3 Kids and Us

Three Tips for Planning a U.S. Road Trip with Your Kids

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Taking a road trip through the U.S. with your children in tow might seem like a daunting task, however, when planned properly, it can easily turn into the adventure of a lifetime. If you’re hoping to do as much exploring as possible as a family for your next trip and want to stay at home in the U.S., then a road trip could be the perfect alternative to traveling abroad. With so many different sights to see and things to do in every state, the hardest part is going to be getting your itinerary right! We’ve put together some top tips to help you plan the best family road trip ever.

Tip #1. Include the Kids from the Beginning:

Even the youngest of children can have some of a say in the type of things that they’d like to see and do on your family road trip (within reason, of course!). Giving your little ones the chance to speak up and offer their ideas for your trip will make it more of an all-inclusive family experience, and of course makes it easier down the line by ensuring that everyone gets a chance to do the things that they’d like. When your children are involved in the planning process, they’ll probably be also more likely to be excited about helping and being a little more cooperative since they’ll be more invested. One good idea is to offer them suggestions that are already parent-approved, to avoid deviating too much from your own plans.

Tip #2. Start Saving Up:

Chances are, you won’t actually be taking the trip for some time – it takes a while to plan and ensure that everything is ready to go before you can set off. So, it’s a good idea to open a designated savings account and start putting aside some money for the sole purpose of your trip. Even if you’ve already booked accommodation at hotels in Kingman, AZ such as the Best Western Kingman and have all your other expenses taken care of early on, it’s a good idea to have some money aside for emergency expenses as you never know when you might have to dip into your wallet for an extra cost that couldn’t have been predicted.

Tip #3. Start Planning:

Whilst taking a road trip with family, it’s important to have a structured plan in place so that everybody knows where is next on the list. Get the whole family together and look at your various options for travel destinations, stops along the way, and activities that you can take part in, then discuss which ones you’d like to do and which ones can be missed out. This will help you to put together an awesome travel itinerary that everybody agrees on and is happy with because it includes all members of your family. Then, create a list – or even a spreadsheet – that maps out exactly where you’re going and what you’re going to do and when.

Did you enjoy these tips? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.

The Top 4 Architectural Wonders of Barcelona

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Barcelona is a city known throughout the world for its unique buildings and architecture. From the incomplete Sagrada Familia to hidden architectural icons. The city has made (and is still making) a global impact on architecture.

Palau de la Musica Catalana – The Palau is a UNESCO world heritage site and has been labelled by many as a masterpiece of Modernisme. It’s one of the most iconic buildings of Barcelona and a great place to see the unique architectures of the city.  The building is only accessible via a guided tour, you can discover the wonders of Palau de Música by BGB guided tour. You can get tours in various European languages, so don’t worry if you aren’t a fluent English speaker.

Sagrada Familia – Still incomplete, this masterpiece is set to be completed in 2040 at the current rate of construction. Once completed it will have taken longer to construct this church than the great Pyramid of Giza. This church is known the world over for its otherworldly looks but is actually a working building, holding catholic services. It’s open regularly for visitors and holds regular worship on a Sunday, which visitors to the city can join.

Park Guell – Gaudi has left his mark on the city and one of the most iconic pieces of Catalan modernism can be seen at Park Guell, originally designed as a private park this park later became a municipal park. At the park you can find the Gaudi House Museum which is listed as a historical artistic monument of national interest and is well worth visiting. The park is world famous for it’s iconic mosaics and viaduct within the hillside.

Església de Santa Maria del Mar – Barcelona is not only famous for modernist work, this is a unique medieval building built in a Gothic style but with a unique Catalan twist. The church is renowned for its purity and unity within the design.

Barcelona is a great city to visit but no visit is complete without visiting some of the architectural wonders that the city has to offer. There is a huge amount to see and it will leave you feeling amazed and inspired. Barcelona isn’t just a hotbed for modernist buildings but there are a huge amount of fantastic architectural wonders from earlier times too. Barcelona has always been a world leader when it comes to building cutting edge buildings which push architectural limits of the time.

5 Cool Gadgets Your Kids Will Love

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When we were kids, all we could do for fun was go out and ride a bike or play with the ball. But, nowadays kids are lucky as they have the opportunity to play with a bunch of cool gadgets that are both fun and useful and can teach them valuable things. If you are looking for ideas what to get for your kids, you are in luck as we are about to suggest some of the coolest gadgets that are bound to be loved by your kids, but you will love them and have fun as well!

R2-D2 Smart Droid

If you are a Star Wars fan, getting your kids to love this iconic story is something that you plan on doing, right? So, is there a better way than getting them the legendary R2-D2? As we all know (at least those of us that love Star Wars) a year ago, one of the hottest and most wanted toys for the parents… sorry, I meant to say kids, was the Sphero BB-8.

