Michelle My Bell Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 Ok, we are taking a 12 hour trip in a week and I have kids ages 3-14 I need to keep entertained. I am looking for books on tape recommendations, games we can play etc... Any ideas will be GREATLY appreciated!!! Books on tape: Games: (I was thinking of assembling baggies of games we could make up this week) Other ideas: Thank You! Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhudson Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 Look at Goodstewardbooks.com for inexpensive books on tape. I found all of the following there: We love "At the Back of the North Wind" through Focus on the Family Theatres. "Anne of Green Gables" All of the "Chronicles of Narnia". Any "Adventures in Odyssey". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 http://www.librivox.org has free books you can download. I know there are kids books there; I saw some by Thornton Burgess, and other children's classics. I downloaded Pollyanna, Great Expectations, Jack and Jill (Alcott), Emma (Austen). You can search by title or author. I download the file and drop it into itunes, then sync it to my iPod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 The Harry Potter books are very well done on audio. The Hobbit as well. With younger ones, those color wonder markers are great for in the car, because you don't have to worry about them being bored and writing on the seats and windows. Quiz games can be fun; you can have the oldest play M.C. for such. One of those storage clipboards for each child could hold some choice coloring or activity pages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 We like listening to the Chronicles of Narnia. Each one is about 3.5 hours I think which for us is one shift of driving. When we went down to CA at Easter I got the girls each a nice spiral sketchbook and new colored pencils. They were in the car coloring while we were still packing the car. The older one said, "We could do this for 10 hours if we have to." The 6 yo chimed in "And we do!" Have fun. We only do it once a year and my kids handle it just fine. Hope you have a great time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandwich in Wi Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 My kids love Adventures in Odyssey and Your Story Hour CDs. You can print off coloring pages of your child's favorite whoever--Blues Clues, Dora, Sesame and they have some puzzle pages, too. You can make up word search puzzles for the older kids. My kids like to play the ABC game (look for the letters of the alphabet in order on signs), keep track of states on license plates, guess the color of the next car/pickup/semi/SUV (choose one). Playing the counting game keeps them occupied for a really long time (someone says 1, then 2, then 3 ... up to 10. Except if any two or more people BOTH say a number, you have to start over at 1. You can't "arrange" it to make it work) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandwich in Wi Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 continued, sorry, I have posting issues. We play "I'm going to ___ and I'm bringing ___" Each person adds an item that starts with the next letter of the alphabet, but they have to say all the previous items, too (so by the time you get to Z, you have to remember all 25 others! Every time you stop to rest, pick numbers to rearrange the seating. Pack little baggies of snacks or treats or drinks. Dole out one thing to each person every 100 miles. When the odometer hits a special number (check your mileage and decide what it will be) stop for ice cream. HTH Blessings, Sandwich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornflower Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 Any of the Ramona books on tape by Beverly Cleary are good and very funny. I think even your older ones might enjoy these. Also Adventures in Odyssey. Have a safe trip. Cornflower Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 Our library has "The Great Brain" series on tape. It's about a family of boys who are 10, 11, and 12 yo in the first book (they grow a year older each book.) My 6 you loves to hear these books, and I'm 36 and love to hear them, so most of your family will probably enjoy them. (My 4 yo isn't into books on tape yet, so your 3 yo might not like them...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 I saw on this forum the place to download MP3s of Our Story Hour.(very inexpensively). Our library has Jim Weiss' readings of different people in history, along with SOTW.... Remember that crayons melt in this weather:-) Stringing wood beads for younger ones. My daughter likes to crochet on trips...while listening to cds.... http://www.songsforsaplings.com/ has the best questions and answers cds.... Even my husband and I catch ourselves singing...when not listening to it! They are inexpensive... We especially like Volume 1. You can read the words to make sure you agree with it...they are pretty straight down the line. Really, the library has a ton of cds here...just remember to not get them taken...or left in the sun:-) Carrie:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisN in NY Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 I drove from NY to FL last summer, with 4 dc ages 9 to 17. We've made other long-ish trips when they were younger (and when there were six of them!). To add to the other responses... My kids have fun looking for license plates from all the states. They actually write them down so they can keep track. I stopped around one for a restaurant meal. Lunch is cheaper than dinner, and it helped break up the day in the van. Yes, it added on to our travel time, but for me, the peace it brought the kiddos we definitely worth it. Have a safe and fun trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 I make my boys activity books. The last trip we took I included coloring pages, mazes, word searches, logic puzzles, etc. I had them spiral bound at a local copy shop (in the past I've done binders and the pages fall out). