Quick Share : Traveling with Kids

image via here

We're now officially planning a summer vacation. While I do consider our family to be seasoned travelers--two cross-country roadtrips, several 8-10 hour trips, and a couple flights with teeny ones--it is always good to review some info and tips for traveling with children.

I really like the ideas from Simply Modern Mom.

I want to hear your favorite travel tips--for car or airplane or any other vehicle. I could always use a new website for printing off travel games.

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Friday Focus : Travel Time

Listening to stories or books on CD is a great way to make the miles fly by during a long trip. Here are a few we picked up at the library and enjoyed on our most recent drive. (We like shorter CDs that are a mix of both new and familiar stories.)

Donald Davis uses his cozy Southern voice to re-tell old favorites like The Little Red Hen and Three Little Pigs. The man paints pictures with his storytelling.

Who doesn't love fairy tales? Hans Christian Anderson's are charming and familiar.

Fast-paced, fun, and full of rhythm in the way that no master like Dr. Seuss. Kids know these stories that are best when read aloud.

The Mercy Watson series is a light, silly mixture of reality and fantasy, starring a pig. Kate DiCamillo has a good way with words: simple, appealing, clever.

Images via bn.com

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Friday Focus : Travel Time

image by redroko

On long roadtrips, we have plenty of activities to pass the time. I admit that we do start a DVD once or twice during a full day of driving (I can't handle seeing their unblinking eyes more often than that); we also read, sing, look out the windows (quiet, "bored" time is not always a bad thing), play games, color, and occasionally sleep.

But then there are those moments when nothing seems to work, everyone is restless, and, really, the kids just need some new 5-minute novelty to re-instate their sanity. Here are a couple ideas that I used on our recent 10-hour drive to San Diego.

--With a pen, draw a simple face on your child's thumb. Ask them questions to create a personality for their new friend. (What's is his name? Favorite color, animal, thing to do?)

--Take turns reciting nursery rhymes.

--Toss your child a small blanket to use for hiding, as a tent, etc. Magical for my two-year-old.

--Do a spelling bee; use words that are appropriate for age and level.

--Tell a story from your childhood.

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Friday Focus : Travel Time

image here

I love to travel. I even love to travel with my four kids. I will not say that every moment of driving/flying time is filled with fun, educational, time-consuming activities. I will not say that we never use our DVD player to calm the ants in the pants. I will not say that the kids sit quietly in their seats, content to look out at passing scenery. But I will say that the happy moments outweigh the grumpy ones.

Having a supply of games makes every trip better. My kids enjoy Car Bingo, especially the eeboo version that I save for "any trip that is longer than 3 hours one-way". Or, here's a printable travel bingo, and a bingo-like picture list that I like.

More games:

Alphabet game: Easily played by any kid who recognizes letters. When my kids are very young, I challenge them to just find the letters in their name, since these are usually the first ones they know. A variation we play when there are no road signs for miles and miles and miles (try Wyoming, or southern Utah) goes like this: name one animal for each letter of the alphabet--supersmartypants 10-year old has to think of animals with more than two syllables. Or, name places for each letter--anything from a town to a country to a planet is acceptable in our family.

License Plate game: This one is great for the cross-country trips (yes, I've done that; it was far better than I thought it would be). Just write down the name of the state as you see its plate; avid players may want to keep tally of how many from each state they see.

Favorites: Our family's all-purpose game. Take turns asking questions that everyone answers: favorite color, animal, movie, book, breakfast food, summer activity, school subject, etc.

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