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mary
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| Posted: July 11 2007 at 9:53pm | IP Logged
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we are headed to cape cod in a week or so and i'm looking for suggestions for keeping kids occupied and happy in the car for the 2 day trip up and back (16 hours total driving without stopping and we'll be stopping a lot!) my kids are young, 9, 6, 4 and 1. i have the swallows and amazons on cd, the penderwick's on cd, and the beatrix potter movie (we bring our laptop for movies.) what else? i've never traveled to so long with a baby and i won't be able to sit next to the baby and nurse - we are out of seats in the car! if you have any suggestions, please post em!
and, i'll also take any suggestions for fun things to do in cape cod. we are headed to the burgess nature center and whale watching.
thank you!
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MaryatHome
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| Posted: July 11 2007 at 11:36pm | IP Logged
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We had good success with those old-fashioned car bingo cards at those ages. They have drawings of various things one might see on the road with the little windows to slide across when the item is spotted.
http://www.unclesgames.com/product_info.php/products_id/2269
We also have a game called "Are We There Yet" which is a similar idea, but on cards.
http://www.rainbowresource.com/proddtl.php?sid=1184213496-13 87489&id=002387
Magnetic games are good. We had a set with geometric shapes for the littles.
Disposable cameras might be fun, too, so that each one can take pictures of things they see along the way.
Bound journals and colored pencils for drawing, maybe some story starters for you to give them ideas to think about, related or unrelated to the trip.
We also liked to learn silly songs. My oldest is 16, and can still sing silly things we learned ten years ago on car trips.
Klutz Books are also intriguing. Legos are generally a bad idea on car trips, but the Klutz book keeps them contained. There are lots of those, so you should be able to find something for all but the baby.
http://www.klutz.com/
You might also consider jump ropes etc. for your stops to really get the wiggles out.
These are just things that worked for us....maybe something will for you, too.
Mary
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: July 11 2007 at 11:46pm | IP Logged
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I find that the more *I* work to entertain the children.. the more THEY feel that they're supposed to be entertained.
I take very little for them to do in the car even on 12 hr trips.. now.. I bring music that's fun.. veggietales, GoFish, Chris Rice, Newsboys (ones my kids like).. I've done books on tape.. and we'll sing songs (without the radio) and play games like finding the alphabet or twenty questions.. things that don't need any props.
But when I'm doing less entertaining.. they nap, look out the windows, play games together, and generally do so much better than when I tried to have something "new and fun" to do.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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mom2mpr
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| Posted: July 11 2007 at 11:56pm | IP Logged
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Yes, you will be stopping a lot 
Some hints that have worked for us in the past for long trips--
-stop at a rest stop(and bring beach balls or other toys)or restaurant with a playground or park you just happen to pass that looks fun--enjoy that and grab the food to go(or pack your cooler) and allow the kids to eat in the car. Messy but you can get some time under your belt while they are tired and then eating(then hopefully take a nap? 
-we listened to Penderwicks on our way to Virginia last summer and all(8,3,38 and 43)enjoyed it--a lot!! We find books on tape to be such fun!
-we have started doing DVD's more. I balked for years but on my trip to VA, driving alone, I had to do it to keep 4 yo dd somewhat entertained--especially at busy times in the driving. I save it for the tough driving times or until I am needing them to watch as I am needing a break :)
-music for "dancing"--dd loves Barney and he has some pretty good CD's out with fun, upbeat songs that I cannot believe ds is OK with listening too! We also enjoy Raffi.
-a trip to the dollar store to buy "junk." I have bought coloring books, new books, small toys they can play with in their seats-dinosaurs, little dolls, cars, etc. I really dislike this but it has helped. Have some special, new things for each child buys you a little more time. Oh, and save some for the return trip.
-move seats around at stops. With littles not as much fun, but boosters, not a bad idea. Changes of scenery and neighbors can be refreshing sometimes.
-snacks and drinks. A friend used licorice/Twizzlers a lot--keeps the mouth busy, takes a while to eat one, and tastes good(well, if you like it). My kids, one in particular, always gets hungry. Bubble gum is fun too. We don't get those types of things often so neat for my kids.
-chocolate for mom. Coffee for dad.
-small potty for emergencies.
-For dd I have found that paper and tape have provided a lot of entertainment. Stickers, too! Oh, and post it notes.
Have a great trip. The Cape is beautiful at this time of year!
