National Parks versus State Parks

Arches National Park

We live in a beautiful state with some of the most varied National Parks in the United States.  We can go from red rocks to beach front property in a matter of hours.  But in between, there are numerous state parks that shouldn't be missed.  I didn't realize how many organizations it took to plan, maintain, and prepare the parks for visitors.  So, how do you know which group (state or national) actually "controls" the parks near your home?

Well, here's a handy website that we use when we decide to go camping.  It's very helpful whenever you want to make reservations for camping but don't have the time to drive to the campground hours before to get just that right spot.

Bison on Antelope Island

Recreation.gov takes care of all of your federal camping, national parks entrance fees, and other national agencies as well.  The website has the ability to narrow down your search from a wide selection of campgrounds, to a narrow field for group camping with disabilities, or even if you need to camp with animals.  We've used this a few times in January to reserve popular campground locations for the summer time.  When we decided to take a trip to Arches National Park in Utah, we found that the campground fills up before the end of February.  Great!?  Now what?

Well, there's always a Google search for local campgrounds.  But what about state parks?  There are a host of these.  But how do you find them when you thought your local campground was a part of the National Parks Service?  That took some digging.

Goblin Valley, Utah

In most states, the parks are maintained by a branch of the Department of Natural Resources (or DNR).  You can do a Google search and look up individual state parks.  For Utah, the web address has little to do with the DNR so it was a bit more difficult to find.  But the benefits are endless.  There were places listed that I had never even dreamed of before...and what's better:  they were close to home and didn't cost as much as the National Parks.

This year, we've planned a few camp outings and we'll discuss all the joys of camping with small children and how to cook for an army in later posts.  Remember when planning your own weekend excursions to keep in mind those less known sites in your own state.  They might not be "popular" enough to make it to a national level, but that's just fine with us.  We don't mind taking the less traveled road to see something just as amazing and beautiful, and possibly with less visitors too.

Holiday Travel Time

Our first holiday travel experience occurred when I had two children still under the age of two.  We decided to travel on the busiest day of the year:  the weekend before Christmas.  We found ourselves up before 5 a.m. to get to the airport for an 8 a.m. flight.  The toddlers were unhappy.  Mom and Dad were unhappy.  The airport was crowded and inevitably, one of the children got pushed around too much.  She started crying.

Sound familiar?  Perhaps yours is getting stuck in traffic as everyone pushes to get out of town before the three day weekend officially begins.  Kids are hungry.  Drivers are irritating.  And the family vacation begins with tension.

Could this get any better?  Is there something we can do to alleviate the pain?

Let me tell you a few things we've noticed since our nightmarish experience at the airport:

Travel Early/Late

Airlines and freeways become jammed with traffic just before the start of any holiday break.  Generally, price rates increase for air tickets and gas prices skyrocket as the holiday travel increases.  If it's possible with work or school schedules, plan to leave a few hours earlier or even a day earlier than the typical rush.

We live in sight of a major interstate.  Let me tell you it's bumper-to-bumper traffic at 5 p.m. on Friday evening.  Campers, SUVs, and all the regular commuters pack the road.  Accidents only make the bottleneck worse.  It usually takes a few hours for things to get back to freeway speeds.

The same is true as people return home after the holiday weekend.  Take, for example, a typical Memorial Day weekend.  School is sometimes out.  Families decide to get out of town for an early summer vacation.  They leave at 3 p.m. and roads are already getting congested.  When the same families return on Monday evening, they find everyone heading home.  The same congestion increases, oftentimes later into the night than when they left.

Some states offer travel advice on the Department of Transportation websites.  They will have traffic cams to help drivers plan their best routes.  GPS systems sometimes alert motorists of alternate routes when busy thoroughfares become too busy.

In-Town Holidays

When travel becomes too tense, we choose to stay home and have a bit of fun in our own sphere.  Once, our family tried to find a good BBQ spot at a local picnic ground.  Everything was packed.  We toughed it out and made do in the only empty spot in the park.  It wasn't as enjoyable as we'd hoped.

As we drove through town, we found some of the closer-to-home parks were empty.  City-goers had opted for more distant parks, just as we had.  But if we had chosen something downtown, we would have had a much better experience.  Don't be afraid to stay local.

Themed Holiday Vacations

Since this weekend is Memorial Day, it seems fitting that we should theme our family activities around remembering the past.  In the past, we have enjoyed airshows sponsored by the Air Force.  We have listened to speeches given by local officials at cemeteries to honor fallen veterans.  Some families decorate graves.  Whatever the holiday and whatever the tradition, be sure to include the family.  Holidays are a good reason to get together and include the little ones as much as possible.  These will be memories that will drive them for years to come.

School's Out. Now What?

