In fourth grade every kid in the United States can get a FREE family pass to the National Park system. This seems to be a incredibly well kept secret. I am in no way affiliated with the National Park system, but I adore the incredible diversity and beauty of the parks. We often plan family vacations around parks we want to visit and the idea that you can do this for free for a whole year (or more if you have several children) feels like an incredible gift.

affiliate links may be included in this post.

Our Fourth Grade Park Adventures

Our twins were in Fourth Grade in 2020-2021 school year. This felt like a huge disappointment to me because all of my plans for big National Park road trip adventures were suddenly more complicated. Everything was more complicated in 2020.

I know a lot of people actually did more local travel and more road tripping to National Parks in 2020 because it was an outdoor, reasonably safe alternative to traveling abroad. In our case, my husband works on a US Navy base and was under orders to stay within 300 miles of the base unless he was deployed. Sure, we could have gone off just me and the kids on a longer road trip but I always hesitate to do that since we are already away from him a lot. However, we did have some National Park adventures in Fourth Grade. So, here are the Parks we explored.

Get your FREE Fourth Grade Pass Here

Joshua Tree

Located just a few hours from San Diego, Joshua Tree National Park is a great option for southern California families. If you’re okay with a long day, this can even be done as a day trip. We have day tripped, camped in the park, and stopped as part of longer road trips. We love this unique park.

More about Joshua Tree

Sequoia & Kings Canyon

During fourth grade we took a road trip up to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. We loved both parks. They are absolutely stunning. Kings Canyon was our favorite, so make sure you don’t skip it despite Sequoia being the more well known.

More about Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

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All About California Unit for Fourth Grade

Cabrillo National Monument

Cabrillo is located in San Diego and one we visited frequently in fourth grade. The lighthouse and display about Spanish explorers is fun to learn about, the park offers incredible views of San Diego and the ocean, and if you’re able to come when the tide is low, the tide pools are some of the best in this part of the country.

Learn More about Cabrillo

How to Make the Most of the National Park with Kids

The National Parks are great for all ages. There are things to marvel at and enjoy no matter what your interests or ages. For the purposes of this post I am going to focus on the things we did to make the most of the National Parks for our fourth graders (9-10 year olds).

Get your FREE Fourth Grade Pass Here

1. Dress for the weather – When you’re packing, make sure to pay attention to what the weather is like in the park. For example, where we stayed near Sequoia was always a good 10+ degrees warmer than up in the park where there was still snow on the ground in some parts in the Spring. The Redwoods National Park had rain off and on while we were there so raincoats were essential. Being warm, cool or dry enough while you’re exploring is essential to happiness.
2. Bring Adventure Supplies – exploring a National Park can feel like the ultimate adventure for kids. There are mountains to climb, streams to cross, great dunes of sand to slide down, unfathomable trees to view. I always bring some variation of these Adventure Supplies when we go on an adventure. Having at least one tool (binoculars, camera, journals) to deepen your explorations and being stocked and prepared for any needs helps to keep everyone happy and engaged.
3. Junior Ranger Program – my kids love the Junior Ranger program at the National Parks. Some parks have better guides for the kids than others, but all of them have taught us something about the wildlife or geography. Often they give us a great guide to what to do in the park, if not the park rangers are a great resource. Before you hit the trails, pick up a Junior Ranger packet for each kid. Some parks, like Joshua Tree, have these at the front gate when you drive in. Other times you have to stop at the Ranger Station.
4. National Parks Activity Books – we keep busy in the car with a variety of audiobooks, games and activity books. On our National Park road trips in fourth grade my kids loved reading this Lonely Planet guide about the different National Parks and doing the activities in this National Geographic Kids Junior Ranger activity book. Depending on the park you’re visiting, there are also some wonderful children’s books about the parks. For example, we read REDWOODS by Jason Chin before our trip to the Redwoods and he also wrote this award winning, absolutely stunning picture book about the GRAND CANYON.
5. Stamp Your National Park Passport – lastly, don’t forget to stamp your passport! My kids both have National Park Passports like these. You can buy them beforehand on Amazon or the Ranger Stations always have some in stock as well.

More National Park Guides

Although we didn’t explore as many parks during fourth grade as I’d hoped, we have visited a lot of national parks with our kids. Here are some more guides to our favorites:

Redwoods National Park (CA)

Death Valley National Park (CA)

Cabrillo National Monument (CA)

Carlsbad Caverns National Park (NM)

Chaco Culture Heritage Park (NM)

Golden Gate National Recreation Area (CA)

Guadalupe Mountains National Park (TX)

Fire Island and the Sunken Forest (NY)

Petrified Forest National Park (AZ)

Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes National Seashore (MI)

Washington DC Mall Monuments (DC)

White Sands National Park (NM)

ALSO READ:
30+ Unforgettable Trips with Kids

It is easy to get restless and irratable when you are stuck in a car or on a plane for long hours. The way to survive this is to have carefully chosen activities to keep your hands, bodies, and minds busy. The trouble is that there are so many options.

You have to pack things that are small so you can fit more and not be weighted down by a million toys.

You have to consider what your child’s interests are and what keeps them occupied the longest.

You have to come up with new things so they are fresh and exciting…

Is it just me or did some of the fun of trip planning just fly out the window? Hang in there. Help is on its way.

One of my kids is a huge fine motor person. They love puzzles and drawing and tinker toys. When we travel, I pack things that will keep his hands busy.

For the fine motor fans though, this is your list! Pick a few and give them a try on your next road trip or flight.

affiliate links are included. thanks for your support.

Top 10 Fine Motor Ideas for Travel

1. Cross Stitch

We got this adorable book to review and we are IN LOVE. On our trip to Wisconsin earlier this month this kept my fidgety children happy for most of the flight. All you need is the Stichables book, some lightweight yarn, needles, and small scissors (note: needs to be under 4 inches to carry onto plane) for hours of fun!

2. Nesting Materials

There are plenty of variations on this material – the most simple and compact that we have used is a colorful set of curlers that our Minnesota pen pals sent us. I continue to be amazed with how many different ways my kids have used this basic material. We have colorful ones like these.

3. DIY Toddler Buckle Toy

This gorgeous busy bag is from Swoodson Says. This is such a fun way to keep little toddler hands busy and teach them important self-help skills at the same time. Find the directions here.

