Kids Activities on a Cruise

So once on the ship, what were we going to do with the kids? We started by trying the kids' club.

It was essentially just people watching groups of kids playing. While they had scheduled activities, most seemed to be more adult done or wouldn't take nearly as long as they had scheduled. Our shy introverted child actually enjoyed going in and playing without anyone bothering him. Our outgoing child would have preferred more interaction and it wasn't her favorite part of the trip.
 

 They have photo booths set up all over the ship every night. When there wasn't a line, the photographer let our kids play with the props. We didn't buy the photo, but the kids had fun.

Only one child was willing to pose with the giant talking cruise ship guy. I don't remember his name.

Honestly between eating, which we did a LOT, and getting ready for things - getting dressed for dinner, getting ready for kids club, etc. There wasn't a ton of time left. I do wish the kids club would have started earlier. Our kids wake up at 7, so by the time the kids club opened at 10am our day felt like it was half over. Each day we took the kids to the running track. They needed to use some energy and we were reasonably out of the way. Our kids weren't tall enough to ride on the slide. They were both fully potty trained, but the pools were often too crowded or too loud. The music on the top deck was at a painful level. It hurt our ears and our noise sensitive child FREAKED out when we even got close to it. We had to avoid that deck (and thus most pools) for the majority of every day.

Overall while I love cruising, Carnival didn't sell me on their offerings for kids, especially kids this age.

Daddy Come Home

About 5 o'clock my kids start demanding Daddy come home from work. They will look out the windows, repeatedly ask me when he will come home, etc. On this day I suggested they use their play phones to call him. Sweet daughter immediately did so, while sweet son was distracted by something being out of place.

The importance of working memory

As I mentioned in the executive function post, working memory is extremely important. Working memory is the best predictor of school success. It is both academic and social. So, what else do we know about working memory?

High IQ does not equal high working memory. The opposite is also true, high working memory doesn't equal high IQ. While most IQ tests are sensitive to socioeconomic status (SES), working memory is not. For example, one section of most IQ tests for children is on general knowledge. If you ask a child "What is a police officer?" the correct answer would be something along the lines of "someone who helps people." An incorrect answer would be "someone who takes my Daddy away." Clearly this is measuring experience, not intelligence.


There are ways to improve working memory. It all starts with diet and exercise. I've address the importance of exercise on the brain already. So which foods are best to include in your diet? Dairy, berries, herbs, and foods with omega3 and dha have all been proven beneficial specifically for working memory. Foods that will have a negative impact are processed and contain high amounts of sugar, fat, and chemicals. One Organic Mama was kind enough to write a guest post for me on healthy living.

Once you have addressed the diet and exercise components, the other way to improve working memory is through proprioception training. In fact, proprioception training for just one day shows and increase in working memory by 50% and it lasts many months. As with anything, the more you do it the better the results. Proprioception is the ability to sense the position, location, orientation, and movement of the body and its parts. Proprioception training is all about balance and body awareness. It includes things like walking on a balance beam with your eyes closed, jumping to a target with your eyes closed, crawling on a balance beam, and running.

The impact of Technology on Attention

Before we get too far, you should probably start by reading my disclaimer. One of my most loved and most hated posts is TV and Computer Time for Babies. Now children not only have screen time from tv and computer, but also from phones and tablets. So, what does the newest research say about all of this screen time?

There seems to be a common belief that kids these days are wired for using technology. It's not a belief based in anything other than convenience. It is easier to set the kids in front of a screen and know they are learning, playing, and happy. This does take a toll that everyone should be aware of.

You may not realize that technology creates more work. Before light handheld irons were common, people would only iron their clothes once a month and the level of acceptable wrinkles was much different. Better technology means we are now ironing more and our standards for wrinkles is much lower. Another example, when I was in elementary through high school and needed to do a research project, I headed to the library. I started at the card catalog - a large box with actual cards representing each book. Teachers would expect 3-5 references. Now everything is digitized and easy to access. Teachers expect more references, higher quality references (not just wikipedia), and more analysis of conflicting research. There are many other examples, but when you really think about it historically, technology has created more work than it has saved.