Anne
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mary
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| Posted: July 12 2007 at 1:14pm | IP Logged
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i have bingo travel game and will pack it along. thanks for the reminder! i always get each kid a disposable camera for the trip, but i'm hoping that they don't use it in the car. love the jump rope idea. i'll also pack a ball for throwing.
anne, thank you for reminding me to pack the potty! in the past, i have packed foods we don't normally eat, but finding healthy snacks isn't all that easy. i have thought about the seat idea, especially for my 1 year old. she is still rear-facing (he seat rear faces until 35lbs) and i am tempted to turn her for the trip.
jodie, do your little kids really manage 12 hour car rides by sitting and staring out the window? do they sleep a lot while riding?
any other suggestions? books on cd recommendations? food ideas?
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ann@home
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| Posted: July 12 2007 at 1:56pm | IP Logged
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for the car:
-Ranger Rick type magazines-easier to pack and not a big deal if they get ripped/spilled on-you can often get used copies at the library for .10
-Homeward Bound is a good travel movie for large age span (about 2 dogs and a cat)
-drawing/writing tablets and colored pencils (crayons can melt in the car)
when you get there:
-magnifying glasses
-field guides
-journals
good luck and have fun!
__________________
Ann, Full-time Mama of a 10yr old Lego master, 7yr old DIVA, 4yr old King of the Mountain and one more in June '09!
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DominaCaeli
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| Posted: July 12 2007 at 4:02pm | IP Logged
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JodieLyn wrote:
I find that the more *I* work to entertain the children.. the more THEY feel that they're supposed to be entertained.
I take very little for them to do in the car even on 12 hr trips.. now.. I bring music that's fun.. veggietales, GoFish, Chris Rice, Newsboys (ones my kids like).. I've done books on tape.. and we'll sing songs (without the radio) and play games like finding the alphabet or twenty questions.. things that don't need any props.
But when I'm doing less entertaining.. they nap, look out the windows, play games together, and generally do so much better than when I tried to have something "new and fun" to do. |
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I agree with Jodie here--or at least it was true for me and my brother when we were younger. The two of us did quite a few cross-country two-week-long trips with my grandparents when we were children, and although my parents sent us with a few "fun" things (a treat, a new book), we travelled very light and had a great time.
My grandparents were great at telling stories or playing little word games with us. We each had a map to write on, and we would trace our route as went along and guess how long it would take to get to the next city. We had trip journals that we spent a lot of time writing and illustrating (I still have these!). We made up songs and sang along to the radio. We chatted A LOT. We played car bingo. We napped. We sometimes listened to our own music on our Walkmans. (Can you tell what generation I'm from! ) We told lots of jokes and talked about the scenery. We made lots of pit-stops for exploring.
I think it helped that my parents and grandparents presented the trip as if the driving itself were part of the vacation, not just a means to get to our destination.
Hope that gives you some low-key options!
__________________
Blessings,
Celeste
Joyous Lessons
Mommy to six: three boys (8, 4, newborn) and four girls (7, 5, 2, and 1)
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: July 12 2007 at 11:23pm | IP Logged
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not just staring out the window but.. yes.. and we make the quickest stops possible.
I find there's an adjustment period of time.. that's the most restless.. the longer stops just "reset them" so to speak so that we have to do the transition again.
My kids sing and "dance" to the music, play games without props and such. They're more in charge of keeping themselves entertained than I am.
Things that get dropped, fought over, and kids that wind up "being bored" anyway once the novelty wears off and they don't have a new something forthcoming.. make our trips MUCH worse.
Oh we also identify trees and animals and such as we can while driving past
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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mary
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| Posted: July 13 2007 at 7:20am | IP Logged
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DominaCaeli wrote:
I think it helped that my parents and grandparents presented the trip as if the driving itself were part of the vacation, not just a means to get to our destination.
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i love that idea. you also said that you made lots of stops for exploration. i sure hope i find the right balance between stopping to explore and not stopping so often that i 'reset' them.
jodie, i do agree with you that the kids expect mom to be a cruise director if we do too much entertaining. i'm taking your advice about not having too much. it's the baby that's hard for me to keep entertained. the older kids will be happy with their book bags and an occasional movie (we bring along my laptop for movies in the car.)
thank you for the suggestions! here's my list of stuff to bring:
magnetic scramble puzzles
clipboard with compartment for colored pencils & paper
map
travel diary and glue stick
sticker books
tape player and books on tape
laptop for movies
books on cd for all of us to hear
pop-up books for the baby
bubbles for the baby
travel game (like a bingo game)
ball for rest stop play
a book of travel games for all of us
ipod with western stories
if anyone has any other ideas for the baby? she is just 1 and will be the most difficult to keep contented.
