Travel

How to Survive (& Have Fun) Travel with Kids

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Living, Travel This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Is there anything worse than hearing your child whine as you’re traveling?

Actually, let me ask that differently. Is there anything worse than hearing your child whine?

First, let's rule out the easy solutions: hunger and sleep.

If your child is whining because he is bored, I feel your pain, friends. You're in luck. If you’re stuck in a plane, car, or train with a whiny child, these tips are for you!

How to Survive (& Have Fun) Traveling with Kids

Take a Break – When it comes to traveling for a long period of time, there is often an obvious solution right in front of you. Stop and stretch legs! Sitting for long periods is hard on kids. When you notice that your child may be getting a bit cranky, it’s time to get them out of the vehicle. Let them take a break. As much as your kids need the break, I’m sure you need the break as well. Play a few games with the kids and let them run around, they’ve earned it!

Pack Extra Snacks – Stay on top of impending explosions! Pack extra, maybe even their favorite, snacks.

Talk to the Kids – Traveling for a long period of time kind of makes you want to zone out, however, your kids may be bored, which is why they are whiney. Make sure you take the time to talk to your kdis and see how they are doing. Talking to them might distract them from whining, which will make the whole house super happy.

Listen to Music – Something that we do in my family when traveling is listen to music together. There’s just something about the right music that really gets everyone in a good mood. It’s no fun being whiney and in a bad moon, which is why I always have a nice selection of music ready to go for the kiddos.

Allow Devices – We don't deny our kids the use of iPads or other devices other devices while we're traveling. You know what, it is fun! They're excited to watch movies and play apps. Plus, the power struggle is gone.

Bring Earplugs – Sometimes the kids just need to zone out whenever they are traveling. Bring a pair of nice ear plugs for them to use. You can also use ear buds or headphones, whatever works best. Plus, this might help you keep some sanity as well. If you’re not the one driving, you can also feel free to use earplugs. Sometimes mom or dad need a break to. Just remember you can’t use earplugs while driving.

Whining while traveling is no fun for anyone. Just remember that your kids are human and it’s their way of responding to the stress of traveling. If you can help them in anyway, I’d suggest using the aforementioned tips. Do you have any tups for dealing with whining from kids while traveling? I’d love to hear your tips!

Marnie

Podcasts Kids Love & Parents Approve

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Positive Parenting Tagged With: Parenting, Travel This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Okay, friends, I have a new obsession: podcasts. Some of you know that I recently launched a podcast called Distilled Parenting. I am excited like ridiculously excited for the podcast and have some amazing interviewees (like Dr. Steve Hodges author of It's No Accident, Shawn Fink of The Abundant Mama, and Amanda Morgan of Not Just Cute) lined up beginning this week! So, be sure to subscribe to the podcast.

My purpose for writing this post is to give you a few awesome ideas for Podcasts for Kids. My sons and I commute a lot, many, many miles each day. I actually look forward to the commute for many reasons. One reason is to spend time with my sons. We listen to stories often. I love audible, but cha-ching, the cost was adding up. So, I went in search for other options. I was pleasantly surprised at what I discovered out there! So, I had to share with you (of course!)

6 Awesome Podcasts for Kids

Brains On! is an incredibly well done podcast for curious kids. The presenters weave in content from the audience and have actual kids on the podcast as presenters. Super creative episodes teaching kids about science and having loads of fun while doing it. They discuss everything from the international space station to the science of baking to spider sense to translating the barks & growls dogs and cats. My boys can't wait to hear each episode's mystery sounds! (Ages 5+)

Tumble is another rock solid science podcast for kids. Lindsay & Marshall, the hosts , make each episode not only fun for kids but entertaining for adults! They incorporate kids into the episodes, invite the kids' questions, and, better yet, encourage the kids' thinking in coming up with possible reasons why bats might hang upside down, for example. Lindsay & Marshall wrote a manifesto stating that one reason they created this podcast is because they believe “If kids understand how science works, the future will be a better place.” (Ages 7+)

Barefoot Books' podcast tells stories old and new. The story telling is lovely, engaging, and does a fantastic job weaving in life lessons and culture. The podcast is extremely well done. A child introduces and closes each podcast, and there are a variety of story tellers. My boys always ask if there is a new episode.

Storynory is another story telling gem. The various narrators tell us myths, fairy tales, and several original works! These stories have a timeless twist to them, classic in their story telling and life lessons. The audio is engaging and they use various music tracks to make the story telling come alive. Extremely well done.

Sparkle Stories is a unique story telling podcast. Each story is told by the same narrator and he does a good job. I love this podcast because the stories are all originals, include lovely music (there might just be a ukulele), have a moral, and take us all over the world. The stories are heart felt and heart warming.

The Story Home Children's audio stories is another amazing story telling podcast for kids. Another original series told by Alan Scofield, who truly enjoys his life's work. The Story Home stories open children up to a world of hope, inspiration, and imagination. Alan also reads classic tales by authors such as Charles Dickens and Lewis Carroll and fairytales by Hans Christian Anderson and Brothers' Grimm.