However, as the storyline of the saga continues, we are again going back to the old characters and that includes the famous, grumpy little white/blue droid knows as R2-D2. This insanely cool gadget can be paired and controlled by a smartphone (Android or iOS), and through the app, your kids (or you when they are asleep) can control the droid around the house. Don’t worry, driving it around is not the only thing it offers, as a matter of fact, R2-D2 became famous for his bleeps and bloops, especially when he was angry, and that is what you can expect from this gadget. Also, you can even set it in the guard mode, where it uses its sensors to detect movement and react just like in the movies, and, it can be educational as if offers a bunch of Minigame missions that include programming routes for the droid to follow.

All in all, this gadget is quite affordable and can make a great Christmas present for a Star Wars fan family.

Survival Watch

For the outdoor loving parents, getting outside and taking their kids to bond with the nature is the most rewarding parenting experience. But, you want your kids to be safe and to know how to get out of tough situations, right? Therefore, getting them a cool survival watch will definitely ease your worrying as they will be able to know their exact location at any time, no matter where they are.

Furthermore, you can also teach your kids to navigate by using a map and a compass, as these types of watches usually come with a digital compass. Another cool and above all useful feature of survival watches, is a built in barometer, altimeter, tide charts and tide data display, which all come in very  handy when your kids are in the great outdoors. For example, sudden changes of atmospheric pressure, means that the weather is about to change and that can give them an advantage and enough time to find a shelter or head back to safety.

In general, getting your kids a survival watch is never a bad idea and they can use it to get much more familiar with outdoor survival skills.

Quadcopter

There isn’t a kid that wouldn’t like getting a drone for birthday or Christmas! Luckily, nowadays, drones are widely available and really easy to use. In fact, they are so easy to use that even kids can fly them safely.

The one we are suggesting is the Walkera QR X350 quadcopter. This model is an affordable aerial filming platform that will definitely be fun for the entire family. Thanks to its advanced systems like GPS position and altitude hold, 6-axis gyroscope, and various mission planning program compatibility, the drone is unbelievably stable in the air, has precise hovering, and simply “stands” in the air if you don’t touch the controls. This makes it ideal for the young ones, as they can simply let go of the controls in case they lose orientation and the drone will hover in place waiting for the next command.

Furthermore, the QR X350 can be bought with a camera stabilization gimbal, which is compatible with most action cams. And, with a range of 2 kilometers and 20 minutes of flight time, your kids will definitely have fun making aerial videos and taking selfies from a totally new perspective.

If you want, you can even get your kids into programming as this drone is an open source model and allows mission planning. This means that your kids will learn coding, and enjoy autonomous flight missions! Cool, isn’t it?

Action Camera

If you already decided to buy a drone for your kids, then getting them an action cam is the next step. Don’t worry, even though it is the most talked about brand, the pricey GoPro Hero is not the only high-quality action cam choice out there.

In the last couple of years, many new action cam brands surfaced and now, you can spend hours on finding the one you like the most. Our recommendations are brands such as Xiaomi, SJ, and Eken. Most of them now come with the ability to shoot in 4K and deliver crystal clear photos with vivid colors.

Also, if you combine an action camera with a waterproof case, your kids will also be able to make underwater videos and keep their camera safe from unexpected drops. All in all, having an action cam will spark up your child’s imagination and creativity.

Power Bank

Whether we want to admit or not, today’s kids are addicted to smart devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and so on, and they think that when they are off line, it’s the end of the world! But, none of the mentioned devices can’t work forever as the batteries need to be recharged every few days, or in case of extensive use, even every few hours.  As long as they are home, there’s no problem as they can simply plug it into the wall in their room and browse the web or chat with friends from their room. But, what about when they are outside?

This means that, if they are on a camping trip, or on an excursion for a few days, they will not be able to recharge their phones every time the battery goes empty. As much as this sounds like a tragedy for them, it actually means that you won’t be able to call them and check if everything is okay, any time you want. Therefore, we recommend getting them a power bank. This is a gadget that is basically an external battery pack, which can be charged and used as an electrical power “bank”, to top off any device when needed.

Depending on the battery capacity, some power banks are capable of charging a few devices at once, or even high-demand devices like laptops or DSLR cameras. They can also be solar, or solar/electric combined.

All in all, your kids will love the opportunity to top off their smart phones or tablets, and not worry about being off line when they are on a camping or backpacking trip.

