Canoe Tripping with Kids:
Some Advice and an Experience

by Gillian Lowry

A few years ago, we bravely took our four and six-year-old kids on a week long canoe trip. We had been taking the kids out in the canoe their whole lives, starting first as babies for short jaunts, and then building to longer half-day and full-day trips, so this was a natural progression, even if somewhat daunting.

For this trip we mapped out a loop where we would paddle down the French River, out to Georgian Bay and back to our start point. It was late July, and it ended up being very hot. Most days went over 30 degrees, with no clouds to be seen. To beat the heat, we would often try to paddle our greatest distance in the morning, before the sun made things too uncomfortable. We had our water filter and made sure everyone stayed well hydrated with Gatorade powders and other electrolytes. Hats, sunglasses and copious amounts of sunscreen were used. At times, we would pull over to fun looking spots on shore and go for a swim. 

The key part of making our time in the boat enjoyable was making sure the kids were happy, or asleep. Nothing ruins the mood more than one whiney kid! It definitely took a few days to get everyone into the rhythm of this, but we got there. Each kid was allowed a small backpack, which had their own water, sunscreen, sunglasses, other things that they needed, and a few toys. It may seem daunting, but in terms of toys- less is best! We had one Barbie and a few small diggers. Barbie had no clothes, because the other key is that the toys must be waterproof… think ‘bath toy’. You will be doing a lot of carrying, and added weight from a wet toy is a good weight to avoid. We had a dry bag with some art supplies and two family chapter books for onshore entertainment, but skipped out on screens. 

We had packed each kid a bag of GORP (good ole raisins and peanuts) that was overloaded with candy from the bulk store. (M and M’s and smarties were good, the chocolate chips just melted into clusters… tasty but messy). This is not a time to worry too much about sugar consumption, and the calories are necessary. There was a rule, if you want a candy you have to eat some nuts. We set aside other goodies to use as treats/bribes for the end of portages. 

We were packed into one canoe with lots of gear but made each kid a relatively comfortable seat propped up on a bag, where they could also curl up for a nap. We kept our expectations really low in terms of kids helping to paddle. Sometimes we pushed for “help”, and often we just let it slide. There was a lot of singing, I spy, looking for wildlife, storytelling, the occasional squabble, and altogether, it was well worth the effort for these great and memorable times together, in nature. 

Check out more artwork and writing at www.gillianlowry.ca, and @gillianlowryart.

Canoe Tripping with kids —by Gillian Lowry