Also Read: 7 Tips for Surviving Lines at Disney with Little Kids

4. No Sew Button Snake

My kids loved this when they were toddlers. It’s another example of working on fine motor and self help skills. These are super simple to put together too. Twitchetts has great instructions!

5. Wikki Sticks

These things are awesome. These colorful little sticks can be bent and stuck together to form pretty much whatever you can imagine, but then they can also be re-straighted and made into something else. We love these for planes and restaurants. You can find a set here.

6. Map Drawing Activity

Maps and travel go perfectly together and this is such a fun way to get kids interacting with maps. You can learn more at Little Bins for Little Hands but I will be printing off a map for our next Road Trip and making one of these kits for sure!

7. DIY Foam Lacing Cards

My mind was kind of blown when I saw this post on Powerful Mothering. My kids loved lacing cards when they were toddlers and preschoolers but it never crossed my mind to make my own. Check out her brilliantly simple directions and then start investing in foam.

8. LEGO travel kit

If your kid likes to build and play with their hands, then one of these is a must. They make transporting Legos easy and give you a spot to build when you don’t have a table or floor. You can find a few different colors here.

9. Mini-Paper Airplanes Guide

Compact and simple, but a complete how-to guide for paper airplanes. Throw this little book and the short list of supplies into a bag and you have an easy activity to take anywhere. The directions are straightforward enough for a beginner, but there is enough variety to engage a more seasoned paper airplane maker as well. We enjoyed that they include a rating for each airplane’s speed, airtime, distance, acrobatics, and uniqueness. It was fun to test them all and see how they compared for us. Obviously your child can’t use this on a plane or in the car, but it is great for stops. We had our kids make a plane or two right before a stop and then when we had space to run they could test them out. This encouraged running around which was a great way to let off some steam. FIND ONLINE

Also Read: QUALITY, ENGAGING, AND CREATIVE ACTIVITY BOOKS TO BRING ON FAMILY TRIPS

10. Paint with Water

For anyone nervous about handing their kids markers or crayons on a plane or in the car, this is a fun alternative. My kids love, love, loved these ones from Melissa and Doug when they were toddlers.

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Photography is my favorite hobby. I read and write for my job otherwise I’d name those first, but photography is something I do purely for fun. I love taking photos. I love playing with editing photos. I love sharing photos and I love looking back at our old photos.

I am NOT a photographer.

That feels important to state because there are a lot of truly amazing photographers who are willing to teach you their craft. I have however been taking photos since my parents got me a camera for my eighth grade graduation and the interest has only grown. I have taken a couple of classes but nothing too intense. It is a hobby and one I truly love.

If you want more professional advice and take photos with your iPhone – I highly suggest the book THE iPHONE PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK by Scott Kelby. It is a thorough, easy to follow, helpful guide to taking photos, editing them and everything in between.

Since I share regularly on Instagram and obviously share a lot of photos in my posts here, I occasionally have people ask for advice on taking photography – particularly of children and travel. Below I’m sharing my best advice, mostly gained through playing around with a camera for decades, but also from other true pro photographers. Please take it as that though, just advice. What I do, imperfect, not professional Erin.

affiliate links are included below

First a few technical pointers:

• Which camera you use does not matter that much. Sure an expensive DSLR will create a crisper photo and make it easier to take the picture you want IF you take the time to learn how to use it manually. But if you’re just going to pick up the camera, point, and click – you can get a great photo with a camera phone or a DSLR. Either works. Most of my absolute favorite photos were taken on my iPhone because that’s what I had with me. The only real downside I’ve found to the iPhone is that it can’t zoom in if we’re traveling and I want to photo something far away. Speaking of which…
• Cropping. Do Not zoom in when you are taking a photo with a camera phone. You can always crop in closer later but zooming in will always make your photo more grainy. Don’t do it.
• Editing. I promise you that everyone who has photos you admire is editing them at least a little. Taking a good picture is important – it is the heart of the photo – but knowing how to tweak them (or in some cases massively edit them) is important too if you want amazing photos.
  I have Lightroom both on my laptop and on my phone for editing photos. It allows you to tweak and edit just about every aspect of your photo and if you learn to use it well then you don’t need filters. However, I also use other editing apps. I’ve played around with a ton of them, but right now I primarily use AColorStory right now to edit my photos when I just want to quickly make them prettier.
• I think apps and filters are 100% fine but I’d recommend two things:
  1. Start by tweaking the photo itself in the manual part of any app. Play with the light and the color and the contrast. You will learn a lot just by playing around with it. See if you can get it better or closer to what you want the photo to look like on your own.
  2. When you apply a filter, use the button to scroll down on how heavy you apply the filter. Often the full effect isn’t really what you want.

Things to Think About When You’re Taking Photos of Travel and Kids

Now on to the real meat, because although editing is fun, this is really the part I most enjoy playing around with on my cameras.

One of the first tips that always pops into my mind is to think about how you are framing your photo. When I’m taking a picture it’s usually because something caught my eye – usually something cute my kids are doing or something cool we are visiting. Our instinct is to point it at them and click. Do that. Those moments pass quickly, but if there’s time think about what else is in the photo. Can you shift your camera angle or perspective just a little to edit out other people, distractions, clutter?

Pay attention to lighting. One of the biggest issues with taking photos is lighting. Pay attention to where the light is to avoid looking back at your photos only to discover horrible shadows. Avoid having your subject look directly in the sun. Rotate around your subject until they are squinty or covered in shadows.

If you are taking a photograph of a landscape or the beach, having a focal point, something to draw your eye in or show the grandness of whatever you’re visiting will help your photo pop. I generally encourage my kids to go run or climb into the landscape I want to photo and then take a bunch of photos.

Look for unusual angles or perspectives. If I had to pick on thing, this is my favorite thing to play with when I’m taking photos. I love taking pictures from above and below and with reflections and through things. This is the playing with photography that really makes my heart sing, especially when I get a good one. The one above is on the train from Belgium and I was fairly obsessed with the reflection. It took a while to get it right, fortunately my son was reading and didn’t even realize what I was doing.

