Keeping the family entertained when you're RV-ing

I wasn't sure how we'd pass the time at the campgrounds we were staying at during our nine-day RV trip, especially Max. His entire life, I've tried my best to make sure he's entertained and occupied. Except this trip, Max is showing us that he knows how to take care of himself. 

Our second campground stop: Watkins Glen/Corning KOA in Corning, New York. It bills itself as "resort luxury" so we weren't exactly going to be roughing it. Like the other two on our trip, this is a full-hookup site meaning you connect your RV to water, sewer, electric and cable and there's WiFi, too. All the comforts of home! Although, actually, we don't have a gazebo or a stamped-concrete patio.

Max is interested in the mechanics of the RV—he likes watching Dave doing the hookups, and he's fascinated by how the four levelers come down at the flip of a switch to ground the RV and then each of the two slideouts glide out to expand the RV another four feet. 

The site is surrounded by woods and the weather's been crisp and not-humid, my favorite kind—chilly  mornings are the best. There's a cool pirate ship playground, a pool, horseshoe pits and a humongous jumping pillow and pad. Later today, we're going on a mini hike. 

Uber golf cart: "DADDY, I'M WAITING!!!!"

The hours pass in a relaxed blur, marked only by mealtime. We've played mini golf and football on a big open field by our campsite, gone on walks and done countless golf cart expeditions, Max's favorite activity of all. 

When Max gets fixated on something he talks about it repeatedly, and our topic of conversation has been his dream of going to a camp in California next summer. He's been looking up photos and videos. 
Max has also done a lot of the cooking this week—eggs in the mornings, burgers and steaks over the grill for dinner. He has insisted on keeping all of his weekly therapy appointments even though we cancelled them, and yesterday he had music therapy. "I like his work ethic!" said his therapist. Last week they made up a song about going on a road trip, and Max sang along gleefully as Amanda played guitar. 

There's been some amount of whines, groans and moans from the kids, which was inevitable. Ice-cream helps (I wasn't going to leave home without it). So does pulling tricks out of my bag. Yesterday, they got water guns. The roll-up keyboard I brought has come in handy, too. And one day we made fruit slushies with frozen fruit, bananas and a hand-mixer I BYO'd. 

And then, there are the times when the kids end up enjoying the screen-time great indoors. File under: "Whatever works, works!"—the motto of this pandemic.