“Are we There Yet?”
By Avenza Systems Inc.
Summer Activities with Digital Maps: 5 Tech Tips to Jumpstart Kids for Summer Travel
“Are we there yet?” It’s the most commonly asked question from the back seat on long trips. Usually it comes from kids and adolescents who have unglued themselves from the latest portable movie or videogame imported from home. So how do you get technology focused kids to focus on the latest travel excursion? Combine their love of tech with the latest map tools.
One digital map tool that has been applauded by outdoor enthusiasts (and travel-weary kids) for its ease of use and innovation is PDF Maps app -- a free app for the iOS and Android platform that combines the detail of paper maps with the interactivity of a GPS tool. Ted Florence, president of Avenza Systems Inc. and developer of PDF Maps app, shares a few ideas of how to keep kids involved in the journey with doses of technology:
1. Create the position of Onboard Digital Historian: Family taking a road trip for the week? Download a map of the area that you’ll be traveling and place waypoints/pinpoints on all the major stops. Since the PDF Maps app incorporates the GPS technology of iPhones/iPads, enlist the kids in tracking the car’s movement in relation to how much further you must go to your next destination. This way YOU can ask your kids, “Are we there yet?” Have them include any additional waypoints of interesting spots you’ve stopped at with pictures and descriptions.
2. Time Travel through History with a Historical Map: Making your way to a historical battleground abroad or locally? Experience it more interactively with digital maps and walk to the exact location of gun positions, batteries, pill boxes and anti-tank trenches with a D-Day historical map of Omaha Beach. Give civil war history a different perspective while walking through maps from 1862 that depict where rifle pits, battery locations and military roads were located.
3. Join a Geocaching Treasure Hunt: If you don’t have enough time for a long trip, get the kids out of the house with a simple game of geocaching! Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices and all that’s needed is to sign up on a Geocaching site such as geocaching.com. With Avenza’s PDF Maps app kids can locate local geocaching hunts, download a detailed map of the area and begin the geocaching search with the coordinates provided on the map. For more tech-savvy parents, create your own geocaching game by downloading a local park in your area with the app and set the kids loose to find the little treasures you hid yourself. Kids can document their adventure to take back home. A fun way to get out of the house for the afternoon!
4. ‘I-Spy’ Game with a Geography Twist: Welcoming out-of-town nieces and nephews? Take them on your latest documented trip on PDF Maps app and have them ‘spy’ the destinations with the images connected to each waypoint. From the app, you can even export the waypoints and email it to them before the trip so they’ll know what you had in mind! They’ll get into the journey by tracking the GPS signal and how close you are to each destination.
5. Share Your Summer Trip: The Digital Book Report! Kids are often asked to share their summer vacation adventures with teachers and friends. Won’t they be so impressed when you add a little geography to it?