Driving Us (Not So) Crazy

2064 km = the approximate driving distance between your house and your vacation destination.

4 km = the distance covered before you hear “How much longer?”

Well move over Julie McCoy, because we’ve got some easy entertainment for the vacation drive that will save you a trip to the chiropractor (you know, from contorting over your seat to hand them stuff to do).

We love the Alex Car Valet because it keeps the fun stuff easily at hand for your passengers and provides a fold-down work surface for them to play on. (Available at www.indigo.ca, $26.95)

If you are at a loss for what to stuff into the Car Valet, here are a few activities we think are really neat (and we do mean both interesting and not messy)!

If they haven’t met them already at school, introduce your kids to Wikki Stix. Think sticky, but not messy, colourful pipe cleaners. The reason they are so fantastic for the car is that they easily (but not permanently) stick together and to other stuff. They are less likely to drop out of reach mid-activity and are great for sticking to your in-car easel (read: passenger window) to create fantastic, temporary works of art. (Available at www.scholarschoice.ca, $9.99)

Good to know: Printable activity sheets are available at www.wikkistix.com. Also, Wikki Stix do leave a faint residue on glass surfaces, but it was easy to remove with glass cleaner. Let’s face it, the car will need to be detailed after the trip anyways.

For older crafters (ages 6 and up) we’re all over Sticky Mosaics. Picture this: paint-by-numbers but with small puffy stickers instead of gooey paint. The set comes with six design templates to allow artists to create their masterpieces. We loved that each template can take up to an hour to complete! (Available at Mastermind.ca, $16.95)
Good to know: The colour key for these activities is on the box (not the activity sheets) so make sure you either bring the box or cut out the key.

Finally, for all ages, Whoopi Goldberg’s favourite toy will while away the travel hours. It’s called Find-It Kids. Cleverly described as a ‘contained adventure’, Find-It consists of a clear plastic tube filled with 50 small items and thousands of colourful plastic bits. The goal is to find all of the items hidden in the bits by twisting and shaking the tube. Fun, clean and quiet…hey Whoopi, we’re fans too! (Available at www.scholarschoice.ca, $22.99) 

Now that’s a sweet ride! We wish you safe travels.

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