How Family Travel Ignites Your Child's Creativity

Welcome to the Moms Who Create podcast. I'm your host, kelly Hile, and I am thrilled to share a podcast that celebrates the incredible moms who are pursuing their creative passions. Are you a mom who feels like you just can't balance your creative pursuits with the demands of motherhood? Each week, i'm bringing you interviews with accomplished and talented moms who have made their creative dreams a reality. I talk to writers, artists, musicians and entrepreneurs who have successfully found a way to do what they love while raising the ones they love. Some of the writers I talk to are New York Times bestselling authors, while some are self-published first-time authors. I also share my own insights and resources to help you navigate the unique challenges of being a mom who creates. So, whether you're an early bird or a night owl, a seasoned pro or just starting out, i want you to know that you can pursue your creative passions and be an amazing mom at the same time. Grab a cup of coffee, a notebook and get ready to join our community of like-minded moms who are on a mission to live intentionally and create with purpose. This is the Moms Who Create podcast, and I can't wait to share this journey with you. Hi everyone, and welcome back to this week's episode of the Moms Who Create podcast. So today we're diving into a topic that is very near and dear to my heart. Pretty much everything I talk about on here is very near and dear to my heart, but this one I don't really talk about often. Today we're talking about traveling with your children and the impact that it has on their creativity and imagination. So my husband, daughters and I do a lot of domestic US travel and, in my five-year-olds, little amount of life. So far, she's already visited 34 states And my three-year-old isn't far behind her. I'm honestly not even sure which states she hasn't been to that my oldest has. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is we love traveling. Annalyssiter once told me that I should make an episode about, like family travel and I was like absolutely yes, i will, but I want to put a spin on it to make it more cohesive with my podcast platform on here. So I thought, okay, let me do an episode, just a short, kind of like blog post style episode, about traveling with kids and the impact it has on their creativity. I'm not an expert at this, you guys, i just do it and this is what I see from it. So we're going to do two things on this episode. I'm going to start out by giving you information from my own mind of why travel is so imperative to kids' creative growth, and then I'm going to give you a handful of places in the US that you should visit with your kids, in my honest opinion. Okay, let's start out with exposure to new cultures and perspectives. So traveling introduces children to diverse cultures, traditions and new perspectives. Guys, if you live in the Midwest, i highly encourage you to venture out from the Midwest every now and then. It's great here, i love it, wonderful corn. But you know what? sometimes it's nice to see what is outside of here, especially for your children, experiencing different languages, foods, customs and, just like, lifestyles. It broadens their horizons and encourages them to think beyond their own familiar surroundings. This exposure it fosters empathy, tolerance and a greater appreciation for the world's rich diversity, all of which fuel their creativity and expand their imaginative capacities. That sounds fancy, but it basically just means it helps be more creative and have a greater imagination. Let's talk about sites and landscapes. Exploring new destinations exposes children to breathtaking natural landscapes, iconic landmarks and architectural marvels, whether it's like standing in awe of towering mountains, wandering through ancient ruins or marveling at awe-inspiring city skylines, which my daughter loves. She'll see any skyline. My three-year-old should be like New York City and it's like Columbus, ohio And I'm like no, but still, yes, skylines, no matter what the city, are beautiful. These visual experiences create lasting impressions in their minds, whether it's Columbus, ohio or New York City. They learn to appreciate beauty in various forms and may even find inspiration for their own artistic creations. I have seen my five-year-old drawing her own city skyline before and it's like so simple. But she would have not known that unless she went out and ventured and saw city skylines. Just driving into a city As me, her mom is driving into New York City from Philadelphia, shaking but trying to conquer something on her bucket list, but that is a different story. So if you travel with kids at all especially little kids besides, like the diaper things and the, are we there yet? No, not yet. You know this. Traveling with kids encourages a sense of curiosity and this thirst for exploration. They become active participants in their own learning journey, asking questions, seeking answers and discovering so many new things. This natural curiosity stimulates their imaginations and it's you guys, it's so important. And they're constantly exposed to novel experiences, environments, people. They learn to embrace new challenges and approach the world with a sense of wonder and excitement. I find this in my own personal experience, my five-year-old. You've probably heard me talk about her on here, but she's pretty shy. She's really apprehensive to just school everything. Super, super smart. She's got her dad's brains, but she's really just really apprehensive. You know everything. She has to be very careful when she starts something new. Except when we're traveling She is a completely different person. I mean we could walk out, whether it's like a city or just in the hotel. When we get there. She owns it. She just she rolls her suitcase. She acts like she has been here a million times, even if she's never been there before, and she is so excited to just explore experience and just see what this place has to offer for her, no matter where it is. It's actually incredible. I'm like in all, every time this happens, i'm like Andrew, my husband. I'm like Andrew, look at her. Who is this girl? This is amazing And I'm slowly hoping that