We always seem to have great animal encounters on our outings & vacations.  And not just ONE animal.  Nope — we seem to see large groups of animals.  A few years ago, we saw moose and big horn sheep on a trip to the Rockies.  Then we got an close-up look at bison & elk …

Have you ever visited the zoo with the kids — they look at the animals, play around, you talk to them about various things — and then you’re home for a hour or so and the questions begin… Why do the monkeys comb each other?   How many stripes does a zebra have? Did you notice …

Our theme for this week is Owls! 

Owls are amazing creatures and kids will enjoy learning about these beautiful birds.  There are many different kinds of owls — snowy owl, burrowing, owl, great horned owl — it’s interesting to learn about what they have in common and how they differ.

When’s the last time your kid looked under a rock? 

Fall is the perfect time to head outdoors and enjoy the foliage, the weather and time with each other! 

Grab the kids and head out on a new fall adventure….

I’m so excited to introduce a new series this week —

The ABC’s of Family Field Trips!

This will be a 5 day series covering all kinds of tips and ideas for those fun family outings you want to plan this year. 

I really want to help you get prepared for some great family trips this year by offering resources to help get you ready, along with new ideas for some cool places to visit!

Today our Discover & Explore topic is Things that Go!  This is always a favorite topic for young kids — cars, planes, boats, trains — anything they can ride, drive or fly.  It’s always fun to take kids on a new adventure whether it’s their first train ride, flight on a plane or boat tour.  …

I grew up back east where you could drive for an hour and reach the next big city.  That’s not the case in the Midwest; the cities are farther apart and a day trip definately takes a whole day. 

But boy are there some wonderful Midwest cities to visit!

With spring in the air and summer on it’s way, I thought I would ask some of my friends to share their favorite places around the Midwest. 

Learn about some of the great day trips & weekend jaunts from Kansas City!

In our house, planning for a family vacation is a full-family affair!  It is called a ‘family vacation’ so we have always involved the kids in trip planning and prep. 

It’s a great life skill for them to learn especially if you travel often (even if it’s only day trips or weekends away).  Plus, vacations always see to run a little smoothier if everyone is hands-on from the get-go.

We are joining our book loving friends today as the Poppins Book Nook heads to Ancient Greece!

There’s something so intriguing about traveling into the past.  We’ve loved exploring the some of the ancient cultures and customs of past societies but especially Ancient Greece.  My daughter is a huge fan of Percy Jackson and knows all the myths by heart (I am schooled weekly on some of the details).

So to honor all the Gods & Goddesses, we’ve rounded up some great books & fun activities so you too can introduce your kids to the stories and secrets of Ancient Greece!

This is the final post in our 5-part series of The ABC’s of Family Field Trips. 

If you missed the first posts in our series, you can review the tips, resources and ideas that were shared for family outings:

{Part 1}  Getting Ready, Using Books & Exploring

{Part 2}  Fun, Inspiriation & Hands-on Ideas

{Part 3}  Learning, New Places & Outdoor Fun

{Part 4}  Pretend Play, Reading, Science & Tours

Since we’re covering topics from A to Z, our final post will highlight tips for U – Z.