Have you started planning your family’s summer travel plans?

Whether it is traveling to the cabin, visiting relatives or taking a trip across the great U.S.A, many of us will find ourselves in the car.  Car travel with children can be pleasant or extremely painful depending on the day, hour or minute.

Anyone traveling with small children needs to be prepared with music, books, games, snacks, vomit bags, clean up supplies and a ton of patience!

License plates can be a great distraction and a fun resource for various activities in the car.

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Do you call today Washington’s Birthday or Presidents’ Day?

The holiday observed on the 3rd Monday in February is officially called Washington’s birthday (Washington was born on February 22nd in case you wanted to know the exact date).  However many Americans believe that the 3rd Monday in February is called Presidents’ Day.  They feel that this day is meant to celebrate both George Washington as well as Abraham Lincoln.

So whether you call it Washington’s birthday or Presidents’ day, I am assuming you will take the time to teach your children some presidential facts today.

At our house, Presidents’ has an extra special significance.  Last year on this day my son had the once in a lifetime opportunity to appear on the Rachael Ray show.  He had taken an interest in learning about the presidents and decided to memorize all 44 presidents in order.  His talent was featured on her show for Presidents’ Day.

If you would like to see the video, here is the link: Rachael Ray Presidents’ Day Show 2009

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What will you do on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day?

Are your children home from school?  Do they know why they have the day off?

It is sad to think that many children will spend today enjoying their day off of school, but not take the time to learn more about Martin Luther King, Jr.

I admit that my children and I may go to lunch and maybe a movie to take advantage of a day home from school.  However I will also make sure that we talk about Martin Luther King, Jr. and what he did for this country.  I also want to give them a better understanding of who he was and why he is an important man in history.

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Will you be teaching your children about Martin Luther King Jr. next Monday?

I realize that Martin Luther King Jr. day is not until Monday, January 18th.  However as a parent, planning ahead can make life easier.  Since my children will have the day off from school, I feel it is important that we discuss why there is no school and teach them about Martin Luther King Jr.

Yes I am sure that on Monday I could go online and quickly pull up an article or activity to do with my children.  I decided that I would take some time this week to look through a couple articles and activities and find one that would work well for both a 6 year old and a 3 year old.

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Are you incorporating the holidays into daily activities?

The holidays are a great time to learn about history and religion but it also provides parents and educators with endless possibilities from all the academic areas.

From writing letters to Santa to scooping cotton balls into buckets, most preschool and elementary children find great joy in doing holiday and winter activities.

Even a simple holiday treat like the Candy Cane can be used for a number of educational activities.

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