Tips for Traveling with Kids

We had a Bible Skills contest through the semester and took the winners to a fun pizza place with lots of entertainment and games to play. The winners were second and fourth graders. We had a terrific time, but I learned a few things for which I had not planned.

• I am still learning names and should have provided name tags for every child. I think brightly colored tags with first name boldly printed would have helped me. The parents needed the name tags, too. Times outside the classroom and church are important for getting to know each other better. Knowing their names is vital.

• We planned ahead by calling, reserving, and preparing everything including informing parents with a take-home note. We should have made a site visit and physically seen the room we reserved and considered how 65 people would orderly and safely be dismissed to get their food and drink with minimum spillage. My biggest concern was adults being with kids all the time while we ate and while children went back for seconds alone.

• While in the game area, it was a frantic race against the clock. Each person had 45 minutes to play all the games you want and gather all the tickets you can for those incredible one-of-a-kind prizes to choose from at the prize counter. Kids were running, dropping coats, game cards, and tickets. It was great but worried me a bit. At least I had enough sense to suggest going to the bathroom before game time began.

• When time to leave, we gathered in the meeting room to count. Several of us counted heads. Then we called roll to line up and boarded the bus. Recounted before leaving. Honestly, the thought of leaving a child behind scares the bee-gee-bees out of me.

• Singing on the bus is always a big deal, and I was caught listening to some crazy rap songs and racking my brain to remember those hilarious songs we always sang on the bus. Wish I had written down a few before we left. The drive was short and my memory was shorter.

Fun was had by all. Safety was foremost. Improvement is needed.

What would you suggest when taking outings with kids? Let me know at Mr. Mark’s Classroom.