Road trip help please.

[jtanddolly]

Dolly I truly need to know if you'd PLEASE adopt me???
What a great mom you are!
LOVE all the games and ideas.
I am going to print off a bunch of them for my grand-daughter and also for the kids I work with at school.
Thank-you for taking the time and effort to do all of this
Hugs Mel

Absolutely! I already have two boys that I adopted when they were in high school...what is one more. I'm just glad to know that more than one person will be using these. It is amazing what we all can do on this site!!! With your wonderful candy wrappers and cruise art and so many others creative DISigns...I just love this site!

 

[jtanddolly]

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[jtanddolly]

Another set of travel bingo cards...these would make great party favors if you are having a "Cars" theme birthday party. Just laminate and add a set of dry erase markers:

 

[jtanddolly]

Here are a few travel things that you can buy (and some that you can make) and are lots of fun...can you tell that I travel A LOT with my family?

Item #1: Really Big Words for Kids
http://www.fatbraintoys.com/toy_companies/magnetic_poetry/really_big_words_for_kids.cfm

Here is how you can make one of your own:
• Metal lunchbox or metal box with lid
• Labelmaker (we use the Brother P-Touch)
• Old magnets or magnetic sheets
• Scissors
How to make it:
1. Make just individual letters for younger kids, and make several beginnings and endings of easy words for older kids on the labelmaker.
2. Place the labels on the old magnets or magnetic sheets.
3. Cut out around the word beginnings and endings.
4. Place the words inside the lunchbox or metal box.
5. This makes a great activity for your beginning reader.
Tips:
This project can be adapted and changed easily as your child learns new words and concepts. This is easy to carry, store, and play and is ideal for "words on the road".


Item #2: Travel Tray
This soft sided travel tray helps keep their things from sliding off the sides. Fits most car seats. $19.99 http://www.familytravelgear.com/page/FTG/PROD/car-snack-play-travel-tray

There are other products like this out there for older kids as well...look on the internet and check Target and other big discount stores in their automotive isle. Or you can go to the office supply store and they have "bed trays" that are a pillow on one side and hard flat surface on the other side that are great for older kids to put in their laps and write or play games on.

I also love the bags (kind of like backpacks with lots of pockets) that you can find in the automotive isles at Target/Wal-Mart that attach to the back of the driver/front passenger seats to store toys, sippy cups, snacks, etc. for the children. The best thing about them is they keep the back of the seat from getting dirty because when the kids kick the seat...they are kicking the bag not your chair. I have seen Tinkerbell and other disney characters on these types of bags. If I come across some pictures...I will post them with this note!

 

[jtanddolly]

I posted a list of travel games for older kids and had a list of games for infants and toddlers that I thought someone might appreciate:

Games for Babies/Toddlers
• Bubbles - hold the bubble wand up to the air-conditioning vent and you won't have to blow them yourself
• Read a good picture book
• Play classical music
• Play “Peek-a-Boo”
• Play “This Little Piggy”
• Sing to your baby
• Car seat links
• Car seat activity center toys
• Play “Where is Thumbkin”
• Baby Mirror
• Play “Where is your nose…toes…fingers…etc.”
• Play with puppets
• rattles of all sorts & music-makers
• a few pieces of mega-blocks
• pop-up toys
• balls (for rest areas during car trips)
• nested containers & sets of things to put into containers
• board books
• small wind-up toys
• blanket, stuffed animal

Games & Things for Pre-Schoolers
• picture books
• stickers and activity books, crayons (preferably square so they don't roll!), felt pens...my BIG suggestion is to buy the markers that only mark on special paper meant to go with them so that you don't have to worry about melted crayons or ink all over your seats!
• lap-sized wipe-off easels
• small mirrors
• finger puppets
• pop-up books
• post-it notes, scotch tape
• masking tape! kids have fun just sticking it, unsticking it, etc.
• wrapped presents, or snacks-- even triple-wrapped
• inexpensive sets of plastic figures (animals, dinosaurs, astronauts...)
• magnetic letters & metal tin
• miniature wind-up train
• learn a long story and tell it well: kids like to hear the same story over and over
• tattoos that press on with a wet cloth
• travel-size Magna- Doodle, Etch-a-Sketch
• threading sets (pictures with yarn)
• felt boards
• small magnetic puzzles
• silly putty

 

[bear74]

OMG Dolly I love Them. We are thinking of driving from Texas next year. so These would be perfect for road trips here from Dripping Springs to Waco to see FIL. Or from here to the coast.

 

[jtanddolly]

OMG Dolly I love Them. We are thinking of driving from Texas next year. so These would be perfect for road trips here from Dripping Springs to Waco to see FIL. Or from here to the coast.