Tell me I'm not the first Mom to question what to do with a pack of kids for three months before school starts again.  There are radio advertisements that start at the end of May and run through June suggesting ways to entertain and keep those kids happy.  Awesome!  But I don't have the $45/week for youth programs (and that's just per child!).  If I tried to pay for just my school-aged children, that would be around $100/week for educational summer camps.

Back to the drawing board.  We'll make our own summer camps and involve all of the kids!  My own mother had a schedule, complete with field trips, that made summer fly by. When I returned to school, I could proudly fill out pages of essay on "What I Did Last Summer" thanks to her efforts.  The following are some ideas of successful planning for a summer of pure enjoyment:

Education

Reading/Writing/Arithmetic

I'll admit this was the part of my mom's summer schedule that I hated the most.  School was out.  My friends didn't have homework.  Why did I have to sit down and practice my penmanship?  Well, last summer I found out her reasoning the hard way.  My kindergarten boy went from fairly nice handwriting, to writing 2's as S's and D's as B's.  His reading level declined from a first grade to pre-K in two months.  Whoa!?

All of those days I had spent practicing writing, doing math flash cards, and writing in a journal had saved me from the "summer slide."  The reviews at the beginning of the school year were boring because I had done all of this stuff the previous months.  I didn't need a refresher course.  My son, on the other hand, worked hard to "remember" all of the stuff he'd learned.

This year, we're implementing school work into our summer schedule.  It's not going to be overly time consuming, but enough to keep our pencils sharp and learning minds open.

One of the ways we're going to keep reading at the top of our game is through our local city library summer reading program.  Kids are encouraged to get their own library card, check out books for their reading level, and enjoy crafts, games, and story time all summer long.  If they complete specific tasks, they'll get prizes to parties, stores, and other goodies.  It's a great way to get the kids reading stuff they're interested in.

Field Trip Day

We planned one day a week to spend as a field trip day.  We stuck mostly to Thursdays because interesting sites were usually less busy.  We also tried to find locations that were either free or had a membership that we could use (our local zoo pass).  Here are some ideas for your own field trip day:

• Local restaurant:  We scheduled with a pizza company that had a brick oven pizza inside the restaurant.  They showed the kids where the food was stored (they got a kick out of how big the freezer was) and how it was made.  The company even let the kids make their own personal pizza.
• University Museum:  Local universities often have different kinds of museums to help display student research or faculty presentations.  We've walked through a small dinosaur museum, animal science center, and astronomy museum.  We haven't gotten around to the art museum yet, but that's coming up this summer.
• Theater:  Show the kids the workings of a theater backstage and then go see a show.  This would also work for a movie theater.
• Airport:  Does your city have a small local airport?  See if you can get a tour of the facilities and the tower.  Learn how an air traffic controller does his job.
• Fire/Police Station:  These are common field trip locations with schools and scout groups.  But what about a family?
• Zoo:  This just seems like a given.  If your family is large, consider buying an annual membership and then return whenever you like.  We make up the admission cost on just two trips to the zoo.  And we've found that winter at the zoo is a very good time to visit.  There aren't many people and some of the animals are more active.

Play Time

Don't forget!  It's summertime and that means it's fun time.  Sometimes remembering to play is that hardest part of all.  Go swimming!  Dance in the sprinklers.  Watch a popsicle melt.  And enjoy the easy life while you can.  School will come again soon enough.  Enjoy!

Simple Entertainment

How do you keep seven people crammed into a minivan for four hours happy?  There are plenty of old answers like "Benadryl" or "drive while it's dark and they'll sleep through it."  Well, unfortunately, we must have gotten children who aren't "normal" because Benadryl makes my kids hyper and long drives don't make for comfortable sleeping in the safety of booster seats.  So, those options are not available for us.  How do you make the trip to Grandma's house happy for everyone?

For those who have access to iPods and other systems with downloadable apps, there are some great tools to use on the road.  Roadside America ensures that travel waysides are never missed.  Older children can research little known scenic stops on the way to your final destination.  Get out at the world's largest ball of twine or a crazy statue that you never knew existed.  The kids will get a kick out of helping to plan part of the trip.

You can possibly save a few minutes of sanity by handing technology to a child and a few miles will fly by before they get bored again.  If you only have one iPod, smartphone, or other piece of technology, be prepared to hear a bit of whining when someone doesn't share as he should.  We have dealt with this numerous times.  But be persistent with the rotations and everyone will get used to the idea that they have to share/wait their turn.

A few weeks before traveling, visit your local library and see what they have in the audio book collection.  We took the Harry Potter series with us on a long drive and the narrator, Jim Dale, kept the kids enthralled.  Even our two year old, who didn't really understand what was happening in the book, loved the fact that Mr. Dale could change his voice to be so many people.  It was amazing!  If your children are old enough and don't mind reading in the car, have them read aloud and practice being the narrator to their siblings.  It's rather fun to see what comes out.

