Summer vacation Archives

How to Improve Your Next Family Vacation

April 19, 2019 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

When you are raising a family, you will be able to make amazing memories every single day. Some of the most important childhood memories that people treasure, however, happen on family vacations. This is a time when you all get to spend quality time together and bond while having fun somewhere new.

When you consider the importance of family vacations in bringing your family closer together, it becomes apparent that you need to put some real thought into making the trip brilliant. To help you out, this guide is going to give you three of the best ways to improve your next vacation and give your children the chance to make incredible memories.

Travel in luxury by going private

When it comes to planning a vacation, a lot of thought is put into where you decide to go and what you will do there. It is also of vital importance that you think about how you are going to get to your chosen destination. Traveling on the cheap might seem like a good idea, but it can often leave your family feeling over-tired and cranky, meaning your vacation gets off to a bad start.

One of the best alternatives is to look into Stratos Jets Charters and consider getting yourselves a private jet to get you from A to B. This will allow your family to travel in complete comfort and even relax on the journeys.

Know what to look for when it comes to where you stay

Another aspect of planning a vacation which can often get overlooked is the hotel or resort you choose to stay at. This is something people think they should always be trying to save money on, but in actual fact, you need to stay somewhere that caters to all your needs.

By being familiar with the sort of facilities available for families from hotels, you will be able to build a better picture in your mind of what you should go for. When planning a family holiday, trying to choose somewhere that has childcare facilities so that you and your partner are able to have some time alone for a date night. You need to remember, this holiday is as much about you as it is the kids, and you deserve a break.

Planning is your new best friend

You can find helpful tips on how to plan a trip online which can help make the process much easier. By planning out what you plan to do each day, you will be able to keep to your budget and, more importantly, always make sure your children are entertained. You should factor in rainy days, and try to explore as much as possible too.

Nothing can ruin the fun of a vacation more than having your little ones break out in a temper tantrum because they are bored. Try to book your tickets and passes to attractions early to get better deals and maximize the fun on your break.

The Summer Vacation Technology Contract Every Family Needs

April 6, 2017 by dadofdivas 2 Comments

The Summer Vacation Technology Contract Every Family Needs

Every summer, families hit the road or the skies to embark on new adventures together. Nothing says family fun quite like a summer vacation, but there is one thing that can put a damper on the excitement—smartphones. Teens spend about six hours per day on their smartphones and tablets. It can be hard to create memories and bond together as a family when your teen refuses to put his or her cell phone down. How can you share funny stories, snap family photos and soak in the beautiful surroundings of your exotic destination if your teen can’t look up from his or her smartphone screen?

Before you start planning your vacation itinerary, follow these tips to create a summer vacation technology contract:

No phones allowed.

Every summer vacation technology contract should include information on “no phone zones.” Clearly outline where kids are allowed and not allowed to bring their phones while on summer vacation. For example, if you’re taking a long road trip across the country, you could allow kids to use their phones to pass the time. However, phones should be off limits at family dinners or fun excursions. As long as you make the rules fair, your kids will abide by them.

Keep it on silent.

Make sure kids know that phones should be kept on silent at all times, even in places that you have not designated as a phone-free zone. Take the example above, for instance. If you allow your teen to use her phone on a road trip, she should keep it on silent while it’s in use so she doesn’t annoy everyone else in the car.

Focus on the now.

So many kids are more interested in snapping photos than they are about living in the present, so this should be included in your technology contract. Make sure kids understand that every stop on your family vacation is not an excuse to take a dozen selfies. Designate one person in the family as the official photo taker so your kids don’t become obsessed with documenting every move of the vacation.

Give them responsibility.

The contract should make it very clear to kids that they are solely responsible for taking care of their phone during your family’s summer vacation. Kids should learn that smartphones are a privilege, not a right. If your family is heading to the beach, kids should be responsible for making sure the phone is not damaged by sand or water. Traveling on an airplane? It should be your kid’s responsibility to keep track of where they put their phone—not yours. Make sure you include ways that your teen can pay you back for replacement or repair costs if something does happen to the phone. This way they know the consequences are serious, and they’ll be more likely to keep a close eye on their phones.

Talk about safety.

Although the main purpose of the contract is to keep kids off their phones, you should also use this document as a way to talk to kids about online safety. Mention in the contract that you will be monitoring activity on the phone to make sure that your teen is not visiting dangerous apps or websites or engaging in inappropriate conversations with people.

