We're back from the Great Page Road Trip of 2010 and I have vowed never to go on a vacation with a toddler again. Strange places, an uncomfortable pack-n-play, and a complete deviation from our normal schedule and diet transformed my sweet toddler into Jack Jack from The Incredibles. I seriously wouldn't have been surprised had she turned into a ball of fire.
In between the meltdowns and tantrums, we did manage to enjoy the trip. One of our favorite experiences was riding the Cape May - Lewes Ferry.
The ferry connects Cape May, NJ with Lewes, DE. Not only the girls, but my husband and I thought it was great to be able to drive our car right onto the boat, park, and enjoy an hour cruise. The ferry supplied coloring books and crayons to the girls, so when they weren't terrifying me by running along the deck, they could sit and color.
I (of course) checked out their gift shop for kids books but didn't see any boat-themed books I liked as much as:
Ship Shapes
by Stella Blackstone
This book is perfect for 2-3 year olds who are learning their shapes and colors. The illustrations are fantastic fabric collages filled with colors, patterns, and textures that seem to pop off the page. The story is straightforward: two kids and a dalmatian set sail and meet up with many strange and wonderful creatures, all the while asking the reader to find and count the different shapes on the page. The rhyming and repetition is just right for little ones, although even your kindergartners will be entertained by finding and counting all the shapes. Heck, I was entertained!Activities:
Make these adorable Fruit Sailboats over at The Stories of A to Z (aka my sister!)
Print out this easy B is for boat printable and let your kids cut and color the different shapes.
I'm right there with you. Vacationing with a toddler can end up feeling like no vacation at all. We just got back from our vacation last week with a 5 year old and a 2 year old, and I am still recovering, but when I look back on the pictures a few years from now . . . I will probably only remember the good things. :) Love the activity idea for today.
ReplyDeleteLOL about her turning into a ball of fire! That sounds like quite an eventful trip!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad there were some good times though. What a cute pic of the kids and daddy!
we've been on that ferry too!! 2 kids ago on our move up to RI, we just had C. SO fun!!! :) Glad you're home safely from your trip!!
ReplyDeleteThat edible boat is just darling! I didn't realize you were sisters with Beth?! Or I did and that's how I found you and completely forgot, you know the mind is going already!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you found some enjoyment in your trip, despite dealing with "Jack Jack!"
ReplyDeletewelcome home!!
ReplyDeletesounds like a good trip overall. i ♥ the pic. of you & the girls in the car..great perspective..the little one in her car-seat with big sis sitting along beside her, and mama in the doorway...too cute! all three of you looking right into the camera too..what perfect shot!
As soon as I wrote on your other post that it looked like you had a good time, I clicked to this post about traveling with a toddler! :( I had to laugh...Sorry! Traveling does get a lot easier when the kids are a little older. We just started using a big girl bed with my youngest so that she wouldn't have to sleep in a pack 'n play on our vacation, but having her share a bed with her big sister is going to be a challenge.
ReplyDeleteThe ferry sounds like a high point of your trip! And it looks like you had beautiful weather! (Please don't tell me it rained for most of your trip! :)
Thanks for the shout out sis :)!
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