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mama2many
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| Posted: April 05 2011 at 11:23am | IP Logged
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We are spoiled. We are used to having a DVD player on long trips (12 hours, one day, 5 kids), but now that we have a "bus", how do we keep the kids entertained??
So, mom's that have been through this?? How do we keep them entertained for the trip??
Also, what is a better method of packing?? A suitcase or plastic bins??  the travel is the least awesome part of a vacation!
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Krystin
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J (7/08)
A (7/10)
C (11/12)
My Clones in Action
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stacykay
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| Posted: April 05 2011 at 12:05pm | IP Logged
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We got a portable dvd player just two years ago. Before that, we never did anything terribly creative. I had a stack of "tapes" of Adventures in Odyssey that my boys loved to listen to, atlases, books, paper and colored pencils and crayons. Hmmm....snack foods and easy drinks like juice boxes. The biggest help was stopping every two hours or so and running around at rest areas for a while. I always keep footballs and those red rubber balls (the ones that are good for soccer or kicking around) in the car. We also play the "animal" game. Think of an animal, but don't tell, and then everyone asks questions (color, size, what it eats, what eats it, etc.) My boys can play that for an hour straight. I think they enjoy the "what eats it" part. And then napping! Pillows and blankets.
We took twice a year drives from MI to FL (1250 miles each way, driveway to driveway,) stopping at halfway or just over halfway mark. If I drive to FL now, I take three days. I'm getting older and wimpier.
Have a fun trip!!!
In Christ,
Stacy in MI
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mama2many
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| Posted: April 05 2011 at 12:55pm | IP Logged
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Can't think of a way to use a portable DVD player in the new van, there are no "head rests" they are just humps on the seats, ya know?
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Krystin
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J (12/01)
K (6/06)
J (7/08)
A (7/10)
C (11/12)
My Clones in Action
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Betsy
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| Posted: April 05 2011 at 1:07pm | IP Logged
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We got an ipod to listen to books and cd's. I have a tape player in my van and I have an adaptor that runs through that. HTH!
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: April 05 2011 at 1:17pm | IP Logged
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1) I do NOT *entertain*.
2) I will help them learn how to entertain themselves. I teach games and we sing songs together. I'm willing to run books on tape or music they like to listen to/sing along with. Cat. Chat cds are EXCELLENT for the younger crowd (even my teen still likes them  )
3) it's ok if they're bored. It really is. Once they're bored then they'll have time to engage themselves.. think up stories.. watch the landscape.. work with siblings.. choose to entertain the younger kids.. it's not only ok but a good thing.
Actually I refuse to use a dvd player in the van. There's so much they'd be missing out on by not learning these other things. And we've made long trips always.. we are now down to trips that are only 6 hrs for visiting family.. the ones who were 11-13 hrs away moved here. 
One thing I've found.. there is a transition phase.. kids are excited when you first start the trip and then you hit the "I'm bored stage" but it's only a stage.. they're adjusting to the fact that they will be stuck in the van all day. Once they do that's when the resignation and creativity come out. We keep stops as short as possible. To help keep them from going back to the "I'm bored stage" which is exactly the opposite of what is recommended usually. They want you to spend extra hours on the road to let the kids get out and play. But I've found that is does disrupt the trip and the kids are dissatisfied once again after they get back in the van.
Now on a long trip we do do a longer lunch stop.. often the little ones would be ready to sleep after that anyway. So it could be a good time to do a book on tape that the older kids would like.
But still.. the fewer times we transition out of "trip mode" the fewer times we have to go through "I'm bored" and that makes the whole trip much nicer.. for everyone.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: April 05 2011 at 1:19pm | IP Logged
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oh and for packing.. I prefer a soft sided bag.. backpacks, duffle bags.. one per person. being soft they can be tossed in and tossed out.. being one per person just about everyone can carry their own.. and being soft they can be stuffed and squashed as necessary.