Think about what you want to remember? Of course we want a gorgeous photo, but it’s really about capturing a memory, right? So when you’re taking photos, what is it you want to remember about where you are or this moment you’re experiencing. The photo above is from a trip to Central Park in New York City. It is a beautiful park, but what my kids loved more than anything was climbing on these massive rocks.

Embrace motion and candid moments – just get in the right position to capture them. This wasn’t staged, although I do occasionally ask my kids to climb up something or run in a particular directions because I’m loving a view or the light. Most of my photos though are just me following them around. Changing where I am in relationship to them and what they’re doing though often makes a big difference. Above my daughter was running on the beach but so were my son and my brother. I went between her and them, where I could see her reflection and started snapping.

How to Embrace Candid Photography : from Click it Up a Notch

Take a million pictures for one good one. I often get asked “how do you get such cute photos of your kids?” or some variation on that question. I always answer “I take a million crappy ones to get one good one” and I think people think I’m kidding. I’m not. I delete tens, sometimes hundreds of pictures a day. Yes. A Day.

Sometimes the best photo isn’t the one that’s “best” just the one that captures that memory the best. I love this picture. It makes me smile every time I see it. For me it captures the shear joy she felt holding on to the cable car for the first time. It is not technically perfect. I wish more of the cable car was in it. The focus is a little off. I don’t love the white truck there. There are shadows in places I wish there weren’t…but I really don’t care. It captures that moment for me and that’s what photography is supposed to do, right?

I already said that above, but take some of the pressure of yourself to get the “perfect” photo. Of course these tips, trying to reduce the visual clutter from the photo, playing with perspectives, paying attention to lighting, learning to edit – those will all help take better pictures. But at the end of the day, capturing the moment in time is what’s most important.

One last thing. Get in photos too! If you love taking photos, it is easy to forget to include yourself in a photograph as well. Looking back though you will want to remember being there as well and even if you think you won’t, I promise you that your family will want photos of you as well. Hand the camera off or use a self timer – I do this on my phone with my twins a lot on our adventures.

My biggest advice though is to enjoy it. Think of it as something fun to play with and just experiment. See what works for you. What doesn’t. Again, I’m not a pro, but if you have questions feel free to drop them in the comments!

Happy memory capturing!

Find More Family Travel Tips Here

If you visit our home, our family travel memories are all around you. Photos are blown up on the walls. Albums from recent family travels are in baskets close to the couch. There are posters of our favorite places down the hall. We love going on family trips because of the memories they create and I love having these memories surrounding us all year round.

When you get home do you have hundreds of photos on your phone or camera? Once you have them uploaded onto your computer – what do you do next? Do you save them? Share them? Display them?

Below are the 5 things I do more frequently with our family travel memories. They are easy and usually quick, but they all go a long way towards preserving these precious family travel memories.

Also Read: How to Capture Your Family Travels Better

affiliate links are included below. thank you for supporting Bambini Travel.

1. Create a Photo Wall

There are photos all over my home. The biggest photo wall though is in my living room (pictured above). It makes me so happy when I glance up from a book or a meal in the adjacent dining room.

All you need:

• Variety of Frames (Mine are all from IKEA)
• Photos in matching variety of sizes.
• Some nails and a hammer.

2. Make a Travel Poster (or Series)

I was just introduced to these gorgeous Travel Posters from Just Go Travel Studios and I’m obsessed. They have a range of products from postcards and posters to itineraries.

The travel posters can be ordered premade from their site, but you also have the option to have them custom make a poster for you based on one of your personal family travel photos.

I made a poster from our Spring Break 2019 trip down the coast of California. JustGo was so easy to work with and they gave me lots of freedom to make decisions (and change my mind) so that I would be happy with the finished product. I think it turned out gorgeous.

If you want to check out their products, head over to justgotravelstudios.com and use the code ERINBUHR for 10% off.

3. Print Your Instagram Shares

I do this all year round, not just for trips, but I LOVE how easy Chatbooks makes it for me to print out my photos. With Chatbooks you have two options –

1. Set up an ongoing photo book series. I do this for my personal IG account. This autobuilds albums for me with my photos and captions from Instagram. You can also set this up to make books around a specific hashtag instead. It sends me an email when a new book is ready so I can check it over and make edits if I wish and then it mails out a new book.

2. For travel, you can either set up a hashtag and have Chatbooks autopull pictures to build a photo book. Or you can create your own simple albums afterwards by uploading photos.

Either way you get these adorable little books to flip through and remember your family travel memories.

Give CHATBOOKS a try! You won’t believe how simple it is!

4. Make an Album or Scrapbook

Scrapbooks were a passion of mine for a while. They became too time consuming for me once I had kids to make on a regular basis, but I still find time to make them when we go on a bigger family trip. Iceland, California Road Trip, France, etc. Those bigger family travels get their own album with photos and details.

I use Shutterfly to create our albums. This is where I upload my photos all year anyways. They make it easy to upload photos on the site and on your app. I use this to share photos with grandparents each month. When it comes time to make a photo album, Shutterfly is a convenient way to create reliably high quality albums.

You can try a FREE photo album with Shutterfly with this code.

5. Travel Journals

Aren’t a big fan of photos? Or want a way to use words to share more about your travels? Travel journals for you and/or the kids can be a great way to save memories and share them, if wanted.

Here are some that we’ve used:

• Moleskine Traveller’s Journal – this one I use for the whole process, before planning and actual memories. GET ONE HERE
• I like this one or this one for kids.

Also Read: More Family Travel Tips

Your tickets are bought, your hotel is reserved, your suitcases are packed and now you are ready to fly off on a family vacation.

How are you feeling? Are you giddy? Anxious? Worried? Terrified?

I love flying. I may be nuts. Granted too small seats, inconvenient flight times, ridiculously priced prices, and refusal to serve meals on most flights has led us to drive more in the past few years, but I do love flying.

I was a little nervous the first time we took our kids on a plane. They were two months old and since they slept the entire time I am positive that the overstuffed bags we carried on were overkill. When our twins were preschoolers and early elementary schoolers they required a bit more effort to entertain, but they were, are still today, wonderful fliers.

Tip #1: Practice makes perfect.

This does not mean that we never have problems though. Our twins are active kids. Sitting still is not their forte and plane travel often involves a lot of patience and waiting.

