Welcome to the Ultimate Road Trip Guide for Families – Part 2! 

We know that many families head out on the open road during the summer for some much deserved rest and relaxation.  And we’d like to help make ‘getting there’ a fun and enjoyable experience for you!  During the first part of our series, we discussed tips for packing for a road trip and why getting there can be half the fun. 

Today, I’ll share some great items that we love to have on our trips, car activities that keep the kids happy &  entertained and a few more tips to help you have a great trip!

I’m not going to lie to you — I don’t do tents!  Sorry, there’s just something about a thin piece of material and the possibility of bears or snakes in the area that kinda freaks me out! But family camping doesn’t always mean tents.  We’ve had some great vacations while ‘roughing it’ in a cabin. …

In our house, summer comes in two phases:

Phase 1: The Honeymoon

A time when we all (parents & kids) are excited about no schedules, no school and long days together.  We have a hand-ful of activities planned and a great summer bucket list of things we can’t wait to do — life is looking good!

Spring is here and summer is right around the corner.  Before you know it, school will be out and the kids will be home looking for things to do.  Last week, I gave you 3 great reasons to shop kids consignment sales — this week, I’ll give you ideas of what to look for in order to have a fun, (and low-cost) summer.

May is “Get Caught Reading” month – a challenge to everyone to do some reading (or listening)!  There’s so much research that shows encouraging kids to read, and reading aloud to kids, helps to increase vocabulary, comprehension skills and overall achievement at school.  But, I often get this question from parents, “What should my child read?”. My answer – anything they enjoy!

Here are a number of options:

We’ve all heard about the research on kids and tv – too much is bad, SpongeBob is worse.  But let’s face it, kids are going to watch tv.  So, what should you choose?  Remember, as parents we have the opportunity to help form some of the habits our kids develop.  Here are a few suggestions for great kids television that they’ll enjoy and you’ll feel good about letting them watch.  And in addition to watching a show, we also include some ideas on fun follow-up activities to do with the kids.

We are a big hiking family – love to explore the forest on foot. 

And we’ve been treated to some great encounters during out hikes — moose in Colorado, wildlife in South Dakota and even some out-of-the-ordinary highlights close to home (such as the wild turkey that crossed our path a few weeks ago!).

So we’re excited that our weekly linky will Discover & Explore Forest Fun today!

Do you read books from your childhood to your kids?

I think sharing vintage books with kids is an important way to build their love of reading and also share fond memories of how parents and grandparents grew up. 

I’ve curated a number of book lists sharing classic books for kids over the past year and wanted to bring them all together in one post for easy reference.

We’re gearing up for our annual family vacation and this year we are heading for the ocean! 

Woohoo! 

Being from the dead middle of the U.S. means that we’re all pretty excited about spending some time near the big blue sea.

As we’re prepping for our trip, I’m keeping an eye out for some great ocean activities to do while we’re there.  And we had some really cute ones that were shared during last week’s Discover & Explore Animals linky.

May 12th – 18th is Children’s Book Week so of course I thought we should celebrate with a new booklist! 

And this one is just perfect as we head into summer.  Once the kids finish school, put their backpack to good use by turning it into an adventure sack! 

Grab a set of binoculars, a nature journal and a few of these great field guides.  You’ll find some great reads for kids who enjoy bird-watching, scouting out wildlife, hunting for gems and exploring the forest.  I’ve included affiliate links for each of our recommended reads so you can learn more about our favorites too.