Our State Parks are tucked away in interesting corners, spread along the shores of lakes and are sometimes even in caves, so it might be easy for the average person to just drive on by, but that would be a mistake,” said Chas VanGenderen, State Parks operations and management bureau chief. “State Parks take you off the beaten tourist trail to places that remind us why we want to live here in the first place.”

VanGenderen said his first hand experiences with his two girls are the reason he now has tips to offer other parents on getting kids into the outdoors.

The best way to ensure kids have fun, he said, is to make sure they're comfortable and to act like a child yourself. “Sing silly songs and keep things as simple and carefree as possible,” he said. “And, make sure you bring extra shoes and pants.”

Other quick tips VanGenderen offers are:

• Bring bug spray and use it.   Mosquitoes can be tough on kids.
• Watch the weather and plan for the unexpected with cards, dominoes, and other easy to pack games.   Bring things for the car ride to make it fun too.
• If the kids are small and you're traveling for a distance, leave just before daylight and let the kids sleep for the first couple of hours.
• Van Genderen is well versed in “kid” foods. Easy to prepare foods are the ones kids like best. Hot dogs over an open fire and ramen noodles are two of his favorites. “Ramen noodles are so easy to cook and they're fun to eat,” he said. “I also try to bring finger foods such as carrots, celery, apples, pretzel sticks, raisins, hard boiled eggs and marshmallows.”
• Along that same theme, but more expensive, are paper plates, cups, jiffy pop popcorn, snack pack pudding and cereal--all easy to transport and easy for kids.   “The pre-moistened wipes that can clean hands/faces, and legs quickly are a must,” he said. And, don't forget band-aids.

Finding the right spot for water recreation with small kids is worth some study. He looks for places with slow moving or shallow water to reduce the risk and increase everyone's fun. Give kids a good rocky beach and teach them to skip rocks or to turn over the rocks and look for crayfish, he says, and they'll be happy for hours. Or try small containers or nets to catch bugs.

Another fun activity is making homemade kites. There is no better place to fly a kite than the closest State Park's open fields and air space.

“My kids also enjoyed magnifying glasses for seeing bug legs, and leaves, and fingerprints," Van Genderen said.   Another fun item is a disposable camera.

If you're taking kids fishing, go where fishing success is assured. FWP's children's fishing ponds like the Elks Club Pond near Lewistown, or ponds stocked for kids like Spring Meadow Lake in Helena are great places to start. Van Genderen said kids find tracking down worms and ‘hoppers for bait almost as entertaining as catching fish.

“Most importantly, never forget that if you aren't having fun there is no way your kids are,” Van Genderen said. “You are the fun meter, so don't forget to turn the dial way up!”