There's a new Texas Outdoor Family program at state parks that's so well received, Texas Parks and Wildlife has to limit participants in how many events they may enter. Otherwise, said outdoor education coordinator Chris Holmes, you'd see many of the same people at every event.

"TOF has really exceeded our expectations," Holmes said. "Parents understand that it's good for their kids to be outdoors, but they're not prepared for just how much fun the entire family will have."

Neither are urban families equipped for camping. Helping them gain camping knowhow is the genesis of TOF. A family of up to six pays $55 for the weekend overnight experience. They receive a packet telling them what to pack, including suggestions for easy-to-prepare foods.

The family must furnish its own food and sleeping bags or bedrolls. Everything else is furnished by the TOF staff and volunteers, who help set up the tent, camp stove and lantern and furnish dishes, utensils and firewood. The fee pays for individual campsites.

State parks are equipped with restrooms and hot showers. Park rangers and TOF volunteers present programs to initiate families into an outdoor lifestyle.

"The activities vary, depending on what's available at the individual park," Holmes said. "If we've got water, we'll have kayaking and fishing. All the parks have nature trails for hiking, and there's usually some wildlife to be seen.

"We teach the family how to set up camp and how to break camp, leaving no trace behind. We teach them how to build a campfire, camp cooking and fun pastimes, like navigating with a GPS unit. We have an evening program around the campfire that celebrates nature's noises at night."

Believe it or not, families who have never strayed far from the sidewalk don't know how to interpret unfamiliar natural sounds.

"I've seen folks who freaked out over the calls that frogs make at night, until they were told that the sounds were coming from frogs," Holmes said. "In some parks, you can hear owls, night hawks or even coyotes. The sounds are cool, if you know what makes them. Younger families who've always lived in the city sometimes think of the outdoors as a scary place."

From studying the demographics of people who attend TOF, TP&W knows the families are young. Most of the parents are in their mid-30s, and their children are mostly younger than 10, though some grandparents are bringing their grandchildren.

Most events are scheduled near metropolitan areas, though upcoming TOF programs include one at Caprock Canyons State Park, which Holmes describes as more difficult to access but well worth the trouble. Caprock Canyons is in West Texas, near Quitaque, in Briscoe, Hall and Floyd counties. The 15,000-acre park is home to the state bison herd.

Holmes is particularly encouraged by the ethnic diversity attracted to TOF. Thirty five percent of families who have participated are Hispanic and 10 percent are Asian or African-American.

"We've had to limit participating families to three TOF events annually," he said. "Otherwise, the programs would be full of repeats. We're encouraged with surveys that indicate many of these families are going to the sporting goods stores, buying equipment and going to the parks on their own. That's the idea."

What: Texas Parks and Wildlife program to introduce urban families to the outdoors through overnight camping trips to state parks.

Cost: $55 for as many as six family members.

Equipment furnished: Tent, lantern, camp stove, cooking utensils, information packet that suggests clothing and other accessories.

Family furnishes: Bedrolls and food.

Activities: Vary from one park to the next but may include nature studies, hiking, campfire construction, camp cooking, fishing, kayaking, GPS navigation and campfire program.

Events near Dallas: Ray Roberts State Park, April 18-19; Tyler SP, April 25-26; Lake Mineral Wells SP, May 9-10; Caprock Canyons SP, May 9-10: Cedar Hill SP, May 16-17; Eisenhower SP, May 30-31 and June 22-23; Caddo Lake SP, June 27-28.

Details: www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/bof.