Last month we published The Plastic Problem, a book to help your family cut plastic out of their lives. We were lucky enough to speak to its author, Aubre Andrus, about what she learnt through writing the book. Take it away Aubre!

“Writing this book changed my life. It made me re-examine a lot of the ‘auto-pilot’ actions I take on a daily basis, like grabbing a lid or a straw when I don’t need it. I became much more aware of how much plastic pollution my daily routine created, and I immediately tried to change that. I’m still working on cutting out plastic from my life, but every time I do it makes me feel really good!

When it comes to saving the planet, many people are taught 'reduce, reuse, recycle' but the mantra should actually be 'reduce, refuse, recycle'. With that in mind here are some extra ideas to get your family started as 'plastic patrollers'" :

Take a check-list of your waste

"How many bags of rubbish and recycling does your family create each week? Each month? Don’t forget about small waste bins in the bathroom or bedrooms. Keep a tally of how many bags or bins you fill up then make it a fun family challenge to reduce that amount next month and so on".

Focus on one room at a time

"There are so many ways to cut plastic out of your life, which is great - but it’s also overwhelming! Try focusing on one room like the kitchen or the bathroom first. For the next month, make small changes that reduce waste in that room specifically".

Declare a plastic-free shopping week

"Take a trip to the shop and attempt to fulfill your needs with the least amount of plastic possible. This is called ‘pre-cycling’. Ask your kids for help finding these solutions".

Model eco-friendly behaviors for your kid(s)

"As parents, we know that kids are more likely to pick up on a habit that they see us doing ourselves, like grabbing a piece of fruit instead of crisps for a snack. Start modelling low-waste behaviours for your kids like saying no to plastic cutlery, straws and bags and using fabric napkins and dish cloths instead of paper ones".

Challenge your family to pack a waste-free lunch for a day

"Our daily lunch routines often create a lot of plastic waste. There are many simple solutions kids and adults can take such as buying snack items in bulk and portioning them out in reusable bags, or packing reusable silverware and cups as well as fabric napkins”.

Thanks Aubre for all of that useful info! Since its release, both kids and adults alike have been flicking through the pages of The Plastic Problem. Here’s what Annabelle, 8 years old, had to say about it:

“ I like this book because it gives me ideas about how to help the environment. The book talked about how lots of plastic ends up in the ocean, how there's plastic in your clothes, and how plastic heats up the earth. I also learned that a plastic water bottle can take 450-1,000 years to break down. That's not good! This book is important because it helps to solve the plastic problem. I would recommend this book to anyone - young or old ”.

The reviews have also started to come in on the children’s book review site, Toppsta. Here’s what Kate-jw, who has been reading it to her class, has said:
" My class loved this and were all eager to get a chance to read it! Some great ideas in here on how to reduce our plastic usage, which they are all pledging to do!"

If your kids would like to explore more about becoming a ‘plastic patroller’, get them to take the ‘plastic patroller pledge’ from our activity sheet here. To pick up a copy of The Plastic Problem, head to our online shop.

Want to investigate even more ways on how to help save the environment and the planet? Read an account of one of our families doing a beach-clean on Chesil Beach here. For tips on how families can travel more sustainably, read our blog here.

Spotlight on: The Plastic Problem

This month our family travel snap is out and about exploring Myanmar with the intrepid five travellers behind the family travel blog Smiths Holiday Road.

What’s the story behind this photo?

We had arrived in Mandalay, Myanmar, the night before and were excited to explore the nearby town of Mingun. Mingun is accessible by  both road and boat so we chose to get there slowly on the Irrawaddy river which took around an hour. Mingun has this fabulous white pagoda named Hsinbyume Pagoda which we climbed, surrounded by gold tips looking out across the village and river.

I may have taken around 100 photos of this incredible pagoda but I really love this one because youngest son Woody is just taking it all in.