Kids are being raised on multiple media streams and multi-tasking. 40% of 3 month olds watch 90 minutes of television a day. That goes up to 50% of 8 month olds and 90 percent of 2 year olds. 50% of 8 year olds have their own cell phone. The most commonly requested add on in family cars is a dual screen video player. With all of this early exposure and practice multitasking, how can I say that kids aren't wired for using technology?

It is true that a 22 year old is better at multitasking than a 40 year old. I observe this on an almost daily basis. However, it's not because 22 year olds have more practice, it's because they are 22. Their brains are younger and work faster. Once they are 40, they will be frustrated that they can't multitask as well as most 22 year olds. The more you multitask, the more your long term attention decreases. Distractions start bothering multitaskers much earlier than those who have learned to focus on one thing at a time. Yes, learning to focus on one thing at a time is now something that we should try learning.

Kids spend the first few years of their life playing digital games. Every time they get an answer right there are lights, music, and characters literally dancing in celebration. Then they are placed in school. The human teacher stands at the front. When a student gets the answer correct they may smile and say "that's right" as they continue the lesson. Of course kids see this as being boring. Where's the instant party? Humans are not viewed by the brain as being interesting comparatively. Students get antsy, impulsive, and certainly don't want to do a worksheet.

Stop and think about the goal of education for YOUR child. Is the goal for your child to be entertained? Is the goal for your child to be challenged? Is the goal for your child to learn enough to be successful outside of school? Learning to sit and listen to a human speak and being able to apply what you have just heard is a skill that will be used throughout life. We need to make sure our children are prepared for life, not just playing games on the computer.

Screens do cause attention problems. This has been proven. However the ability to sustain attention is not correlated across tasks, i.e. sustained attention with toys versus videos versus interactive experiments. Video game players do perform better on quick perception tests. The brain is changeable within reason. If you think the computer is saving your work, you don't remember what you just wrote. If you know it's not saving, you will remember what you are typing almost word for word. Multitasking always carries a cost. Having a tv on in the background when you are working is always bad, no matter what task you are completing. (I do feel like a bit of a hypocrite since the tv is on in the background as I write this...) Multitasking causes people to make more mistakes and takes longer for the same task, no matter how much practice you have had or if you are 22. As far as having music in the background, the studies contradict themselves. It's good for some and bad for others.

The most disturbing part of the new research is on the brain multitasking during driving. If you are driving your car and your phone rings, even if you don't answer it (which I'm sure you know better than to even try), your attention is split to a point of making driving mistakes. Just hearing or feeling the phone pulls attention away from the road and any other distractions that might suddenly happen - a child running into the street, a car swerving into your lane, etc.

Limits on screen time are becoming even more crucial as this research comes out. While we didn't do any screen time before 30 months, when we did start they weren't interested. However we did let them watch up to 20 minutes a day for 5 days a week over the Summer. It's too hot to play outside most afternoons, so this seemed like a great solution. Since I keep this blog a year behind, I can tell you that was too much for my kids. Now at almost 4, they are finally up to that amount and able to handle it without behavioral problems.

A Spring Storm

I asked each of my kids what they did last week.

Sweet Daughter: "The rain was loud and then it was raining inside. The guy was on the roof and now it only rains outside. Daddy's fixing the fence and I got to wear pajamas to the last day of school."

Not how we normally decorate the hallway. We were able to get someone out to put a tarp on the roof that day and fix the roof the next day.

Our fence and our neighbor's yard

That trampoline wasn't there the day before. Actually, we think the trampoline came from a house on a different street. They make really good wind sails.

You can see through 6 yards that used to be separated by fences.

The sign that our neighborhood was hit harder than most? The news truck driving down our small, out of the way street.

They were able to rebuild this backyard play set. Now it has anchors. 