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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
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stellamaris
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| Posted: April 05 2011 at 2:57pm | IP Logged
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Quote:
| The biggest help was stopping every two hours or so and running around at rest areas for a while. I always keep footballs and those red rubber balls (the ones that are good for soccer or kicking around) in the car. |
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We have found this a great help, as well, especially if you have little ones under about 6. I also try and see if there are any special stopping places on the road. We have walked through reconstructed Indian villages, seen Children's Museums, and enjoyed parks in areas that we will never actually go TO, but that we have passed THROUGH.
This makes the trips longer, but more memorable.
Having a few ideas for word games is a good plan. Another fun game to play is the "Story Game", where one person begins a story and the others take turns completing it. Otherwise, I agree with Jodie, we just don't worry about "entertaining" them and they seem to find interesting things to look at on the road! I consider that it gives them time to think .
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Caroline
Wife to  dh 30+ yrs,ds's 83,85,89,dd's 91,95,ds's 01,01,02,grammy to 4
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MaryM
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| Posted: April 05 2011 at 3:18pm | IP Logged
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We drive through the night so everyone sleeps - I know that is not much help as we are really crazy and most families won't choose that option.  At least that is what most people say. And we didn't do that when the kids were really little anyway.
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ekbell
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| Posted: April 05 2011 at 5:42pm | IP Logged
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I remember what my parents did for a multi-day long trip with six kids.
A duffel bag for each person (nice and squish-able).
Each older child packed their own 'entertainment bag' with books and whatever else seemed appropriate (these mostly stayed IN the car). Mom packed some stuff for littles as well.
I'm of the belief that it's a good idea to plan on a nice long lunch break and if necessary dinner break. Partly because my children are prone to car sickness and it helps to give their meal a chance to settle and partly because if you choose the right place, they get a chance for active play (either a picnic, a place near a park or a place with an indoor activity area).
Otherwise, stops are only for necessities and as short as possible.
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SallyT
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| Posted: April 05 2011 at 6:26pm | IP Logged
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We've never had a DVD player in a car, and we make 10-hour trips regularly to visit family. Here are our coping mechanisms:
1. Rosary, as soon as we're on the highway. That gets us to the Hwy 321/I-40 junction, anyway.
2. Music. Lots and lots of music. Lots and lots and lots and lots of music. My oldest daughter has her iPod, my oldest son makes new CDs off the iTunes, and listening and singing keeps us happy for a very long time.
3. Books on CD/tape. We did this more before my teenagers were teenagers, but we still like to listen to audiobooks, especially when we're a captive audience.
4. Picnic lunch at a rest stop.
5. Nothing. Kids sleep, talk, look out the window. I used to let my boys bring their Gameboys, but I don't even like doing that any more, because one boy, in particular, will play the entire ten hours and not even realized that he's passed through any changes of landscape. I'd rather encourage kids to daydream.
6. They do all pack a bag with little toys, coloring books and crayons, or whatever they want to bring to amuse themselves with.
I'm a real hardliner about stopping, too, at least on these trips where the objective is to be at my mother's house by dinnertime. We stop twice, typically, for gas; I try to stop only at rest areas for bathroom breaks, so we don't get sucked into buying things. But my kids are older -- I don't have any babies or potty-trainers with me any more.
Happy traveling!
Sally
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Mary K
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| Posted: April 05 2011 at 9:27pm | IP Logged
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we made up a movement game when my older ones were little. you did certain actions based on the scenery.
for example: duck down when going under a bridge,
feet up when going over water, "drink" milk when going by a farm, arms up when going down a big hill. tap feet on a bumpy road. make up your own movements and ask the kids for their ideas.
this game helps prevent stiffness from long rides.
when i was a kid, my mother always had my very active/restless brothers run 20times around a tree at any stops-tuckered them out!
God bless,
Mary-NY
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: April 06 2011 at 6:46am | IP Logged
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We don't have a DVD player either. We do have a wide selection of books on tape we listen to though. The kids have heard the Chronicles of Narnia about a dozen times and they still enjoy listening to it. Hatchet is another one they all love. We've found that when we listen to good literature a second, third or even 12th time, we hear things we missed the first time around.
I also give my kids clipboards with lots of paper in them and mechanical pencils (no sharpening). They draw alot while on the road.