After visiting the pagoda we wandered through the village, chatted with locals and enjoyed a cool drink before getting back on the boat. We find it very important to engage in local traditions when we travel so we had our faces painted with thanaka. It's a paste made from tree bark which all the locals use for face care, cooling down and sun protection.

Kids’ perspective

Woody: I remember this day was very hot and we were very sweaty walking up all the steps of the Pagoda. We left Cooper's wheelchair at the bottom and Dad helped him walk up to the top. We said a prayer to Buddha at the top for our friend and saw many purple lotus flowers.

Bron's tips for exploring Myanmar with kids:

1) Get there sooner rather than later. Compared with other Asian destinations, Myanmar has limited tourism at the moment and this means you see its genuine nature.

2) Make sure you leave enough time for Bagan. We wished we had longer to ride the bikes around more! It was so great to have that freedom of exploring (over 5000!) historic pagodas.

3) Don't forget to book places to stay with a swimming pools so the kids get chance to cool off.

Where’s next on your family travel bucket list?

Next up we are planning a trip at Easter to Spain, Portugal and Morocco. We hope to hire a camper van for Portugal, visit the Sahara in Morocco and ride some trains in Spain. And of course enjoy the food!

Lastly, complete the sentence:

When we shut the front door ready to go and travel as a family, we always make sure we have… ... 5 passports, 5 people, carry-on bags and a wheelchair!

You can learn more about Cooper's life and travels is our book This is My World, where 84 children from incredibly diverse backgrounds share their stories and photos of what’s unique about their lives.

Family travel snap: exploring the temples of Myanmar

Here at Lonely Planet Kids we’re celebrating our friends in the animal kingdom with the publication of our Animal Atlas this month. So we thought it would be a great opportunity to talk to someone who helps animals every day for our series on the planet’s coolest jobs. We caught up with Jess White, who works as a horse vet based in Newmarket, England, to find out what her job entails, why she wanted to do it - and why some horses regularly travel the world.

Describe your job in five words!

Rewarding, outdoors, sociable, varied, practical

What does your job involve?

Vets can look after many different animals but I specifically focus on horses and I work at Newmarket Equine Hospital which, as the name suggests, is a hospital just for horses. Newmarket is a big centre in the UK for horse-racing so much of our work involves looking after racehorses and helping to breed and safely deliver foals who will go on to become racehorses. We also look after ponies, leisure horses and anything else in the horse family, although we don’t have many zebras on our books!

We’ve never even heard of an equine hospital before! Tell us about it.

It has specialist vets, surgeons, operating theatres, x-ray rooms and an intensive care unit, all so we can provide our horses with the specific care and attention that they need.

What does a typical day look like for Jess?

That’s one of the best things about being a vet: no single day looks the same as another and the job changes with the seasons. A lot of my days are spent out and about in my car seeing patients and clients, but in the spring when most foals are being born I spend more time with them either on stud farms or in the hospital. Each day brings something new and different, and you never know what the next phone call will bring. There’s plenty to keep us busy!

Do you get to travel with your job?

Yes! Most of our practice’s patients are within an hour or two of Newmarket, but we often get asked to see patients further away in the UK, Europe or further afield. We also get to fly with horses that are being transported around the world either for racing or breeding reasons. Being in a plane with up to 70 horses is a fascinating experience. We fly with them to keep an eye on them both in the air and when they arrive at their destination. The horses travel remarkably well, especially when they travel in groups, and thankfully we have few problems onboard.

What’s the best thing about your job?

Apart from the hugely rewarding task of helping sick animals get better, one of the best things about my job is that as a UK-qualified vet I can work in many different countries. Vets are needed all over the world, working with many species in different roles, from caring for pets to zoo vets, research and charity work. This flexibility gives us a vast number of exciting opportunities and the job can take you nearly anywhere you want to go!

One of the words you used to describe your job was sociable. Isn’t it just about looking after the horses?

Yes you might think that but every animal has a human owner so working well with people is a key part of being a vet. You need to listen properly to understand what is going on, explain things clearly so that the correct care can be given and reassure the owners that their loved animal is in good hands.