Yeah! I'm glad that you liked them. I graduated from Baylor University so a Waco trip sounds like fun! Sic 'em Bears.

 

[jtanddolly]

To serve up some backseat fun on your next road trip it was mentioned in the thread to use a cookie sheet for magnet games and here is a picture of a tray full of magnetic games and drawing supplies that you can make.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Baking sheet
Plain white Con-Tact paper
Magnetic tape
Dry-erase markers
Ribbon
Plain paper
Markers
Buttons
Pocket-style file folder

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. To start, cover the cooking surface of a baking sheet with plain white Con-Tact paper to serve as a drawing board.

2. Affix pieces of magnetic tape to several dry-erase markers. For an eraser, tightly tie one end of a piece of ribbon to a small cloth square and the other end to the hole in the baking sheet handle.

3. For additional games, draw a checkerboard, simple crossword puzzles, or bingo-style scorecards of things to look for (a tractor, a sailboat, or a horse, for example) on sheets of plain paper. You can even turn buttons into game pieces by sticking magnetic tape to the backs.

4. Finally, create a handy storage place for your games by applying strips of magnetic tape to the back of a pocket-style file folder and attaching it to the back of the baking sheet.

 

[jtanddolly]

Word Search Game...you will want to laminate these as well so that multiple people can play the game. And it will help your children with memory. If they play it several days in a row they will get quicker finding words they have already found, and they will also find new ones. Plus, read the instructions as I put a fun way for the whole family to play together on one card that is a fun way to resuse the card over and over. Plus once you put your travel games away and bring them out for the next trip...it will be new all over again!

 

[jtanddolly]

Two more word search games...

 

[jmm012]

Dolly,
Your car games are great! We will be traveling with a 3 year old, 4 year old, 6 year old & 9 year old (in separate cars) and I know there is something here that will keep everyone busy and quite - for a while at least. I'm planning on making some for both cars.

Thank you

 

[jtanddolly]

Dolly,
Your car games are great! We will be traveling with a 3 year old, 4 year old, 6 year old & 9 year old (in separate cars) and I know there is something here that will keep everyone busy and quite - for a while at least. I'm planning on making some for both cars.

Thank you

Thanks for the message! I'm so glad to know they will come to good use. I hope your trip is magical!

 

[jessesgirl]

so sorry I have been MIA. It has been busy around here and I have not been feeling well. WOW there are so many great ideas here ! I know I will be making some of the tackel boxes, I was thinking of making snack ones for each of them as well as a few others! All the printable games are so great!!! I can not thank you enough !!

 

[jtanddolly]

so sorry I have been MIA. It has been busy around here and I have not been feeling well. WOW there are so many great ideas here ! I know I will be making some of the tackel boxes, I was thinking of making snack ones for each of them as well as a few others! All the printable games are so great!!! I can not thank you enough !!

Hope you are feeling better and I'm glad that you like the printables. I know you mentioned that you are making "Acitivity Books"...but had you thought about making journals for your girls for the trip.

Natalie has amazing journal pages in her shared file:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/5978989/a06aa930/Natalies_DISigns.html

Natalie's require a lot of ink...but are so worth it because they are absolutely beautiful! If you don't want to use that much ink...send me a pm with your email and I have one set up in Word that I can email to you with some pictures and don't require a lot of ink because the background for all of the pages is white. If you want one...tell me your child's name so I can personalize the front page.

 

[jtanddolly]

Just remembered a GREAT travel idea if you are traveling across country (especially if you are going to eat and drink in your car). Go to Wal-Mart or Target and buy the mattress pads for your bed that are plastic on one side and cotton on the other. Then put them over the back seat so that when you get to your destination...all you have to do is wad up the cover and your seats are not ruined. If you are traveling and eating in the car...there are bound to be spills!

Just in case someone gets car sick...here is a list of things to keep for a "Yak Pack" that I put together from one that I found online:

• Motion sickness bag or large empty butter/plastic icecream tub
• Absorbent lap pad to protect surfaces
• Yak absorbent/odor neutralizer and disinfectant spray
• Scoop/scraper for rapid removal
• Antimicrobial wipes and gloves for clean-up
• 2 Bag(s) one for removal of mess and one for disposal of clothes
• Queasy Pops
• Paper Towels
• Box of Baby Wipes


The best absorbent/odor neutralizer is kitty litter, but if you don't have a cat and don't want to purchase a big bag of kitty litter...take a small box of arm and hammer baking soda.

This is the best time of year to find your scoop/scraper. I use shovels from sand castle building kits. I actually just got mine in the dollar section at Target...they had a perfect scoop and scraper that were sold as a set for building sand castles in the dollar isle!

If you look at the checkout stands you should be able to find a miniature Lysol Spray Bottle to include in the kit.

