Party Through the USA

Idaho is full of beautiful natural places to visit and many Idahoans spend a lot of time in nature whether white water rafting, mountain climbing, skiing, fishing, boating, camping, or foraging.  What's lesser known, even to most Idahoans is all the man-made attractions we have in our state.  From history museums to amusement parks, here are 10 places you must put on your family bucket list.



1- Cataldo Mission
The Cataldo Mission at Old Mission State part in Northern Idaho is the oldest building in the state.  It was built between 1850 and 1853 in a cooperation between Catholic missionaries and the Coeur d' Alene (CDA) tribe.  If you're coming through Idaho on I-90, this park a few miles outside of CDA makes a great 1-2 hour educational and cultural field trip and a lovely place for a picnic.



2- World Center for Birds of Prey
A few years ago, we visited the Reptile Gardens in Rapid City, SD, and really enjoyed it.  We missed their raptor show, though.  Ever since then, we&#…

I love reading on social media about camping, whether it's people asking questions about camping with kids or pictures of happy, family trips. It makes me feel like things are finally getting back to normal for many people, which makes my heart very joyful. Even if you're not in a place where camping is allowed quite yet, you can still read about camping in this fun collection of books. They'd also be a nice activity for a rainy camping trip or a way to keep the excitement alive even when it's not camping season. Learn more about the books by clicking on the colored text.



Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping
I'm not sure if English is Amelia Bedelia's first language or not, but she always seems to get the meaning of the words messed up.  She thinks that pitch a tent means to throw it and that catching a fish is done with your hands.  Kids will laugh at the silly situations that she gets herself into, while enjoying this fun camping adventure.


Just Me and My Dad
I loved…

On our recent family road trip, we got to visit the Mammoth Dig Site in Hot Springs, South Dakota.  Our family loves to see dinosaur fossils, but this was our first time looking at ancient mammals.  The site is home to the largest collection of Colombian Mammoths in the world!  And Colombian Mammoths are the biggest land mammals to ever live on earth!  It's so amazing to stand under their shadow and imagine living during their time.



As the name implies, the museum is an active dig site, which attracts paleontologists from all over the world.  There are even options for kids to dig!  Our entire family enjoyed play "I-Spy" to pick out the mammoth fossils.  The pictures don't do it justice at all.  You can see entire bodies, lots of heads, and various body parts.



 The site used to be a hot springs sink hole, and many other animals besides mammoths are enclosed within the mud.  The list includes Woolly Mammoths, Giant Short Faced Bears, American Camel, llamas, prairie d…

Now that the Disney parks are starting to reopen, perhaps you're starting to plan your family road trip to go see Mickey.  Or maybe you have absolutely no intention to visit the giant mouse trap, but still want a bit of Disney fun in your life.  Or maybe, like me, you've built a family tradition around themed road trips (parties on wheels) and need ideas.  Keep scrolling to read all the details.

My family just returned from a 2,000 mile trip to visit family.  We have enjoyed many themed road trips over the years- Jurassic Park, Moana, pirates, Minions, and more (see all the ideas here)- so this year we decided to make it a Mickey party.  The big mouse turned 90 years old last year, but I was surprised how difficult it was to find Mickey-themed party supplies and ideas.  I ended up doing quite a bit of crafting, but that's not anything new.

Fortunately, my sister, who lives in a big city, was able to put a box together for us with things she found.  We ended up with colori…

With Disney parks starting to reopen around the world, many families are starting to think about vacations again!  Or maybe you're not heading to a Disney property and just want to spice up your annual trip to the relatives.  No matter where you're heading, you need to bring some clothes with you.  I highly suggest that you make packing cubes part of your organizational plan.

On a lot of family packing blogs, they suggest that you pack your family's clothes in ziptop bags, one bag for each person for each day.  That's a lot of plastic bags!  I know that they can be reused, but that only works if kids are gentle with the bags when they open them.  Or if the bag doesn't get punctured in some way during the trip.

Instead of using slippery plastic bags, our family uses packing cubes.  If you've never heard of them, packing cubes are thin fabric bags that have zippers to close them and usually a handle for carrying them.  Most people use them inside of their normal…

Despite all the device options available to families today, sometimes you still find yourself needing additional activities for your kids.  Maybe your screens have lost their charge or you're stuck in traffic for longer than you expected or the games and movies have lost their novelty.  What will do you?

Or, maybe your family prefers to go on old fashioned screen-free road trips, complete with staring out the window, playing the license plate game, and sing-along songs.  There's are so many great songs to sing with kids to keep them entertained, engaged, and enthusiastic.  You might even get them to laugh.  Here's my list of 20 great sing-along songs!

1- Down on Grandpa's Farm

2- There's a Hole in the Bucket

3- On Top of Spaghetti

4- 99 Bottles of Pop on the Wall

5- The Ants Go Marching

6- Peanut Butter Pirates

7- My Aunt Came Back

8- Down By the Bay

9- Boom Chicka Boom

10- Wheels on the Bus

11- Little Red Wagon

12- I am Slowly Going Crazy

13- Billy Joe McGuffrey

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