For preschool children, simple games like "I Spy" and "20 Questions" can keep attention for a few minutes.  But we've had to be realistic.  When traveling, the best our 14 month old can do is play with simple toys and sleep.  He is more than eager to get out at every rest stop available and run.  Be prepared to let the kids get out and stretch.  This might increase travel time a bit, but just getting the blood moving helps to make little people happier.

We've also found small crayon organizers a way to keep coloring tools carefully tucked away.  Some parents we've talked to use empty DVD cases.  Colored pencils, crayons, and paper can slip inside the case and the outside can be used as a coloring surface.  Excellent suggestion!  We've got kids who love to be creative.

If you put your mind to it, you don't have to use a DVD system to entertain on the long drives.  That can come in handy but doesn't have to be a go-to as soon as the key is turned.  Remember, this is family time.  But don't feel guilty if you can't handle the pressure and resort to a little technology induced quiet time.  Whatever works best and keeps the peace. 

Day Trips Made Easy

In our family, there are five children and they are pretty young (the oldest is going into second grade).  So we know that simply traveling to the grocery store requires drama.  When we travel for a day trip to the zoo, things get even more complicated.  There is pushing, poking, general annoying noise making, and every now and again we hear someone complain,

"She's looking out of my window!"

Touring bronze statues at a local university.

You may say, it's just not worth it.  Set up a movie player and expect silence while they are entertained by the video.  Well, that would be great, but what do you do when they lose interest?  Would it just be easier not to go on family field trips?  Sure.  But where's the fun in that?

Our family enjoys visiting museums, zoos, bird sanctuaries, scenic byways, and historical monuments.  If we had given up, we would never have known T-Rex could scare a 3 year old who usually loved dinosaurs.  We would never have learned the behind the scenes workings of a pizza parlor.  Just because you have many little children doesn't mean you can't travel with them and enjoy the time together.

Since we have mostly small children, we have found that sticking as closely as possible to their normal schedule makes for happy parents and siblings.  Take, for example, our trip to the city zoo.  The drive takes us 45 minutes to reach the front gate of the zoo.  We leave about 10:00 am to arrive at the zoo gates around 11:00 am.  Yes, it takes us 15 minutes once parked to finally get to the admission line.  You try putting sunblock on that many people while making sure none of them get run over.  Whew!

Anyway, lunch is shortly after we arrive (to keep down the whining and increase energy/mental interest). We have time to see a few animals before leaving the zoo around 2:00 or 3:00 pm.  Too short a time for such a long drive?  Well, perhaps for older kids, but the 1 and 3 year old can't do much more.  Remember the whining kids?  They resurface after being in the sun for a few hours and constantly running around to see the next animal.

Naptime in the van on the way back home keeps their schedule pretty much intact and helps reduce the chance of overexposure to the sun.  Keep in mind toddlers will physically tire before teens.  But adolescents and pre-teens will become bored much faster than their shorter siblings.  Try to plan activities that can involve both age groups (if you've got them).  We haven't had much of that problem since our children are close in age, but I realize there are some families whose ages range from 16 to 2 years old.  Watching out for each other and knowing the limitations of each family member goes a long way to helping simple day trips stay fun and enjoyable.

The Traveling Family

Every one's seen it before:  Mom and Dad are trying to calm down and please their distraught child.  Temper-tantrums and unhappy kids occur in a variety of locations:  grocery stores, clothing stores, restaurants, airports, train stations, hotel lobbies, airports, etc.  But this kind of behavior seems to be most prevalent (even in normally good-natured kids) while traveling.  Tension is high; surroundings are unfamiliar; and a child starts screaming.  Now, let's amplify the stress factor by adding a few more children.

Whoa!  That made my blood pressure rise just thinking about all of the whining, crying, screaming (and not just by underage people), and frustration that goes with the "joy" of family vacations.  Well, if you're anything like my family, you find yourself surrounded by a lot more kids than adults (we're almost 3:1).  But no worries.  We can get through this and still have a great family vacation.

"How is that possible?" you say.  "How do you  handle travel stress with more kids than adults?  What do you do?  How can this be a positive thing?"

I see you don't believe me.  Well, let's work on this together.  Travel has always been something I've loved and my kids have picked up on it.  Let me share a bit of our experience (practical advice) artfully blended with what agencies, field "experts" (how many of these travel with more than two children?), and other travel businesses say.

I want all types of families to feel comfortable with the idea that they can benefit from enjoyable family time.  But I am going to emphasize traveling with more than the "ideal" family size.  Our family hasn't fit into the "family four pack" status for several years and we've come across a few snags while trying to travel.  Hopefully, we can share a bit with you and keep posting about our adventures as they happen.