Road Trip Family Games

Please add yours to our list:

The License Plate Game: Print a U.S. map off the computer and color in the states as you see license plates from each one. See if you can get all 50 states between Memorial Day and Labor Day. You might even record the time and date and the state where you saw it. This can be a family project as you build your “collection” of license plates together.

Road Signs, A to Z: Take turns looking for road signs beginning with each letter of the alphabet. A – Arizona, E – Exit, N – Nashville, R – Railroad . . . all the way to Z. The game can also be expanded beyond road signs. C – Cow, L – Lake, T – Truck, and so on.

A IS FOR ARMADILLO: Starting with A, each person tries to be the first to spot and name three items beginning with that letter. For example, the first to see and announce “armadillo, auto and apple” gets to choose the next letter.

Geography: Somebody starts by naming a place, such as Illinois. The next person has to come up with a place starting with the last letter of Illinois, in this case the letter s.
“Illinois!”
“Spain!”
“New Orleans!”
“South Dakota!”
And off you go. If somebody gets stuck thinking of a place or mentions a place that has already been named, the game starts over.

COUNTING COWS: Play as individuals or teams. First, decide on a destination where you will stop counting. Then, count the cows on your side of the road. The goal is to have the highest number when the destination is reached. Pass a cemetery on your side and you have to start over again. If there aren’t any cows on your route, try counting red cars, mailboxes or phone booths.
Mystery Writing One child holds out his hand and closes his eyes while the other child “writes” on his hand with her finger. The first child has to guess what the second person is writing. Start with just letters, and if it gets too easy, play with 2 or 3 letter words, pausing between letters. There’s no winner

Fortunately-Unfortunately : This game helps teach kids to look at the bright side of things in a silly way. For example, you say, “Unfortunately, there’s a tiger in the car.” Your son says, “Fortunately, he doesn’t eat boys.” Your daughter says, “Unfortunately, he’s looking at me and licking his lips.” You say, “Fortunately, I brought along my tiger-jaw-clamper.” And so on, alternating between fortunate and unfortunate things. An added bonus – it’s a real hoot to hear a 2-year-old use the word “unfortunately”!

Twenty Questions: The designated leader thinks of a well-known person, animal, place or thing. Everyone else takes turns asking questions that can be answered with a “yes” or “no” in order to figure out who or what the leader has in mind. Whoever guesses correctly gets to be the new leader. If nobody guesses correctly after 20 questions, the leader reveals the answer and gets to select the next leader.
Here are some ideas to get you started.
People: Presidents, favorite sports heroes, musicians, movie stars, important historical figures.
Animals: From apes to zebras, the possibilities are endless!
Places: Distinctive cities such as New Orleans and Cairo, natural wonders such as Niagara Falls or the Grand Canyon, and architectural wonders such as the Golden Gate Bridge or Hoover Dam.
Things: Common household objects, foods, articles of clothing, and familiar landmarks from wherever you’ve been or wherever you’re going.

Scavenger Hunt in the Car
Test your skills of observation. Compete against each other or work together as a team to spot all the items below. Look for one or two at a time and work your way down the list. Each time your team finds something, everyone gets a treat, such as a coin. When you’re finished spotting as many items as you can, make up your own list. Make sure the items are challenging, but not too difficult to find.
•Dog in a car•Light-blue pickup truck•Sign with the word “welcome” on it•Ambulance•Statue•Flag without stripes•Crane•Sign with the word “no” on it•Somebody wearing a hat•Car with big dice hanging from the rearview mirror•Somebody singing in a car•Boat•Bus stop•Car pulling a trailer•Motor home•Truck pulling two trailers•Baseball diamond•Tennis court•Farm animal•Skyscraper•Bridge•Swimming pool•School•Mountain•Water tower•Tractor•Bird of prey•Cemetery•Detour sign

Who Am I?:Twenty questions in reverse! Jot down famous people, places and things on individual scraps of paper, and mix them all up in a mason jar or paper sack. The designated Guesser chooses one of the scraps of paper but is not allowed to read it. Everyone else gets to see it. The Guesser asks 20 questions that can be answered with a “yes” or “no,” with the other players taking turns answering them. If the Guesser figures out the answer, he or she gets to select the next Guesser. If not, the Guesser can ask 5 more questions or ask for the answer to be revealed. In addition to the ideas from Twenty Questions, expand your game by including imaginary people and animals from favorite cartoons, TV shows, movies or books.

Slug Bug: Every time a VW Bug comes into view, the first one to see it shouts “Slug Bug!” and slugs the person sitting next to you (Not too hard though!). Of course, these days in the politically correct atmosphere, we like to teach “non-violence”, so instead of actual slugging, we do a symbolic slug and just say “Slug Bug! — Gotcha!” You could also play “Hug Bug” and give someone a hug instead of a slug!

