Happy Earth Day! 🌎 If you’ve ever wondered how to get your kids to care about the planet, we’ve got good news — you might already be doing it. Every time you load up the car (or the RV) and head to the campground, you’re giving your kids something no classroom can: real, hands-on time in nature.
No lectures needed. No worksheets. Just let them get dirty, chase frogs, skip rocks, and fall asleep listening to crickets. That’s honestly where it starts.
Camping Raises Kids Who Actually Care About Nature
Think about your own favourite childhood memories. A lot of them probably happened outside: climbing trees, catching bugs, building forts, or just lying in the grass doing nothing. Those moments didn’t feel like a lesson at the time, but they stuck with you.
Camping does the same thing for your kids. When they’re splashing around in the Englishman River at Pathfinder Parksville, they’re not thinking about conservation — they’re just having fun. But that’s exactly how they start caring about rivers. When they spot the big trees at Fort Camping or wake up to mountains at Pathfinder Agassiz, something clicks. They start to get it.
What the Research Says
It’s not just a nice idea — there’s actual science behind it. A review of over 60 studies published in the Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution journal found that kids who spend time interacting with nature show better emotional health, stronger social skills, and a deeper connection to the environment. Other research from Frontiers in Psychology found that nature connectedness in kids is actually a stronger predictor of eco-friendly behaviour than environmental knowledge alone. In other words, playing outside does more than reading about it.
You can’t really force a kid to love nature. But you can set it up so it happens on its own, and a camping trip is one of the easiest ways to do that. No screens, no schedule, just space to explore and figure things out at their own pace.
Pathfinder Tip
Let the kids take the lead on your next trip. You’d be surprised what they notice when they’re not staring at a screen. Sometimes a caterpillar on a leaf ends up being the highlight of the whole weekend. 🐛
Earth Day Isn’t Just April 22
Earth Day is great, but let’s be real, every time you take your family outside, you’re kind of already celebrating it. You don’t always need to organize a beach cleanup or plant 500 trees to make a difference (though that’s really cool!).
Sometimes the simplest thing you can do is just… go outside. Take the kids camping. Let them see a sunset that beats anything on Netflix. Let them hear actual quiet for once. When your family picks a camping trip over a weekend of screens and schedules, that says something.
How to Camp Responsibly
Loving nature is step one. Taking care of it is step two. And the good news is, it’s not complicated, just a few good habits that your kids will pick up and carry with them for life.
Here are some easy ways to keep the places we love looking great for the next round of campers:
Leave No Trace
If you brought it in, bring it out. This includes food scraps, wrappers, and those little twist ties that somehow end up everywhere. Leave your site looking like nobody was ever there, that’s the goal.
Be Fire Smart
Use designated fire pits, keep fires small, and make sure they’re fully out before you leave or go to bed. Drown it, stir it, feel it — if it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot to leave. And always check for local fire bans before you light up.
Ditch the Single-Use
Bring reusable water bottles, plates, and utensils. Skip the paper plates and plastic cups. It’s less garbage and honestly, your camp coffee tastes better from a real mug anyway.
Respect the Wildlife
We don’t have wildlife sighting at Pathfinder Camp Resorts or Fort Camping, as we’re a private campground that reside in neighborhood area. But if you ever camp in the wild, please admire animals from a distance. Don’t feed them (yes, even the cute ones). Store food properly. Remember, we’re visiting their home, not the other way around.
Use Water Wisely
Keep showers short, don’t dump anything into rivers or lakes, and use biodegradable soap if you’re washing dishes near water sources. Every little bit helps protect the waterways that make BC so beautiful.
At Pathfinder Camp Resorts, we have a $2 for 10 minutes shower, this is one of our way to conserve water.
Shop and Eat Local
Hit up the local farmers’ markets, farm stands, and restaurants near your campground. There are so many amazing vendors nearby Pathfinder Camp Resorts and Fort Camping. You’ll reduce your carbon footprint, support small businesses, and probably discover the best local dish you’ve ever had. Win-win.
Get the Kids Excited About Responsible Camping
The best way to teach kids to camp responsibly? Make it fun. At Pathfinder Camp Resorts and Fort Camping, we run kid-friendly activities throughout the summer where your little ones can play, explore, and make new friends. When kids camp around other families, they naturally learn to share spaces, respect their neighbours, and look out for each other – skills that go way beyond the campground!
What We’re Doing at Pathfinder Camp Resorts
At Pathfinder Camp Resorts, taking care of the outdoors isn’t just something we talk about — it’s just part of what we do. We keep our campgrounds clean, we look after the natural spaces around us, and we try to make sure these spots stay just as good for the next family as they were for yours.
You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to change everything. Just keep doing what you’re already doing: getting outside with family, exploring local places, and letting your little campers fall in love with the nature.
Because the kids who grow up loving nature are the ones who’ll take care of it later. And right now, all it takes is a camping trip to get that started.
Happy Earth Day from all of us at Pathfinder Camp Resorts. See you at our parks! 🌲
