What is in your adventure pack?

7 Must-Have Items when Adventuring with Kids

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There are several items we have found to be our go-to, must-have, ALWAYS pack supplies when loading up for a day out adventuring with the kids.

We set aside one day a week as a family day, usually Sunday Funday. This day is our time together exploring, or adventuring as we have come to call it. Some weekends we are lucky and get to have a full weekend adventure, but that is another blog entirely. Right now we are focused on enjoying day trips close to home. Relaxing and regrouping from our crazy long work and school hours during the week.

Levi and I have developed a pretty consistent and reliable Sunday morning routine of packing our go-to supplies before we hit the road. We load the bag with tried and true supplies to ease the meltdowns or little hiccups that will inevitably unfold at some point along the journey so we can continue to point the compass towards adventure.

We think sharing our adventure pack supplies might help you plan your adventure days a little more smoothly so you too can get out there and enjoy!

So without further rambling, here are the 7 items we ALWAYS pack with us on adventure day.

1. Fully Charged Tablet

I know, I know…it seems ironic to pack a screen when you are going out to enjoy the great outdoors. But let’s be real. When the restaurant wait time seems to be taking forever, driving to our ultimate destination gets boring, or simply when I need to bribe the kids to take a minute to regroup quietly, electronics are handy.

Just make sure it’s charged (nothing ever seems charged in our house) because when you promise a few minutes of a movie then the tablet doesn’t turn on but the kids crank up their volume and waterworks up… you get the picture, not good!

2. Fun, New Creative Activities

Without the little ones seeing me, I throw in a few little activity items varying it up a little each time.

I choose toys they don’t have access to at home so they stay a special treat on adventure days and help reduce their “need” for screen time.

These Make-a-Face sticker pads are one of the kiddos favorites. Both kids think it is hilarious to show us all the silly faces they create from their car seats in the back.

The little color blast books are gold for car trips as well. The ink only goes on the paper and its like magic as all the colors, hidden pictures, and words appear as they use their marker on the paper.

3. Full Water Bottles

Are your kiddos always thirsty? In order to avoid the constant badgering of getting a Bug Juice (sugar water) at the gas station, we fill a water bottle for everyone.

Of course, I will insert a shameless plug for choosing our adventure water bottles, because come on, they are awesome!! You can customize yours here complete with your little one’s name, decal, and choose all the colors!

4. Kids Own Adventure Bag

While we pack our bag and finish getting ready for the day we let the little ones each pack their own adventure bag.

They gather the toys that they want to play with for the day. If they can fit it in their little drawstring bag it can go in the car with them.

Now I try to remember to go through it before we load up making sure they haven’t brought the TV remote, our checkbook, tap shoes or just rocks (Henry’s go to hoarding item).

5. Blanket

If we can’t find a picnic table to set up lunch, the sun is out and we want to lay out on the beach, or the kids are cold in the backseat this is our go-to favorite from Sandcloud. If you haven’t heard of this company you should check them out. 10% of their profits support their mission of saving sea life. #savethefishies

Living close to the ocean we tend to set up on the beach often. This blanket/towel is oversized and doesn’t collect sand so we can use it at the beach and then snuggle with it on the drive home. It’s large enough that it can be shared and cuts down on the kids fighting over it.

Use code: KILEIGHKNOTT657 for 15% off your purchase

6. Binoculars

You never know what you may see when you stop to look around. There were so many instances we wished we had binoculars, that we finally learned our lesson and bring them with us all the time. Even when we aren’t going on a hike or to the beach we pack binoculars.

Levi has a pair that are not too expensive and are pretty hearty so the kids can look through them, but they were just so big and hard for them to hold on their own. These compact sizes are perfect for little hands to wrap around and come in a variety of cool colors. It’s fun to let them point out rocks, birds, and trees that they found using the binoculars.

7. Snacks

Seems obvious but I will mention we totally load up on snacks.

Our most favorite foods to pack are Wheat Thins, turkey, cheese, apples and grapes. But we also have easy grab and go treats on the ready. Fruit snacks are a fan fave, and Levi will usually share them with the kids!

So there you have it. Our 7 must-pack items for adventure days. What do you ALWAYS pack in your adventure pack that we should keep in mind? We love hearing from you! As the weather begins to warm up we are gearing up for even more outdoor adventuring. May the Journey Never End!