Kindergarten is a good age. It goes from age 4 to 3rd grade, but my 3rd grader will stay in until my 1st grader gets through 3rd. They call older kids that stay in "red feathers". They're expected to help more once they get past 3rd grade.
hammock cree flashlight/headlamp stove down sleeping back camp saw sleeping pad gravity water filter knife
http://www.mountainhouse.com/ check out the pouches. once i started using these i never went back. im more into back-country camping, where you hike in with all your stuff, so having these are great. you just boil water, pour it directly in the pouch, let sit for 10-15 minutes and you have a full, delicious meal that you eat right out of the pouch. no dishes to clean up! there are lots of different companies, but i like mountain house best. the chili mac with beef will rock your world. buy in bulk and save some $$$...these things store for years.
If you camp a lot in the cold, use a foam egg-crate matt instead of an air mattress. The air in an air mattress stays cool underneath your body - good for summer, but not winter.
Bring a video camera, and a bug zapper. Spoiler <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/K2bNUFdud5E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The places I camp are very remote/backcountry (up to a 3-4 day trek) such as in northern Canada. This means we backpack (sometimes ultra light) so our sleeping system is usually a bivouac instead of a tent. I suggest firearms, satellite phone, and a distress radiobeacon and/or LED strobe. This is in addition to the usual camping essentials like compass, maps, etc.
If they've been camping before or already have some camping gear, then upgrades of their gear would be very welcome. Lightweight stuff is a luxury but a nice touch, like titanium utensils or lightweight mattresses. My top recommendation would be a nice duffel. The base camp duffel from TNF is probably at the top. It's incredibly rugged and has a bunch of colors and sizes. It is expensive though, so an REI bag would suffice and pair it with a nice day pack.
A small shovel to dig the toilet holes with, and bury the fire ashes when it's time. It's helpful at moving other things from the fire as well. A dutch oven can really make good campfire food as long as you are using a real fire with real coals, and not a coleman stove or something like that. A cast iron skillet, and metal coffee pot to make coffee in are great as well. A grill that can stand over the fire or at the worst can be suspended over a couple of rocks over the fire is great for placing coffee pots, cans of food, and stuff like that on. A quality sleeping bag, and tent are always good. skewers to roast hot dogs and marshmallows on won't go wrong either. That's the kind of stuff I take on my camping trips. I hope that helps.
