Party Through the USA

I've been writing a lot lately about the beach lately on both blogs, so I thought I would do a post on something a bit more generic.  On facebook, people have been asking a lot of questions about travel activities and games to put in Easter baskets.  The inspired me to put together this list of traditional (and non-traditional) games that you can find in travel versions.  I do a lot of DIY game posts , but sometimes you want to get an activity that you don't have to make.  This is for you. Connect 4 - Work on fine motor skills, logic, and planning with this tiny version of the classic game . Battleship - I've been obsessed with Battleship lately.  All my grid games are based on this war game .  Also comes in a 20 minute "express" version , which looks very interesting too. Tile Lock Scrabble - Play this classic crossword game anywhere with tiles that won't slip off the board. Trouble - I like how this game has a cover to keep everything cove

We've officially entered the countdown for our family beach trip.  Like most moms, the planning of the vacations is almost as much fun for me as the actual event, and this trip has been no exception.  I'm working on a dinosaur-themed road trip, but I'm also expecting lots of fun once we actually get to the beach.  Since I haven't figured out what I'm going to purchase for beach play time, I thought this as a great opportunity to put together a beach toys list.  It also gave the kids a chance to put in their orders (wink). Click on the toy names below the picture to buy them. John Deere Sand Tractors   ☀   Octopus Kites   ☀   Kids' Shovels Brick Building Set   ☀   Green Toys Plane Sandy Ice Cream Set   ☀   Dump Truck   ☀   Sand Buckets    Sandy Cupcakes   ☀   Melissa and Doug Pots Be sure to check back on this blog every week for Travel Time Tuesday and new content to help you plan your family road trips! Pin It!

In a few months, our family is taking a road trip to the Oregon Coast.  We've been talking about all the neat things we learned on our last trip and all the things we saw.  Whales from our hotel room window.  Star fish in tide pools.  Sea lions in caves and swimming in the ocean.  All the amazing creatures at the Oregon Coast Aquarium.  It's very different from what we see every day and so interesting. As a homeschool family , this vacation is a great opportunity to sneak in some marine biology, but you don't have to be homeschoolers to enjoy these great books.  I'm very excited about the "Beach Walk" field guide that will be released next month!  I think it'll be a great addition to our trip.  Here's my list of Pacific Northwest BEACH books! Beach Walk Nature Journal   ⛱   Pacific Northwest Nature Guide Star of the Sea: Life of a Starfish   ⛱   Wild Orca   ⛱   Crab Alphabet Seashells, Crabs, and Sea Stars   ⛱   Sea Mammal Alphabe

This is probably one of the most controversial blog posts I've ever written!  Painted rocks are colorful, adorable, and cheerful, but they have their share of haters too.  Anti-painted rock people state that rocks should be left natural, that harvesting them disturbs animal habitats, and that leaving them around places constitutes littering.  I haven't quite decided where I come down on the issue, but I thought I'd put together a giant round-up of painted rocks anyways.  What's your opinion- comment below! I named this post "Souvenir Stones: Make, Take, and Share, not to encourage people to take natural, unpainted rocks from National or State parks.  Instead, the idea behind painted rocks is that if you find a decorated rock, you can chose to leave it there or take it to put somewhere else (or keep it as a souvenir).  If you've painted your own rocks, you can set them on park benches, street curbs, picnic tables a mountain top, or anywhere a person migh