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stacykay
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| Posted: July 13 2007 at 7:40am | IP Logged
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We have made the trek from MI to FL .... I can't count how many times.
Here are a couple of ideas:
-when you stop at a rest area (we stopped every two hours-I know it seems like a lot, but it helped sooo much!) have a soccer ball or such to run and kick around.
-have an atlas and one (or more, because everyone wants to see!) map of the area you are traveling through. The atlas is great for learning capitals and state locations.
-music tapes (one trip we listened to "Big Bird" singing over and over  -make sure it is fun and not tedious music!  ) Also, we listened to "Adventures in Odyssey" one trip, and everyone enjoyed them.
-books
-paper or notebooks and pens and pencils, as Celeste mentioned, for recording the trip and sites.
-snacks
That is about it. With all seats taken, plus luggage, there isn't much room for anything else. I also agree with not trying to entertain, but let them peer out the windows and see! the country as you drive. One of our fondest memories was driving past a farm in N. GA, seeing the farmer driving up to a field, and the cows came running to him. It was really cute.
We also spotted a bear on a hillside (right on I-75!) in KY. If we were glued to a movie or such, we would have missed them.
Have a wonderful trip!
God Bless,
Stacy in MI
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Maryan
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| Posted: July 13 2007 at 9:21am | IP Logged
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We just did a long trip!
For books on tape, we also like the Chronicles of Narnia (focus on the family version), Mary Pope Osbourne Jack and Annie tapes, and various Jim Weiss cds.
I ran out of seats to nurse my 9 mo. as well -- so to stretch, we brought crackers and sippy cups for him. It made a mess, but he was happier.
Good luck!
__________________
Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
A Lee in the Woudes
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: July 13 2007 at 2:33pm | IP Logged
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for the baby.. what about puppets? maybe finger puppets?
I remember when I only had my oldest and taking a trip.. puppets worked great.. with her alone it was a hard age to keep entertained.. my other kids do a great job now..
But like after singing and dancing to music becomes unappealing or distracting.. then the puppets can dance to the music and it's fun again.. the other kids can also use the puppets and help keep her entertained etc.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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DominaCaeli
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mary wrote:
| if anyone has any other ideas for the baby? she is just 1 and will be the most difficult to keep contented. |
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Yes, a one year old isn't exactly the might-be-able-to-entertain-herself type I've got two little ones, and here's what's in my current bag of tricks:
- Spray bottle (They love being "misted" with it--especially helpful when they're about to have a meltdown.)
- Tupperware (This is hands-down their favorite thing to play with. You can leave the pieces open for her to chew on or put a bunch of objects inside and let her shake it around.)
- Water bottles (They love playing with these--and they do double-duty too, of course!)
- Straws (They like drinking from regular straws rather than their sippy cups or holding their mouths open while I drop strawfuls of water in--fun!)
- Board books
- Snacks
I might also save a few toys for the ride back so that they'll be "new" and more likely to catch her attention.
The finger puppets Jodie mentioned and the bubbles you already have on your list are also big hits.
__________________
Blessings,
Celeste
Joyous Lessons
Mommy to six: three boys (8, 4, newborn) and four girls (7, 5, 2, and 1)
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saintintraining
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I go with nonstop DVDs in the portable players. I have 2 that we use. Each one can use 2 sets of headphones. It keeps the car quiet and I can listen to my own cds. When I drive, which is most of the time, I really need to listen to music. My kids absolutely love it, since this would not be allowed any other time.
I have found my youngest ones entertain pretty easily with food, bottles, little hand toys and that's about it.
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mary
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| Posted: July 14 2007 at 7:29am | IP Logged
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soccer ball - check!
atlas - check!
jim weiss cds - check! (and great idea)
sippy cup - check!
finger puppets - genuis idea, check!
spray bottle - another genuis idea, check!
tupperware - awesome - i even have a princess container that is pretty deep and will hold lots of things. pure genuis! check!
board books - check!
our supplies are sitting on the dining room table. now i need to work on keeping myself occupied for the trip! embroidery, books and getting my notification letter together should keep me busy when i'm not playing cruise director. thank you all!
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: how to keep kids happy while traveling
