Leadershape Or Bust!

Summer is here and even though the price of gas is at an all time high, I expect some of us will go on a road trip or two.  My road trip to Austin on Saturday reminded me that this could be a fun topic for our readers.  Creative ways to make a road trip fun... especially if you have kids.

First I feel the need to tell you a little bit more about where I am and what I'll be doing this week.  It seems impossible to go the week without wanting to reference and share some the excitement of what I am doing and the people I am meeting.  You'll appreciate it more if you understand the context.

This entire week is about creativity, because for the next six days I will be working with 60 college-aged students to do a couple of things.. (1) facilitate their thinking about what they are passionate about and how they can use their passion to improve some aspect of the world; (2) teach the basic leadership skills necessary to implement a vision statement; and (3) make the connection between successfully executing our visions and committing to leading with integrity.  It's an ambitious agenda, but it is nothing short of inspiring and creative.  

Students taking serious time out of their busy lives... sequestering themselves and spending concentrated time thinking about how to improve the world in which we live.  Let there me no misunderstanding... we are in good hands.  Our future looks bright, because there are a healthy number of young people willing to give of their time and energy.  This program I work with (Leadershape) is about harnessing that creativity and energy and channeling it into something purposeful.

With that as the back drop... great ready for an exciting week.  My goal is to either share some aspect of the curriculum, introduce you to someone I meet, or share a creative thought I have.  We'll see where it goes...

But for today, let's start with my four hour drive from Dallas to Austin.  I am happy to report that is was somewhat uneventful.  I kept waiting to pass some great site along the way... something of which I could take a photo and post as creative idea.  There was nothing.  So, where there is nothing creative... create your own!

A couple of years ago family friends drove from Georgia to visit us.  Before embarking on their return trip, I presented the kids with a scavenger hunt list and a Polaroid camera.  The goal... gather the actual items or snap a picture on film.  Mail them back and earn a prize.  Items included things such as an apple pie box from McDonald's, a picture with a truck driver, a photo from a "scenic point" along the way, a picture of an Alabama license plate, the signature of someone you met along the way, a cow, a Wendy's straw wrapper, and the front page of a newspaper from a state other than Kentucky (where we lived at the time) or Georgia.

How about you?  What other ideas can you help generate for a Road Trip Scavenger Hunt?  In addition... feel free to share any other ideas you have for making time in the car fly by having fun.

Signing off until tomorrow...