Author Bio:

Rebecca lives in the USA but loves hiking all over the world. Her favorite is Everest Base Camp Trek in Nepal. It usually takes 16 days, but she likes to slow down, enjoy mountains, the company of other adventurers and take more pictures, so it took her 28 days last time. The ocean is another one of her passions, so all short and long hikes along the ocean shore bring a lot of joy. She also writes for HikingMastery.com

Top 5 Cool Hiking Locations for Families with Kids

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Hiking is great for kids, it develops lots of skills and abilities, it teaches them how nature works and how they should behave in a group. If you want to take maximum advantage of all these lessons and fun you can have, you need to pick the right spot. When a hike becomes too difficult, too easy or too boring for your kids, you might see your plans shattered forever.

Goose Rock, Deception Pass State Park

Located on Whidbey Island, Deception Pass State Park has a lot to offer in terms of scenery and adventure. One of the trails you can try with your kids is the roundtrip to Goose Rock.

Children can have a quick swim before the trip seeing as your journey starts near the beach, on the western shore of Cranberry Lake. You’ll follow the North Beach Trail which gives you the chance to teach children a thing or two about the Great Depression since you’ll cross a beautifully engineered bridge from the 1930s.

The trail is amazing, you’ll see many wildflowers and lush green vegetation, you can admire Mount Baker and Cornet Bay, finding your way through grassy areas. The vegetation includes wild currant and Madrone trees that are really old. If you go there during the autumn, you can even taste some of their wild berries.

You can also see remnants of the last ice age that has sculpted the landscape at the place called The Balds. There are meadows here with mosses as well as other plants, and once you’ve admired all of them you can continue your way up to Goose Rock, where you’ll have an awesome view of the surroundings.

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Cape Disappointment, Southwest Washington

This is a great location that can be visited throughout the year. The place is near the ocean and the weather is generally very pleasant. Your kids will fall in love with the waves hitting the shore, and even the storms can offer great opportunities to learn more about the local weather. However, it’s best to teach the kids how to waterproof boots, if they’re going to be chasing the waves.

A cool hike for you and them is that to Cape Disappointment. You’ll start at the North Head Lighthouse, where there’s a quick and interesting guided tour. The most amazing thing about the place is that it was all covered by the ocean, but building the dam is how the campsite was erected.

After that, you can hike to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. You can tell kids the story of Captains Vancouver and Gray analyzing the layout of Columbia River and how they didn’t sail it in the end. That’s why you’re now climbing up to Cape Disappointment instead of Cape Content. The trail itself can be tackled either by foot or by car, but it encompasses terrific views well worth it.

Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

This National Park has plenty to offer both kids and adults. For instance, the Giant Logs Trail is an awesome hike for the whole family where you’ll be in awe at all the huge trees you can see. The biggest of them all, Old Faithful, has a length of 170 feet and a diameter of 9 feet. You can admire its growth rings and teach children how you can measure the age of trees using these growth rings.

There are also lots of programs and events you can take part in with your children. Most of them relate to fossils and their importance to us from an evolutionary standpoint. Some of these fossils are actually from the Triassic Period, there’s a paleontology lab and you can see scientists at work if you’re going on a guided tour.

Besides, the Petrified Forest is another great place to visit. This can take you as far back as 200 million years ago, and your kids can learn all about dinosaurs and how the landscape looked then. You can also hike to Crystal Ridge where there are plenty of archaeological artifacts, sites, and pueblos to admire.

Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland/Virginia

There’s lots of fun to be had here too, this is a wonderful seashore park. The island between Maryland and Virginia is home to herds of wild horses and your kids will enjoy seeing them run free. But there are plenty of other activities and guided programs that you can take advantage of during your stay.

One of these things is camping. You can stay on the beach and enjoy the sun, maybe even squeeze in a swim. The Ranger Programs are amazing since they teach you all about the barrier island landscape, or you can take wildlife photographs. But show your kids how to make a paracord neck lanyard so they can carry their cameras more at hand.

Apart from that, your kids can enjoy exploring the environment on a bike, you can try a little family canoeing or kayaking, and of course, there’s the awesome horseback riding.

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Providence Canyon State Park, Georgia

Also known as the Little Grand Canyon, the whole trip is about 5 miles and of a moderate intensity. There are sandstone canyons here with abrupt walls and of different colors, and the trails themselves are sandy. That might make them more difficult to tackle, but they offer stunning views.

These walls meander their way around the canyon floor and you have miles and miles of trails you can do. The array of nuances from white and pink to intense orange and purple is a great chance for you to explain to kids how this landscape came to life.

The Canyon Loop Trail is one of the hikes you can do with your kids because it offers diverse landforms. Walking through a dark forest and a sandy riverbed, there are many sinuous canyons you can explore made out of fragile, crumbly sandstones.

Have you made up your mind?

With so many wonderful places to visit, we’re curious where you’ll be setting off to next. What great location will you choose and why? Let us know in the comments.