Rock-Paper-Scissors: The classic game. Players each have one palm face up and lay their fist on it. As they count to three, they pound their fist into their hand. On “three”, they turn the fist into the object of their choice. There are three to choose from: rock (a closed fist), paper (an open palm), or scissors (two fingers in a sideways V shape). A rock wins by crushing scissors, paper wins by covering the rock, and scissors win by cutting paper. If they both come up with the same shape, they go again.

My Pet Monster: Each participant has a pad of paper and a set of colored pens, pencils or crayons. Choose a leader, who will describe his or her pet monster in vivid detail. The more outlandish, the better!
“My pet monster’s name is Noodles. He is blue with yellow spots. He has a long neck and two heads – one huge head and one tiny head. He is fat around the middle but has skinny legs and stands like a flamingo with one leg in the air . . .”
Meanwhile, the other game players are busy sketching the monster. No peeking at other people’s drawings! When the leader has finished the description, everyone gets a chance to compare drawings. A new leader is appointed, the game continues, and a kooky menagerie comes to life!

I Spy: Look around and pick an object you can see either in the car or along the road. Then give others a clue such as, “I spy with my little eye… something green.”, or “I spy with my little eye .. something brown and furry” Continue to give more clues until they can guess what it is.

Drive-in Theater: Bring out the hams in the family and indulge in a little high drama. Check your local library for plays for children of all ages, or compose your own as a group. Choose one full of action and adventure, with a part for each family member. Make photocopies for all the participants and highlight their parts. Read the play completely and fill some of those long travel hours rehearsing lines and discussing the characters. After settling in at a campground, sit in a circle, pass around a tape recorder, and it’s on with the show! Send the tape to grandparents or hold opening night for friends and family when you return home.
“Guess how far away that is” Pick an object and have everyone guess how far away it is, then clock it on your odometer. Take turns picking the object or let the winner pick.
Spelling BeeTo make the competition fair, each child spells words drawn from a list geared toward his or her abilities. Each day, tackle words that were previously misspelled. For extra fun, prepare a challenging list of words for the adults in the car and let the children quiz them.

Guess how far away that is: Pick an object and have everyone guess how far away it is, then clock it on your odometer. Take turns picking the object or let the winner pick.
Spelling BeeTo make the competition fair, each child spells words drawn from a list geared toward his or her abilities. Each day, tackle words that were previously misspelled. For extra fun, prepare a challenging list of words for the adults in the car and let the children quiz them.

Spelling Bee: To make the competition fair, each child spells words drawn from a list geared toward his or her abilities. Each day, tackle words that were previously misspelled. For extra fun, prepare a challenging list of words for the adults in the car and let the children quiz them.