So how do we do it? How do we travel successfully with super active twins?

updated from original post from November 2013 & affiliate links are included

How to Fly with Active Kids

Start getting your kids ready you even get to the airport.

Tip #2: Beforehand read and chat about what to expect.

We read a lot of books about airplanes (these are my favorite picture books about planes) and airports before their first plane ride. We used these as a starting point for a dialogue about our upcoming trip. This helps to get them excited and talk a little about what to expect.

read also: Activities for Road Tripping with 3-5 Year Olds

Tip #3: Things to Talk About

• Rules for the plane. Such as: You must have your seat belt buckled at all times
• Things that might make them nervous such as the loud noise of the plane or being separated from their teddy while it goes through security.
• Where you are going AND when you are coming back.

Tip #4: Where to Pack Activities

For the actual plane trip we pack a bag full of things for each kiddo. When they were younger we carried one bigger backpack with everything they needed. Starting around the age of 3, our twins started to each carry a backpack with most of these things and we each have a few backup games or toys in our carry ons.

Tip #5: Toys + Activities to Pack

• New Small Toys (some ideas; cars, planes, trains, little people, lacing cards) 
• Fine Motor Activities (these are our favorites)
• Rattles & Chew Toys (for infants) 
• New Books (Board Books for little ones, paperbacks for older kids)
• Stickers, paper or a small notebook
• Playdough or putty
• Triangular Crayons (don’t roll away) 
• DVD player and DVDs or Kindle Fire for Kids
• Child Sized Headphones

Read Also: Quality, Engaging, and Creative Activity Books to Bring on Family Trips

Tip #6: Also Pack for Contingencies

• Snacks (Prepped in little baggies) 
• Water Bottles (Empty. Fill it at the airport) 
• Diapers (if needed) 
• Lots of Wipes (regardless of age) 
• Gallon Sized Ziplock Bag (Handy in a million ways)
• Change of Clothes (For everyone. Extra if you are toilet training) 
• Nuk, Chew Toys, Chewy snacks or candy for take off

When we get to the airport we talk a lot about the different things we see and what we had read about in the books.

Tip #7: Prep Your Child As You Go

Talk to your child calmly and remind them before each major event (ie. Security, Boarding, Trays needing to be Raised, etc).

Tip #8: Have Electronics Prepped

Getting through security is one of the most stressful parts about flying with kids. We have found that having all of our electronics together is helpful. One of us is in charge of electronics, the other is in charge of getting the kids and their bags through security.

Tip #9: Get Out Some Energy

Find somewhere to let out some energy before you board. Don’t expect your little active child to sit still and wait for the plane and then sit still on the plane. It’s too much and they will meltdown.

Tip #10: What to Do While You Wait

• Our favorite airports have playgrounds but most have at least somewhere to move around a little. Try to research this ahead of time and check how long your layover is – if relevant.
• Play some movement games. Our favorite right now is timing each other to see who can balance on one foot the longest. Simple, but fun. Here are some more of our favorite waiting games.
• Take a walk to a far away water fountain or bathroom together.

Tip #11: Pre-Boarding Bathroom Break

A bathroom try immediately before we board or a fresh diaper is a must. Once you get on the plane it is not always predictable how soon your little kids will get to use the bathroom. A fresh diaper or a recent toileting try gives you the best chance for avoiding a bathroom related disaster.

Read also: 3 Simple Steps to Reset when travel goes wrong

Tip #12 Choosing Your Seat

When deciding where on the plane to sit, I actually prefer to be closer to the bathroom when flying with kids. This is especially true when you have a newly potty trained kid, but in general getting up to go to the bathroom is the best excuse to move around and my kids quickly caught on. When we are sitting closer to the bathroom this is less disruptive.

Tip #13: Seat Belts are a Must

We put on seat belts first and our rule is that they have to stay on. (Obviously when they need to use the bathroom, they can get up) This rule avoids having children climbing all over the seats and is a bit of physical reminder to be still for active kids.

Tip #14: Divide and Conquer

It’s not always possible, but when we can we each take one of the kids and sit near but not together. Our kids are obsessed with fairness, so we make sure one gets Mom on the way there and the other gets Mom on the way back. If we have a layover then we switch halfway both directions.

Tip #15: Fight Ear Pressure at Take Off

For take off and landing – when our children were babies nursing or bottles helped them. Now our twins drink water or eat a chewy snack.

Tip #16: Save Some Surprises

• For toddlers, we carried most of the snacks and new toys and books in our carry on. A second set of new toys, movies, and books was packed in our suitcase and kept hidden away until the flight home.
• Always wait until toys/snacks are needed before bringing them out one at a time. For our son, this moment didn’t come until the flight home. He spent the whole first flight playing with the Thomas trains in his backpack. Our daughter steadily worked her way through the items on each flight.

Tip #17: Focus on Your Kiddo

This may seem obvious, but being focused on your kid and giving that one on one attention will keep them happier longer. As your kids get older they will entertain themselves longer on their own, but the younger they are the more you should go into the flight mentally prepared to play with them / entertain them.

Nowadays, my twins are in middle school and I’m back to reading a book or watching a movie. You’ll get there too, but probably not this flight.

Tip #18: Pack a Variety of Activities

Try more active and imaginative toys that can be used on the tray. Cars and trains, little people to pretend with, or putty and playdo to squish are more entertaining and active than writing or coloring.

Tip #19: Ask for a Lid

When you get drinks for your kid from the flight attendant make sure to either ask for a lid on the cup or pour the drink into the water bottle / sippy cup that you brought along.

Tip #20: When You Dis-Embark Find a Place to Move

Try to find a way for your kids to move around a little after the flight. Let them play a movement game with you in a corner while the other adult waits for the luggage. Just get your wiggles out a little together. Jump, wiggle, twist, shake around a little while you wait for your luggage or taxi. If possible, also let them use a pool or go to the playground as soon as you arrive at your destination.

Happy Travels.

Find More Family Travel Tips Here

“Are we there yet?” my daughter asks from the backseat.

I look around at the empty, vast nothingness surrounding us unsure of how to answer her question. Of course we’re not there yet. We are nowhere.

“Nope, not yet.” I try to keep the irritation out of my voice. This isn’t the first time she’s asks.

