Traveling Tips – Digital Devices and Kids by Mary A Livingston

Last week I received the call every long distance Grandma longs for..."We're planning a trip to visit this summer." Then my daughter-in-law announced they might be driving from Arkansas to California. For the full picture, that would be, Mom, Dad, nine-year-old, six-year-old, five-year-old and a three-year-old golden retriever in one vehicle. The cat’s staying home this time.

Parents today face the same challenges as always, what to pack and how much to pack. When we traveled with our young family, books and in-the-car activities were a must. It's no different today; however, the options are much broader and more compact.

A digital rock and mineral guide is a fun addition when rock-hounding.

Tips for traveling with kids and digital devices:

• Look for digital books or activities related to your destination. Many tourist attractions also have a QR Code you can scan with your device. (Choose QR Code Apps carefully.)

• Kids love to know information about new discoveries, consider adding field guides to your collection. Search for “field guides subject” I found some wonderful ones on mammals, reptiles, and rocks.
• If you're traveling to an area without a data connection, download items from your cloud ahead of time.
• Download items while with Wi-Fi rather than using data allowance.
  

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Technology brings new options. Remember read along cassettes?

• Choose silent mode for books and apps or use child-safe earphones.
• No child-safe earphones? Get some, protect their young ears.
• Services such as iBooks and Kindle allow syncing across multiple devices so you a reader can resume where he or she left off. If multiple children are reading on different devices within the same account, this can be confusing. If the option is available, don’t sync across multiple devices.

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Who wouldn't love finding a Monkeyflower?

• Set digital usage parameters. Just like at home, limit and pace electronic usage.
• Establish a polite interruption protocol. Reading a good book or engaging in an activity can be consuming.
• Some locations are not suitable for digital devices. Rafting comes to mind.
• Set up a central luggage location for devices and chargers to avoid misplacing them while traveling.
  

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• Consider a solar charger or a USB charge pack if camping.
• If you haven’t already done so, it’s a good time to invest in a protective device housing or case.
  
• Watch for motion sickness.This one's self-explanatory.
  

Having the experience is the best activity.

I personally think it's a good idea,to pack physical books and tactile activities along with digital devices. Mix it up.

Finally, it's okay to unplug. In the summer, we often vacation at a location with no amenities except the great outdoors. No phones. No cell connection. No electricity. The only running water is in the creek. Our grandchildren don't miss the electronics and are perfectly happy with drawing supplies and physical books when they’re done poking around the creek for caddisfly larvae.

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Mary A Livingston is an award winning illustrator, photographer, author and designer. She believes that today is an exciting and challenging time in the children’s book industry as the digital market finds its way alongside traditional printed books. Beginning in Fall 2014 she will be teaching a CBA course Using InDesign for Picture Book Dummies and eBooks that will make this complex but extremely helpful program accessible for creatives.
Born in Hoopa, she grew up in the forested communities of Humboldt and Trinity Counties of Northern California. She attended Shasta College, Humboldt State University, and Loyola University. She has also worked in education, photography, and liturgical design. She and her husband, Tim, have two sons and three grandchildren.
    You can find out more about Mary at www.maryalivingston.com

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