Road Trips

May 15, 2024

Road Trips

Let's talk about road trips! Whether you're traveling to a National Park, a World Heritage Site, or the Moon, there's a lot to think about when it comes to traveling.

Keeping Busy

The Texas Traveling Family asked me how we keep busy during a road trip. Here is a link to their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/texastravelingfamily

I decided to share with folks here, too.

This is a picture of a road with mountains in the background. The words road trip are across the top.

Games

We have some games we play, like "I Spy". We note birds and other wildlife along the way. We yell "Hay" when we see a truck full of hay. We say "Rumble rumble" when we see a motorcycle. We call out "Hi Herbie!" When we see a VW Beetle. There's always the alphabet game, where you try to get through the alphabet by looking at street signs. Oh! And our friends at Adapted Heart reminded us about the license plate game, where you tally up the number of plates found for each state and province - the current state doesn't count. Here's the conversation on Facebook where we talked about games: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/xgGsDqrMpmDujvxi/?mibextid=oFDknk

We usually have a deck of Uno cards ready for a game, too!

Art

We bring sketch books and a caddy full of fresh markers, crayons, and colored pencils. Or just loose leaf paper and clipboards. We can draw pictures, write stories, and more!

I always pack pipe cleaners.

They take up very little space and are easily packed.

We can make people and houses and all sorts of things to make stories with and act things out. But the joy of making things with them is substantial, too.

When I explain this to people they usually look at me funny and can't really wrap their mind around what I am trying to explain.

I came across this video on Instagram that really guides folks through the adorable possibilities with pipe cleaners.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9IHPCjtg2G/?igsh=dXVpZmIwMnZkN2lk

Here's a screenshot from their video, showing the puppy that they are making in-progress.

What can YOU build?

Sitting in the car, she wanted something to do. Handed her a small handful of hashtag shaped blocks and saw the many fun things she created!

What do you call these loose parts? My daughter calls them "puzzle pieces".

Enjoy creating!

Company and Music

When Daddy is along for our road trips I sit in the back with the kids. It keeps arguments down to a minimum. Sometimes we bring instruments and we sing songs together. I love playing my mandolin in the car. We even have sing-alongs. It's also nice to have an instrument along when we take a break.

What instrument do you want to bring?

Our daughter enjoys her Kalimba. It's a little wooden instrument with metal keys that you can hammer or pluck.

You know what is unexpectedly soothing? A chanter. You may be able to play your practice chanter without driving everyone bonkers but... just don't play your bagpipes.

Don't forget your little drum!

Electronics

For much longer trips, we bring tablets. We have headphones for each child to use with their personal devices so we don't drive each other bonkers with each other's music or games.

We pre-load them with books and games that will work when we're out of range of cell connection and WiFi.

For our older children, we also like to bring our travel ready Nintendo game systems. Like the Switch and the DS. We have designated times when they can play. We make sure we bring our chargers and a power inverter, too.

How do you keep busy during a road trip?

#roadtrip

Screen-Free Discussions

Another mom asked me: "My child wants to play on a tablet in the car. But they get car sick. It's not good for them. How do I get them to do other things instead?"

And more importantly:

"What do you do in the car when there's a constant tantrum over no electronics?"

I pull over the car and talk about those big feelings.

I stand my ground and help them to set expectations.

Here's an example of something I might say, feel free to use this as a script.

"I want you to look out the window as I drive. Our drive will be ___ minutes. We will not be turning on a phone. You can watch PBS again after we do x,y,z. We can listen to my favorite music, though! Maybe there's a song you want to hear, too?"

Then have a conversation that revolves around looking out the window.

"It is good for your eyes to look at clouds. What birds do you see?"

"Talk to me about what we pass."

"Do you see that flag? Oh! And we passed a water tower! Did you know they keep water there? Funny, huh."

I intensely dislike driving when there's screaming. It's a distraction. It stresses me out. I pull over when there's chaos. That always helps them calm down quickly. We are safer that way.

Snacks and Meals

What are your favorite snacks for road trips?

I like having some fresh, crisp veggies like baby carrots, celery sticks, and fresh green beans on hand. That crunch makes it fun. We usually also take pretzels. Salty snacks keep us happy. We each bring our own water bottles, too.

What are your tips for stress-free eating while traveling as a family?

During one of our recent trips we brought the ingredients we needed to make a yummy pasta dinner. We arrived at the hotel with a kitchenette right at dinnertime and it was so relaxing to just be there together, make a simple dinner together, and enjoy it together before hitting the hotel pool. I think we'll do that more often.

The folks at The Unlikely Homeschool started a lively conversation on saving money on food when traveling (especially with teenagers). Here's a link to the conversation on their page on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/bftkhnbkMYeoBGpq/?mibextid=oFDknk

More Blog Posts

Want more tricks? Here are some related blog posts.

Here's a post about a game we play. https://steamma.blogspot.com/2023/04/counting-motorbikes.html?m=1

Here's a blog post about getting kids to say bye to friends and get into the car: https://steamma.blogspot.com/2024/04/easier-goodbyes.html?m=1

Space Trip

Let's think about what it would be like to take a "road trip" through space!

How did the Apollo astronauts prepare to visit the Moon?

They didn't just have to learn to drive their rover. There's so much more that goes into packing and preparing for a Lunar mission!

The astronauts spent some time training all sorts of places, including Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve.

Learn more about NASA astronaut training at this National Monument.

https://www.nps.gov/crmo/learn/historyculture/space-exploration-research-and-astronaut-training.htm

What games did they pack?

Before every launch, the Apollo astronauts played cards. Space historians say they played game after game of Old Maid with the Tech Crew until the Commander lost.

The only "game" on record that the Apollo astronauts packed for the Moon was golf. They brought a club and balls to hit when they arrived on the Lunar surface. Here's a photo of Commander Alan Shepard Jr. as he prepared to hit a golf ball on the Moon.

(image of NASA image archives)

What food did they bring for a snack?

Throughout the Apollo program there were well planned menus, and training involving the food they would eat in space. Here is a photo of training.

and here is an up-close example of one of the menu items.

Artemis

Another group of astronauts is preparing now to make a trip around the Moon with the upcoming Artemis 2 mission. How will this road trip be different from the Apollo program?

Apollo 10 was a mission that went around the Moon and back, without landing on the surface. Here is a pictorial description of their path, from NASA.

For comparison, here is the route planned for the Artemis 2 trip.

What similarities and differences do you see with these adventures?

Apollo 10 was a test of the Lunar Module. Both the Apollo capsule and the Lunar Module were used in that mission. For Artemis 2, they will be using the Orion craft.

Here's a comprehensive comparison of these two missions, by NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis/artemis-1/then-and-now-apollo-to-artemis/

Products

Do you want to purchase any of the items we mentioned on Amazon? We will earn a little money if you purchase items through these links.

Game:

Uno cards https://amzn.to/4bKHMek

Art Supplies:

Sketch Book https://amzn.to/44R8HTy

Clipboards https://amzn.to/3QSVGmm

Construction Paper https://amzn.to/44LEllh

White copy paper https://amzn.to/3UFFVAs

Washable Markers https://amzn.to/3WMSX1O

Pencils https://amzn.to/3UFUXWI