I reach into the travel activity bag on the passenger side of the car feeling around for something interesting for her to do. My hand comes to rest on a tall paperback book that I’m pretty sure is a new activity book I picked out especially for this trip.

“Here sweetie. Why don’t you give this a try. It has tons of animals inside!” I tell her as I pass the book back.

She scrunches up her face at me, but I hear the pages start to flip and the backseat is quiet again.

Road trip mini-victory.

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9+ Best Activity Books for Family Trips

We have used a ton of activity books in the past half decade, but these are the ones that have held the attention of my twins. They are creative, engaging, unique and some of them are even reusable.

1. My First Wild Activity Book

I can’t think of a better activity book for kids who love animals. This one from Silver Dolphin takes you on an adventure through different habitats around the world with fun activities along the way. The first pages welcome your kiddo – an Explorer! – and has you create an “explorer profile” and portrait. The rest of the book is divided into seven different habitats. Each habitat has a fold out look and find page, space to finish a picture, and more.

My kids loved completing these activities and learned a little from the facts in each section along the way. I liked the inclusion of an art activity / craft in each section, but I will say since we used this as a travel activity book, these haven’t been done yet. The rest of it however was easy to do in the car and made for an excellent travel activity book for my kiddos.  ages 4-8

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2. Magic Velvet Activity Books

These books from Melissa and Doug are easy enough for preschoolers to do on their own but still fun for my seven year olds. You can buy ones in a huge variety of themes. ages 3-4+

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You May Also Like:
Top 10 Fine Motor Activities for Family Travel

3. National Geographic Road Trip Activity Book

If you’re going on a USA road trip with first graders and up I highly recommend this book. It is full of fun activities and interesting information about places around the country. We used this one when we drove from New York City to San Diego. ages 7+

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4. Usborne Activity Books

Usborne has a ton of activity books on a huge range of subjects and we have yet to buy one we don’t love. Our most recent was the SPACE ACTIVITY BOOK which was fascinating and fun. I highly recommend any in this series. ages 4+

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5. the Anti-Coloring Book

These are fun sort of coloring books for kids about second grade and up. They give your kiddo inspiration with a start of a picture, but leave you to fill in the details or story. I loved these as a kid and they are still fun decades later. ages 6+

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6. BIG FOOT Goes on Vacation

There are a couple in this series but this is our favorite. They are essentially WHERE’S WALDO books (also a great recommendation for travel activity book)

What I like about these book though for kids who can read to themselves are that in between the search for Big Foot pages they offer you fun, interesting facts about a topic.

This one has facts about carnivals, cruises, safaris, etc. ages 5+

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7. Melissa and Doug Reusable Stickers

I’m not sure if these count as “activity books” but they have pages and they are definitely an activity. My kids LOVE these and they are reusable which is awesome. You do have to remove the stickers and put them back on their starting page which is a little annoying but worth it to me to be able to reuse them.

The other thing I love about these is that they grow with your kid. My twins loved just sticking the stickers when they were toddlers. When they got to around age 4 they started to make up stories about the pages and stickers.  ages 2+

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8. Mini-Mega Activity Book

These were a huge hit on our cross country moving road trip and they still had more pages left that we finished on the next two flights they took. They have a big variety of activities inside which helps to keep their attention. ages 5+

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9. Don’t Let the Pigeon Finish This Activity Book

This one I don’t love for in the car, BUT I do love it for in the hotel. It has lots of activities that are fun and doable with just scissors, tape, and crayons. Throw this in the suitcase and you barely need anything else for your kids to do. It’s just good silly fun. I used one book for my twins. There are some pages where it would have been nice to have one for each of them, but it’s not necessary and for the most part it is way more fun if you do it all together. ages 3+

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As a mom I do incredible things to avoid waiting in lines. And for good reason. Waiting in line with my kids for more than a few minutes can be painful. They quickly get either fidgety and crabby or goofy to the point that I want to hide under the nearest chair in embarrassment.

Waiting is hard. For everyone.

When we started planning our trip to Disney World how to survive all that waiting in lines was definitely on my mind.

Fortunately between some Disney Magic and careful planning our waiting experience was not bad. If you’re heading to Disney I want you to know these tricks because that fidgety, crabby, goofy, boredom that waiting in lines can create can kill a great day.

Below are our top 7 tricks and tips for surviving the inevitable lines at Disney World.

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How to Survive the Lines at Disney with Kids

1. Fast Passes

Let’s start with the best one – avoid the line all together. Fast Passes are new since I was a child but they are genius and delightful.

Fast Passes allow you to skip ahead to the front of the line – or at least into a much shorter line. You can read more about them on the Disney Site, but here are tips from our experience.

First, reserve your Fast Passes as early as possible. The when depends on whether you are staying at a resort or not. I thought this was a little insane – but do it anyways. You do reserve your fast passes on the Disney site or on their mobile app – which I recommend.

The site or app will give you great recommendations for what rides or experiences will have a long wait and therefore are best for a Fast Pass. We found those recommendations to be helpful and reliable. You can read more tips about the process here.

For our 6 year olds we just prioritized the things we thought they would love the most. Most of our character meet and greets (with our autograph books of course) were Fast Passes and also the rides that had long waits and we thought they would love – the Seven Dwarves Mine Train was our son’s favorite.

Our daughter loved the tea cups.

We all LOVED the Avator ride at Animal Kingdom and the Lion King Show – shown below. We used a Fast Pass for all of these and were glad every time that we had.

2. Disney App Wait Times

Whatever you can’t get a Fast Pass for utilize the Disney resources to help you plan. Beforehand you can enter all of your reservations and Fast Passes and preferences and get a schedule laid out for you based on Disney’s extensive research on wait times.

Again this is a little nutty. (They do research on wait times?! Yup. They do). But they do it – so use the resource. We found it incredibly helpful.

There were some exceptions – one day in particular that was busier than the site anticipated – and that’s when the having the App was huge. We could find out how long wait times were without having to run all over the park.

3. Disney Magic Hours

If you stay at a Disney World Resort you can enjoy Disney Magic Hours. I highly recommend this.

I am a HUGE promoter of predictable sleep schedules but we made an exception for this and I was so glad we did.

We stayed at the parks for the fireworks one night and then the Magic Hours that followed. We got to re-ride so many favorites in those couple of hours and try a couple of things that we hadn’t gotten to.