feeds into her school life and everything. She takes that lust for life, that eagerness to learn and explore and try new things to just her every day. You know, hour by hour, home school life, because it's so neat, you guys. It's so neat to see that firsthand and just see how she just wants to take on the world, when any other place that she is She's like just so introverted, i don't know. It's really cool. It is really cool to see Speaking of home life, school life, routine. Travel gives you a break. Travel provides a break from the everyday routine. It allows kids to break free from their comfort zones and experience the world from a fresh perspective, and you can experience the world through their perspective, no matter if you've been there a thousand times or if that's your first time. You also get to live it through their eyes. Now, when I married my husband, he's been everywhere. So he told me before I had kids he was like I love to see these experiences through your eyes, things that he's never noticed, these places he's been to, that I'm going to for the first time, and I see that through my children too. They're their fresh perspective of places we go. I like to see it through their eyes, stepping outside you know, familiar environments and schedules. It really does stimulate their brain and it encourages them to think differently and creatively. They become more adaptive, resilient, open to new ideas, all of which are such essential qualities for fostering their creativity And that imagination of theirs. Okay, let's talk about learning. Travel is an immersive form of experiential education where kids learn through direct experiences and hands-on activities. They can engage in interactive museum exhibits, which my kids love. We just got back from a couple places, but most of the time we spent in Pittsburgh, i took my kids to two specific places. We went to the Carnegie Science Center and the Pittsburgh Children's Museum, or Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, one of those ways. Oh my goodness, they had so much fun I got to see at the Children's Museum side note, they had one of Mr Rogers sweaters. You guys, i was like fangirling over Mr Rogers. They love Daniel Tiger. So you know, mr Rogers, daniel Tiger. It was really cool to see a lot of that stuff. It was amazing. The Science Center you could probably spend two to three days there. It is incredible. So they engaged in the interactive museum exhibits. They can participate in cultural workshops. They can see live performances. I took my daughters to a Broadway show once. They saw the Lion King best thing ever. And you can also explore historical sites, right. These real world encounters go beyond books, textbooks, enhancing their understanding and sparking their imaginations. They connect the dots between what they learned at school and how it applies to the real world. What about storytelling and narrative building? Kids can document their adventures through journaling, photography or even creating their own, like travel blogs or vlogs. My daughter has an iPad and she just discovered that she could take pictures and videos really with it. So we'll be doing anything, whether it's a home or outside, whatever She'll be like, i want to get my iPad and take pictures. So she's this like budding photographer and she will literally document everything, no matter what it is. I'll go back through her pictures and videos and look and it's just the cutest thing to see what she thinks is important in her day, wanting to capture it in her own storytelling way. Reflecting on the experiences and sharing them with others, like helps develop their storytelling skills, encouraging creativity, self-expression. They can weave tales of adventure. They can create characters inspired by people they meet, and they can just craft their own narratives. All right, i have one more here Exposure to arts and cultural expressions. Travel exposes children to various art forms. Right, whether it's visiting art museums, attending theater, performances, broadway what do you think? street art, or experiencing like local music and dance. These encounters with creativity and its different forms, inspire their own artistic expressions. They may discover a newfound interest in painting, writing, music, performance arts. You know all the things. Travel becomes like a catalyst for exploring their artistic talents. It's huge guys. So now, armed with this knowledge, let's talk about some really cool destinations that can inspire our families and help our children dive into the arts and reading and writing and all the things. So let's add these ready. Okay, you got your paper. Okay, here we are. Let's add these to your travel bucket list. Now there could be two lists here. I could give you hole in the wall places in like Fargo, north Dakota, love Fargo, hi Kayla. Or I could give you real, normal places that you can visit and a few places to go in these cities. So let's start out with New York City, the Big Apple, a cultural mecca for artists and book lovers alike. Now I could make a huge long list of places to go in New York with your kids, but here are two. Take your little one to the Children's Museum of Arts in the vibrant Soho neighborhood. They can immerse themselves in hands-on art experiences. So got that one. Don't forget to visit the iconic New York Public Library too. They have a specific Children's Center. There They can delve into the world of captivating books, engaging programs, so many things. They also don't know if they still have it, but they had the original Stuffed Animals from one of the poo there. That wasn't in the Children's Center, it was, and then the main part I don't know a map of it, but if you walk in and go straight to the right. So there's that. So many places in New York. If you want a recommendation like a list of places to visit in New York that has to do with art and writing and stuff, message me. I will give you my recommendations. Your second recommendation, another place that is close to my heart, is San Francisco, california, the city by the bay brimming with so many artistic wonders. I could start and talk about the hippie movement back in the day, high-dashbury. You know all that. But let's start with the Randall Museum. It's