Life is a Highway: Cars + Automotive Museum = Kids Off The Couch

Cars is one of those great family films that lures everyone from Grandpa to toddler with its old-fashioned values, cool car stars, hilarity and history. Our kids loved Lightning McQueen, the red-hot rookie race car with a big ego, who pulls off the fast lane and learns that sometimes you have to slow down in order to get where you need to be in life. On his way to the most important race of his life, the Piston Cup, Lightning gets lost and rips up the main road in Radiator Springs, a forgotten town on Route 66. Trapped in the small town while he fixes the road, Lightning falls for a beautiful Porsche, makes a new friend, and unearths a secret about the town's elder Statescar, Doc Hudson. In doing so, he learns about the value of friendship, the importance of keeping a promise, and what it means to be a winner. The movie's fabulous soundtrack and goofy humor gave the kids all the mileage they needed for dancing and laughing in their seats.

Visiting a Car Museum with grandparents and kids in tow is a great way to bring the past alive and two generations together. Our kids have always loved the idea that a car could even be in a museum, and the shiny surfaces to be found in abundance will please even the youngest child. Our local museum has extensive collections dating back to the '20s, making it fun to track the evolution of the automobile. Kids who have grown up with car seats get their wheels blown off when they first see a rumble seat -- and when they heard how long it took their grandparents to travel from one city to another (in the "olden days"). Older kids start to get a sense of how automobiles and freeways changed lives, and our country. Our son, who is obsessed with contemporary high-end sports cars, loved seeing the glamour cars of the past -- while his grandpa whistled in amazement to hear how these cars have held their value over time. Just two boys lookin' at cars... some things never change.  Visit www.kidsoffthecouch.com for even more tips, information and great conversation starters.