Bonnie, said in her most grumpy teenage voice: “Why do you want to see the Grand Canyon? It’s just
a hole in the ground.”
Later…
Bonnie, now annoyed: “Why can’t I see the Grand Canyon? You just said we’re
getting close!”
Me: “Because…it’s just a hole
in the ground.”
Bonnie: “Oh.”The hole in the ground. |
What worked well:
- The candy jar. Every hour, each kid gets a small candy (mostly Starbursts) for being good in the car and being nice to their family. The latter requirement is the one that’s been difficult for them.
- Daily “treats”. Each day, they get something new. So far, they’ve gotten new backpacks, a folder with activity pages (license plate games, etc) that my sister put together) and a white board, complete with erasable marker. Collin keeps insisting that he needs all his “treats” at once, but I’m holding out.
- Activity List: My dashboard has a list of activities we can do. When we are bored, we look at it and do something new. My list: cleaning time, coloring time, activity page time, stretching time, game time (alphabet game, etc.), free time, music time, movie time, book on CD time.
- Rotations: We split the day into three parts (for the three children that are old enough to ride in the front seat). Then we rotate – everyone has a turn in the front, middle and back. Except Sophia, who sits in the back and just has rotating companions.
- Stopping at parks: Each day, we’ve stopped at a park. Afterwards, the kids are so much more relaxed in the car. I was raised to get where we’re going, not to stop and enjoy the ride. The kids are even programmed this way: they ask me at least once a day if we can just “get where we’re going”. Truly, we’re all so much happier after stopping – even if it’s just for 15 minutes.
What hasn’t worked: Jack sitting next to Sophia. ‘Nuf said.
Where we’ve been:
- Territorial Statehouse Museum: The kids were too squirrely to go inside, so we just took pictures outside of the pioneer cabins and schoolhouse. Not that impressed, although I probably would have been more impressed if we actually went inside.
- East Canyon Park, Cedar City, UT: Loved it – the kids played in the river.
- Cousins’ House: The fam put together a delicious dinner for us (yay!) and gave us a stress-free place to crash. They even have kids’ toys in the basement.
- Fredonia Park: The equipment was metal. It was hot. The kids were not impressed. They did get out of the car, though.
- Grand Canyon: Amazingly enough, it wasn’t too hot. The parking lots were almost empty. We went, we saw, we bought souvenirs. Kids were impressed, and so was I – even though it was “just a hole in the ground”.
- Bow and Arrow Park, Flagstaff, AZ: A small and not-too-impressive park, it still kept the kids very happy for a while, and let them get out some steam. Not so much Bonnie, however, who said “Can we leave yet? How about now” about a hundred times.
- Walnut Canyon National Monument: Whoa. Cliff dwellers were impressive - making a home on the side of a cliff, as well as farming there? Amazing. Sadly, Sophie pooped out on this one, so we didn't stay very long. Very, very sleepy girl.
Although she is faking sleeping in this picture. |
Wow, so much fun!!!! I love to hear about your adventures!
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