Ideas for long car drive

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Forum -> Vacation and Traveling

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Mon, Feb 09 2015, 9:08 pm

Hi all,

We are planning to go on a 13 hr (each way) drive, with two 8 yr old girls and a 2 yr old. Crazy, I know... Rolling Eyes

I need ideas on creative ways to pass the time. We will have DVDs, music/stories, etc. Any games that are very good, any other ways to pass time?

Looking forward to everyone's ideas!

singleagain

Mon, Feb 09 2015, 9:17 pm

there's always the "license plate game", how many states do you see... or "I spy" ... "20 questions" .... if you see the same car/truck next to you for a while, make up a story about what they are traveling for...

greenfire

Mon, Feb 09 2015, 9:20 pm

make rest stops FUN stops ...

amother

Mon, Feb 09 2015, 9:21 pm

Some ideas from our 25 hr+ drive this summer

Definitely dvds and music, story tapes...

I also bought each kid a cookie tray at the dollar store. This was their "lap pad". I bought coloring books, magnets, puzzle books, play dough. I also bought a small size container and glued a magnet to the bottom so that it would stick to the tray. That way, whatever they were using at the time could be stored in the container, I.e. crayons, markers, magnets... and wouldn't fall all over the car.
Each kid had a larger rubbermaid container that everything was stored in for the trip.

Also search on google for road trip bingo - this was really cute

We also had a map of the US and marked off each state we saw on a license plate.

For snacks I bought big bag of each thing but then divided everything into ziploc sandwich bags before we left so there'd be no having to share the big bag and spilling.

Have fun!

Mon, Feb 09 2015, 9:23 pm

Thanks for your replies for far!

Greenfire, how do you make rest stops info "fun stops"? Did you have a specific game or activity?

Also, what is the 20 questions game?

singleagain

Mon, Feb 09 2015, 9:28 pm

twenty questions, is one person things of a person, place or thing. then you have twenty questions to ask to guess, and they have to be yes or no/either or questions.

for instance. I am thinking of a person.
1)Man or woman? Man
2)Is he alive? No
3)Was he jewish? No
4)Was he american? Yes
5)Was he in politics? No
6)Was he in entertainment? Yes
7)Did he make movies? Yes
8)Is he Walt Disney? Yes

then the person who correctly guessed gets to go again

greenfire

Mon, Feb 09 2015, 9:29 pm

we make a whole deal about eating ... make a picnic - buy a drink [if possible] - take some interesting pictures ... get maps - sign your name in the welcome registry [some highway rest areas have this at the first exit of the state]

at truck stops they have magnets - we have fun collecting magnets each drive everybody gets one

there are times we find a little museum or zoo along the way

other times we stay 1/2 way in a hotel and go swimming and watch movies

[for the record the kids are grown and we really just take turns driving so we get there quicker ... still stopping for the picnics]

Hashem_Yaazor

Mon, Feb 09 2015, 10:11 pm

We just did this with 6 kids (but we stopped overnight). Our 14 hour trip was the longest so far, we usually do 8 (turns into 9) hours.

The main thing that helped was audio books -- we got the entire set of Mrs. Piggle Wiggle plus a couple of others and the kids listened for HOURS. Music revs them up and they get wild, but this was calming and entertaining (we don't do DVDs in the car, so I can't compare/contrast them). That combined with a bag of snacks kept them busy.

We wanted to exchange a rest stop for a trip along the way (a museum where they would get a break from the car, use the restroom, and have some entertainment) but car trouble prevented that. But one rest stop we found had a mini-playground area which was a nice surprise!

I find bringing stuff in the car doesn't necessarily help. I have one, maybe 2, kids who actually do activity books. My oldest gets too nauseous, and most of my kids like looking out the window/eating/listening. So you can bring a couple books, but don't overdo it. Handheld electronic games are a hit with many kids though if they aren't the nauseous type. 3 of my kids have kiddie cameras that have games on them, so they spend some time using theirs.

We only drink water in the car to prevent too many rest stops and we try to avoid sticky/messy foods. I do put some treats in the bags, and lollipops are good because they last longer Wink

For car sickness, I finally have my youngest taking dramamine (the dye free kind for kids) which has really helped B"H. My oldest few won't take it because they don't like it, but the only one of them who has an issue with car sickness has learned over time what foods trigger it, and he avoids them.

Separate your older ones with the toddler in between so they can help her.

Gitch

Mon, Feb 09 2015, 10:19 pm

We like to bring along balls and/or frisbee to play at rest stop. And playing tag after a picnic meal has sort of become our family tradition. (We've taken many long trips).

MiracleMama

Mon, Feb 09 2015, 10:33 pm

Our summer vacation involved a ton of hours in the car. What I did was take each of my kids' backpacks and literally stuff them to capacity with activity books. Yes and No invisible ink, word puzzles, mazes, coloring books, sticker books, anything I could find age related and reasonably priced (found lots at the dollar store and most of the rest in the cheap bins at Target). They were occupied for hours and hours and I didn't have to listen to annoying DVDs all day long.

Tue, Feb 10 2015, 6:50 am

Thanks, keep them coming!!

bayis

Tue, Feb 10 2015, 7:55 am

Earplugs?

MiracleMama

Tue, Feb 10 2015, 8:42 am

bayis wrote:

Earplugs?

That deserves a standing ovation.

sky

Tue, Feb 10 2015, 9:18 am

We do about 1-2 9+ hour trips per year.
14 hours sounds like so much more...

DVDs are amazing. My kids only are allowed to watch in the car and it really keeps them occupied. The past 2 trips our DVD player was broken, we got some new LONG Jewish CDs - double sided and that kept them very entertained. We also had some music tapes they liked and everyone sang along.
I also didn't find toys incredibly helpful. The fell a lot and there was fighting. We did bring a bopit and took turns. Each child got a pad of paper, pen and clipboard (smaller versions of all), and it was good for a bit.

I pack a ton of food for the trip (I also have to pack for the return trip because of were we are going).
Meal foods include:
- I find hot dogs is a great car food. I cook them in advance. Place in buns and wrap individually in foil. They are cold but no one complains because they like hotdogs.
- Shnitzel Sandwiches (adults), shnitzel on a stick (kids) [I just thread the shnitzel on skewers]
- Deli Sandwiches
- Loaf of bread and Peanut Butter
- Oatmeal packets (if you can get hot water on the way)
- pitta pizzas (cold).

I give out snacks on the other hour. We switch off between healthy and not healthy. Healthy ideas included:
- baby carrots
- sliced apples (I bought the pre-packaged ones for convenience and to make it more exciting)
- Pretzels
- Melba toast and American cheese (individually wrapped)
- String Cheese
- Granola Bars
- Popcorn
- squeeze applesauce

I buy the mini water bottles with a spout for the car. I like the Golden Fluff brand because they are refillable.

Tue, Feb 10 2015, 9:55 am

I like the idea of alternating health snacks and not healthy ones.....I think it will really reduce the arguments about what to eat....

Scrabble123

Tue, Feb 10 2015, 10:15 am

Some of my warmest childhood memories are long car drives with my grandparents.
I think that the success of the drive has more to do with the adults in the car than the children. You can play games with them, sing with them. Stop at interesting locations to show them scenery, etc. etc. 13 Hours does sound like a long time and stopping would turn it into something even longer.... Can you stop over in an interesting hotel for the night?

greenfire

Tue, Feb 10 2015, 10:40 am

you will reduce carsickness if you do NOT eat in the car ... save eating for the stops

Think1st

Tue, Feb 24 2015, 10:46 am

http://roadtripplanning.com/ro.....s.php

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