Hit the Road, Jack

These days, the menu for a successful road trip is more than a new mixed tape, a bag of chips and a tip about a party at a lake somewhere.
To help smooth out the road this summer, we’ve got some ideas for tunes, snacks and general car travel tips more suited to your current (much more mature) stage of life:

I-Tunes, You-Tunes
Kids love to sing and shout to tunes in the car just like us, but the task of finding music that will keep everyone happy can be more trying than choosing a nursery school. This summer we’re listening to the Juno award-winning Children’s Album of the Year (beating out the Doodlebops, no less) Music Soup by Toronto’s very savvy mom and much-loved music class instructor Jen Gould. Jen combined her love of children and her stage background to create this very entertaining album that young and old enjoy. (Jen wrote and composed all the music and lyrics on the album.) The whole family will be singing along to There’s a Monster in My Closet and the very fun Yummy In My Tummy helps get the right messages across about the importance of a balanced diet. Available online.

Audio books are another great investment (and are a nice change from the clapping and singing)—choose classic stories that appeal to all ages like The Cat in the Hat or Charlotte’s Web and it’s like having your own personal storyteller along for the ride.