Traveling? Apps to pack to avoid summer brain drain

Warm weather and sunshine are putting families across the country in vacation-planning mode. Whether traveling by train, plane or automobile, mobile devices are typically the first thing parents and kids pack.

techy travel

In fact, American families take more than 100 million leisure trips a year and the average family juggles up to six devices – ranging from smartphones to tablets to laptops. It’s no surprise that summer is the most popular family travel time, and for many kids the school break can result in a measurable brain drain. Studies show students lose about a month of learning during the summer break. Concerned parents can dial up the learning quotient with a few well-packed apps that keep little ones engaged whether traveling far or settling in for a summer staycation.

With more than 300 new apps unveiled every day, finding the right-sized app for your child can be daunting. Skip the exhausting mind-meld. Smart parents use trusted sites like Common Sense Media to search for apps by age, theme and ratings, or pop onto a family-friendly network like Fingerprint to peruse a library of apps that parents approve and kids love.

By doing a little homework, parents can find an app for every kind of kid – world traveler, animal lover, nature explorer or inquisitive preschooler.

For your budding world traveler

Learning a second language at a young age is linked to higher test scores, greater confidence and enhanced critical [Read more…]

Agritourism in the Catskills @I_LOVE_NY

When booking your next family holiday, perhaps you would like to try something a little different, more hands on, and that will bring you closer as a family while learning fun and useful things. Agritourism is growing in both popularity and availability- it is not only an educational experience, but a truly unique and interesting one that the whole family can enjoy.

Hull-o Farm

For many, farming was the way our ancestors made a living, and there are still quite a few Americans today who farm full time. Family farms, however, are fast going the way of horse drawn carriages and mechanical watches- it gets harder every year for small, family owned farms to make a living while large brand owned businesses are in the game and making regulations difficult. Enter agritourism. Not only does this allow family farms to stay afloat, but also gives today’s families and children who often have zero idea what manual and physical labor is, insight to the inner workings of farm life, days gone by, rural living, and a whole day being outside- without a video game in sight.

Hull-o Farm

We recently took such a trip to Hull-O Farms in the Catskills of upstate NY. This is not a petting zoo- you can actually take part in farm chores. You will learn to milk a cow, feed the chickens, find the eggs from the coop, bottle feed baby goats, and more. Your family stays right on site on farm property, eating with the other guests in the large kitchen food prepared by Mrs. Hull herself (many recipes honed after being handed down for generations) and often grown on the farm. The family is the 6th generation of farmers who have lived on the property. Mr. Hull (AKA “Farmer Frank”) [Read more…]

Family Travel in Europe

When you are looking for an exiting, educational, and interesting family trip, Europe should be
someplace you consider. Bursting with culture, history, different food and dining experiences, and tourist attractions
to suit all interests, there will be something for everyone to enjoy. With exciting capital cities such as London, Paris, and Rome all within a day’s travel of each other, you can learn about the pope, the Bastille, and the Beatles all in one trip.

European Travel with Kids

The History
Whatever period in history your child is studying, or even if they are much too young to officially do so- they can do hands on, visual first person study. One can learn a lot from books, however- things tend to stay with you more so if one experiences things for themselves.
Visit Buckingham palace to see the place of kings and Queens that influenced our own country, watch the changing of the guards, and cross London Bridge to learn the history of it (or them). There are fantastic museums at most of the important historical locations, such as the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam or the Acropolis Museum in Athens. Where will your journey take you?

The Art
Visits to Europe are a great way to have more in depth experiences with art and architecture, as many of the best galleries in the world are located in European cities. These include the Louvre in Paris, where the Mona Lisa is kept, and the Tate Modern in London where you can see works by many of the best modern artists including Monet and Anish Kapoor. However, you don’t need to limit yourself to museums to see great works of art- – cathedrals and churches house amazing works such as Michelangelo’s paintings in the Sistine Chapel and on buildings such as the Parthenon in Greece, as well as stained glass marvels in the Notre Dame in France.