I continue to explore podcast for kids every day. I will be sure to share my discoveries with you. Subscribe to my Weekly eNewsletter and join my Facebook community to catch all the latest!

Marnie

Endearing & Timeless Children’s Books about Maine

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Montessori Tagged With: Book Lists, Reading and Writing, Travel This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

I grew up in Maine. I live in Washington state now, many many miles from my childhood home. Now that I have children, I am determined to bring Maine into our lives. I want my children to embrace and experience Maine intimately throughout their childhood. As with most learning opportunities in life, I began with book. Here is a short list of children's books about Maine.

Children's Books about Maine

Blueberries for Sal is a book that walks me down memory lane. Not only do I cherish childhood memories of being read this book by various relatives over my early years, I also have fond memories of blueberry picking to make pancakes and muffins, a quintessential summer Maine morning. This book involves a bear, which I never came across in Maine but knew they existed all around me. Still, the story is sweet, telling of two moms and their babies. The perfect classic tale.

Miss Rumphius is a book near and dear to my heart. I was reacquainted to it once we moved east of Seattle. With early spring comes the arrival of glorious lupine after lupine. A friend reminded me of this book for that reason. Then I recalled the wonderful spirit of Miss Rumphius and fell in love with her and the book all over again.

One Morning in Maine is one of my all time favorite children's books. Sal has a loose tooth and loses it somewhere on the way to telling the news to her father down at the shore. Set in the 1950s, the book takes us back to a simpler time, a time in which I certainly long to exist. A classic tale of a family from a small coastal town. This book is sure to win the hearts of your children.

Counting Our Way to Maine makes me want to visit Maine again and again. The perfect entree into Maine for kid, or, as in my case, walk down memory lane. The book focuses on numeration within the context of a family's journey to Maine from the city. There is ice cream, blueberries, canoeing, fire flies, boating, and reading, all of which causes me to let out a big sigh. The simple, slow life.

I hope you enjoyed this list of children's books about Maine!

Learning in Nature with Children

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Montessori, Positive Parenting Tagged With: Life Science, Parenting, Sensory, Travel This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Melissa & Doug. All opinions are 100% mine.

Nature is the best teacher for our children. Rachel Carson connected children with nature with this quote that I absolutely adore:

“Play, Incorporating Animistic and Magical Thinking Is Important Because It:
Fosters the healthy, creative and emotional growth of a child;
Forms the best foundation for later intellectual growth.
Provides a way in which children get to know the world and creates possibilities for different ways of responding to it.
Fosters empathy and wonder.”

There is a lot of truth in her words and, given her status as a naturalist extraordinaire, one might infer that she was thinking from the perspective of being outdoors. Children learn valuable skills simply by being and by exploring the natural environment around them. Skills such as problem solving, science, social & emotional skills, that we parents often demand of our young children have the opportunity to develop naturally if we allow them the space to do so.

So I was thrilled to be able to spend a weekend camping on Cape Disappointment with my two young sons. Cape Disappointment is a wonderful place with two miles of beach for exploration, creation and imagination. We love camping at this spot because of the opportunities the experience gives our family and our boys.

My goal: to be unplug and to simply “be” with my children in an organic rhythm of the days and nights.

Here are a few key items for our adventures:

Bug Net

for movement and pure joy of chasing critters, beautiful butterflies and unique moths

Bug House

to create a temporary home for the critters we met during our weekend only to be released within a few hours

Magnifying Glass & Binoculars

to more closely examine the insects and animals we shared space with over the weekend

Flashlight

for a sensory walk during dusk and the darker hours

Kid Sized Camping Chairs

for resting, reading and contemplating

Crayons & Drawing Pad

for our journals and nature rubbings

Other Resources for Camping with Kids:

Prepare for Camping with Kids
How to Survive Camping with Kids
Melissa & Doug's On The Go Series
Camping Scavenger Hunt for Kids
Super Useful Packing List for Family Camping from Mommy Hiker

I hope that we inspired you today.

Marnie

4 Parenting Tips: Preparing Kids for Camping

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Outdoor Education, Positive Parenting Tagged With: Nature, Parenting, Practical Life, Seasons, Summer, Travel This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Melissa and Doug. All opinions are 100% mine.

“Children are born naturalists. They explore the world with all of their senses, experiment in the environment, and communicate their discoveries to those around them.” ~ The Audubon Nature Preschool

A top parenting goal for me in general is to create & to instill in my children a sense of awe & wonder for the world. Preparing children with skills and a proper mind set will lead them in the right direction of not only having fun but of actually building confidence while having the adventure. Feeling capable goes a long way in a young child.

Below you will find a four part approach to preparing children for a camping trip. This post highlights the truly enjoyable part of preparing a child for a weekend in the “wilderness” – INDOOR CAMPING! Kids generally love building forts. Indoor camping simply adds more structure and creates a pretend play activity.