Plus there is something truly magical about seeing the park after dark. If you really don’t want to stay up late – you can also enjoy early Magic Hours in the morning as well.

Story Hour with Belle was one of our favorites. It was adorable. All of the kids got a little role in reenacting the story of Beauty and the Beast. Here’s my little guy playing the Dad shivering in the beast’s jail.

We also had the opportunity to get a date night another evening – thanks Grandma!! My husband and I enjoyed Magic Hours at Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

4. New Waiting Experiences

Disney World seems to experimenting with some different waiting experiences. They definitely seem to get that this is not the best part about the Disney experience.

We experienced two new waiting experiences at the Magic Kingdom and loved them both.

The first was the Dumbo Ride. You go in and are given a card. Then your kids play on this circus themed play structure in a tent until your card color is called. My kids loved it and did great.

I think the one downside of this would be convincing your kids that leaving the play area to go on the ride is a good idea.

The second is the Winnie the Pooh ride. This one had fun interactive things for kids to do all along as you wait. A small play area, a large version of those movable beads in doctor offices, interactive screens, etc. My kids enjoyed this one as well.

5. Smaller Activity Books

So despite the Fast Passes and timing our activities and those experiences, there are still times you’re going to get stuck waiting with kids. Honestly I don’t think this is bad. Waiting is a skill and learning how to occupy yourself while you wait is a good thing.

One of the ways we keep busy while we wait are small activity books – Dover has some really cute little ones on a variety of subjects/themes.

6. Eat your snacks / lunch in line

Packing your own food for snacks or sandwiches for lunches is a huge money saver at Disney World. Eating those snacks or sandwiches while you wait can also keep kiddos happy and pass the time while saving time for fun stuff.

also read: disney world with a kids dairy allergy

7. Five No-Materials-Needed Games for Waiting

I also keep waiting games in the back of my mind to pull out whenever my kids start to get antsy. At six year old they also suggest some of these when they start to get bored.

Our favorite things to do while we wait or ride trains (that require zero materials) are;

1. Sing. This is less true now, but for my twins when they were toddlers this worked better than anything. If you don’t mind feeling a little silly, singing a few interactive favorite songs can pass the time easily. 
2. One Leg timed stands. This is a current favorite. Simply say “How long can you stand on your right leg?” and then either count together or time them on your phone. Take turns. Switch legs. 
3. I-Spy. Classic and a favorite with my kids. 
4. How many ____ can you find? This is a number version of I-Spy. Just say something like “How many red things can you find?” and then have them look around and count. Other ideas include how many hats, glasses, umbrellas, strollers, etc. 
5. Circle Stories. My kids started loving this when they were about 5 (even though they are just now at almost 7 starting to get good at it). One of us starts a story. Something like “Once upon a time there was a little boy and a little girl. One day they happened upon an orange sad dragon” and then the next person adds something to the story. You can go any direction with these. My kids love ones that I start with them as characters the most and beyond that the crazier and sillier the better. Keep going around in the circle adding until you come to some sort of end. 

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Birthday parties, eating out at restaurants, even dinner at a friend’s house are all on my list of Stressful for a Parent of a Child with Food Allergies, but I learned last month that Disney World is on a different list.

Disney World is on the (very short) awesome about food allergies list.

One of my twins has a severe allergy to dairy. Like the rare Epi-Pen allergic to dairy type of allergy. Parents of a child with food allergies will understand when I say that I have got this pretty much mastered at home. It took awhile and some tears and frustration, but at home and school I have a system. I am pretty confident he is safe.

Traveling with that food allergy is a whole different thing. Traveling with a food allergy means constantly eating food that I didn’t shop for and didn’t prepare and sometimes can’t communicate very clearly about. More than anything it means putting a lot of trust in someone else to make safe food for my kid.

Disney World, however, was hands down one of the best travel experiences I have had in terms of that food allergy stress.

I had certainly heard this reputation, but we recently took our first family trip to Disney World and I was blown away by how they handled allergies, so of course I had to share.

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Disney World with Kids + a Dairy Allergy

We landed at Disney World on a Saturday. It was a long flight from California (yes, I am aware that we live about 2 hours from Disneyland but we didn’t know that would be the case when we booked the trip pre-move.) and the time change and jet lag were a little tough the first day but we handled it by switching our schedule over as quickly as possible.

also read: how to help your kids conquer jet lag fast

That day we checked in, had dinner and got to bed.

STAY.

We stayed at the Art of Animation Disney Hotel which we really liked. The kids loved the Finding Nemo themed room and pool area. The playground above was also a huge hit. Us parents enjoyed the suite with an actual door and separate bathroom for us.

We had dinner and breakfast at our hotel and were pleasantly surprised by the little ways that food allergies were considered. We found soy milk and soy chocolate milk. The menus were clear and the staff was very helpful.

Then we headed to the parks.

EAT. (even with a dairy allergy)

There are SO many places to eat and wow was I overwhelmed when we first started to figure this part out.

When you add in the additional complication of a food allergy eek. BUT Disney World pleasantly surprised me with their awesome appreciation for how difficult allergies are for families to deal with.

We did a little pre-work by investigating on the Disney World website how they deal with food allergies and reading some other blogs that share reviews of different allergy options at Disney.

These are my kiddo with the severe dairy allergy’s eating experiences.

Character Breakfast at Crystal Palace

We started off our first full day – Sunday – at the Magic Kingdom and had brunch at the Crystal Palace.

I have read other experiences where the character meals were too overwhelming for them with an allergy. I can understand this, especially with certain allergies. However, we avoided the buffet tables which always freak me out in terms of cross contamination and I felt at his age and with the spacing of the tables he was pretty safe.

My kids loved meeting the Winnie the Pooh characters and even I have to admit that I got kinda giddy when Piglet stopped by, but that was not the highlight for me.

The highlight for me were these adorable Mickey Mouse waffles. Now maybe you’re unimpressed, but let me tell you why this is such a big deal.

We have been other places that have been good about food allergies. We have tracked down alternative foods that are safe in a variety of stores. BUT here’s the thing – the “alternatives” are never cute.

Not only did the Disney chefs happily whip up some dairy-free waffles and deliver them to our table, but they got that my kid is a kid. They took the extra time to make them fun.