If you haven't heard of "Queasy Pops" you need to go get them for your travels. You can buy them at Walgreens or most chain drug stores. They look like suckers but help with upset stomaches. When your child complains that their stomache aches...hand them a queasy pop and they will think they are getting a treat not medicine.

The butter / ice cream tub is great. When your child complains that their tummy is upset..hand them the tub just in case. Then hopefully if they get sick they will be able to use it and you can put a lid on it when they are done to keep it in before you get to the nearest stopping place.

Don't just bring the small plastic carrying case of baby wipes...bring the big one. If you are going on a long trip it is great to have wipes handy to clean up messes, wipe hands and dust the car if you get really bored (yes I have been so bored I have done that on several occassions...or maybe I have OCD . Plus baby wipes are great for helping with stain removal. I use them all the time to get stains out of clothes, clean dirty tennis shoes and so much more!

I keep all of this (except the baby wipes box, paper towels and butter tub) in a pencil carrying case. Then I put everything under one of the front seats for quick access in case of emergency.

 

[jtanddolly]

I also have this wonderful "Survival Travel Kit" that I made and is GREAT for cars or planes. To put all of this in you can get clear zipper bags at Walmart (they are similar to small makeup bags) that are quart size and will pass airline requirements for carrying liquids on the plane. If you pack it right all of this will fit! But there may be things that you don't use and can leave out. I keep all of it in mine for emergencies and throw it in my carry-on every time I travel. Print this list on a 4x6 card and include it in your kit so that you will know what is in your kit.

Plane/Car Travel Kit

• 1 deck of playing cards
• 1 pack of gum
• 1 package of fun size candy
• 1 small tin of breath mints
• Dramamine or queasy pop
• 1 packet each of Aspirin, Anti-Diarrheal, Stool Softener, Pain Reliever, Tums, Cough Drops and Cold/Flu Medicine
• Airborne Vitamins
• 2 Crystal Light drink packets (add to a water bottle)
• Toothbrush, toothpaste and trial size dental floss
• 1 small bottle of eye drops and extra pair of contacts
• 1 emery board
• 1 packet of tissues
• 1 small bottle of lotion
• 1 tube of lip balm
• 1 pen and mechanical pencil
• 1 Shout wipe
• 1 lens-cleaning towelette
• 2 moist towelettes
• 2 adhesive bandages, 1 antiseptic wipe and Neosporin
• 1 elastic hair tie
• 2 ear plugs
• 3 toothpicks
• $1.50 in quarters and $5 bill
• 4 AA and 2 AAA batteries
• 1 Rain Poncho
• 1 pocket reference card with world time zones and popular travel-related phone numbers
• 1 quart-size zip-top bag (to pass TSA inspection, all liquids must be in a bag like this)

If you can't find a clear zip top bag...it will also fit in a pencil carrying case. I put it in the type that has a cloth back and clear plastic window front with three holes meant to go in a binder. The clear plastic window helps you to see everything in the bag. I have made these for friends and family when they travel...it makes a great gift!

Also to help keep things organized in the case...I put similar things together in "snack size" ziploc baggies like all of the medicine so that it isn't all floating around and hard to find. All I have to do is grab the ziploc baggy and pull out the medicine needed.

 

[jtanddolly]

Three more musts for your car travels...I'm a firm believer in "if you have it, you won't need it"!

1. buy a first aid kit: You can get great ones at Wal-Mart in plastic carrying cases for under $10. Also add bug repellent like "Off" and sunscreen to this kit.

2. roadside emergency kit: You can find this in automotive sections of discount stores (like Wal-Mart or Target) anywhere from $10 to $59. They have all kinds of things in them like jumper cables, tire gages, emergency roadside sign, etc. I think every woman should have one of these in their car at all times!

3. Fix a flat: This is also in the automotive isle and it is a metal bottle (kind of like hairspray) that will fill your tire and stop up small holes from nails/etc. if you have a minor flat so that you can get to a tire store to fix it. This is another thing every woman should carry in her car so that you don't have to change the flat on the side of the road with our children in the car or hope that some nice person will stop to help. If you have a major gash in the tire you will still need to put the spare on it.

I love giving unusual and usefull gift...so if you have a mother, daughter, sister or friend and need a birthday, mother's day or Christmas gift these would all make great unusual but helpful gifts to keep them safe. On the gift card tell them to put them in their cars for safe travels!

 

[jtanddolly]

Can anyone think of other games I could make?

 

[milliepie]

Thank you Dolly for the great games and tips! My kids will love them!

 

[jtanddolly]

All of the games are in my 4shared file in the link in my signature...then look in the "travel games" file.

PS if anyone catches any typos...let me know so that I can fix them. Thanks!