The kids who are 7yo and up really enjoy the Battle Ship game found at Moms Mini Van. I put them in page protectors and give them a Vis a Vis marker so they can reuse it. There are lots of great games and ideas at the Mom's Mini Van site.
As others have said, stopping every couple of hours so the kids can run around is the best thing! We always try to find a rest stop so they can play a little. I even pack the rain jackets in an easy to get to place so there are no excuses (unless it's really pouring!).
Finally, we have learned that fast food usually means hyper kids that are hungry an hour later. We pack our food in a cooler and stop at rest stops for meals. It does take more time to prepare (and it can be a bit stressful when your packing for a big trip)but we find that it's worth it!
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stacykay
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| Posted: April 06 2011 at 6:49am | IP Logged
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Mary K wrote:
...when i was a kid, my mother always had my very active/restless brothers run 20times around a tree at any stops-tuckered them out!
God bless,
Mary-NY |
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Aside from our rest stop exercise breaks for our boys (which are good for dh and me too, to get that blood moving after sitting so long,) we even had the boys walk quickly/jog around restaurants when there were longs waits. But then, that only happened a couple of times when we were traveling on Christmas Eve and Christmas. I'm sure folks were wondering what in the world we were doing!
I think boys, well, at least our boys, have to get out and do something physical. Ours all play sports and are pretty athletic, so they just don't sit for long periods of time.
All this talk of taking a trip is making me want to hop in the car and take off for somewhere...preferably warm!
In Christ,
Stacy in MI (currently sleeting but will get close to 50` today!)
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: April 06 2011 at 6:53am | IP Logged
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OH! And drive through the night! We're planning a super long trip out west this year and we will be leaving at 8:00 pm. The kids will eventually fall asleep and we'll get a big chunk of driving out of the way while all is peaceful. My husband is amazing though. He'll drive the 18-20 hours it takes us to get to his parent's house without stopping for an overnight. As long as he can get out to walk around every couple of hours (and have good Starbucks coffee) he's good to go. I have, on occassion driven for short spurts, like one hour, so he can cat nap but that's all he needs.
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stacykay
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| Posted: April 06 2011 at 7:09am | IP Logged
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Although he can work 18 hours days during tax season, driving for long periods isn't on dh's top ten list of things he can do well. I was very nervous when we drove straight through from Hilton Head to home (about 15 hours) one year. Dh stated he would never do that again. I'll usually drive a couple of the two hour shifts.
Also, about half of the trips we have taken to and from FL, dh wasn't with us. So, the recommendations I made were from both angles, with Dh and driving alone.
Oh, and the dvd player... I got that the year my dad was dying, and we were missing alot of school time. I had a ton of "educational" dvd's and that counted for a bit of their schooling. I didn't have a hanging thingy for it, and the boys just held it on their laps and watched it. Unfortunately, those portable players don't last long. Ours konked out about 8 months ago.
In Christ,
Stacy in MI
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MelissaClaire
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We drive 20 hrs each way twice a year. We do have a DVD player but my rule is we have to have been driving for over 3 hours before I'll consider it and I seriously limit the amount they get to watch--maybe 1 or 2.
We try to only stop for lunch and dinner. Lunch is usually at a place where they can run around for just a bit and then they can eat in the van if they have to. Dinner we usually make a little bit longer stop.
If we push it all in one day it's usually 18-19 hours, but if we break it up we try to go at least 15 or 16 the first day, get a hotel and then have just a couple of hours the next day.
I agree with Jodie--they need to bored and get settled into the trip. I find the first hour the longest, but then everyone really settles in for the trip. I limit beverages so as to limit bathroom stops too.
I think if it were an 8-10 hour trip we might do things differently--stop to see things, take more breaks--but 20 hours is a monster trip that all of us want over as quickly as possible.
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Tina
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For shorter trips.....4 to 6 hours, they just have their own entertainment bag that they pack from their stuff at home. But when we drive to FL (12 to 14 hrs for us) I pack a bag of cheap (mostly dollar store or dollar section of target) toys to bring out as a surprises occasionally.
I also let the older kids take turns with my camera, especially if we are going through a scenic area. But sometimes they just take silly picks of each other then later I get to see what was going on in the back seat.
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Long car trips??
