Road Trip Games #1: ABC Scavenger Hunt

Yes, I do realize that DVD players do exist for cars, but that doesn't change the fact that I still have an old school mentality when it comes to family travel. TV can be watched any day at home, travel is about new experiences and new vistas. Somehow, letting my children watch Finding Nemo, a movie they have memorized, while we are crossing the continental divide in the Rocky Mountains seems to defeat the purpose of taking a family road trip.

So, in response to those parents who would rather have quiet kids in the back seat rather than kids who occasionally whine "Are we there, yet?" but are also looking out the window, drawing on a sketchpad, and imaginatively playing with their toy cars and dolls, I say their boredom is the result of your lack of preparation or imagination. (But, I do make the exception that at the end of a long day on the road, the kids are whining because they are sick of being strapped in--no game, song, or DVD will stop the complaining.)

Road TOAD is hereby commited to searching out new games, songs, or activities designed to engage your children in the rich experience of travelling on the open road. The first activity is my family's favorite road trip game: The ABC Scavenger Hunt

THE ABC SCVENGER HUNT

The Rules: One person begins the hunt by finding a word--0utside the windows of the car--that begins with the letter A (Automobile, apple tree, axle, etc...). The next person, going in a clockwise direction finds something beginning with the letter B (barn, box, etc...) The process continues until every letter in the alphabet has been found.

Variation #1--Time Trial: Time the scavenger hunt and attempt to beat your team's top time with each hunt.

Variation #2--License Plate Letters: If you happen to be driving across the Great Salt Flats or another featureless desert, look for the letters on the licence plates of passing cars.