Virtual Hide and Seek

One of my readers recently sent me this game that her family plays. They call it "Virtual Hide and Seek". It's a great game for the car that only requires your imagination.

Pick a place inside your house to hide, and imagine you are there. You can be any size, so you can hide in the silverware drawer, inside the toilet, in the dryer, wherever you can imagine! The others ask yes/no questions only, such as "are you in the kitchen" until they narrow it down to the room, area and then....find you! Kids love this game because it's so fun to hide in places you'd not really fit into.

You may have to clarify no hiding between walls and in plumbing! (Submitted by reader, Beth K. Thanks!)

Melissa and Doug Travel Games

My cousin Kirsten is taking a road trip with her kids this weekend in Oregon and found some great new products she recommends! They are called "Flip to Win"

Here's what she says:
We got Hangman and the Travel Bear Hunt - and both are good. Memory looks fun. There are No parts to lose except the pen on Hangman (which has a clip to store the pen when it's not being used).


Here's More:

• These fabulous, travel-style games bring new fun and convenience to old family favorites
• Innovative flipping pieces won't get lost
• Includes one game board with erasable whiteboard, self-storing marker and eraser
• Great for the road and at home

Sounds great! Definitely worth checking out "Flip to Win".


Thanks, Kirsten! Have a great trip!

~ Road Trip Mom ~
Momsminivan.com

Chinese Cootie Catcher and more

More Fan Mail! After reading my article, a reader wrote in a while ago to share her experience with making a cootie catcher. She also sent the picture on the left.



Hello, my name is Abby. Today is my first time to visit your website: MomsMinivan.com. I enjoy reading it very much as it brings me lot of memories about playing games with kid. Currently, I'm working for a child centre in Hong Kong where we play games with kids.

I just want to share with you about the "Cootie Catcher". In our culture, we have the same stuff but we named it differently. we simply called it "ESWN" that stands for EAST, SOUTH, WEST and NORTH. (See the attached jpg file). Inside the ESWN, we write the "action" for the kid to do when they choose the number. For example, "sing a song", "do sit-up", "jump 10 times"....etc. Using the "Direction" as an alternative of "Color" is fun too.


Cootie catchers, or fortune tellers, are making the rounds in many different circles these days. I had another reader write recently to tell me that she was using my blank cootie catcher template for her Bible study group (She put scripture verses in the message area). It's also become a cute table activity at weddings (put love messages in the fortunes, or instructions to "kiss the person next to you" or "dance the next song"). You're only as limited as your imagination.

Classic Bingo for Travel

Product Recommendation from Road Trip Mom! -- Travel Bingo Shutter Card Game Set

This is not the old favorite "Auto Bingo", but it does have the nifty sliding windows that kids love. It's regular B-I-N-G-O, where the caller picks a random number from the bin and calls it out like "B-15"! Then everyone marks their cards. This one can be played over and over again since your numbers are marked by sliding the windows. A pluck of the finger marks your number!

I have found that kids will play this game much longer than the other auto bingo which is more like a scavenger hunt looking for items out side the car. Older kids especially appreciate this one. And if you offer up a prize for the winner (think lollipops, or Tootsie Rolls), you can guarantee to hold their interest for quite a while, though several games. Keep playing until everyone wins. Even the driver can "play" by having someone else in the car play the card for you!

This set has 6 cards in it, and is completely self contained. No loose pieces and no markers needed. Great for the car or a plane. A definite winner in my book. Get it here.

Talk Like a Pirate Day

Shiver me timbers! September 19 is International "Talk Like a Pirate Day"! The creators of this wonderful day have their own website at TalkLikeAPirate.com. If you've been reading me blog over the last year, you already know that I highly recommend talking like pirates as a valid method for making a road trip much more enjoyable. You can do this any day of the year, not just this Friday. If you aren't familiar with these methods, then check out my pirate road trip article so you too can Make Like Roger and Have a Jolly Good Time in the Car. And fer even further inspiration, here's a video featuring the basics of the 5 A's of Pirate-speak. Now get going, ye scallywags!

DC License Plates - License Plate Game

One of my readers sent me a message noting a US plate that is missing from my printable license plate game sheet. My dear reader noted that although Washington DC is not a state, that it should still be included in the list. I'm inclined to agree.

