Keep the kids busy in the car by having them make a Trip-Journal or Scrapbook of their own. Give everyone a big spiral bound sketchpad and a box of crayons or markers. Each day of the trip or for each event along the way, draw a picture of what you did that day, or draw a map of where you went, and write about it. You can also attach souvenirs.

Even children too young to write can draw pictures, and then you can write in the details for them by asking them about the picture. Be sure to include the date since this will be come a treasure forever.

Read more about kids travel journals …!

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My personal favorite road trip amusement item: All-American Car-i-Oke.

This is way better than ordinary music. It’s full participation music!

It has a CD with the music, and all the lyrics in the spiral bound book. It also includes several smaller lyrics booklets – one for the back seat, the way-back seat, and another for anyone who doesn’t like to share.

I bought a copy of All-American Car-i-Oke for my kids a few years ago (Ok, I admit that I probably bought it mostly for me – the biggest kid in the car).  We never tire of it, and use it at least once every trip. We have the most fun with the backseat drumming, and the “make up your own Blues” song.

In fact, it helped evolve a rule in our car — “No whining allowed unless you’re singing the Blues!”

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Do you have some swashbuckling youngsters about ye?  Are ye surrounded by crazy mad rowdy tricksters?  Need ideas to keep them busy?  Send them on a treasure hunt!

Start with your very own authentic looking map.  Here’s How to make your own authentic looking pirate treasure map!

Avast ye, mateys!!  It’s time for some fun on the high seas!

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Stopping for a crazy road side attraction is something we love to do on a long car trip.  Take a break and give yourselves something to talk about for the next leg of your journey.  I’ll tell you where to find these amusing sights and how to make the most of your stops…

Read the entire article and see some of the crazy road side photos I’ve taken with my family at Oddities Attract – Side tracks Remind You that Half the Fun Is Getting There.

What weird roadside things have you seen lately?!

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More fun ideas for the road — check out this video of some travel games you can make with paper plates!  Make them in the car, or make them at home to bring on the road with you.

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It’s time to share some of YOUR favorite car travel activities!

“We enjoy passing around a fake mike, as we take turns being the solo singer to the radio or cassette tunes! Sometimes we will unexpectedly lower the sound to make the singers voice really stand out.”  (Lin)

“A great car activity for children ages 5 (with adult help) and up, is to make a pot holder on a weaving loom! My 3 sons, ages 5, 10 and 12 all three enjoyed picking out their own colors and designing their own pot holder to give as gifts to grandparents and friends when we returned home from our trip!  They also make neon colored material for the weaving looms. You can buy a whole bag for under $2!” (Johna)

“Whenever we hit the road, we are always sure to grab a bottle of bubbles.  We turn on the car fan, hold the bubble wand in front of the vent, and voila! A car full of bubbles.  The bubbles generally go straight toward the back of the car, and are barely a distraction to the driver.  This is great fun in traffic, when we not only amuse ourselves but so many drivers alongside us.  And their happy grins
are a great amusement in themselves!” (Elaine)

Thanks Readers!  Keep sending in your ideas!  ~~Laurel (Roadtrip Mom)

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Recipe:

• 6 Girl Scouts
• 1 Girl Scout leader
• Field trip to the local food bank to do community service sorting canned goods
• Large helping of silliness and giggles

Final product:    Minivan with barf on the floor.

Since I first posted my story on Carsickness Blows, where I sing the praises of a wonderful product I had recently obtained, I had not yet had the opportunity to even use it.   ….Until now.    On a recent Girl Scout field trip with my minivan full of giggly girls, the laughter got a little bit out of hand until one of them finally lost it — all over the floor in the back of the van.    The mess was everywhere, but I had no fear.

In fact, I was secretly delighted.  At last I had a chance to try my yak pack, a clean up kit for car owners who travel with kids prone to erupt into bouts of carsickness.  The first thing I did was pass the darling Girl Scout a barf bag, so she could contain any further pukage until we got home (I keep plenty of these on hand in my van).  Once the girls were safely delivered, it was time for the real test.

During the cleanup, I used the little scoop to remove most of the chunks while wearing the nifty non-latex gloves (my favorite part!!).  Then I sprinkled the absorbent powder that did a fantastic job of neutralizing the odor.  When it dried, I was able to vacuum it all, and my car smelled good as new!  It even passed my daughters’ sniff test.  To be honest, my minivan never did have that “new car smell” since I bought it used, but the point is that it didn’t smell like vomit anymore.

I have enough of the absorbent materiel left over for a future cleanup should it ever be necessary. And given the fact that I will be hauling children around in my van for many years to come, I’m sure that the upchuck will abound in my days to come.

Yes, Virginia – there is a cleanup kit for carsickness.  It’s a Bio hazard yak pack.  I give it a thumbs up!

….Read more for tips on preventing carsickness

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Here’s a twist on the old classic game of Rock Paper Scissors.   It’s called “Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock.”

Everyone knows that paper covers rock. But did you also know that Spock vaporizes rock?  Or that lizard poisons Spock?

With the number of possible outcomes increased, this version of the game is sure to hold the attention of your anxious crew.  It can be a little complicated at first, so you may want to print the simple diagram that I posted with the instructions.

See the complete article on How to Play Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock that I have posted on MomsMinivan.com.  With this game in your bag of tricks,  I have no doubt that you can drive long and prosper on your next road trek!

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One of our favorite places.

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If you are taking a road trip to Florida, then I have someguide books that you can’t leave without! These are driving guides that give you Exit by Exit information all along your route.   Both books include maps, trivia, restaurant info, local radio stations, phone numbers to campgrounds off the interstate, traffic info, sights to see,  and a lot more.

If you’re driving down the East Coast, then you’ll need Drive I-95 (Spiral-bound) by  Stan Posner and Sandra Phillips-Posner. This will take you from Boston to Miami!

But if you are coming from the Midwest or MidSouth, you’ll most likely be driving on Interstate 75, so you’ll need  Along I-75 and Along Florida’s Expressways by Dave Hunter. The first book takes you all the way from Detroit to the Florida border, and the second takes you all the rest of the way along I-75 through Florida.

These books are all Spiral-bound, so  you can flip them over and follow along easily as you drive. Each page contains 30 miles of freeway and has all the roadside information  laid out with easy to read maps. The second half of the books has the maps flipped for your reverse trip home.

I highly recommend familiarizing yourself with the front inside covers where the key to the map symbols is located so you don’t miss a thing.

I had Drive I-95  with me last summer during a road trip up the East Coast, and at one point we made a decision to stop for the night sooner than we expected. It was so easy to flip to the current page, look for a campground just a few miles ahead,  call ahead to make sure they had room. We were able to pull over and take a much needed rest for the night.  I could have never found a place to stay so easily and so spontaneously without the aide of my road trip guide.

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