With all of that excitement, what did Sweet Son think of his week? "I ate chicken and salmon. Oh, Pizza and green beans, cereal, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. I think that was it."

Transportation in Europe

It's not just about airplanes and trains when taking a big trip to Europe. We traveled by many different forms of transportation.

 

 There was the bus in Venice (as well as the bus in Rome).

The gondola in Venice was one of my favorite memories. Not exactly romantic with the kids along, but it was one of those things you just have to do while you are there.

The trolley in Poland (various cities) was a big hit with the kids.

 Sweet Son loved that the doors opened automatically while Sweet Daughter loved talking to everyone (even if they didn't speak English).

I loved that everyone let me sit down with the kids when it was crowded. It certainly helped when the kids were over tired.

This is another of my favorite memories from the trip. We rented a car in Poland because we were going to so many cities, many without public transportation. In Krakow we went to visit the castle and dragon's lair. There were signs around the area that were white squares with a big blue P on them and an arrow pointing to these spaces. Turns out that means private parking, not open to the public. When we got back to the car we discovered the boot. That's also when wonderful husband realized he had forgotten his wallet (with his drivers license) at the home we were staying in. We were able to track down a police officer who said he would send over the parking officers in a few minutes.

While we waited in the car wonderful husband tried explaining the situation to the officer. That's when we discovered a couple of other issues. Wonderful husband doesn't have an international drivers license, which is required in Poland. Luckily the officer was impressed that my husband is still fluent in Polish (now with an American accent) and decided to overlook that fact. However, he couldn't overlook the lack of any license at all. So, since I had my license on me, the ticket was written in my name and had me listed as the driver. This was an issue because the car is a standard and I don't know how to drive a standard at all, much less in a crowded, foreign, tourist area. I'm happy to say the exceptionally nice officer looked away as my husband drove us away. There were also multiple fines. The first one had to be paid on the spot in order to remove the boot. The second had to be paid by cash or money order after the fact.

For future reference - get an international drivers license, don't forget your wallet, and always be polite and speak in the local language if possible.

Playtime in Rome

We had planned on it taking us 3 full days to see everything in Rome. We ended up seeing everything we wanted and had a day left over. We did some quick research and found a local playground/park. The best part? This is an indoor/outdoor playground. It was free (we tried to pay and they wouldn't let us) and not crowded on a weekday.

This room had a play kitchen and other pretend type toys. There was also a large bookshelf with many different levels of books for kids to read. Granted, with only 2 exceptions, they were in Italian, but that's to be expected.

This room had tables that were chalkboards and many different colors of chalk around to draw with.

This was the favorite room for our kids. It was large (and had amazing ceilings). It was filled with cushions and pillows. Kids took off their shoes and rearranged the room multiple ways. Here my kids were in the process of making a path from the "couch" to the "lake" that they could walk on.

We did share the space with a few children, but I didn't take any photos of them. A couple of the kids were even bilingual English/Italian. It was nice to be able to talk to other parents about living in multiple countries.

 

This was part of the outdoor playground. These houses were just the right size though deciding which child got which house quickly became an argument. Luckily, a couple of Italian children came over and said something I couldn't hear and it was settled. I love how kids who don't speak the same language can work things out so easily.

 

Wooden sheep were also popular with my kids. I just thought they were cute.

This is where most of the kids spent their time playing. The tractor with a trailer was crowded the entire time we were there.

This was my favorite part of the playground. It took the kids a minute to figure out how it works, but once they did they loved the whistling playground.

Da Vinci Museum, Rome

One of the things we didn't plan on doing, but decided to make time for was a visit to the Da Vinci Museum in Rome. It was centrally located, we had a coupon, and I'm kind of a nerd. Luckily it was a hands on museum and it was empty other than us, so we got to do everything for as long as we wanted.

Sweet son was thrilled to find this "crane", but this was one of the few things he wasn't allowed to play with.

Pulleys, gears, wood and ropes - this was heaven for kids who want to learn how things work.

The war machine - you couldn't go inside, but it was fun to look at.