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeOnTheRanch Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 I just got back from a 11-12 hour trip (each way!) with a 9yo boy, 7yo girl, and 6 mo. old. We listened to the Little House books on CD (from the library) the entire way. They are about 5-6 hours each. I have 3 more on reserve for our next road trip we have coming up for the whole family. They had coloring books and other stuff to do, also, but I don't think they did anything but listen and look out the window. Not a fussy peep the whole trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMindy Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 Hank the Cowdog books are very fun for all ages! Plus, we like all the other book suggestions so far too. We also love to listen to the Story of the World CDs when we are traveling. We copy maps and have the kids follow along with a highlighter where we are whenever we stop. I know I'm probably in the minority, but we have found that the more "stuff" we take on long trips the LESS happy the kids are. We keep toys/activities to a minimum and use the time to talk, listen to books and play talking games. We play silly games like telling a story starting with each letter of the alphabet (each person adds one word) A boy Can Develop Eager Friends....It gets kinda silly. We also pay the kids for license plates (10 cents per state/25 cents for states far away/50cents for Hawaii/Alaska and other countries) This gets them looking outside. When we went on our last trip we got 49/50 states. We never could find a stinkin' Vermont!!! We look for the alphabet in signs. Have fun!! We LOVE driving trips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 And you know it's time for a road break when the match box cars come over the seat and hit the driver. :D We use books on tape. The Narnia cd's are the best money we ever spent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 My kids have been making long road trips since birth (12 hours is not necessarily a long trip as far as my kids are concerned). We never felt the need to entertain them - so they figured out how to entertain themselves. They make up elaborate games in the back - many times using things they see (rivers as sources of water, cows, stores, you name it). The game changes as they go along, but they all have input and they are never bored. I've been incredibly impressed with their thinking abilities - and know it never would have happened had we felt the need to lead the entertainment. Mine love traveling and would jump at the chance to go on a road trip anywhere, anytime of any length. They'd be happy living on the road. We do let them each pack a backpack of their own stuff, but don't allow handheld games (we don't own many anyway) nor do mine have ipods or equivalent. We also keep track of license plates along every trip (RI is the hardest to find - unless one is in New England). Once in a while we'll do the alphabet game - just to break things up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 The AA Milne Winnie the Pooh books, read by Alan Bennett. Calvin's almost 13 and he still enjoys them. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 I stopped around one for a restaurant meal. Lunch is cheaper than dinner, and it helped break up the day in the van. Yes, it added on to our travel time, but for me, the peace it brought the kiddos we definitely worth it. This is a great idea! We're driving to CA this summer and I was thinking of only eating at a restaurant for dinner, but this is much better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 (edited) I strongly second the Hobbit and the Harry Potters - also Charlotte's Web is good, Lemony Snicket series is funny and odd, and the BBC Lord of the Rings. One Harry Potter book can last you for HOURS!!!! We would break up the audio books with cds of Sousa marches and other rousing music, too. We always stopped at motels that had pools, so the kids could use up some energy splashing about before bed. My kids are now 13, 15 and 17 (twins) and we STILL stop where there are pools. Edited May 30, 2009 by JFSinIL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in MD Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Jim Weiss and Odds Bodkin's tapes are good. Go for the short story collections of Odds Bodkin, like Paul Bunyon. The dynamics on some of his more intense dramas is too varied to fight with road noise. You might also try School House Rock, Classical Kids, and Beethovan's Wig. For games, try Mad Libs (need Mad lib book and pencil), I Spy with my Little Eye, and 20 Questions. The last 2 don't need any supplies. For lunch, we used to always stop at a fast food restaurant with a playground to run off energy. Ds would play while we ate, then he ate in the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loupelou Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 -You might check out the book "Carschooling", it's got some great ideas. -I always pack paper sacks with goodies, or a fun game, small notepads & colored pencils, bubbles, etc. Every couple of hours we open up a new one. -We love playing the "Rubberneckers" game: http://www.amazon.com/Rubberneckers-Everyones-Favorite-Travel-Game/dp/0811822176 - We have enjoyed "The Chronicles of Narnia", "The City of Ember" & "The People of Sparks", "Fairy Haven & The Quest for the Wand", " Igraine the Brave", "Tanglewood Tales". - Also, I Spy, Alphabet signs game, and license plate watching (we have to name the capital of the state) are hits in our car. - If you can, keep a trip journal, just a spiral bound notebook to record where and when you start and stop, points of interest, exciting or strange things you see. It's really cool to look back and remember the trip. Have fun!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loupelou Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 I forgot to add that we borrow all of our sound recordings from the library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freerange Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 www.librivox.org has free books you can download. I know there are kids books there What a FANTASTIC resource! Thank you so much for posting it - I found Our Island Story there, and lots of others we want to listen to. Can't wait to drive somewhere now!:auto: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Magnetic paper dolls or scenes---they have them that would appeal to boys or girls. These can be done on the included board or on a cookie sheet---a rimmed one makes a decent lapdesk to keep things like colored pencils (our summer sub for crayons) from rolling away. Do make sure they aren't left in the sun when you are out of the car though, especially in the summer, as the metal gets hot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Our family really enjoyed "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" by Kate DiCamillo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle My Bell Posted May 30, 2009 Author Share Posted May 30, 2009 Thank You all! This is a fantastic list and will be sure to keep the trip from being overwhelming to the littles! God Bless, Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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