Fresh air, s’mores over the camp fire, hiking, dinner made from the day’s catch…

Camping! Maybe you remember camping fondly from when you were a kid. All of that free time to ride bikes, boat, fish and hike. All of the hot dogs, s’mores and orange soda you could handle. It was the life, right?

Have you tried it as an adult? It’s hard work! But, it can still be fun. Especially if you are doing it with first time campers (read: children). You’ll have to get the wonder of it all vicariously, as you”ll be busy cursing the tent you can’t find level ground for, the air mattress with a pin hole that is deflated by 2 a.m., the fire that won’t start without half the bottle of lighter fluid, and the mosquitoes eating you alive (although, go now and that’s not a problem!. Not to mention those midnight trips in the dark with a flashlight to the bathroom with your wee one (pun intended).

But there will still be all the s’mores you can handle. And the satisfaction of showing your kids that there is fun to be had away from the iPad and XBox. After the tent is up and the DEET is on, you can go hike with the kids and tell them about the “good old days” when you did the same thing with your parents. Don’t forget to show them the stars you can’t see from your house. The orange soda is optional.

If you are a first time camper to the Pennsylvania State Park system, they have a “first time camper” program where you get rental camping gear from Gander Mountain and two nights at participating state parks for just $20. Camp sites are typically over $30 per night, so this is a phenomenal deal. If you want to give the great outdoors a try, this is a good way to do it.