I took Joseph camping at the zoo a few weekends ago. Joseph hiked up ready to go with backpack, bedroll and teddy bear (we paired down from about four stuffed animals). Joseph impressed the other parents and the zoo guides with his preparedness.He helped setup the tent and roll out the sleeping bags. He used the bag I bought for myself as a replacement. In the afternoon, the zoo guides announced an animal exhibition forthcoming, but spent a lot of time explaining the rules and jumping around leading the kids in a silly elephant dance. Midway through the rules discussion, Joseph heckled the guides with, "Where are the animals!" I admit I had the same question.
Then we moved on to roasting hot dogs for dinner. Joseph pounded down three hot dogs with buns and drained four cups of lemonade. That was enough to sustain him through a nighttime zoo tour. We returned to camp around 9:00pm--2 hrs past Joseph's bedtime. The guides pumped the kids full of s'mores and announced that parents should take charge of their kids for bed time.
Joseph begged me to "go camping", by which he meant go to sleep in the tent. We changed clothes, brushed teeth, used the potty and settled our gear. We zipped the tent up at 9:30 and laid down, just as Joseph decided it was time to go back outside. I decided otherwise. Joseph responded that it was time to go home. I informed him that a locked, gated parking lot prevented our return. He informed me from 9:30 to 12:30, on intervals of 30 seconds, that it was still time to return home. At 12:3o he passed out. I drowsed in and out of consciousness, trying to detect sounds of a tent door unzipping.
By breakfast time, Joseph felt camping was awesome again and put together his own adventure in a bamboo grove behind our tent. Since returning home, Joseph keeps the sleeping bag on his bed and a ready backpack in his room, complete with 2 flashlights and a teddy bear.