Have you always loved horses?

Yes, I’ve been lucky enough to have horses in my life since I was a little girl. They are remarkable animals because of the trust and relationship they can build with us. Humans first domesticated horses about 5000 years ago and since then we have used them as work animals, they have fought with us in battle and in more recent times we have trained them to jump, race, ‘dance’ (when doing dressage) or simply be affectionate companions. Every single day at work something will remind me of just how trusting, intelligent and unique horses and ponies are.

What advice would you give someone who wants to become a vet?

If you love animals and caring for them, and you think you might like to be a vet then the best thing you can do is get lots of hands-on experience with animals. Lots of people want to be vets, and the more experience you have the better your chances of getting into a university. Help your local dog-walker, volunteer at your nearby farm, or maybe get involved in mucking out horses at the weekend, anything! Speak to your local vet too if you have one. We all started our journey to becoming a vet when we were young, and so can have lots of useful advice to help you along your way.

You can follow Newmarket Equine Hospital on Twitter and Facebook.

The planet's coolest jobs: horse vet

It's not often we talk about kids exploring prisons but this month's family travel snap is taking us on an unusual adventure. Amanda from Hot Mama Travel and her two kids tell us all about their time at the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia.

What’s the story behind this photo?

It's Day 21 of our 60-day road trip across America and we're in downtown Philadelphia. After visiting all the classic sites, like the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and so on, we spotted what appeared to be a medieval castle rising from the urban jungle. When we realised it was a historic and possibly haunted prison, we couldn’t wait to get inside and explore. We soon found ourselves inside the dilapidated ruins of an old prison cell in Eastern State Penitentiary.

With their audio guides, Keeley (six) and Kevin (five) listened to captivating stories about prison life witnessed by these stone walls throughout the many decades. They were both intrigued and nervous while standing in the cell, careful not to touch the walls. This was one of the rare opportunities for our children to get a safe first-hand experience of what it’s like inside a real prison. Travel experiences like this can teach kids things they would never otherwise learn in school.

Kids’ perspective:

Keeley: 'I remember that it was rusty and we heard a lot of different stories. I wasn’t allowed to touch anything and it made me a little bit nervous, but I found it really interesting. It was also kind of sad to hear some of the stories about dead people.'

Kevin: 'I remember that if I touched something I would be kicked out. I remember pressing a button and hearing stories about the prison. It was a really cool place and I think other kids should go there.'

Amanda's tips for visiting the Eastern State with kids:

1) Prep your kids well: they will not be allowed to touch anything at all. These are historic ruins and you will have to sign a waiver before your tour because of potential exposure to hazardous materials if anything is touched. As a side note, my own kids are often touchy and a bit hyper, but they had no problem heeding this advice.

2) Bring your own snacks and water as we didn't find anywhere to buy food and drink on site.

3) If you have teenagers who like to get scared, book your trip during Halloween season to experience 'terror behind the walls'.

Where’s next on your family travel bucket list?

Hopefully Ireland and Scotland for two weeks later this year to see live music with our kids, which is kind of our shtick. We also really want to experience the Halloween activities and witch trial history in Salem, Massachusetts.

Lastly, complete the sentence:

When we shut the front door ready to go and travel as a family, we always make sure we have… …room on our credit card!

Tweet #HotMamaTravel

Family travel snap: learning about prisons in Philadelphia

In this month’s family travel snap, we journey to Oslo with Orla Thomas, features editor for Lonely Planet Magazine, and her six-year-old son Henry.

What’s the story behind this photo?

This is my six-year-old son, Henry (right), with his best buddy, Sidney (left), at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. The boys have been friends since nursery but hadn’t seen each other in a while, as last year Sid and his parents moved from London – where we live – back to his mother Margrethe’s native Norway. This museum was the highlight of our visit to the city – the boys were utterly fascinated by the skeletal remains on display, and thoroughly embraced the Viking spirit in the gift shop, trying on helmets and brandishing swords.

