Aug 24 2010
How To Keep Your Sanity On Car Trips With Your Children
For many people, the simple thought of having to travel with a kid is enough to give you nightmares. Plane tickets are very expensive for a traveling family, and this generally leaves the family car as the only method of travel. And with the economy doing its best to restart itself, many people have completely eliminated vacations from their budgets. This doesnt need to happen to you. Some of my best childhood memories are from family road trips. Mexico and Canada, since they are so close, provide a close vacation that feels like its worlds away, and with the relatively new US passport id card, you and your family can go on a great adventure.
I remember when I was younger and stuck in a car driving somewhere, my favorite activities were coloring books and craft sets. I had these big pieces of felt that were in tons of fun shapes. They had holes in them along the edges, and, with a shoe lace or a thick string, it made the best little girl sewing kit. I also had a huge baggie of markers and crayons along with an assortment of coloring books, and I would spend hours coloring pictures for everyone in the car. My little brother adored the big building blocks, and since they are easily disassembled as they are assembled, they kept him busy the whole way.
My mom also provided me with these little worksheets with some easy puzzles on them. She would hand me one, I would complete it, and hand it to her to grade. Im proud to say that I always got A pluses on those worksheets. Big books full of these puzzles are a great way to introduce some education to your child. For example, when I was a little bit older, I learned to add from this big book that taught me in the simplest sort of way. So view these long trips as a great learning opportunity!
Technology has a huge potential to keep your children busy and entertained. One of the best things Ive seen is the Leapfrog Leapsters, which is basically a hand-held electronic device that plays fun and educational video games. Another good idea, although its not quite as technologically advanced, is recording your childs very own audio books. Using a tape recorder, record yourself reading some of your childs books, and let your child listen to them. You can even change the names of the characters to let your child play his or her favorite part in the story!
In order to get your passport card, you can either visit a U.S. passport office or apply on the internet. These cards are dramatically cheaper than regular passports. They allow you to travel by land or sea to various destinations, but they wont be good for a plane trip. This way, you and your family can go on vacation and not have to worry about dropping half your travel budget on investing in new passports.
You dont need to break a sweat when you are thinking of taking a vacation with the kids. No matter what you decide to do, from fiesta-ing in Mexico to exploring some of Canadas beautiful landmarks, you will be providing your kids with some great memories. All you need to do is go online or to your passport agency and obtain the U.S. passport card id for you and your family. I have some great memories from traveling with my family, and a family vacation can provide your kids with some awesome memories of their own.
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