HRM Parent Blog

Ahhhhh Road Trips.  There’s nothing like a good road trip to bring the family together…or not!  Multiple pee breaks, car sickness, back seat fights and more.  No matter how far you’re going or who’s going with you, we hope these ideas will help make sure your next road trip is Time Well Spent for everyone.

Bingo – plan ahead for this one.  Buy or download and print travel bingo cards for everyone then have fun trying to make a line, X or four corners with all the things you see while you’re on the road. 

Guess Who? – Someone thinks of a person, place or thing and everyone takes turns asking questions that can only be answered with yes or no.  20 questions max!

License to Fun - using the letters of another car’s license plate have the gang create phrases to match.  For example, WNU could be “wear new underwear” or “worms never understand”.  Keep going until you run out then move on to the next car’s plate.

I Spy – this classic game is always a hit with the younger ones.  Play it based on things you spy inside or outside the car and be sure to take a few guesses before spotting the real thing to make for more giggles.

Trivia Time – before you leave, grab the quiz cards from your Cranium, Trivial Pursuit or other board games and award a point for each correct answer. 15 points gets you a winner.

 

Tour Guides – once you know the cities and areas you’ll be passing through, assign one to each traveler (who’s old enough) and have them do some prep-work to find out cool facts and history about it.  As you're driving through each city, have the designated tour guides share what they learned.

 

Solo Activities – not every moment of your road trip has to be filled with fun and games so be sure to block off a little “quiet time” to relax and enjoy the view.  Books, iPods, DVD players, magazines, art supplies, comics and puzzles are all perfect ways to keep each child busy without too much noise.   

Pit Stops - do some pre-trip research to find skate parks, playgrounds and walking trails along your route.  Nothing breaks up a long trip more than having time to stretch the legs and grab some fresh air.  If it keeps everyone happy, it’ll be well worth the extra time it might add to your plans.

Snacks and a Cooler Bag – you can never have too many snacks, but be sure to pack lots of healthy ones too.  Sandwiches, apples, oranges, pears, grapes, snow peas, nuts, tiny tomatoes, carrot and celery sticks all travel well in storage containers or bags.  Reusable water bottles for everyone are a must and a few sweet or salty treats are always good for keeping the peace in a pinch.

 

We always love hearing from you so be sure to share your tried and true tactics for getting to your destination in one piece. 

Safe Travels!

We didn’t let the yucky weather stop us today and tucked inside the theatre to see HOP – the newly released family movie about the son of the Easter Bunny.  The girls totally enjoyed it and there were a few good laughs for the adults as well.  If you’re looking for something do this weekend – be sure to check it out.

 

 

For the hobby enthusiasts in your house, hop in the car and head to the Shearwater Aviation Museum for the 13th annual Spring Hobby Show.  With aircraft, armor, ship and railway models, a model contest and Lego display, it’s sure not to disappoint. 

 

As always, check our out ever growing events calendar for other great things to do.

Whatever you and the kids choose to do this weekend - we hope it’s safe and fun!

There's just over four months left to save with your ABC Family Card - even if you don't already have one, there's still plenty of ways to save big with it in the time left, so make sure you scoot off to buy one asap, OK? At only $10 for the card, it's easy to save money at participating businesses, over and over again. Here's my top ten picks (but there are more ways - check out the full list of discounts here)*:

1. Enjoy our wonderful city and be a tourist with 25% off a family pass or one adult pass for the Harbour Hopper and Theodore Tugboat! You save $15-18 off a family pass, which more than pays for your ABC Family Card and still means savings! (If you only have one child under 5 though, you are probably better off using the 25% discount on one adult pass, saving $5-6, and paying full price for another adult and your child. Check out the rate pages for the Harbour Hopper and Theodore Tugboat to figure out what's best for you.) Theodore runs into September and the Harbour Hopper until late October.

2. Get your family's holiday photos organized! Now's the time to be booking for this, and with the ABC Family Card you can save money on your photos from five local photographers! Choose from a 10% or 25% discount on products and services, or receive free prints with your photography session, with savings starting at $30 and going up - another way for your ABC Family Card to pay for itself quickly! If you are planning family photos this year, make sure to check out the work of these wonderful local photographers.

3. Now that I have number two on the way, I've been reviewing my cloth diaper stash and seeing what I'd like to add to it. There's lots of options available: for the best selection, check out Nurtured and Enchanted Forest and get 10% off purchases; also Klassy Kids in Cole Harbour are now stocking cloth diapers and My Lil Package has a limited selection too! I love love love my cloth diapers and the thought of using them makes going back to changing diapers a *little* bit more tolerable!

4. Get those back-to-school haircuts at Sharkey's Cuts for Kids in Bedford, saving 10%. The kids enjoy movies and games while getting their hair cut without any fuss!

5. Who doesn't like pizza? Save 10% at Pizza Delight in Halifax Shopping Centre, Bayers Lake and Tacoma Drive in Dartmouth. Or head over to Smitty's in Dartmouth and kids under 10 eat free after 4pm! Mmmmm...food...

6. Looking to shed a few pounds before Christmas? Use your ABC Family Card to receive a free trial class with Outdoor Fitness at Point Pleasant Park or receive 5% off classes and workshops at Core Essentials in Dartmouth. Lemme know how it goes - I'll be at Pizza Delight... ;)

7. Oh, books, how I love thee, and how I love Tattletales. Get 15% off all merchandise at this local bookstore - this includes their wonderful selection of toys as well! I try to use the library as much as possible, but just can't resist the pull of books at a discount. I suspect I'll be doing a large portion of my Christmas shopping there...

8. And speaking of Christmas shopping, your ABC Family Card has lots of options for unique Christmas gifts at a discount for your loved ones! Check out our shopping section for all the details, but here's a few that pop out at me: the very cute custom glass tile photo pendants from local business Storybird Designs (save $5 - a great gift for grandma!), the impressive selection of toys and games at My Lil Package, and the fun science-related toys at the Discovery Shop. Christmas can be expensive - make sure you use your ABC Family Card to cut back on those expenses this year!

9. Last year my son participated in music classes with Andrea from Andrea's Music Studio , and our report is that Andrea is simply wonderful! If your child is showing some musical interest, why not try a free trial lesson in piano, guitar or voice at Andrea's Music Studio to see if it's time to pursue regular lessons?

10. If you want to escape the heat of the summer, head indoors for some air-conditioned fun at the Discovery Centre (free child admission with purchase of an adult admission), Aplaydia ($2 off admission), Fairlanes Bowling ($5 off an hour of bowling), or Tree House Cafe (10% off admission). And with summer going to an end, there will be lots more opportunities for indoor fun as we head into winter. Summer has been great though, hasn't it?

OK, that's a lot of ideas! For more ways, to save, check our the full list of discounts here. I really hope you find your ABC Family Card useful - I know I've been enjoying it this year! If you don't already have one, you can buy one online here, or for a list of participating stores that also sell the cards, click here.

* Check abcfamilycard.ca for a full list of discounts and exclusions. Offers mentioned may have restrictions.