We are fortunate to have Melissa & Doug sponsor our summer camping adventures by supplying us with some fabulous kid's camping gear, especially the gear to get us ready and prepared to go on our journey.

#1: INDOOR CAMPING

“If a child is to keep his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in.” ~ Rachel Carson

My son wraps himself in the Melissa & Doug's Augie alligator sleeping bag in Melissa & Doug's Tootle turtle tent.

The Invitation: Asking kids to “set up camp” indoors is not a stretch. In fact, I didn't even have to ask my boys to do anything, they did it themselves. They led me to set up the tent, put batteries in their flashlights and help them zip their alligator sleeping bags. They were so thrilled to set up camp indoors that the practicing part was all play.

#2: PRACTICAL LIFE SKILLS

We focused on Practical Life Skills like zipping up their alligator sleeping bags, turning on their bumblebee flashlights in the light and the dark and helping to set up the turtle tent.

#3: CREATE A SENSE OF AWE & WONDER WITH ZOOLOGY & BOTANY

We talked about critters like ants and worms, creatures like deer and plants that we may find on our adventures this summer. We explored life cycles of various critters, wriggled like worms and caterpillars in our Happy Giddy Tunnel and read many books on the topic. A few books you might like include: Wonderful Worms by Linda Glaser, Garden Wigglers: Earthworms in Your Backyard by Nancy Loewen and Wiggling Worms at Work by Wendy Pfeffer for worms. Plus National Geographic Readers: Ants and National Geographic Readers: Frogs! are also great first readers to prepare your children for all the goodness of the outdoors.

And of course we practiced sleeping in our tents.

#4: CAMPING ACTIVITIES

There are no iPads or iPhones allowed on our adventures. {GASP!} There will be exploring, observing, telling stories and reading. So we prepared for Outdoor Activities by introducing our Family Nature Journal, going on a Nature Walk where we search for colors and a Listening Walk. We also decorated a Treasure Box to carry with us on our hikes.

Star Gazing: I love this idea from Stacy at Kids Stuff World for star gazing indoors using a strainer and a flashlight. My boys were totally into this activity. We also took some time to learn about the constellations and read some of the lovely myths that take place in the sky.

Reading & Singing: Aren't books and songs so great? A few of our favorites camping books are included in this post on Children's Books for Camping with Kids. I love singing and I especially love singing with my boys. My husband, well, he isn't so much into the singing but he is highly entertained by our singalongs. A few of our favorites songs include She'll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain, Down by the Station, Orca Whale, The More We Get Together, Ring Around the Rosies, Ants Go Marching, I've Been Working on the Railroad, You are my Sunshine and Mr. Sun. I could go on but hopefully that inspired you a bit.

I hope that you enjoyed this post. Were you inspired? Are you planning an outdoor adventure this summer? Please leave a comment and let me know! Definitely connect with Melissa & Doug's On the Go Series throughout the summer.

Warmly,

Marnie

Camping with Kids – Check out these Children’s Books Before You Go

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Positive Parenting Tagged With: Book Lists, Nature, Parenting, Reading and Writing, Travel This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Camping with kids doesn't have to be the biggest pain in the butt since trying to put a shirt on after swimming in the ocean. I won't lie to you. We have cut camping trips short. We have had many sleepless nights in the tent with our three young sons. You know what, though? We keep going. The experience is worth it. The experiences – good and bad – make life.

Do you agree?

One big way we prepare for camping with kids is with children's books. I have research and reviewed both good and not so good children's books on the topic. Before camping with kids, my most fond camping memories include long stretches of reading alone (okay, maybe my husband & a bottle of red wine were there, too), cozied up in a tent, light dangling from the peak of the tent. Sigh.

Can you remember?

Camping with Kids Can Be Awesome Especially with these Children's Books

Generally, books have always been a big part of getting outdoors to connect with nature. There is something about a book that grounds a person. So, naturally, we use books as a way to introduce our children to the idea of camping. We want to inspire them and ignite their excitement and desire to be and to learn in the outdoor classroom.

When We Go Camping is perhaps my favorite. The illustrations are gorgeous and there is a rhythm to the whole book of which I want to be a part. This book truly connects a child to nature and to wildlife. There is a lot of learning within its pages. Your child will certainly be engaged in learning more after reading this book.

S Is for S'mores: A Camping Alphabet is a sweet book introducing young children to the language of camping. Yes, that language includes “Smores”.

Fred and Ted Go Camping (Beginner Books(R)) is Peter Eastman at his best. Weaves in opposites and the idea that different approaches to doing things may just work out all right. This book is a lot of fun.

Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems is a must have book of simply yet lovely poems. The book will leave you and your children with a lot of happiness. I enjoy how the author integrates sights and sounds of camping truly bringing the experience alive for kids and adults.

Camping with kids can be fun! Do you have any favorite children's book about camping? Leave me a comment and let me know how you avoid the “putting a shirt on after swimming in the ocean” kind of pain. You're not alone.

Warmly,
Marnie