The vegan mac and cheese does not come in shapes.

The vegan ice cream sandwiches are always squares.

Disney’s dairy free food creators get that my kid wants to have the same fun shaped food as every other kid. Cue the mama tears.

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall

The next day when we got to Epcot and went to the Princess Storybook Dining meal we got the exact same treatment:

• They knew we had a food allergy from our reservation.
• We were shown the Allergy-Friendly Menu
• The server volunteered to get a chef for us to talk any concerns over with
• and the food was delicious.

The one weird thing I will say about the Allergy-Friendly Menu is that it is set up so that the menu tells you what you CAN eat. I love the positive tone of this and wish that this was the way the whole world discussed allergies, but since it’s the opposite of everywhere else I’ve been, it was a little confusing at first.

The food wasn’t as cutesy at this meal, but that was true for all of us. It was really good though and almost everything was vegan friendly (which also means no dairy) – aside from this really big plate of meat – which he loved since he’s very much not vegan.

I can’t really explain how much a stress-free restaurant dining experience meant to me.

The fact that from the hostess to the server to the cooks all got that this was a big deal and understood how to make us feel comfortable and made zero mistakes (because of course I still had to check) with our orders was huge.

It meant not only could I eat and relax, I could also enjoy moments like my daughter meeting her favorite princess and explaining to her that “I like you the very best because you love animals just like me.”

Donald’s Safari Breakfast at Tusker House

The next day we went to Animal Kingdom and had our third and final character breakfast. Three was a little much I would probably only do one or two if I was going to do it again, but all were great experiences.

This time we met Mickey and his pals which delighted my “princessed out” son. (His words.) Again the menu was clear, the staff was helpful, and the food was delicious.

On a side note, I really liked that although some food was the same (Mickey Waffles were once again procured at Animal Kingdom) a lot of it was very different depending on where you were.

Snacks

The rest of the time we ate meals away from the parks, but we did have a few snacks worth mentioning.

Epcot was definitely our favorite place for snacking.

It did make me a little nervous that not all of the staff at Epcot spoke excellent English, but we are used to trying again and again until we are sure they understand the severity of his allergy. Despite a minor language barrier everyone continued to be very helpful and friendly about our concerns.

In fact, the day we did Epcot we snacked our way through dinner instead of having a big meal somewhere.

We all loved this adorable rice and coconut panda from a cart in the China Pavilion.

My son was thrilled to eat his first big soft pretzel in the Germany Pavilion. You wouldn’t think they contain dairy but every other place we’ve checked they have said he couldn’t have it. It was enormous and he ate almost all of it and said it was the best thing ever.

We also had ice cream and sorbet at L’Artisan Des Glaces which is tucked into the French Pavilion.

Magic Kingdom Snacks

My favorite snack spot was Gaston’s Tavern at the Magic Kingdom. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie so I loved the little details and touches.

There we drank the LaFoo specialty drink which was dairy free even though it looked so delicious and silly that was very hard to believe. Again research and lots of questions ensured that yup, no dairy!

you may also like: 7 tips for surviving lines at disney

I will share more (non-food related things) about our adventures at Disney World but for now I just want to say that as an allergy kid’s mama it was a joy. Traveling with my kids is a great experience, but that one piece usually makes it so much more stressful and complicated.

Sure we still asked lots of questions and triple checked all of our menus and his food, but it was still so much easier than most travel experiences. On top of that the little magical touches that they added, even to the allergy friendly food, were incredible.

Disney World did a remarkable job with dairy free food for our little guy and I have no doubt it made our trip a million times better.

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“I need to get out of the house.”

A couple weeks into my maternity leave with twins and I had reached the point where I needed some fresh air.

But where?

How?

I remember pondering this second question in particular as my twins lay snoozing on their breastfriend pillow.

How on earth was I going to get these two babies out of the house?

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I could see the plusses.

1. My sanity.
2. Little ones are incredibly portable once you figure out the logistics. I think the unpredictable schedules of newborns and the mountains of newborn essentials make leaving the comforts of your home daunting. For me, however, getting out of the house did so much for my spirits and sense of normalcy. And once we were out, they were typically content or asleep as long as we were moving. These mini-escapes broke up the day and quite simply helped me feel like a person, not just a nursing machine.

Read also: How to survive the first 3 years with twins

But how?

After a while I figured it out and there are definitely some things that make it easier.

Timing

It is super hard to predict what a little one is going to need and when. (This gets easier with time!)

For newborns, once your baby is fed and changed, get them in the car seat and GO!

NOTE: This means you have to have your diaper bag ready to go before you start feeding them (or have a handy helper) so that once they are in that magical happy fed, clean diaper stage you can take advantage.

What to Bring

There are two schools of thought on this.

As the mom, I tend to pack for all possible eventualities.

My husband on the other hand is more of a wing it – there’s always a store nearby – kind of guy.

If you are more his speed, you with have a lighter diaper bag with a bottle, milk or formula, diapers, wipes.

If you are more my speed, listed below is what I had in our diaper bag at all times (I have adjusted the amounts to reflect what ONE child needs. We obviously doubled everything).

NOTE: Depending on the specific needs of a season (say adding sunscreen for summer time) or a specific outing (swim suits and towels for the beach) I might add things to the bag, but for an average trip to the store or story time at the library this bag covers your general bases.

Infant Diaper Bag Essentials:

• 2 Diapers (we used these cloth ones)
• Wet Bag or Gallon Sized Ziplock Bag  (for dirty diapers and/or soiled clothes)
• Diaper Cream
• Diaper Wipes
• Hand Sanitizer (We loved this sanitizer/lotion)
• Diaper Changing Mat (ours came with the diaper bag)
• 2 Changes of Clothing (make sure it is a full change – socks included)
• Change of Shirt for Mom
• Nursing Cover (if not nursing, bottles and formula would be substituted here)
• Nursing Pads for Mom
• Small Container of Cheerios or other finger food (once you get to this stage)
• Snack + Water Bottle for Mom (especially if nursing)
• 2 Small Toys and/or Books (these were rotated occasionally and mostly used for periods of waiting)
• Nuk (we had one pacifier user and one thumb sucker)
• Wallet
• Keys
• Cellphone

Expectations

Expect that you will be late. Expect that your newborn(s) will want to nurse at the least convenient moment. Expect that someone is going to need a change of clothing.

