[kayakingkate]

I see lots of threads on little kids on the river- looking for ideas for a fun trip with a pack of tweens (9-12 his)

 

[Raft Dad]

Don't know your location but....Lower Salmon has always been fun with a large group of kids. Sometimes 8-10 kids between 9 and 16yrs. Warm water so they can swim, cliff (log) jump, boogie board, duckie, SUP, inflatable toys etc. Large sandy beaches so they can play volleyball, frisbee, football or just run around and beat the crap out of each other.

 

[trevko]

Deso is always great. Warm water that is easy enough for them to row or paddle, good beaches, great hikes, and the first couple of days can teach resilience (depending on how bad the mosquitoes are).

We've taken our kids (now 11 & 14) down Deso, Gates, San Juan, MSF and this year will be The Canyon.

 

[kayakingkate]

Thanks! We are heading to the Main Salmon.

Just looking for ideas like another thread said to bring slingshots to play with- I see Frisbees here. Just anything you can think of that either made or broke a trip with kids in this age range.

 

[Raft Dad]

Thanks! We are heading to the Main Salmon.

Just looking for ideas like another thread said to bring slingshots to play with- I see Frisbees here. Just anything you can think of that either made or broke a trip with kids in this age range.

Done the Main Salmon also with the same group as mentioned earlier. Your kid group will have fun. One thing another group we saw had was a large slip and slide. Some of the beaches lower down have nice big sandy banks perfect for slip and slides.

 

[Ever_Cat]

Pringles, Pringles and more Pringles. And other snacks. Really, kids that age chow down snacks.

When my son and his friends were that age, a bucket and shovel went a long way toward keeping them occupied. Just make sure they fill in their creations to avoid camp hazards.

On a Grand trip earlier this year, Spikeball kept the "adults" entertained. This is the best beach game I have seen in a while. Endless fun and spirited competition for all ages.

https://spikeball.com/

 

[davbaker]

You guys will have a great trip. We have done the Main twice with a pack of tweens + teenagers and it has been awesome. It seems that you have the main ingredient for a fun trip for the tweens - the fact that you have a pack of them, they will entertain themselves. Card games, Uno, Mafia, President all seem to be a hit. Also, the kids became infatuated with a game "Snake Oil" and every night saw a raucous competition. My wife also brought a bunch of comic books for long days on the raft. Our kids are usually book readers but it is good to have something lighter - all the kids on the trip found them swapping/ negotiating over the better comics.

Also, last year we put together pairs of kids who had pre-assigned chores. We didn't make the chores too onerous, and we paired up kids who did not know each other well. It created good team building.

When are you launching? We leave Corn Creek on 8/23

Dave