How I met God

In 1991 I became the manager of Crown Honda Volvo in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. At the time we were living in Greensboro. I was commuting to Chapel Hill. I was very career oriented so I left Greensboro about 7:30 a.m. and returned home between 10:30 and 11:00 p.m. six days a week. During the commute time I would buy self- actualization Books on Tape to listen to so I could hone my skills as a salesperson and manager. Then I bought the series “The Power of Positive Thinking” by Norman Vincent Peale.As I began to listen, Norman Vincent Peale explained that in order to have a positive attitude you needed to get up 30 minutes earlier every morning to read the Bible. Considering my work schedule that seemed insane, but since I had invested in the set, I needed to do what it said. This plan made no sense to me. I was dead tired already. I decided to go ahead with it anyhow. The first thing I needed was a Bible. I thought I had one somewhere. I was so right. I still had it, the only remnant from my childhood after nearly 30 moves. You know you can’t throw away a Bible, or leave it behind. I didn’t really believe in God, but in case I was wrong, I didn’t want to upset him. It was the Bible that I had received from the First Congregational Church of Naperville, Illinois when I graduated from 5th to 6th grade in 1966. It was black leather with red edged pages, New American Standard Version, presented to me by Rev. Stanley Cox, our pastor.So I started my “Journey” through the Book I had carried around for 25 years, but never read. Genesis was neat. It read like a history book. Exodus started out like Charleton Heston’s Ten Commandments. The further I read, however, the more I began to question Norman Vincent Peal’s idea that this had anything to do with my attitude. It certainly had nothing to do with selling cars. Some things struck me and wouldn’t let me go. The first real puzzle was why would God kill Aaron’s sons for offering incense improperly. This made no sense, yet I was driven to understand. This Book was either right or it was wrong. What were the consequences of the Bible’s veracity? What does the fat around the liver have to do with selling cars? I was sure I was crazy, but deep inside another voice said “Read on”.Numbers and Deuteronomy really dragged. Yet I felt I had to read this in the order it was written, in spite of many friends saying that the Old Testament is too difficult, I should have started with the New Testament. I now know that the order the books are in is called the Cannon of scripture. For me this was of utmost importance. God had to lay out his story to me to show me that I was in no way smart enough or powerful enough to understand this without help. That’s why Norman Vincent Peal’s instructions included prayer before reading, so God would open your eyes to the truth. In my case so the “Cannon Ball” could hit me upside my head.My next puzzle came in the book of Joshua, the deaths of Achan’s kids. Maybe I could understand why they had to stone Achan for taking the goods of Jericho and hiding them in his tent, but stoning his whole family, kids and all. How could this loving God whom I had heard about all of my life require such a thing? Judges and Ruth were great history, but I still saw no secret to a positive attitude, especially not Sampson. Boaz had something interesting. I loved the story of Ruth and was fascinated with King David’s lineage. Still I kept searching for the real meaning of all this. 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings and Chronicles were a great history lesson. I was more and more fascinated as I kept plowing through, but there seemed to be parts that were worthless, like all the numbers of people and the details of every offering. “Why would people read through this?” I wondered. Ezra was boring at that time in my life. Nehemiah was a little better. Esther was very cool, because, I could really see God is in control.Then came Job and that’s where the “Cannon Ball” of the scripture blew my head off. I really expected Job to be all about patience. The part where Satan was reporting to God completely surprised me. It was hard for me to understand God’s actually allowing Satan to mess with Job big time (killing his children). Then my patience was tried as the next 35 chapters dragged on and on while Job and his friends tried to explain why God does what he does. None of it really made sense to me at the time. I was very, very frustrated with the whole process. My prayers increased. If there was a God, then show me what this means. Oh! Did he show me! In chapter 38 God was speaking directly to me.Job 38:1 “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, ‘Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now gird up your loins like a man, and I will ask you, and you instruct me! Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.’”Whoa! I had no idea. Then I got to this:Job 40:15 “Behold now, Behemoth, which I made as well as you; he eats grass like an ox. Behold now, his strength in his loins and his power in the muscles of his belly. He bends his tail like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together. His bones are tubes of bronze; his limbs are like bars of iron. He is the first of the ways of God; let his maker bring near his sword. Surely the mountains bring him food, and all the beasts of the field play there. Under the lotus plants he lies down, in the covert of the reeds and the marsh. The lotus plants cover him with shade; the willows of the brook surround him. If a river rages, he is not alarmed; he is confident, though the Jordan rushes to his mouth. Can anyone capture him when he is on watch, with barbs can anyone pierce his nose?”I had no idea even what a Behemoth was. I asked every Christian that I knew, but no one had an answer. One told me to go to a Christian bookstore and buy a Christian dictionary or a commentary. My quest continued. Somehow I felt all the answers that I was seeking were going to be found in this passage, I couldn’t get it out of my mind.Here is what Matthew Henry said: “God, for the further proving of his own power and disproving of Job’s pretensions, concludes his discourse with the description of two vast and mighty animals, far exceeding man in bulk and strength, one he calls behemoth, the other leviathan. In these verses we have the former described. “Behold now behemoth, and consider whether thou art able to contend with him who made that beast and gave him all the power he has, and whether it is not thy wisdom rather to submit to him and make thy peace with him.’’I was left to consider just that. Could I contend with this beast on my own? Not only that, but also bring the tide in or make the wind blow. Just as God was saying to Job and his so called friends, he was saying to me weak and. powerless as I am, “Who are you to question me?” I realized for the first time in my life how powerless I am, and that I am certainly not God. If I’m not God, then I’d better find out who is and what He requires. My prayer took on a whole new dimension. Instead of questioning whether there was a God, I believed that there was, and was asking that he please forgive my arrogance. I pleaded with Him to show me what I needed to do and understand.Show me he did! Soon I came to the New Testament and Jesus. Now I had a new hunger to understand why He had to die. This was really the question that had always haunted me, “Why would God have to die?” That just didn’t make sense. If He was God, why couldn’t He just fix it?It took most of the New Testament for me to understand that question. God had said,” If you eat of the fruit of the tree in the center of the Garden you will surely die”. In other words “The wages of sin is death.” If God doesn’t lie then Romans 6:23 is true “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Jesus is that sacrifice. Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us!”All that was left was for me to make a decision of my will. Either I believed God that Jesus was His son and died for me, and asked Him into my life to clean up my act, or I put that Book down. Just like Lot’s wife had I turned back, I’d have turned to a pillar of salt. The “Cannon Ball” did it. Talk about a positive attitude! Norman Vincent Peale knew Romans 10:17 and asked anyone who read his book to apply it. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” What is a positive attitude if not faith? Norman Vincent Peal knew that we can hear the word of God by simply reading the Bible after asking God for his understanding of it. Believe me if you’ll try it, God will talk you all the way through it. It really is God’s love letter to us. Read it and grow your faith. Sixteen years later I still make every effort to do it daily. Can’t live without it…Robby.

Left Lane Hogs

What is the Christian thing to do with someone sitting in the left lane going 5mph slower than the speed limit?

Lane Closed Cheaters

Your driving along on the interstate and all the sudden you see brake lights ahead and a sign that says left lane closed ahead 2 miles you see the right lane is already slowed to a crawl, you’ve got 20 minutes to get there….the left lane is moving good, what should a Christian do??????