The magic of adventure lies in the storybooks your family loves. Escape with the family to a new world with these ten easy ideas.
There's nothing quite like the joy and excitement of seeing your children’s imaginations spark into life when discovering a new book with the family. They don’t just have to be stories for kids, children’s books can be fun for the whole family to enjoy.
To show that your weekend road trip can be more than just a drive, we teamed up with the Flynn family to make their road trip a family adventure straight out of your favourite story book!
The Flynns, Carly Flynn, 41, (well-known Kiwi journalist and television personality), hubby Dave, 42, (cameraman) and their three kids: Tilly, Jude, and Freddie captured the magic of one of the most beloved children's books, Where the Wild Things Are.
With the Subaru Outback packed up with everything a family might need in the Subaru Fun Box to help the kids get into character, the Flynns headed into the New Zealand wilderness, looking out for any signs of wild rumpus.
You too can take the family out on a similar adventure using any children’s book – perhaps you might be hunting for dinosaur footsteps, or your lost in the Forbidden Forester, or maybe you’re looking out for mystical unicorns! Let the storybook guide your family adventure.
GET THE ADVENTURE STARTED WITH TEN EASY IDEAS
If you want to relive the magic of storytelling, use the power of imagination and take everyone on a Subaru family adventure to remember. Here are 10 easy ideas to get you started…
1. Next chapter
Nothing gets the imagination flowing like story telling! Starting with one member of the family, use classic story telling sentences like ‘once upon a time’ to begin a story. Then take turns as each family member keeps the story going. The plot twists are endless!
2. Stage presence
Their imaginations are constantly flowing – whether it’s a funny play, an interpretive dance, an impromptu speech; kids love to perform! So find a stage in the natural landscape and get them to perform something relating to the location you’re in.
3. Going on a bear hunt
Is that a dinosaur footprint hiding under some leaves? Is that an everyday park – or is it an enchanted forest filled with fairy houses? Go looking for hidden worlds in nature.
4. Get diggin’
Maybe you’re on the hunt for something buried and never seen before. Set up your own archaeological dig site at a park or beach to see what might be hidden in the rubble of nature. Some old twigs could make up a dinosaur skeleton before you know it! (remember to return nature to how you found it after the dig).
5. Make the sequel
Every good movie needs a sequel, but what would happen if you were writing it? Get the kids to think about their favourite movie ask them what they think should be the sequel story. What costumes would the characters wear? What character should be at the centre of the story? What happens at the start of the movie or at the end?
6. Turn up the creativity
Turn their creativity to paper, to capture the beautiful scenes of the day or their favourite part of their adventure in a sketch or painting masterpiece. You’ll be surprised at the different things everyone picks up on.
7. Story time
Whether it’s fact or fiction, getting your kids to write a short story, a comic or a poem about the location you’ve driven to. Getting their minds thinking and their creativity going through stories is a great activity to try. If you’re little ones aren’t able to write, get them to tell you the story while your or an older sibling writes the details.
8. Puppet showcase
Anything around you can become a character of its own. So go exploring and find some items that you can use to turn into a puppet show. Flowers, branches, feathers, leaves – they can all become something else in a puppet show!
9. Can you guess who?
The destination doesn’t have to be the only fun part of the day. Make the car trip fun by getting the family to describe the storyline of a movie without saying the title or the character’s names to see who can guess the movie first. E.g. A fish goes missing and his dad goes looking.
10. The top 10
Go hunting around to find 10 items in the park or beach. Bring them all back and create a story that involves all of them. It doesn’t matter what they are – the best part is the imagination required to link them all!
Start your family adventure today in the Subaru Outback!
Large by nature and also by reputation, the crowd favourite Subaru Outback is the biggest SUV in the line-up. All-Wheel Drive, ground clearance, a Boxer engine and X-Mode covers all SUV bases, while the interior space means your family will be safe and comfortable no matter where the open road may take you on your family adventure. For more information, visit: www.subaru.co.nz/outback
Download the Subaru Family Fun Box Planner below for more ideas to take on your next family adventure.