The pictured ship, Gokstad, was built around 890 AD, and around a decade later was used as the burial chamber for a rich and powerful man. I found it mind-boggling, the enormous effort that must have gone into building the still-impressive vessel – only to consign it to the ground. The boys were more fascinated by the macabre details, like the fact that the Gokstad man had cutting blows to both his legs, showing he died in battle.

After this picture w e headed back to our hosts’ neighbourhood, Grünerløkka , and to Kaffe Brenneriet for kanelbolle (cinnamon buns). Each day in Oslo brought a new bun – from the classic raisin bolle to the custard-filled skolebolle (‘school bun’).

Kids’ perspective:

Henry: ‘I liked the film they played on the walls, showing the Viking ships. But when the Vikings died fighting and then went somewhere else on their ship, that’s not real, that’s just what they’re imagining. I liked looking at the skeletons with all the bones and teeth, but I didn’t like the bit where they showed how the ships were dug up. That was boring. I wanted to look at more swords.’

Orla’s tips for visiting Oslo with kids:

1) Get an Oslo Card, which includes free entry to over 30 museums and travel on public transport – but remember that children under six travel for free and are often not charged for museum entry.

2) Take plenty of snacks on days out and plan where to eat in advance – dining out is phenomenally expensive, so impromptu stops can really burn through your budget.

Where’s next on your family travel bucket list?

My husband and I also have two boys aged eight and two, and this summer we’ll all be holidaying together in the Yorkshire Dales. We’re hoping to rent bikes and cycle the Swale Trail.

Lastly, complete the sentence:

When we shut the front door ready to go and travel as a family, we always make sure we have… … a notebook and pen. I like to record some of the boys’ more astute or amusing observations of the places we explore, and it makes for a lovely memento – better, somehow, even than a photo.

And a bonus fun fact!

The horned ‘Viking’ helmet is a historical inaccuracy: a conflation of traditional Viking helmets – an iron or leather cap – with the horns they used as drinking vessels.

You can read more about Orla and Henry's trip to Oslo in this month's Lonely Planet Magazine.

Family travel snap: learning about Vikings and cinnamon buns in Oslo

On the first Sunday of September every year, Venetians celebrate an ancient victorious battle by racing boats down the city's maze of canals. This month at Lonely Planet Kids, we’re celebrating Venice's Historic Regatta with a step-by-step guide to making your own origami paper boat.

Follow the instructions below or download and print our activity sheet to make your own paper boat to sail in water!

You will need:

A4 coloured paper

A bowl of water (optional)

STEP ONE

Fold the A4 paper in half widthways, then fold in half again widthways.

STEP TWO

Unfold your paper once, then fold in the top two corners, making two triangles.

STEP THREE

Fold up one side of the bottom strip beneath the triangle.

STEP FOUR

Turn the paper over and fold two small triangles from the other side over onto this side, then fold the bottom two corners, to make four small triangles.

STEP FIVE

Fold up the bottom strip beneath the triangle on this side.

STEP SIX

Turn the paper on its side and pull the sides out to open up in a cup shape, then fold across the opposite way to make a flat square.

STEP SEVEN

Fold the top layer of the bottom half of the square upwards.

STEP EIGHT

Turn over and fold up the entire bottom half of the square to make a triangle.

STEP NINE

Open your paper out in the middle and then fold across the opposite side to before. Hold the top two corners and pull out sideways – your boat is made!

STEP TEN

Set sail by floating your boat in a bowl of water.

Make more boats and you'll have your own paper boat race scene!

Feeling inspired? Check out our other Lonely Planet Kids activities.

Welcome to a world of crafting, creativity… and cardboard! Lonely Planet’s Cardboard Box Creations will take you around the globe as you build 20 travel-themed objects, icons and famous landmarks. Including step-by-step instructions and a starter kit of cardboard sheets with cut-out template guides, you’ll soon become a master cardboard crafter!