Author Bio

Rebecca lives in USA, but loves hiking all over the world. Her favorite is Everest Base Camp Trek in Nepal. It usually takes 16 days, but she likes to slow down, enjoy mountains, company of other adventurers and take more pictures, so it took her 28 days last time. Another of her passion is the ocean, so all short and long hikes along the ocean shore bring a lot of joy. She also writes for HikingMastery.com

Fun & Cool ways to teach Kids about Nature

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There’s nothing better you can do for your kids than helping them understand how the world they live in works. Mother Nature is all around us, so it’s good to protect her as much as we can. And since kids love to use games to learn, here’s how playing can help them develop a better understanding of the world.

Take them outside

You can’t teach children about nature if you’re not going outside, right? So it’s good to plan different sorts of outdoor activities even from a very young age, like a few months. An infant, just like a toddler or an older child will adore playing with the grass, discovering new sounds, smells, and textures.

Hiking is a great activity and you can start doing that immediately after a child learns how to walk. Taking them in such hiking trips will help them understand rules as well as see different landscapes and ecosystems.

Now’s your chance to explain how volcanoes work, how glacial landforms appear as well as to discuss the fauna and vegetation of a certain place. You should also take the time to answer the children’s questions as they go. Don’t be afraid to explore either, particularly if you get the best survival watch. The children will love this new adventure, and you can get plenty of learning opportunities.

Play “what if” games

Allow your children to make up stories about the things they see. That enhances their imagination, helping them make better correlations between the things they see outside. Storytelling helps connects different plants, animals, and landforms, and the kids are doing all the guesswork.

For example, you can hike on a mountain with abrupt, calcareous cliffs, little vegetation, and scarce water sources. So ask the children how they think evergreen trees or mountain goats can withstand in this type of terrain. Ask them how they think these mountains got to have these steep cliffs in the first place and if they can find a link to the weather.

You can actually start by personifying a certain animal you see on your way, like Roger the Badger or Annie the Deer. What are their stories? Where do they live? What do they eat? What skills do they have? All these games will help kids remember more about the things they see.

Help them collect things

Collecting some of the most important things on a hike is like having a memento of all the great stuff they saw. Of course, you can always take lots of photos as well, so you can connect the dots and have the story of your hike.

You can gather leafs from the trees you saw on your way, and attach printed photos of those trees with a few background information for each. You can do the same with pebbles, snail shells or feathers.

After each trip in the wilderness, you’ll get an album that your kids can revisit anytime they want to. They can also add new information to this album, new photos as they visit the same reservation again, or start a new album from scratch.

You can also build toys from the things you collect. If you collect enough chestnuts, for instance, you can paint their white parts in different colors then use the chestnuts for various games that require teams or keeping a score.

Sleep under the open sky

If you want to combine the children’s sense of adventure with stories, awe, and mystery, then spending a few nights outside is the thing to do. You can teach kids how to set up their shelters for the night, how to build a campfire and how to make sure this doesn’t spread out into a wildfire.

You get an invaluable chance of looking at the night’s sky, to admire the stars and moon, but also to teach children a bit about galaxies, constellations named after the Ancient Gods or more advanced things like black matter, black holes and the origins of the Universe.

Teach them survival skills

This is another great way to teach them how they can interact with nature. It’s good that kids learn all sorts of information and trivia about animals, plants, and landscape, but it’s even better if they learn how to use all these facts.

The first thing children should know is how they can take care of their equipment. And since it’s not always wise for them or for you to pack a ginormous backpack, it’s great to find out how to choose and use versatile items.

For instance, you can teach them how to waterproof boots, so they can wear them in different weather. You can also teach them how to make knots that hold, how to set up a tent or improvise a shelter when they have no tent. Learning how to use a map and compass to find their location is another very useful skill to have outdoors.

Get them a pet

It’s great if you can take kids outdoors in Natural Reservations or in safaris so they can see the wildlife around them. But it’s also a good idea for the kids to have a pet, whether at home or a class pet.

That will teach them how to take care of another living being, what that pet eats, when it sleeps, and how it interacts with the world around it. If you decide to get an ant farm, this teaches children certain information about working together. Or you can help them make such a cool dwelling place for ants on their own, it’s likely they’ll feel more invested in the ants’ lives this way.

What will you do?

With so many wonderful activities you can do with your children, the ones we’ve discussed are just the tip of the iceberg. But at least you have an idea of how you can combine stores and games to raise the kids’ curiosity so they’ll want to find out more about Nature and what it can offer us.

Author Bio

Rebecca lives in USA, but loves hiking all over the world. Her favorite is Everest Base Camp Trek in Nepal. It usually takes 16 days, but she likes to slow down, enjoy mountains, company of other adventurers and take more pictures, so it took her 28 days last time. Another of her passion is the ocean, so all short and long hikes along the ocean shore bring a lot of joy. She also writes for HikingMastery.com.