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17 | Wednesday, March 5, 2014 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Turn the drive into family time on your spring road trip Are you looking forward to your next family vacation, but dreading the drive? What if the drive were part of your familytime, rather than something to be endured? Wake up your creativity and get everyone engaged with the following games and activities. You can limit whining, minimize screen-time and start your vacation as soon as you buckle up. Play the alphabet game. Take turns making sentences, the wackier the better, working your way through the alphabet. The first person starts with "A" and creates a sentence such as "Aunt Agatha's angry alligator ate anchovies." The next person gets the letter "B". Each word must begin with that letter, not just the letter sound. Challenge kids to stretch their sentences by adding descriptive words. Give your kids a map. Before major road trips, Cara Althoff picks up extra maps of their route for her children, Ilex and Zaya. She folds the maps so the route is showing, and puts each one in a sheet protector. "Give each child a dry-erase marker and let them trace your route as you drive," says Althoff. The sheet protector keeps the map folded; the marker works on it and the map can be used again. Show your child your starting point and destination and give them an explanation of your route. Every 10 miles or so, have your kids mark the distance you've travelled. Name the towns you are passing through and encourage By Heather Lee Leap them to check road signs so they can follow along. When they ask, "How much further," remind them they have the answer in their hands. Quiz your kids on math facts. This game is easy to tailor to individual children. Call a child's name and ask them to answer an equation. Little kids can try easy addition and subtraction while older sibs can work on multiplication or division facts. Toss some basic algebraic thinking into the mix by asking things like "two plus what equals 11?" Hold a scavenger hunt. How long will it take to find all the letters of the alphabet in order? How about numbers zero through one hundred? Keep a tally of license plates from different provinces and states. Brainstorm a list of both common and unusual things you might see on your journey. Hand this list to the kids in the backseat so they can work together to spot the different items, animals and people. Create stories about the people you see. Who is that man with the mustache, and where is he going? Take turns choosing people and imagining a life and personality for them. Work together to expand the story. Leave the story dangling with phrases such as, "until..." or "and then..." for the next person to pick up. Listen to audio-books. "We always listen to audio-books as a family versus having the kids use headphones," says Oregon mom Madeline Landis, whose family has made the seventeen-hour trip to Palm Springs five times. Sometimes, listening to music in the car simply adds to the noise, but focusing on what is happening in a good book allows kids and adults to forget the discomforts of travel. Landis finds her kids, ages eleven and nine, are engaged in the story longer if they all listen together; it becomes quality family time. And finally, when you've exhausted all other resources or just need quiet, adults can give ear plugs a try. Sometimes kids just need to be rowdy. Summer Camps SIGN UP ONLINE YMCA of Oakville www.ultimatedrivers.ca MARCH BREAK SPECIAL SAVE $100 MARCH 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 MARCH 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 4-DAY: Register today! Choose from one of our four locations: Peter Gilgan Family YMCA Bronte Creek Provincial Park Valens Conservation Area Palermo Public School Extended hours and busing available. Gift Certificates Available 905.825.1172 407 Speers Rd. Suite 213, Oakville 905-845-3417 | ymcaofoakvillecamp.com