Expect that you will somehow survive any and all challenges and you and your babies will make it home in one piece.

read also: 5 baby products new twin moms need + 1 to skip

Where to Go

So you pre-packed your diaper bag. You’ve got the fed, sleepy babies. You are ready to load them up and get outside, but where can you go with a newborn or two?

1. Neighborhood Walk. This is a great starting place. Every day for the 3 months of my maternity leave, I snuggled our newborns in their stroller and took a walk. I had a c-section so at first our “walk” was a slow (read: snails zooming past me pace) walk around our block, but by the end of the 3 months we were regularly making it 1 1/2 – 2 miles. 
2. Park or Trail. Is there a park or trail near your house? This is a great second step outing. Stroll out and back.
3. Lake or Boardwalk. We were in Minnesota when our twins were born so lakes were an easy find. Such a pretty place to push and walk. The tricky part with this was the distance. I would feed the babies, drive them to the lake, wait for them to wake up (bring a book or audiobook to listen to), feed them again and then we’d walk. Tedious, but worth it to me.
4. Snack and Stroll. If you know other friends home during the day or on maternity leave, meet them for a coffee or snack and then stroll together.
5. Zoo. Especially during the week I loved walking around the zoo. Zoos are stroller friendly and less busy during the week. They are a nice change of scenery from houses.
6. Art Museum. This is the same logic as the zoo. Strollers fit. Babies will sleep if you’re pushing them. The scenery is pleasant and different. Bonus – you might be able to talk someone else into strolling around with you.

For more walk ideas and other adventures for toddlers, check out my book Little Walks Big Adventures!

What do you get for the travel enthusiasts on your Christmas list? Speaking as someone who fits this description, it can be hard for me to come up with things that I want.

The truth is I want experiences.

I want to hop on an airplane and travel somewhere new. This might not be helpful to someone looking for something they can wrap.

It is true that what we want is to travel. This is how our family chooses to spend our extra income and vacation days. We would likely be thrilled with money towards our next adventure or an invitation from you to join in on a trip.

However, if you are looking for something you can put under the Christmas tree you have come to the right place.

The following are ideas for parents, kids, or the whole family that will enhance or brighten their next trip!

*Affiliate links included. If you use one of our links to make a purchase we will get a small percentage of the profits. Thank you for supporting Bambini Travel.

Travel Gifts for the Whole Family

For the Kids:

Child Sized Backpack
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Our kids both have the monkey backpack pictured, but there is a whole collection of bags in this line. They are the perfect size for young children. We got these when our kids turned 2 and they still work great. They are perfect for airplane travel, road trips, etc. This year we are updating because at 6 my kids are too tall for these adorable backpacks (sniff) but they lasted us 4 good years of heavy travel!

Amazon Kindle Fire Kid Edition
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We have a great love for our Kindles. Our kids love the games and books that read to them. We love that they are happy, learning skills, and developing comfort with technology. We love the Kindle Fire in particular because they are durable, easy to use, have well planned parent controls, and are relatively inexpensive.

Travel Activity Books
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We have been so impressed by the Usborne activity books. They are great for preschoolers and up. Word searches, dot to dot, mazes, etc. These keep our kids engaged for a long time.

You may also like: active toys for preschoolers

Kids Music for the Car
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Playing music in the car is one of our favorite tricks for changing the mood. Active music when we have the wiggles. Calming music when our kids need to settle in a little. Sing a longs when we need to change things up. We will be listening to some Christmas tunes on our holiday travels.

Read Also: Quality, Engaging, and Creative Activity Books to Bring on Family Trips

World Map
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There are several world maps for kids around but this is our favorite. It has a look and find game aspect built in that engages my kids much longer than a typical world map. Another interactive option is this quality world map puzzle. Either one brings a piece of the world and travel into the home for those in between family travel times.

Little Passports Subscription
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At some point, even families that love to travel are going to be in one place for a while. Little Passports is a great subscription for kids to explore while they are in between adventures. Our kids have learned a ton about maps, world landmarks, and more from Little Passports.

you may also like: puzzles & games for 5-7 year olds

For the Parents:

The World is Our Classroom
by Cindy Ross

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This is kind of like wrapping up inspiration for your loved one. This book is a thorough and inspiring account of parenting and educating children through travel and experiences. THE WORLD IS OUR CLASSROOM is a good blend of anecdotes and practical information. Ross shows through example how to learn about animals, history, other cultures, and more through travel. She offers resources, ideas and tips along the way that make you feel like ‘yes! I can take my kids on an adventure.’ You can’t help but be energized and awed by their family’s 3,100 miles on the backs of Llamas or canoe trip in the Everglades or even their more harrowing travel experiences. Great for parents who are curious about travel with kids, excited about the possibility of teaching kids through experience – full or part time, or want someone to show them little steps towards introducing the big world to children then this is an excellent gift.

FitBit or Accessories
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FitBits are a wonderful way to track your health goals while you are on the go. This one was my gift last year and I’m still obsessed with it a year later. They come in a range of sizes and colors. People that love to travel tend to also be people that love to be active. The FitBit will be useful on the road and at home.

If you know someone who already has a fitbit, then consider getting them additional bands. The Alta (that I have) has a huge range of interchangeable and relatively inexpensive bands.

Fun Camera Strap
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Travel and photography often go hand in hand. I love to capture places and experiences almost as much as I love having them. If your travel fan has the photography bug as well, a fun camera strap is a great gift idea. You can find a bunch of different options on Amazon or Etsy.

For Everyone:

Hydro Flask Waterbottles
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Families on the go need to stay hydrated. Hydro Flasks are a recent obsession in our family. They are as durable as Nalgene bottles, which we also love, but they do a much better job of protecting your fluids from the elements. If you are someone who prefers your water cold then this is for you. We’re addicted and have a growing collection of different shapes, sizes, and colors. You can find one for every member of the family.

Other Fun Gift Ideas:

10 Fun Gift Ideas for Kids Who Love Outdoor Adventures

Top 10 Gift Ideas for Kids Who Love Animals

Or check out more carefully curated lists in the KBN Holiday Gift Guide.