Do you see the look on his face? We didn't need to explain how it worked. 

He could see it and control it and what more could a kid want?

She exclaimed, "It fits together like alligator teeth!"

 There were many more exhibits I'm not including photos of. This is not a huge museum, but it was fun. The kids loved seeing the swimming fins (they actually had a full sized mannequin in water).  Just about the time you forget you are in Rome, they have a cut out in the floor so you can see the ruins this building was built on top of. Most of the current buildings were built on history.

 

This was their absolute favorite. Simply turn the handle and it plays music! They watched exactly how it works and then ask wonderful husband to make them one for home. You don't always get what you want though.

Hotels in Italy with Kids

Finding a hotel in Italy has a few extra complications. Apparently they enforce the two people per room rule. So when traveling with kids you must reserve and pay for a larger room or risk them not letting you stay. While this certainly increased our costs, the layouts were wonderful for our family.

 Here is a photo of our room in Venice. It has a double bed in the middle with a twin bed on either side. This gave the kids plenty of room.

Of course the kids' favorite part of the room was the closet.  They loved to close themselves in and laugh.

Most hotels are smaller than we are used to. Imagine one big building and each floor (and sometimes each hallway) is a different hotel. They share an entryway, but have their own staff, check in, etc. The kids thought it was awesome that we got to walk on so many stairs in Venice.

Here we are eating our included breakfast in Venice.  I don't think we ever saw anyone else staying here, but we did occasionally hear talking behind room doors. I'm assuming they were adults and didn't wake up early and go to bed early like we did.

This is a photo of our room in Rome. Same bed arrangement though this room was larger. The guys working the front desk were so kind and helpful. My one complaint is that while this is listed as a non-smoking hotel and our room didn't smell like smoke, they often smoked while working the front desk. At night we would place a towel under the door so the smell would stay out. The hallway did smell, but we didn't spend a lot of time there.

Here we are eating a small lunch that we picked up from a vendor on the street. It was raining outside and we didn't want to pay to sit down and eat. (Yes, it costs extra to sit and eat most places in Italy.) It was easily the worst pizza I have ever had. It tasted like thick cardboard with flavorless cheese. This was another part of that same room. It was nice to be able to eat in our room without eating on our beds.

Here the kids are playing with their gondoliers they got in Venice. 

The kids' favorite part of this hotel? The tiny elevator. The 4 of us just barely fit on it. You can see my left arm is touching the door. I'm taking up more than my allotted 1/4 of the elevator and I'm not a big person.

This hotel also had an included breakfast. It was in a bar about a block and a half down the street. We each got a drink and a pastry. While many different hotels gave the vouchers to use this place for breakfast, there were also many locals who would stop by for a coffee on their way to the train.

The best part about traveling with kids? We exhausted them during the day and they slept well.

Fountains in Rome

You would think after the trip to Venice our kids would get tired of water. Instead, they became even more interested in fountains. Rome is filled with fountains. I know because I'm fairly certain we stopped at each one. In addition to the water, many of the fountains have horses. Sweet son wanted to stop and talk to every single horse. That's when he really started to understand the concept of statues.

 Many fountains we couldn't get close to because they are in the middle of roundabouts.

Other fountains we could get close to, but they had very little water running through them.

 

Why look at the camera when there is a fountain with horses?

The most famous fountain is the Trevi fountain. The fountain was conceptualized in 1629, but not completed until 1762. It was refurbished in 1998 and has just stated another, even larger restoration as of January.

Like all of the fountains in Italy, all of the water is potable. However because of the tradition of throwing money into the fountain, you should not try to get any of the water. They watch closely because many people try taking money out of the fountain, so don't even try it. The more than 3,000 euros that are collected from the fountain every day are used to provide food for the needy.

Someone offered to take our photograph as a family in front of the Trevi fountain. It's a fairly good photo of us, but you can't really tell what fountain it is. For future reference, if you offer to take a photo of a family AND a fountain - try to get more of the fountain in the photo.