Hi everybody,

I just jotted down some tips about a whole day car journey, based on our experience with three boys from the UK to Italy. You cna check my blog for the long explanation but here is a summary:

• Have your meals in the car and don’t prepare them before leaving. Take your time and make the meal last as long as you can!
  Stop for running around either where there is a play area or a green that can be used for a quick football game.
  
• Do not give the children a lot to drink otherwise they ask for toilet breaks more often, hence do not eat too many crisps and salty things that make you thirsty.
  
• Fruit and veggies are a great snack!
  
• Choose movies that don’t make you fall asleep, i.e. that you know well too because while the children are watching the movie, you can simply hear the sounds and if you are driving it is terrible. If you know the movie then it is much easier to concentrate on the driving - this applies only if you have one dvd player for all!.
  
• Take plenty of science and animals magazines with lots of pictures and things to do. They can be passed around between the children several times and they will always find something new to look at. They work a treat, while reading books are not so great in a car.

By the way, we don't have DS to keep the boys busy yet and I am hoping to avoid them for a little while yet, although my eldest who is 10 next week is screaming for one... I'm a cruel Mum I know :-)

We don't have a DVD in the car - but the Ipods and DSs are a godsend! We just did an 8 hour drive with 3 1/2 year old twins, a 6 year old and a 13 year old. I was making up games as the boredom set in (after DVDs and gameboys - my sister's car has a DVD). It makes you wonder how we survived as kids! We used to sing, play car games and read. I'm actually buying a new minivan and refuse to get the DVD player!

I agree with you about the dvd player, but I don't know if the DS is much better than the dvd player. That's why we have the rule of no dvd on until after lunch and after dinner, so two films of 1.5-2 hours each over a stretch of 12-15 hours journey. If we were home the children would watch some telly so two films in this length of time is not so bad.

It is all a question of modelration and rules. I woudln't want the children to play DS all the journey as some of my friends let them do.

OK, I give up, what is a DS? Just to show what a different era I am from, we drove all the way across the US and back (a total of 7 weeks on the road) 30 years ago when my boys were 7 and 9. The only entertainment they had (other than the games like 20 Questions) was a big box of books checked out on summer loan from our public library.

Now that I have grandchildren, I know they do take their DVD player in the car, although they also like to listen to recorded books, which I think is a lot better for their imagination and language skills.

- Roz

Roz, a DS is just an updated version of a Game Boy--the little things you see kids playing with both thumbs moving a mile a minute.

Depending on the DVD it isn't all that bad letting kids watch them while traveling. Many touch into compassion, sensitivity, understanding of relationships,learning etc. The same type of subliminal learning can take place with them as with reading. I agree with moderation and supervision but I think they are actually better than constant DS or Gameboy. The truth is that Casey does both. When he was younger we had all kinds of things in a special box--crayons, paper, books, toys, etc. That worked well.

Another thing we have used (and forgot to get the 5th grade version for this trip) are sets of grade level knowledge questions in several categories. They have questions on one page and then answers on the next flip page. I know this isn't clear and since I am not at home,I can't tell you what they are called but they can be found at learning stores and sometimes innovative toy stores. Casey really enjoyed them and they definitely are learning objects.

We do "car gifts" for the kids. They get about one an hour. I usually bring a bag of these gifts on the plane or in the car. They are books on their favorite subjects (like presidents and princesses), sticker stories, hide and seek with the magic pens, model magic (like playdough without the mess), dvds, and tons of little gifts from the dollar store!
We also stop for food and then icecream if they are good. I must say that of all the things we give them, the new dvds are the best. They watch a lot of videos but we get there ...happy!

Hello everybody, I just completed a 12 hours journey door to door from the UK to Chamonix. I decided to have a go at Cyndy's suggestion of car gifts and they work really well. I had planned only three but my little one was the only one who deserved the first one, so the other two learnt their lesson straight away and the rest of the journey went very smoothly.

Mind you, now we have done it soooooo many times that they are quite prepared for it.

I better go to bed now because I am a bit shattered.

I will update my post 3 2 1 GO! as the holiday progresses... or at least this is my intention! So check it out!

We've done our share of long car travels and our kids have become used to them. Fortunately, they are able to read in the car without becoming car sick, that helps a lot!

In addiction, we get some audible books from the library for longer trips. There are a few titles that are well done and also work for the driver - better often than simply listening to a soundtrack of a movie running on a dvd. Books that come in a series work expecially well as they provide hours and hours of entertainment. Our favourite titles have been so far:

* Little House on the Prairie
Very well read and includes some entertaining fiddle music.

* Rowan Hood. a series by Nancy Springer
Might appeal more to kids 1o years and up

Snacks are crucial for the car. It's always a challenge to find something that doesn't crumble too much, is not sticky ... Fruit, trail mix, rice cakes and prepared sandwiches work well for us. And yes, this is a time sweet treats can be allowed as well.

However, I don't quite understand why you would not want to prepare your meals before leaving? I'm not really that good in prepping sandwiches or other snacks in a driving car ... Sure they taste best if freshly prepared. If you have the time for a picknick that's ok but if the meal is supposed to be taken in the car that's difficult.

oups, my first post and already a typo ... The second paragraph should start with "In addition" but in our case "addiction" is not really that far off the mark as my youngest daughter is absolutely hooked on audible books

ahem, and only now that this is posted have I found the icon for edits