We used my husband’s iPhone to guide us on our adventure. We knew there were a couple of geocaches in a nearby park. So we headed there.

My husband had previously downloaded a geocaching app for his iPhone called Geocaching.com Intro. At the park, the app finds the closest geocache and guides you to it.

The app found a geogache for us to find. The girls took turns with the iPhone pointing the direction on a compass.

Eventually you usually go off the path. (If they were on the path, people who didn’t know about the game might take them.) Then you follow the directions until you (hopefully) find the cache. The two we found today were in small plastic tubs. You’re supposed to sign the log that you find inside the tub. There are also trinkets inside the tub. You’re supposed to leave a trinket and you can take a trinket in return. We made sure all the girls had trinkets to exchange.

It was a lot of fun!

We had tried this last weekend in a more public park and never found the geocaches. Our theory is that people who didn’t know how the game might have found the caches because it was a more public place and took them. The game seems to work better in larger parks with more vegetation.

If you have a regular GPS system you can go to geocache.com and type in the zip code for the area you are going to. Then you can find different geocaches nearby. Pick one and find hints for finding it. I think it will give you the final coordinates too. You’ll need to sign up and read all about it!

Have fun!

Mama Lisa

We were amazed by how human-like the monkeys looked…

They acted even more human than they appeared…

We also loved the giraffe mama and baby…

It was cool to see the mama giraffe curve her neck and then try to hide behind the trees…

My daughter particularly loves the series of sticker books put out by Barnes and Noble. Each book is on a different subject and has 200 stickers. The books also give facts about the subject. They can be about Dinosaurs, Horses, Bugs, Pets, etc. Your child has to find where in the book the sticker belongs. Younger kids may need your help. It can be a fun activity to do with little ones. I’d say these books are good for kids from 3 to 8 years old.

Here are links to a couple of the sticker books my daughter enjoyed doing:

You can buy some of these sticker books at Barnes and Noble’s online store. Though they have a larger selection in their actual retail stores.

The other series of books that are wonderful when you have to wait is I-Spy. In the I Spy books, you search for specific objects in a sea of many objects. You can see what I mean if you follow through the “search inside” link on one of the books below. Both of my children have enjoyed these books. They’re particularly good to do together while waiting in the doctor or dentist’s office. They’re good for kids aged 4 to 10. (They have simple board book versions for younger kids.)

Here are a couple of the ones we have:

If you forget to bring the book with you, you can play the I-Spy game while waiting. One of you says, “I spy with my little eye…” and then you give a hint about something you see in the room and the other person has to guess what it is. For example, if it’s a calendar, you can say, “I spy with my little eye something with a lot of numbers on it.” Then if the other person guesses correctly, they’ll say, “A calendar!” Then it’s the other person’s turn.

Feel free to let us know in the comments below about anything you do with your children, students, or grandkids to pass the time when you have to wait.

-Mama Lisa

My family and I are planning a trip to France! And, yes, that does include my six year old daughter and thirteen year old son.

My husband and I are very excited, but we’re trying to go with our eyes open: It’s not going to be easy! Traveling with young ones is always a challenge, and the current low value of the dollar makes the financial burden that much greater.

Here’s a few of the thoughts we’ve had and resources we’ve discovered as we prepare.

Baby Jetsetter is a wonderful blog about traveling with kids. It’s focused on babies, so my kids are a bit old for some of the tips, but if you’re planning a trip with the diaper and pacifier set, you should definitely check it out. For instance, the latest post gives great recommendations on what to pack and what not to pack in your carry-on bag for the plane.

The falling value of the US dollar is making traveling more expensive for Americans. Just this morning the New York Times posted an article on some coping strategies. I particularly like the suggestion of one commenter to forgo expensive Parisian restaurants and, instead, plan some picnics of baguettes and wheels of Brie or Camembert. (And maybe some grapes or apples on the side. I can’t completely ignore my diet!) What could be more genuinely Parisian?

I can get by in French, and my son is studying it in school. But my husband and daughter don’t know a word. I’m trying to prepare them by injecting some phrases into our conversation where I can. A few bonjour’s and s’il vous plait’s may not seem like much, but they’re a start.

And then, of course, there are the books!

I’m planning on picking up Ludwig Bemelmans classic Madeline to help acquaint my daughter with images of Paris in a way she can relate to.

There’s only so much wandering around museums we can expect a six year old and thirteen year old to tolerate, so we picked up Fodor’s Around Paris with Kids. It’s filled with kid friendly parks, boat rides and amusement parks that will, hopefully, make the city of lights come alive for our kids.

And finally, my husband is an inveterate reader and a history buff. He refuses to leave the house without studying two thousand years of the history of any place he goes. So he picked up La Belle France, A Short History by Alistair Horne. When we finally arrive, he may not be able to speak a word, but we’ll have to struggle to cut him off from lecturing us for hours about the historical background of every monument and Roman ruin we visit.

It’s taking a lot of preparation and it’s going to cost us a bit, but I think traveling is very important for both kids and adults. And, despite all the anticipated problems, it should be a huge amount of fun!