Rainy day activity: Venice Regatta origami paper boat

The romance of the open road can be, well, slightly less than romantic when you're dealing with bored, squabbling or car-sick kids. Yet a road trip is still a fantastic way to explore a destination. It gives your family the freedom to stop and explore whenever you want and the opportunity to create shared travel experiences, as well as enabling you to carry a multitude of stuff in the boot. As with most things parenting, there's an art to road tripping with kids. We asked our community of family travellers for their top tips.

The expert view

After being on a constant road trip for five years, we've learned a few things about what helps to make a road trip work with kids. First and foremost is snacks, lots of snacks! We have found if we pack a lunch box full of snacks for each kid and a water bottle we never hear 'I am hungry!' We do tell them that's all the snacks they get in the car today and they usually do a good job spreading them out throughout the day. If it's a long trip we recommend bringing a tablet and downloading a new movie. Then save it for a particular boring stretch or for the last half of the trip when everyone is getting antsy.

We're also big fans of audio books - you can even rent them from your local library for free! If possible, hook them up through your car stereo so everyone can easily hear. If you're travelling through a popular destination on your trip there are apps like GyPSy Guide to download and then, based on where you are, give you facts and tips about the location. They're an awesome way for the whole family to learn more about where you are.

- Bryanna and Craig Royal, founders of www.crazyfamilyadventure.com

Our Twitter community says

Our Facebook fans say

The above comments and more family travel tips can be found on our Facebook feed.

Want to investigate further? Try these helpful extra resources:

1) Our tips for taking a road trip with kids are on lonelyplanet.com.

2) Family travel blogger Jurga from fullsuitcase.com lists her essential family road trip packing list, which includes what not to pack too.

3) Lonely Planet has plenty of ideas, advice and inspiration on taking road trips all around the world.

4) And finally, keep your kids busy on the road trip with our recent Games on the Go activity set.

Ask LP Kids: tips for a family road trip

Chinese dragons are an important symbol in China, representing power and strength. Huge, colourful dragon puppets emerge at festivals to bring good luck, and teams of dancers perform a traditional dragon dance. Gather friends to make and dance with this dragon, and create your own luck!

Remember – cutting into cardboard can be tricky. Ask a grown-up to help or supervise.

You will need:

- Large box
- Tape
- Extra cardboard
- White card
- Red and black paint
- 4 paper cups
- 2 googly eyes
- PVA glue
- Pencil
- Coloured card and tissue paper
- Glue stick
- Cotton wool balls
- 3 large toy hoops
- Sheet of red material, large enough to cover the hoops

Step one

Use tape to secure all the flaps and seal all the edges of a large box. Lay it on its side. Ask a grown-up to help cut a rounded rectangle shape out of the base, big enough for your head to fit through.

Step two

Place the box base down. Ask a grownup to help cut a mouth, starting with a straight line about halfway down the side that will be the face. Cut halfway into each adjoining side, and then cut down in a smile shape, as shown.

Step three

Cut out two strips of teeth from white card. Tape one in place along the top of the mouth and the other one along the bottom.

Step four

Cut two large, wide triangles from cardboard. Fold them in half down the centre. Tape each half along the top back corner edges, as shown, for horns. Paint the horns, the top of the box and the back of the box red.

Step five

Paint the outside of the paper cups black. Cut two circles from cardboard, just smaller than the cup bases. Stick them to the bottom of two cups. Add the googly eyes. Stick the cups to the top of the box with glue.

Step six

On the front of the box, slightly above the mouth, trace around the other two paper cup bases for nostrils. Ask a grown-up to help cut out these circles, cutting the holes just a little bigger than the marks traced.

Step seven

Cut the bases out of the two paper cups. Gently push the cups into the holes from the outside, bottoms first, as far as they’ll go.

Step eight

Cut long strips of coloured card or tissue paper into a scalloped shape, as shown. You’ll need enough of these strips to cover your box.