Swiss Fondue

The Food
Every European [Read more…]

SeatPets- the New and Improved Version #Travel

I don’t know about you but my son just adores his seat belt. He puts it on all the time without fail, never fighting even a little bit, all by himself with no coaxing. And then I wake up.

seat pets

Well, now he does. You see, very recently we were able to install his favorite accessory of the car. The fun, new SeatPet. This wonderful invention takes the idea of a a seat belt cover and adds a few upgrades- It is a seat belt cover, a stuffed animal, and a handy storage container for the car (and a very useful nap pillow).

Watching him nap in the car without anything just makes my neck hurt, and leads to the “car shuffle” to find his small travel pillow I keep in the car for him. But with the SeatPet he always has a pillow to pass out [Read more…]

Have Sippy, I’m Traveling! In Maine

Tomorrow I will be headed out to Maine, so please make sure you are connected with me on Twitter, Foursquare, Instagram, and Facebook to see what I am [Read more…]

eBags – Easy Travel Bags

Family travel has its own unique luggage requirements, this means packing extra items most of the time. Always pack extra underwear/shirt/pants for your little ones, maybe even two extras if they are on a particularly messy couple of days. But all these extras are going to be put where? Luggage space is a commodity, and a good packer can make it fit without breaking any of it.

eBags

Realizing what you are packing for is the first step. Is this a flight, a car ride, or a hike? Flights can be interesting because weight is a concern as well as the number of bags one is able to bring as checked baggage and carry on luggage. Car travel makes trunk space the area of concern. Luggage, snacks, drinks, car toys, and distractions all need to fit in that trunk and backseat. Hiking narrows it down even more, a backpack. This backpack is your comrade in your quest for mother nature and enjoyment, so only the best will do.

All of these packing needs have one thing in common- luggage. [Read more…]

Joovy Foocot-A Child’s Perfect Bed on The Go

 

Disclosure: The Joovy Foocots were provided to me to help facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.
Joovy FoocotWith summer here and my family constantly on the go, it sure is hard to always have a place for my oldest to sleep. She is too big for a playpen, but yet we don’t always have an extra bed available. I don’t mind occasionally allowing her to sleep with us, but it does create an extremely bad habit. I must say that the Joovy Foocot is one of the best products I have ever used.

About Joovy:

Joovy is a company that creates family gear at a very high quality.

Their goal is to design and manufacture family gear products that are extremely useful, practical, good-looking, and fun. The products have premium features and use vibrant, high quality fabrics and materials.

Joovy has a wide range of products. Strollers, bottles, walkers, playpens, etc.

FoocotJoovy

About Joovy Foocot:

The Joovy Foocot truly is a dream cot for your child. Kids love having their own bed away from home, and the parents love that they can easily take it along with them anywhere.

The Foocot has two storage pockets perfect for storing a flashlight, toothbrush, snacks, special toy, or favorite book.

The Foocot can support a child up to 48 inches tall or 75 pounds. This extremely durable children’s cot is made of a sturdy [Read more…]

Summer is Here- Vacation Destinations for Every Family

Summer is the perfect time of the year to enjoy a family vacation to many different locations across the country. Whether you’re planning a mountain retreat, are looking for a historical and educational area to visit or are planning to relax along a beautiful beach somewhere, there are a wide variety of top vacation destinations that are sure to provide you with everything that you’re looking for. A summer family vacation also gives you the opportunity to bond with one another while enjoying activities, attractions and sight-seeing that you may have never experienced before. These destinations are highly recommended for all families to consider visiting for their next summer vacation.

Lake George, NY

Lake George, NY

 

Yosemite National Park, California

The Yosemite National Park is one destination that you will not want to pass up a visit to with the whole family. This summer, find a variety of Yosemite hotels that currently offer availability for booking. Relax in your [Read more…]