How to Plan a Road Trip your Kids will Love: Tip 2

When it's time to hit the road, my kids are excited to strap themselves in.  It might be weird, but it has been a huge benefit as our family has needed to cover some serious miles over the past few years due to my husband's job.   Last week, I shared tip one, make road trips into an adventure. My second piece of road trip advice is this, Make car time a treat. Here is how we do it.

How to make Car Time a Treat

New books

I ordered a few new books for this summer's road trip. Over the past few years,  I have made a habit of buying a children's book about each state we visit. It has been a fun way to appreciate and remember where we have been.  The State Shape Books are great and have also enjoyed these state alphabet books .

New Car activities

Magnet board activities work well in the car.  At Christmas, a friend recommended doing a nativity from Made by Joel.  I colored and laminated it, and both kids really enjoyed it.

You can also plan simple crafts.  Last year we did this shamrock from Roots of Simplicity while traveling on St. Patrick's day.

I am working on prepping a few new activities for this summer's trip.  I will share as I finish.

Of course, extra screen time is a major reason for my children's love of road trips as well.  I Game Mom is the go to site for great Apps for kids, and we have our own stash of favorite videos.

Snacks

Although vacation is the time to splurge, too much extra sugar or red dye still makes us feel bad.  We carry reusable water bottles, and a stash of nuts, crackers, dried and fresh fruit.  My children look forward to these "car foods", and we make better meal choices along the way, because we can afford to eat earlier or to wait for a better choice.

If you are looking for more great car trip ideas check put this Pinterest board organized by Anna at The Measured Mom.  My personal road trip ideas are here.

If you are trying to plan a road trip that your kids will love, you will want to read yesterday's post explained how to make travel an adventure, and tomorrow's  about how you can establish routines that keep the stress out of travel, and the fun in.



The post How to Plan a Road Trip your Kids will Love:Tip 2originally appeared on WisdomKnowledgeJoy@blogspot.com now ThrivingSTEM.com

How to Plan a Road Trip your Kids will Love: Tip 1

Last week, my son told my husband that he wasn't very happy.  What was the problem?  He would like to go somewhere new.  We are not planning to move any time soon, but we do have a major road trip planned. Maybe that will settle his need to wander.  My children do look forward to road trips!  This week, I am sharing a few hints  for planning a road trip your kids will love.  

Plan a Road Trip Your Kids Will Love Tip 1: Make Traveling an Adventure

Carry a map

No expedition is complete without a map.  We have a Notebook Map of the United Statesthat we consult as we are getting on the road in the morning and through out the day. My kids love it and ask for updates.

 Plan to stop at major attractions

Today, I spent about ten minutes on our state's tourism page and found several cool places.  One of the best is four hours from home and only thirty minutes out of our way.  I am really looking forward to visiting that museum with my children!

Whenever we drive into a new state, we stop at the visitors center to pick up a state map.  Often the visitor's center will have information about attractions, clean restrooms, and coffee.  Sometimes they even have small museums.

Make unplanned  stops

Last summer we were driving through the Navajo Nation when we saw a home made sign that said "dinosaur fossils".  We made a split second decision to pull over, and spent thirty minutes taking the tour.  My kids are still telling people about that stop.  You probably can't afford the time to pull over every time there is an attraction, but stopping when there is something a family member is especially interested in is time well spent.  

How do you make traveling an adventure?



In tomorrow's post, we'll talk about how to make car time a treat!




This post originally appeared on WisdomKnowledgeJoy@blogspot.com, now ThrivingSTEM.com.




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"A" is for apple.

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Learning with Playdough

Play dough is an amazing substance.  My kids will play with play dough for hours.  When I had two preschoolers I tried to pull the playdough once a week. The body of this post was written during that time.   Here's how you can cover all your preschool learning goals with one this one great activity.

How do we learn with Play dough?

Make stuff. 

I've noticed that my kids are interested in making stuff longer if I engage in a little parallel play making stuff too.  This took a little effort at first.  After a while, it became a relaxing opportunity to try something new.  

Use tools.

When I see that just making stuff is getting a little boring, I like to introduce stuff: a random piece of plastic, butter knife, rolling pin, tooth picks, slotted spoon. Of course, sometimes my son starts pulling out tools as soon as we pull out the play dough.

Practice math skills.

My kids love asking me to make tiny balls, which could also be called spheres.  Sometimes we make cubes and build structures.  Sometimes I ask for a particular number of pieces of play dough.  My daughter can count to six pretty easily right now, so I ask for four first.  Then I ask for seven, then five and so on.

                                     

Write.

When we were learning the alphabet I made letters and asked for their names.  Then I asked for the sounds that they make.  Now I make simple words and coach my kids to sound them out.  You could do the same with numerals.

Of course, all this time we're strengthening the muscles needed for fine motor skills.  

Using just one activity I cover all my objectives for the day.  Even better, I connect with my children in a way we all enjoy.

When we lived in Kuwait, making play dough was by far easier than trying to find it.  A good friend asked me to "try out" a recipe for a church group, and I am grateful for the nudge in the right direction.

Homemade play dough recipe

Ingredients:

 1 part corn starch, 

2 parts baking soda, 

1.5 parts water.  

(i.e. 1 cup cornstarch, 2 cups baking soda, 1.5 cups water)

Method

1.Mix everything in a sauce pan.

2. Cook and stir on medium low heat, until all at once it comes together and forms into a ball.

3. Cool.

4. Knead in a little extra cornstarch as you go.

I have to admit I was scared to try it, but it turned out brilliantly!  Of course, you can always buy the commercial version. 

What do your kids like to do with play dough?

Looking for more sensory ways to learn?  Thriving STEM is happy to be an affiliate for this great book.  Click on the picture to purchase, or read my interview with author Cathy James by clicking here.

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