a hub of art and science programs for children. Let them unleash their creativity in art classes, pottery workshops and they also have live animal exhibits. So if you're looking for something that's just not the normal, everything that San Francisco has to offer, look at the Randall Museum. There's also a bookstore there you should visit called Green Apple Books. It is a beloved independent bookstore. If you're looking to get lost in all the shelves of all the captivating stories, san Francisco probably more than New York. I could give you an even bigger list of all the things to do with your kids. So again, ask me, i should, just, i should make a longer episode, shouldn't I? This is not arts related, this is more science related. But the exploratorium there is absolutely phenomenal. Phenomenal, and if you have an ASTC membership you can get it from, like your local, some, a lot of science centers and science museums locally. You can buy a membership and it gets you into I don't even know how many I'll say thousands is probably hundreds, but let's just say thousands of science museums and science centers in the US. It's insane And it's expensive. A family of four, i think, at the exploratory. I'm not to steer you away from it, but it's like $95, i think, just to go one time. So getting a membership really really pays for itself after like one or two times. Number three Portland Oregon. It is known for its vibrant art scene. Portland is a haven for creative souls. You can take your kids to the Portland Art Museum. They can participate in art making workshops and they have guided tours specifically for children And of course that was out on Palisade of Books. It's the world's largest independent bookstore. You and your family can just go ham in there, go crazy I mean, don't go crazy, it's a bookstore, but go crazy finding amazing books, especially in the children's section, and you can also attend just captivating book readings. Okay, we're going to go back to Pittsburgh. I know I mentioned it earlier, but I want to tell you about a creative adventure in Steel City. Have you guys been to the Andy Warhol Museum there? We didn't get to go on this last trip. I drove by it but I didn't take my kids this time. I'll take them next time. I went five, six, seven, probably maybe 10. Andrew and I were dating with no kids. I went there a long time ago And it's in the North Shore neighborhood And it just celebrates Andy Warhol, legendary pop artist, controversial, so don't come at me if you're not an Andy Warhol fan, but I think your kids would really like it. They can do some hands on art activities, create their own screen prints and they can just explore Andy Warhol. It's just iconic pieces. It's a cool place And when you walk in they have what's the word? What's the word a couch. So when you walk in, they have a couch there and they have a picture above it. I want to say it's the same couch, but you never know. They could switch it out and said it's the same, but you see Andy Warhol, kind of like, laying with his legs out on this couch and you can sit there and take the same picture as him. You have to. It's like it's an unwritten rule. If you walk in, you have to get the same picture that Andy Warhol took on the couch. Your kids will like it. Of course, not all the levels are hands on, but I think your kids will like it. Pop art, you know, is vibrant. Take my kids there next time. Oh, and also book related. Don't forget to visit the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. They can participate in storytelling sessions, book clubs, interactive workshops. Oh man, there's actually a lot in Pittsburgh. So let's not sleep on Pittsburgh, you guys. So there is just a touch. Just a touch on a few places that you can visit with your kids. By visiting these places, your family can engage in so many hands on art activities. Immerse yourself in all of these stories, ignite your children's imaginations. These destinations are really just a glimpse of many, many, many places you can go and so many creative and literary experiences available all across the US. So, fellow moms, come on, let's pack our bags, let's buckle up, book the flight and let's go on an adventure that will not only create lasting memories but also nurture our children's creativity and imagination. Together, let's ignite that spark of artistic expression, let's inspire love for reading and watch our little ones' imaginations soar. Remember, every travel experience is an opportunity for growth, discovery and the development of your child's creativity and imagination. So let's embrace the unknown, explore the world, just explore it with wide-eyed wonder, along with your children. Witness this incredible transformation that travel brings. And if you're scared of airplanes, guys, i used to be so scared of airplanes I didn't go on an airplane until I was 21,. I think, do it, just do it, you'll be fine. You'll be fine, it'll be fine. Okay, it'll be fine. So I hope this helped you. Again, if you need more resources and more information specific to a certain state, even if I haven't been there, i will get you some information Just message me and let me know. So, happy travels, fellow creative moms. Let's nurture those creative sparks and watch our children's imaginations take flight. Hey, how are you doing on your reading challenge this year, i always got to pop in and ask you so you don't forget. It can be really easy to put the book or Kindle down, get sidetracked by life, work whatever you're doing, but don't forget to pick it back up. Just pick it back up. You need it for five minutes every day. Read If you love it, do it, let's do it. I just finished my 21st book. Guys. That's huge for me. That's huge for me. My goal for this year is 24. And I'm a 21 at the end of June. So proud. If you make things in your life a priority, that you want to be a priority, they will become a priority. Listen to that back if you need to, but I think it makes sense. Thank you so much for listening. Don't forget to leave a review if you're like in the podcast. I'd really, really appreciate it. It helps me out so much just on my reach to other moms around the world. So thank you again so much for listening. I appreciate you, i love you And I'll see you next week.