Today I’m over at Faith Gateway {the awesome new home for Tommy Mommy posts!} sharing some favorite road trip activities to keep your kids’ from going into a screen-time coma during summer travels! We have traveled out of town during four of the last six weeks, so this topic hits close to home for me! {No road trips for a few weeks, please!}
And with all that travel, I have a little laugh to go along with it for you today…
On a road trip recently, I taught the boys how to play “Animal, Vegetable, Mineral,” a favorite car game of my family when I was growing up. Here is the basic premise:
We all took turns thinking of something, and the rest of the family took turns asking yes or no questions to figure out that “something!”
Animal meant a person or animal. Vegetable stood for all other living things, including plants, fruits, and, obviously, vegetables! Mineral was anything NOT living.
Example:
Is it an animal? No.
Is it a vegetable? Yes.
Is it red? No.
Is it green? Yes.
Is it tall? Yes.
Is it found in the United States? Yes.
Is it found in cold weather? No.
Is it found in the desert? Yes.
Is it a Saguaro cactus? YES!
The boys caught on much quicker than I thought they would! We were several turns into the game when someone finally thought of a person to be guessed.
Now, I wanted to set them up for success in the game, so I made sure they asked first if the person was fictional and then, if they were not fictional, if they were alive. Having played this games about 10,001 times, I knew this woud be a helpful hint.
Big J thought of something for us to guess and Little J started off with his questions…
Little J: Is it an animal?
Big J: Yes.
Little J: Is it a person?
Big J: Yes.
Little J: Is the person fictional?
Big J: No.
Little J: Is this person alive?
Big J: No.
I was pretty proud of his line of questioning so far, so I let him keep going, listening from the front seat…
Little J: Is it a president? {super impressed with that question}
Big J: Yes.
And then he went for the jugular…
Little J: Is it Ronald Reagan?
Um, WHAT?! Ronald Reagan?! Did my almost-five-years-old-at-the-time son really just guess RONALD REAGAN all on his own?! I just about died right then and there from the shock and hilarity of the moment.
Unfortunately for him, Big J answered with a “no.” But Little J was not deterred…
Little J: Is it Dwight D. Eisenhower?
WHO IS THIS KID?!?!
Big J: No.
Little J: Is it George Washington?
Big J: YES!
And then I called The Hubby and tried to tell him the whole story without busting out in laughter.
Thank you, Presidents vs. Aliens app. My five-year-old is now ready for American History.
I'm Erin, a wife, boy mom x 3, writer, and runner in Nebraska! I'm excited to share all my favorites relating to faith, family, fashion, and fitness in this space! Enjoy! 