We’ve been wanting to take David camping before it gets too cold. . .and after skimming through this book, I’m even more excited by the prospect:
The Down and Dirty Guide to Camping With Kids: How to Plan Memorable Family Adventures & Connect Kids to Nature by Helen Olsson. 
To be honest, I didn’t take the time to read this book thoroughly, but what I did find was informative, helpful, and fun. Helen includes recipes, game ideas, nature crafts, packing lists, resource lists, and general tips. I grew up camping, so a lot of the information was not entirely new to me, but I did appreciate the focus on how camping changes with little ones. One suggestion Helen gave was to have a small “play tent” that the kiddos can wrestle and play in, instead of getting the sleeping tent all dirty and rumpled. I also love how she includes a list of camping-related picture books to read before the trip.
I also enjoyed this book when someone sprang the idea on me that they thought our family (read 2 small children) should take up tenting as our family hobby. We decided to wait until everyone is out of the pack and play stage. But, we look forward to using this guide again in the future! Maybe we should be tenting buddies…
I think camping will get easier as the kids get older. (Or maybe I’m naive?) Yes, we’ve talked about going with other families, but figured we should try it out ourselves first. Its a little different than when I was at EMU and just grabbed my sleeping bag and I was good to go.