looking at 9 hrs in the car wiht a 10 yo and 8 yo I know they can mostly entertain themselves by reading to listening to music and we will have some DS time. but I'm wondering what to do to make it a little more special than just playing the liscence plate game.
when they were little i used to buy little gifts from the dollar store and wrap them up. I would like to do the same but i have NO idea at all what to get that they would like that would work for traveling. i'm willing to spend more money but i can't even think of what would be good. maybe a new hat? a new book? am i over looking something?
also do you have any suggestions for an audio book that the kids and i AND Daddy might enjoy???
any music suggetions for that age that aren't too raunchy or too babyish, we don't really listen to too much music at home.
one website suggested wash off window markers for them to draw on the side windows. but that just seem uncomfortable to me fpr them to turn sideways and reach. what do you think?
any advice would be great. oh and we will most likely leave at midnight and drive as far as we can with a minimum of stops for meals.
wow i love that organizer and seat belting it in is beyond AWESOME. I always worry about stuff flying around.
I suppose i sounded stressed but i'm not. I enjoy planning things that i think my kids might like and we've always had great trips in the past. I struggle as they get older how to stay connected. hubby thinks they just plug in and stay that way until we get there, and I would rather no electronic hand helds or head phones at all. so we are looking for a compromise.
our librarians aren't the hippest cats on the block so that's why i asked here for new artists and books on cd that people could recommend.
fyi one boy and one girl
I have never thought of the car markers before. That sounds like a blast. Can I have one? LOL I would definitely get those.
The "question ball". So much fun. Target sells them. Get a set of brain quest cards.. Usually sold in the book section. We also liked the 10 minute mystery books. Read them aloud and see if you all can figure them out.
Find some crazy hats and every once on a while in heavy traffic, put them on and act like it is normal.. The other drivers will love it..wear them through the drive through and see if the person assisting you all says anything.
We loved the Garrison Keillor
"Lake Wobegon" books on CD...
We used to play the story game. One person starts by starting a sentence. Then each person adds on. Ex. "Carley was angry at her best friend"......next person adds a sentence. "The problem was that this friend never"....... Next person adds on .......
My kids bring book, ds, mp3 players and we have dvd player in the van. They have good headphones, so my husband and I can listen to our own radio. I try not to have too much stuff floating around in the back of the van when we are travelling. When we take road trips I always make lots of stops along the way at any and all points of interest so we can take pictures and stretch our legs.
oh hon....try 18 hours with a 2 year old :)
it's really not such a huge deal. working so hard to make it "special" will just stress you out. make sure they have their DS if you want to let them take those, books, pen and paper, maybe a couple car games, maybe some markers or crayons and let them pick out a coloring book (no, they're not too old)...(i actually recommend the fewer electronics, the better)
there is something to be said for cruising the local radio stations for good music to sing to, pointing out interesting things on the drive, and conversation. i highly recommend - less = more. have a great time :)
We travel extensively with a 13 year old and 9 year old. We love the Mr. Benedict Society books. We always have 1-3 out loud reads going. The narnia books are great and on audio (might check your library even). Swiss Family Robinson, My Side of the Mountain, Trumpeter Swan.
My girlfriend recently flew with 4 kids and bought them each a mad-lib book. She said they loved them and kept them entertained for a couple of hours.
We also keep a frisbee at all times so when we stop we can toss it. My husband and daughter are more athletic but all 4 of us enjoy frisbee. We've also kept a soft ball and a couple of gloves for the kids to throw a ball back and forth when we stop.
My kids love to draw so I usually have a small sketch book for both. Another thought is a disposable camera. They can take pics along the way and you can get them developed and put into a book later. Have fun!!
If you're leaving at midnight they'll be asleep for about 7-8 hours of the 9 hour trip......right??????
So you only need to fill a couple of hours. You'll stop for breakfast and for everyone to dress for the day and freshen up. Then off for that final jag of the trip.
On the way back do the same thing.
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A computer puts off a lot of heat and can start a fire so please make sure it's on a hard surface, not a blanket or the floor while it's even in hibernate mode. It can overheat and melt the area around the over heated area's. My battery melted in my first one because I left it sitting on the couch while I went to eat dinner. When I came back the bottom was so hot I couldn't touch it.
So a DVD player is better because it's made to hang on the seat in front of the kids or it's made to be in their lap.
Lap desks are a good thing for sure if the kids laps are at all flat. That way they're not always falling/sliding off.
It all depends on their interests.
1. the librarian should be able to help you pick audio books that the kids and adults might enjoy.
2. get them a NEW DS game and I hope they have a handheld device each. My kids can zone out with a new game for days.
3. get each a lapdesk with the pillow attached so they have a flat surface to draw or put games or a snack on.
4. we have a store called Five Below where everything is $5 or less, and they have lots of little toys and snacks and such. You do not say if the kids are boys or girls but they have fun little things for both (or else try Michaels craft store for things they like).
5. I would sit with them at the computer and check youtube for artists they like and either download a new album or buy the CD. Our library has CD's you can check out for a week so you could rip some new music to an MP3 player that way.
6. If they do not have their own MP3 players, the Sandisk one I have is a copy of the original iPod with the dial and costs about $70 at Bestbuy and is very easy to load with Windows Media Player. They may not like the same music at the same time.
7. those little portable DVD players are pretty cheap (ours was about $60 on sale) and perhaps buy a new movie they have not seen. If you have one system make sure it can take 2 headphones, or else go to RadioShack and buy a Y plug that allows you to put 2 plugs into 1 hole.
8. I got a soft "box" that can be seatbelted between the kids and has pockets on the outside and a divider inside to make 2 compartments It helped to have an organized space to put stuff and the kids used to load it before we went on vacation with little notebooks and those 3 inch tall pens from Staples and notecards to draw on, a deck of playing cards, dice,a Magnadoodle, etc. Similar to this:
http://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Kids-Travel-Pal-Organizer/...
9. I get car sick and used to take Dramamine half an hour before we left and I would wake up at our destination. If your kids are prone to nausea, I would make sure to have some on hand, to prevent vomiting. Also Benadryl for any kind of allergic reaction, perhaps some Tums to deal with road food (or bring your own food in a cooler and some gingerale to settle tummies).
Since they are old enough, I would discuss with them that the car trip is long and ask for their input. Have fun.
If you plan to leave at midnight and it's a 9 hour car ride, they will probably sleep a huge majority of the way right? Brings pillows and blankets so they can sleep a little more comfortably. Other than that bring a portable dvd player (I used to use my lap top - Which if you use your laptop make sure that you have a way to charge it/plug it into your car. They do sell little converter things where you plug your wall cord into one end and the other end is a thing that you can plug into the thing in your car) and buy them a couple of new movies.
Target or Walmart have little game aisles. They have fun card games, we just bought a trivia game there the other day. Everyone can answer the questions and play. Even whoever is driving.
You can get them a smaller white board with a marker set pretty cheap that they can draw stuff and make a game out of that too.
