Car Trip with 4 Kids - from AZ to GA in June :O

Hi C.,

We've taken several trips involving drives of 6-7 hours with our kids (6 boys: 15,13,11,10,3 & 4mos - but before the last was born). I know this isn't anywhere near what you'll be doing, but here's what worked for us... We bought a car dvd player - you can get them fairly cheap, and I think they're worth the $! We also brought along activity books - the kids' favorite was Mad Libs, which we all did together. The only danger of this is additional bathroom breaks because we were all laughing so hard we had to pee! Good music and plenty of kid-friendly snacks and drinks were also essential.

I remember long road trips when I was a kid (from IN to Boston usually), and we did a lot of reading and talking and playing games like finding different state license plates and car bingo. My parents were also really good at finding places to stop along the way that my brother and I found interesting - that really helped break it up. If you can find a hotel with a pool, even better - gives the kids something to look forward to at the end of the day.

I hope this helped a little...Good luck!
S.

We did a number of trips with my kids when they were young, first from Tucson to San Diego, and then from Tucson to Minneapolis. Here are my tips:
1. Get out and stretch, run, play catch or something physical at least every few hours--children and adults. It may take more time but it makes everyone more sane.
2. Make "snack bags"--this was a huge help. Buy all the healthy and not so healthy snack foods that you can think of (have the children help) like pretzels, chex mix, pirates booty, goldfish crackers, etc. and dump them all in a huge bowl to mix up. Then fill small baggies with this interesting mix. Put the baggies in a big shopping bag and every time anyone is the least bit hungry, or starting to go cranky, offer a snack bag. (The trick is to not eat so many yourself, especially if you are trying to reach a goal weight.)
3. Books on tape (or CD) keep everyone's imaginations engaged. The trick is to find something that is appropriate for the span of your kids' ages.
4. We used to do a gummy bear for everyone every hundred miles. This was about the only time my kids got this treat, we were not big on sugar. (Recently I took a car trip to LA with my 23 year old daughter, and she bought us a wee package of gummy bears--this lived happily in her nostalgia.)
5. Stay some place with a pool at night--everyone gets some unwinding and exercise.
6. Look up interesting and/or weird places you will pass before you go, so you have some intermediate stopping places besides rest stops and gas stations; also be on the look out for spontaneous opportunities. Stop at a few national parks, even if it is just for an hour. In our travels, we stopped at places like the Petrified Forest; Mt. Rushmore; the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in De Smet, ND. . .Once we stumbled on "Amelia Earhart Days" in Atchison, Kansas--her hometown--and saw amazing memorabilia on display at the historical society.

Good luck, you can do it!
L.

I have a childrens section in my web site. It has some bingo cards you can print off to play Bingo along the way as you travel. Go to my web site at: www.giftsbyrichmonthouse.com
and see if you can find some other games also. Good luck in your trip. Georgia is a beautiful state.
Sandy

I made a similar trip with my two boys and oldest grandson when they were about the ages of your guys. I found that "Gameboys" were a life saver. My littlest guy was only 4 when he got his first one. We are still very careful about what games he is allowed to play (he is now 10 and the only one still interested)but he is used to that and still finds alot of interesting ones to play. Sometimes you can find both the "Gameboys" and games used at places like Bookman's, Game Stop, etc. Good luck and enjoy your trip!

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