To have a true smartphone-free summer vacation, everyone in the family has to be on board with the rules above—even parents! Set a good example for your teens by sticking to the rules of the contract and focusing on the fun that you have planned for the family. In fact, you should even work with your teens to create a “parents’ pledge” section of the contract. This section should include rules such as “I promise to be a good role model” and “I promise to set reasonable expectations for my child.” This way, teens won’t feel like they’re being singled out for their smartphone use, and will instead feel like the whole family is working towards the goal of spending more time together and less time with their eyes glued to a smartphone screen!

Summer Travel Is Here: Tips To Play Educational Games @hookedonphonics

July 11, 2014 by dadofdivas 1 Comment

Summer Travel Is Here: Tips To Play Educational Games

Whether or not your family’s summer vacation plans involve travel—by car, plane, boat or train—these 5 easy tips will help you make the most of your vacation time with your kids, while creating fun experiences that encourage reading and learning. Hooked On Phonics (www.HookedOnPhonics.com) Editorial Director (who has two young kids) Julie Temple Stan put this tips together for parents and kids to make their summer trips educational this summer:

Have your child pack his own backpack of favorite items: Even better? Make it kid-sized with your child’s favorite characters on it (like the one from Elmo’s Learning Adventure), so that your child can carry it himself. Include a favorite stuffed animal and small blanket, a couple of small books, crayons and paper, a small container of snacks, a couple of toy cars or figurines for pretend play. Don’t pack anything difficult (or expensive) to replace, so it won’t be the end of the world if your child leaves it in the waiting room at the airport. (Been there. Done that.)

Download fun learning apps before you go: Hooked On Phonics Learn to Read (iOS, Google Play, or Kindle) has music, activities, games and even a library of eBooks that are perfect for kids who know their alphabet. Download one or two Units before you leave, so you’re not dependent on an Internet connection. The rest of the library will be safely stored in the Cloud for whenever your child is ready for them. Don’t forget the headphones, but be careful that that the device’s volume stays at an appropriate level for little ears.

Play “You’ve Got Mail!” This question has plagued many a parent: How do you keep a child quiet in a restaurant, car, plane, without resorting to electronics? Answer? Write secret messages and pass them around! If your child’s not a reader yet, draw a picture instead, leaving room for replies. Fold your note so that the message is hidden and write your child’s name on the outside. Then say, “Mail . . . mail for [Katie]!” After “reading” her message, have your child write a one back to you or to another person at the table. This is a fun way to practice writing skills—and it gives everyone around you 15 minutes of peace and quiet.

Try a new twist on a classic road-trip boredom buster: Play “I Spy with My Little Eye,” but rather than finding items that are various colors, try to find items that rhyme with simple words. For example, you might spy something that rhymes with meat—street, seat, feet, treat; or fire—tire, wire, spire; or flea – tree, me; etc. If that’s too challenging, play the game spying words that start with different letters of the alphabet. Bonus points for anyone who can spot something that begins with X!

Rather than yet another T-shirt, get your kids a special book as a souvenir: While you’re on vacation, purchase a book that ties into whatever you’re doing or wherever you’re visiting. Download the book, or—better yet!—visit a locally owned used bookstore for age-appropriate recommendations. Use it for relaxing bedtime reading with your child while you’re there. That way the book about the . . . [beach, museum, city, etc] will always remind you and your child of that special family vacation.

My Take on Hooked On Phonics
My youngest who just finished Kindergarten has been very interested in reading over the last few months, picking up whatever she can and working through the books with J-Mom and I. That being said, we have always encouraged reading, though she has struggled at times with being able to do it herself. It was just this summer that she really seemed to blossom and we wanted to capitalize on this and work with her to become and even stronger reader this summer prior to starting 1st grade.

This is where Hooked On Phonics came in. I had never used this product, but I had definitely heard about it over the years and was always intrigued to try it myself. This was my first shot at using this and the Android version of the product and I have to say that it works. We started with the first grade reading material and while my daughter knew some of the words, there were still challenging parts too that allowed her to grow and learn. My daughter loved the DVD sets that accompany the materials and found the workbooks and accompanying books to be fun and engaging too.

The online app, was a great supplement, and allowed us to take her learning on the road with us. This was perfect as we had a number of summer road trips planned, and I would much rather her work on something educational while in the car, than play another mindless game that might work on your dexterity, but it does not expand your mind in any way.

The program works so well and it works at your childs’ pace. I have shared some of the materials with a friend who’s son is younger than my daughter and also has caught the reading bug but was having challenges. I am waiting to hear his thoughts, but I am confidant that it will help his son too.

If you have never tried this product for yourself, I highly encourage it, as we have found that it helped immensely and I know it will help your child too.

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The Summer Vacation Technology Contract Every Family Needs

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