Step nine

Use a glue stick to stick the scalloped coloured strips to your box. Do this in rows of colour working upwards, starting with red at the bottom, then layering on other colours, and finishing with red at the top.

Step 10

Cut two small triangle shapes from coloured card. Fold the bottoms out at 90° and stick these to the top of the box for spikes. Use PVA glue to attach cotton wool balls around the back of the eyes.

Step 11

Cut strips of coloured tissue paper. Use tape to stick the ends of these under the dragon’s chin.

Step 12

Lay the red material flat on the floor. Lay the three large toy hoops in a line along the material. Stick one edge of each hoop in place with tape, as shown.

Step 13

Ask a grown-up to cut an arched slit in the back of the dragon’s head, as shown.

Step 14

Push one end of the material through the slit until there is about 20cm (8in) of the fabric on the inside of the head. Secure this on the inside of the box with tape.

Grab your friends then duck under the fabric and inside the box to bring your dragon to life!

Welcome to a world of crafting, creativity… and cardboard! Lonely Planet’s Cardboard Box Creations will take you around the globe as you build 20 travel-themed objects, icons and famous landmarks. Including step-by-step instructions and a starter kit of cardboard sheets with cut-out template guides, you’ll soon become a master cardboard crafter!

Build a Chinese dragon for Chinese New Year

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We're celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Moon Landing on 20th July by running a creative competition. Your child needs to draw or write a space scene for the chance to win a fabulous set of space-related toys from Learning Resources and books from Lonely Planet Kids.

To get their artistic and literary juices flowing we've teamed up with the clever people at Learning Resources to share 10 amazing facts about the Moon Landing and our relationship with space.

Did you know?

1) The Moon is roughly 220,575 miles from the Earth. It’s so far away, it would take you about eight years to walk there! That’s why we use spaceships.

2) The Apollo space program was named after the Greek god of light and music.

3) The Earth has earthquakes and the Moon has moonquakes, which are exactly the same as earthquakes except they are on the moon! The Apollo astronauts left devices called seismometers on the lunar surface so we could measure these moonquakes from Earth; they give us a lot of information about what the inside of the Moon is like.

4) Moon dust can be as sharp as glass!

5) The Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, who were the first people to walk on the moon in 1969, planted their American flag a bit too close to the Lunar lander; they knocked it over when they took off to come home!

6) Also when they were leaving, Buzz accidentally broke the switch they needed to press in order to take off! Luckily, their felt-tip pen fitted into the hole, and they used that to switch on the engine.

7) Apollo 14 astronaut Alan Shepard took a golf ball along with him to the Moon. Because gravity is weaker on the Moon, he was able to hit the ball over two miles!

8) The last three Apollo Missions which put men on the moon used lunar rovers (small cars) to allow the astronauts to explore further afield. The rovers were built like dirt buggies to accommodate the bumpy ride!

9) The Curiosity Rover is a little robot car which has been exploring a crater on Mars since 2011. It runs on a nuclear battery, and once sang Happy Birthday to itself.

10) There's so much disused space equipment orbiting Earth that it's like flying through a giant rubbish dump. It's estimated that there are 20,000 pieces larger than a softball and as they are all moving they can cause substantial damage if you hit one.

Your budding astronaut can learn more about the Moon Landings on this post from our partners Learning Resources too.

With all this additional knowledge about the Moon Landings, it's time to get involved in our creative competition!

Recommended Posts

Spotlight on: The Plastic Problem

Family travel snap: exploring the temples of Myanmar

The planet's coolest jobs: horse vet

Family travel snap: learning about prisons in Philadelphia

Family travel snap: learning about Vikings and cinnamon buns in Oslo

Rainy day activity: Venice Regatta origami paper boat

Ask LP Kids: tips for a family road trip

Build a Chinese dragon for Chinese New Year

Did you know? 10 amazing facts about the Moon Landings on 20th July 1969

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