MOBeef Update

As families are traveling the summer, there are a lot of different ideas of the best way to travel with children. I know a couple of families that drive through the night, while the kids sleep. I’ve never been a fan of that tactic, because it leaves everyone tired and cranky the next day.

We don’t have a DVD player in our car, but we do have some hand-held electronic games for entertainment. And, yes, I’m the mom that has math and spelling games on those devices.

Here are a few tips and tricks that make our family vacations fun!

Travel Fairy: The “travel fairy” visits our car every once in a while (2-3 times on a 4-5 hour trip). She leaves things in plain brown lunch sacks for us to find. One bag might be a game, fun notepad with blinky pen, or a book the little one has been wanting, while other bags have snacks/ treats in them. You never know until you open it, but that crazy fairy always seems to know exactly what we need and when we need it!

Scavenger hunt for kids- this one's for a road trip to Iowa

Scavenger Hunts: A little due-diligence prior to traveling makes it easy to set up scavenger hunts. A car trip to Iowa would justify a search for wind mills, big white barns, John Deere tractors and round hay bales. A trip that includes air travel might have a hunt that includes ice cream, flip flops, boots and luggage carts. Some generic things might be road signs such as a green exit sign, yield, stop or speed limit.

Give a (fun) task: Have your kiddos find their “favorite” piece of luggage in the airport, or their favorite pair of shoes at a rest stop and draw it for you to guess what the person who was hauling the bags/ wearing the shoes was wearing. Not only does this activity spur creativity, it’ll also boost memory skills.

Sing along to the radio: Someone once told me about a game she played that included putting the radio on “seek” and the first person who could sing the next line of the song (no matter the stations/ genre), got a point. At the end of the set amount of time, the person with the most points wins- they might get the option of where to stop to eat or the next game to play.

Don’t forget snacks: bringing nutrient-dense snacks, like 90% lean beef jerky can help kids (and their parents) feel satisfied longer than if the snack was sugary and lacked nutrients. And, let’s face it- who wants to be in a car with a child on a sugar-high?

Spin a story: This game from www.family-mealtimes.org will really bring out your family’s creative side … and have you rolling in laughter when the stories get crazier and crazier! There’s nothing to it… someone starts a story (take turns!) and, after a couple of sentences, the story starter points to another person to continue the story – and so on and so on. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Sure, I’ve seen cows on a FARM, but in a…?!
Sam and Susie knew that ______ would be the perfect meal before _______

Regardless of the way you choose to travel, and the games you play along the way- here’s to a happy, safe, healthy summer to build some great family memories!