Tips and Activities for a Road Trip with Kids - Part 3

If you have read parts 1 and 2 in this road trip series, you have some tips to make your journey more enjoyable for all. Hopefully you've started to put together your own Activity Binder, and you have been anxiously awaiting that final page.

Since my boys love hidden picture puzzles and I Spy books so much, I thought a Hidden Object Bottle might be a fun activity in the car. Before assembling the bottle, I lined up the objects to be hidden and snapped a picture and printed it out as the final page in their binder. This way they can cross out the objects - or place a circle sticker on top - as they find them in the bottle.

To make your own Hidden Object Bottle, you'll need the following:

• one cleaned and dried empty bottle per child (I just used empty soda bottles); plastic is strongly recommended over glass, especially for young children
• rice (uncooked; hopefully that was obvious)
• funnel and scooper/measuring cup
• small objects to hide (I used coins, paper clips, crafting feathers, crafting pom poms, crayons, foam stickers - stick two of the same shapes back to back, and random trinkets from the play room)

Start by dropping one or two objects in, then pour in some rice. Keep alternating a few objects with a layer of rice to cover until all objects are inside. Tap the bottle on a counter to make the rice settle, and add a bit more. I left about an inch of space from the very top. Replace the cap before use.

To play, kids tilt, turn, and shake the bottle to try and uncover all of the hidden objects. Remind the kids NOT to open the bottles. Each time they spot an object, they cross it off (or place a circle sticker over it) on the page in their Activity Binder.

How fun is that?!

I hope these past three posts have been helpful in preparing for any road trips you plan to take with your kids. You could also use the Activity Binder and Hidden Objects Bottle for waiting rooms, short car rides, or just plain old boredom-busters at home.

What keeps your kids busy during long car rides? Post a Comment and let us know.

Happy travels, and as always, thanks for reading.



Link to: Tips and Activities for a Road Trip with Kids - Part 1
Tips and Activities for a Road Trip with Kids - Part 2