What kinds of things can you bring along to make camping more fun/interesting?

We travel and camp out a lot and our favorite thing to bring is books with information on the geology, natural history, wildlife and plants of the areas we are visiting. Some of the places we have stayed at we have been able to find fossils and unusual insects and animals. Often there are good shops in the visitor centers of state and national parks that will have such books for the region you are in. Taking a camera gives you the opportunity to record what you find and keep a visual journal of the trip. One project is to plan what a photo book of the trip would be like and plan in advance what photos you will take for it. Maybe start with shots of packing the car for the trip. It's always funny to see how neat and organized the car looks when you leave and then take another shot when you get home before unloading to compare what a chaotic mess it looks like at the end. Other photos would be of putting up the tent, stealth shots of people still asleep in their sleeping bags in the morning, shots of cooking in camp, of funny things that happen, interesting scenery, etc. You can keep a journal to add text to the book. You can have your photos and text printed in a book through I-photo, Flickr or other service online and always have a record of the trip (it would make nice Christmas gifts for the family later on.) Board and card games are good to have along in case of rainy days. When we were kids our family camped a lot. My dad would make a list of things we should look for in the woods and we would get points for spotting them and checking them off. He would always have little prizes that we would get for having the most points. Young kids often have fun making things during dark evenings with those glow in the dark chemical bracelets and necklaces, You can get bags of them cheaply at variety and party stores.

An open mind and no preconceived notions of what it will be like. You are going camping, not playing with things you brought from home. Peace.

I like to bring a girl along................you know w3hat I mean...."heh, heh"... ;. ))