Think all crayons are the same?  Think again.  We did a comparison test between the standard Crayola crayons and the washable Crayola crayons – with surprising results.  First, a  crayon fact.  Both the standard and washable crayons are made to wash out of most clothes.  The washable ones are formulated to come off of walls and other surfaces easier than the regular ones.  I haven’t tested this – have you?

We keep our BusyKiddy bags in the car at all times – even in hot summers.  As everyone knows, crayons gets mushy in the heat; but, as long as you cool them off prior to touching them, they reconstitute nicely.  Thinking all Crayolas were the same, I recently refilled our kits with washable Crayola crayons.  Imagine my surprise when we opened up the crayon case to find a mess.  The washable crayons had melted and molded into a single block while the regular crayons that were in another BusyKiddy were just fine.

Lesson learned – only regular Crayola crayons survive a summer in the car!

crayons · Road Trips with Kids

We just got back from a 15 hour (each way) road trip along I-70 from Denver to St Louis.  Like most people, I am guilty of focusing exclusively on getting to my final destination and forgetting that the journey is not just something to be endured, but can – and should – be fun as well.   The reality is that, fun or no fun, I am unwilling to extend my drive time by much more than the required pit stops and most road trip tips require loads of time re-routing to scenic spots or various destinations.  Here are some suggestions for adding variety to the trip that “cost” 45 minutes or less.

Add a safari tour.  Travel far on any major highway and you will see billboards advertising a wilderness or safari drive.  Ranging in price from $5 – $15 per car, they offer the glimpse of  wild or exotic animals.  While the “wild and exotic” may be nothing more then some deer or buffalo (and maybe a zebra if you are lucky) the excitement of searching for the animals as you drive through the park certainly breaks up the monotony of a long car ride.

Stop at a wacky or unusual attraction (largest ball of twine anyone?). The popular site RoadsideAmerica has a comprehensive list of offbeat tourist attractions so you can easily find one along your route.  They even offer an iPhone app updated with the latest in wacky sites.

Follow a billboard. Our family favorite is the “See Rock City” signs that dot the midwestern landscape.  The attractions they advertise are generally inexpensive, near the highway and – who knows – they just may end up being the stuff of family lore for years to come.

Take advantage of rest stops along the way. Many states pride themselves in having clean, park-like settings as their rest areas.  Bring along some cones, balls, jump ropes or even a pocket kite and spend 30 minutes having a snack and playing in a rest area.

Stop at the ubiquitous Cracker Barrel restaurants. With over 590 locations you are bound to find at least one along your route.  Why Cracker Barrel?  They have a well-rounded menu and a large country store filled with things for kids to explore (and plenty of toys out to play with).  Even if you don’t buy anything, it is nice to have a place to walk around and stretch your legs a bit.  Plus, they are used to travelers coming through and serve up a quick meal.

Some of the best (and worst) vacation memories are made in the car so add some spark to your next road trip and you just might find that getting there is more than half the fun!

General Travel With Kids · Road Trips with Kids

For us, travel always comes in bunches.  March was no exception.  We hit the road for a series of road trips totaling 40 hours of drive time for most of the family and 55 hours for my parents and oldest daughter.   Trips to Telluride & St Louis were enjoyed by all and my parents and daughter added a trip to Newcomb’s Tennis Ranch in Texas for a week of tennis camp.  As always, we learned a lot along the way…

• Pack a picnic. We are not a fast food family.   I generally consider it a good thing that a pervading fear of clowns, aversion to “orange” chicken and overall dislike of ground beef make my kids hate fast food; but, it is difficult to find quick and easy places to eat while traveling that aren’t fast food restaurants.   And, as learned on our last road trip, fast food doesn’t always agree with little tummies that aren’t used to it.   We have tried several family friendly sit down restaurants but the last thing my kids want to do when they have been riding all day is sit in a restaurant.  For this trip, I packed a small cooler and basket with everything needed for a picnic lunch (or two) along the way.  The girls loved it!  They ate lunch in about 3 minutes and spent the next 20 running.  We enjoyed a little fresh air (and the 15 mph wind blowing across Kansas) and everyone got in the car ready for the next leg of the trip.
• Carry a portable potty. I keep a small blue Baby Bjorn potty in the back of my car at all times and on road trips it comes in especially handy.
• Clean up the back seat at every opportunity. My kids have a way of trashing the back seats of the car in about 30 seconds flat.  When we stop, I spend about 5 minutes on a quick tidy up – throwing away trash & food, refilling water bottles, rearranging/restocking the TravelKiddy bags and generally making it comfy again.
• Make the journey part of the vacation – not just something to be endured. While a long day in the car is never fun it becomes more enjoyable if you make some stops along the way.  Stop in a park or rest area for a 20 minute game break,  stop for ice cream, give older kids a budget and time limit for a  stop at Cracker Barrel or pick a site to see along the way.
• While away the hours with a sing along. Find a few good cds of kid music (Susie Tallman is our all time favorite!) and turn up the volume!  Everyone had fun singing classic kids songs ranging from You are my Sunshine to a new twist on the Alphabet Song.
• Use the DVD player wisely. We save the movies until the inevitable bickering starts.   A movie provides the perfect distraction for any fight.
• Pack activities, games and surprises. Remember to think outside the box – while Junior may love cars, a bag full of cars will only keep him entertained for a little while.  Include some unexpected items (like plastic snakes or bugs) for pretend play.
• Mix up the seating. We tend to fall into the same seating arrangements.  This trip, we mixed things up a few times and the change in partners worked well.

My biggest challenge on every road trip remains keeping up with the trash and debris that seems to accumulate in the back seat.  Anyone care to comment with some good ideas for trash containment?

General Travel With Kids · Road Trips with Kids