· A cheerful, fact-packed book that gives families just the help they need to pick the right destination for their next trip, whether that's a weekend getaway or a weeklong vacation.
· Detailed chapters on San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles as well as on the most family-friendly ocean and mountain resorts.
· Top family activities and destinations by category (with categories ranging from big-time sports, skiing, and other outdoor activities, to family camps and ranches, children's museums, and historic sites.
· Loaded with suggestions for family-friendly places to stay and eat.
· Written by Clark Norton, who has written for the
San Francisco Examiner, Parenting, and
Discovery, and who has traveled all over California for years in the company of his two now-teenaged children.
Aside form great coverage of all the things to see and do with your kids in the Northeast, this guide also provides tips to make sure getting there really is half the fun.
What's in the Cupages 2 to 4
Take turns dropping a coin, key, crayon, grape, or other small object into a hard plastic cup. Shake it, and then see if anyone can guess what's in it.
I Spyages 4 to 8
One child starts by "spying" something, such as a red barn, then announces, "I spy something red." Whoever guesses what it is becomes it next. Limit choices to inside or outside the car.
Animal Lookoutages 4 to 12
Give points for animals spotted; the winner is the person with the highest total when you arrive at your destination. In our version dogs and cats were worth 1 point; chipmunks and squirrels, 2 points; farm animals (horses, cows, chickens, sheep), 3 points; deer, rabbits, and birds, 5 points; snakes, moose, and other unlikely specimens, 10 points.
Collect the Alphabet Gameages 4 to 12
We compete to see who can find all the letters of the alphabet, in sequence, first. We permit only one letter for each sign, billboard, license plate, and so on, per player. The letters q and z are the toughies.
Pink Toadsages 4 to 12
"It" must answer any question asked of him or her with the phrase "Pink Toads" without laughing. Other players try to provoke laughter by asking what Its favorite breakfast is or what It always takes to bed with him or her or what he or she most hopes to get for a birthday present. Whoever makes It laugh becomes It for the next round. Gavin and his friends found this a much more hilarious game than John and I did. For the most fun, use other silly phrases, changing frequently.
I'm Taking a Tripages 5 and up
To us this is a classic. The first person says, "I'm taking a trip and packing an apron." The second person repeats the sentence and adds an item beginning with the letter b, and so on, until someone forgets one item.
Treasure Huntages 5 and up
With your kids, draw up a list of items to look for along the way. A few examples: a hay wagon, a cement mixer, a black dog, a bridge, and a waterfall. Twenty to 30 items are sufficient; if your kids are older, add in a few hard ones, such as a burned-down house or an auto graveyard. En route, check them off as they're spotted.
Counting Cowsages 5 to 12
One person counts the cows in fields on one side of the road; the other person counts those on the opposite side; when you pass a graveyard, the person whose side it is on must bury his or her cows and start again. To keep the game manageable, pick an end point -- until you stop for lunch or reach a turnoff.
Round-Robin Storyages 6 to 14
One person begins a tale, stopping after 10 sentences or an agreed-upon time limit (one or two minutes for little kids, longer for older ones). Then another storyteller adds to it, and so on until the last person has to wrap up a conclusion. We found it fun to tape these and play them later.
Twenty Questionsages 10 and up
You probably know how to play this game, but if not, read on. One player thinks of a person, place, or thing for others to guess. We sometimes mention one clue, as in "I'm thinking of something inside a house" or "I'm thinking of a place in New York City," to make it easy enough for younger kids. The other players can ask up to 20 questions (only if they can be answered with "yes" or "no") to help them guess.
Ghostages 10 and up
Both John and I played this challenging game when we were kids, and Gavin likes it as much as we did then. The first player says the first letter of any word with more than four letters, but without saying the word. The next player adds a letter that would fit in a word he has in mind. Then the next player adds another letter, and so on. The point, however, is to add letters without completing any word. Whoever does (or can't think of a letter to add) is given the letter G. The next time it happens he or she gets an H, and so on until someone completes the word "ghost" and is out of the game. The last player in the game wins.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
