Ok, we are getting ready with last minute details for our trip. Any last minute suggestions on "to do" stuff in the car? Our daughter is 7 and has dvd player and electronic games and stuff... plenty of food... any thoughts? whats worked for you?

Ok, we are getting ready with last minute details for our trip. Any last minute suggestions on "to do" stuff in the car? Our daughter is 7 and has dvd player and electronic games and stuff... plenty of food... any thoughts? whats worked for you?

Here's what works for my older two kids - we've been doing this for the past few years and they're currently almost 6 & 8.5.

1 - a cookie sheet. Nothing too expensive, but it makes a great lap desk. I got one with slight edges so things won't roll off easily.

2 - a pencil box with crayons, pencils, small pencil sharpener - a pad of paper or a stack of printer paper - activity/coloring books (but they use plain paper more. Mine do anyway. Actually the 8-y/o prefers activity books to coloring books - mazes and such.)

Then we also have DVDs and snacks. But #1 and 2 are our favorite things. I actually took a pile of paper to Office Max and had them bind it with their book binding thing. It cost a couple bucks but they like them a lot.

Adrienne

1 - a cookie sheet. Nothing too expensive, but it makes a great lap desk. I got one with slight edges so things won't roll off easily.

That is genius!

ETA: Very cool avatar! I just noticed it!

We are doing the same drive in 25 days...this time we have a 10 month old as well as 11 yr old.We have done the drive at least 4 times with dd when she was 5-7-9 she LOVES those magazines with Hannah Montana and Hilary Duff.She would literally be lost in one of those for hours! She also has a backpack and we said whatever you fit can come in the car...it was full of small animal toys (horses especially) polly pockets and we had dvd or video player at the time as well as game boy.She did very well in the car.We are in NY and leave at about 330-4am so they will sleep at least till Maryland (hopefully).Where are you driving from?:)

Hey K,
One other thing to remember is to bring an extra pillow and/or blanket or two, just in case its a little chilly on the way down.

Oh, and dont forget the car chargers for things like the DVD player and the like.

Thanks for the great tips! We are leaving from Chicago area - about 4am. I like the idea - you can take whatever fits in your backpack! LOL
Yeah - the dvd player plugs right into the car.
Adrienne, Did you say you bound the paper? Do you mean after you came home - to save their art work? Gman - yep - pillow/blankie already to go! :)

That is genius!

ETA: Very cool avatar! I just noticed it!

Thanks. I got the idea from Mammasilva.

Adrienne, Did you say you bound the paper? Do you mean after you came home - to save their art work?

No, I did it before we left. I didn't like the idea of free floating pieces of paper all over my car and I didn't like the idea of "scratch paper". Also, I have three kids, so I made little cover sheets on my computer with their names on it: "M's book of drawings, stories, and so forth" (I can't remember what it said but I tried to make it clever.) I printed that on colored printer paper, then I just put a pile of plain, white paper behind it. I took it to Office Max to their copy center. For $2.00 or so, they bound it with comb binding. It kept everything together and it was easy to tell on sight which belonged to which boy. ;)

Oh, I also put erasers in the pencil boxes with the pencils and crayons. Those good, white stick erasers.

Adrienne

Last year we drove from middle of England to south of France with ferry in the middle. Took LONGER than it will be taking us to get to WDW this year! Anyway; DVD player was an investment we made for the journey which worked really well but make sure your children know the rules about who picks which DVD first, second etc well before you pull off the drive! Also, we promised planned breaks with stuff to do in them at intervals- nothing fancy; food stops with play grounds and the like. For my (then) 4 year old DD Polly Pockets worked brilliantly. Lots to fiddle with. When are you going? The new Harry Potter book is out in July I think - my DS (8) would listen to that read to him for the whole journey. I was hoping it would be out in time for our flight this time.... Oh, and before long trips I usually try to take the children out the night before and exhaust them so they sleep!

the new Harry Potter book comes out July 21. The next movie is out July 13. I CANT WAIT!!!!:cool: :)

Anyway; DVD player was an investment we made for the journey which worked really well but make sure your children know the rules about who picks which DVD first, second etc well before you pull off the drive!

Good tip! Our drives have been very long - four times we've done 12-hour days, and a few times we've had 6 to 8 hour days. We didn't let them watch DVDs the entire time. We'd wait a couple of hours, put one in. Then it would be time to stop and eat... We'd get back in the car, wait a bit, then put another in, etc. It worked out well. We also have an ipod and Doc programmed it with kid's music and playlists of music the kids like.

Adrienne

We are leaving from Chicago area - about 4am. Traffic alert! Beware that if you end up leaving any later you very well may hit Indy's rush hour... (About 3 hrs into the trip for you- and they are an hour ahead, in EDT.) Also beware of when you think you will be hitting the Atlanta area as well, for the same reason.

We too are doing a 20plus hour drive in July to WDW. Two 13yr old girls in the back seat with their DVD player,books, nintendos and ipods. Essential accessories (for driver sanity) are headphones and a "Y" adaptor so the can both plug their headphones into the DVD player. Spare headphones or earbuds will be packed.

I learned how to knit before one of our trips to DL, I spent about half the time on the way to DL just knitting a scarf. It really passes the time, and once you get the hang of knitting it's quite fun. You could find a craft like knitting that's easy to travel with that your daughter can do.

Our son's 4, but I was forced as a teenager to endure many many car trips with the family. Usually we drove from Seattle to Sacramento or Idaho to Sacramento- both more than 15 hours long.

Audio books are a good diversion from the DVD now- but we used to have to suffer without the DVD!

We played "name that tune" on the classic oldies station and mom would give us raffle tickets to buy stuff with (more candy, snacks, first choice of bed at the hotel etc.) . She and my dad would play too. When my brother and I were older, I was probably 16 and he was 13, we'd play on the regular radio station so we could destroy my parents :) If you google "car games" you can find all sorts of good stuff to kill some time.

The cookie sheet is perfect- you can also buy magnet word kits and make silly poems or play mad libs on them. They won't get lost in the car if you stick them on the cookie sheet.

My 7 year old is currently knitting a scarf for her American Girl Doll, she's also done a shawl for her. She's got a cross stich project going as well, but that seems like it may never get finished. We like to listen to audiobooks too, there are plenty all of us can enjoy, adults included. Recently we've been on a Dahl kick with Matilda and James and the Giant Peach.

One trick I learned with my kids, when they were little, for long car trips or trans-Atlantic flights was to pack up a little gift pack for them to have along the way.

I had their special treats and gifts wrapped for them to open along the way. I had coloring books and crayons, little games and dolls and so on.

For our road trip to Disneyland in a couple of months I have picked up a set of Shrek figures at the dollar store, some Disney crayons and coloring books, some other Disney-oriented toys and snacks. She has watched "A day at Disneyland" since she was little so I'm going to print out some photos of places in Disneyland and we'll play little games about what we'll see and the rides we'll go on and let her try to guess what land a ride is in, and so on.

I think it'll be fun and part of the whole experience. She's almost 4 and thinks she knows what to expect but I think she's going to be blown away. :D

Make up some Scavenger Hunt lists for things you might expect to see along the way. Gas station. Train. Mountain. Half a pool or half a house on wheels. Rollercoaster. (Especially if you'll be passing magic Mountain)

If she's still into that sort of thing a little princess polly pocket bag might be a cool surprise :)

And don't forget the car sickness bracelets and a bucket, just in case. Oh, and if it might get hot, those spray bottles are priceless. We bought one at DL and it was indispensable on the drive home. :D