So, I have added "Washington DC" to the checklist of all the states for the license plate game! Now before I start getting bombarded by readers asking me to add Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands, etc. I have also added a check-box for "bonus points" for spotting a plate from a US territory or other country.

Now, Go! Play! Enjoy!

Pipe Cleaner Creatures - Fun for the Road

Get your kids wired on your next road trip! This is an activity that will keep them busy for hours.

All you need are some pipe cleaners, a nail clipper (for trimming the pipe cleaners to different lengths), and some creativity. A pencil or pen might also come in handy to create coiled sections by wrapping the pipe cleaners around it.

For more photos and ideas, check out the full article: Pipe Cleaner Crafts and Creatures

Rolling Reviews from the Backseat: Doodleballs

By The Back Seat Reviewer -- Road Trip Mom's Daughter!

Step away from the Doodle Balls. You might get addicted. These tiny magnetic balls are a perfect way to keep any kid of any age busy on a long road trip. All you do is move the magnet above the Doodle Balls to drag them around and make a picture, number, or word. Doodle Balls are also a great deal for the money. They will last a long time and be loved by everyone!!!

The only thing I don’t love about Doodle Balls is that the magnet stick is very easily lost. You can use any magnet, but it is easiest with original magnet.

Any kid short, tall, big, or small would love Doodle Balls. I like them, and so does my 9-year-old sister. I’m sure you will too.

NOTE FROM ROAD TRIP MOM: This is a review by my road trip daughter! She is becoming a regular on my website with her product reviews and backseat opinions.

Fun for the Road: Drink Cup Battleship!

Here's a fast and quick easy car game for the road. It's drink cup battleship.

You can use the plastic drink lids from fast food meals for this game. Or if you're like me and you have a strict "only water in the car" rule, you can always finish your drinks in the restaurant and take only the cup lids into the car.

Your battle ship is the button you push down (ie..rootbeer, cola, diet, other). Each person takes turns guessing someone's "battleship". The last person with their "battleship" undiscovered wins. You can push the buttons back up and play again and again until you wear out your playing pieces. The game is fast and easy. Great for preschoolers and up.

This has been posted on the Big Kids Car Activities page and on it's own page for Drink Cup Battleship.

Fun for the Road: Crazy Eights

Playing cards is one of my kids' favorite things to do when we are on the road, or waiting at our airport gate for our flight to board. I've uploaded some printable instructions to MomsMinivan.com with the instructions for playing some fun easy card games when you are on the road or in airports.

So, if you've forgotten the details of how to play Old Maid or Crazy Eights, here's your chance to brush up. As a mom, the funnest part for me is watching one of my kids try to keep a "Poker face" when he/she has just drawn the Old Maid from someone's hand!

Aaaarrrrrrrrr We There Yet?

After spending a day on the lake last summer pretending to be pirates, I was inspired to write an article about playing pirates on the road.

The time will pass quickly if you and your crew carry out your travels with pirate personas. Use your creativity and make every aspect of the trip pirate related. Speak like pirates. Sing pirate songs. Tell pirate jokes. Watch pirate movies. Wear pirate garb. Make pirate accessories. Basically, make like Roger and have a jolly good time in the car!

See the full article: "Pirates of the Caravan" for a bounty of ideas to get you started. If you know any good pirate jokes, please post them here and I'll add them to the article!

Cootie Catcher

I have updated the article on How to "How to Make a Cootie Catcher"! Most kids really enjoy making these from scratch; however, I've had a few requests for a pre-fab version, so I have answered the call. My own children are often the test subjects for new material at the website, and I'm happy to report that they were very pleased with my printable cootie catcher creation.

They especially liked that I offer two versions. One is all inclusive and complete. The other version has the "fortunes" areas left blank so you can fill in your own fortunes. Please enjoy these PDF files which are now part of the cootie catcher article, and also posted on the Printable Car Games page with all the other printable goodies.

Printable cootie catcher (pdf file) (complete with fortunes)
Blank cootie catcher (pdf file) (write your own fortunes)
images ©2007 MomsMinivan.com