Road Trip!

We have some road trips coming up, and I've been trying to brainstorm ways to keep my very busy Bird occupied in his carseat. Here are a few of the things I've made to go into his "Busy Bag":

Playdough, Color Wheel, and Matching Game

I got the "Busy Bag" idea from this blog: http://therigneys.wordpress.com/2011/08/26/toddler-busy-bag-swap/. There are lots more ideas there that I want to eventually try. So far though, I've made a color-matching wheel, homemade playdough, and animal matching cards.

COLOR WHEEL
I just took cardboard from an old box, cut it in a circle, painted it, and then painted clothes pins to match. Jacin and Bird tried it out tonight. Bird is just learning his colors, and matching is a new concept, so it's not a quick and easy activity. Maybe it'll eat up some time and mileage in the car!!

PLAYDOUGH
I found this recipe on pintrest - here's the website:  http://www.kristanlynn.com/2011/09/best-play-dough-recipe.html. Quick and easy!! I made two batches (red & blue) in one quick session. And the playdough is GREAT!! Bird doesn't know what to call it yet, so when he wants to play with it, he grabs my hand, pulls me in the kitchen, points to the playdough, and says, "Momma, I show you. I play THAT!!"Not sure yet how we'll handle it in the car, but we're packing it!

ANIMAL MATCHING
One of Bird's favorite books to read at naptime (and he has quite a few favorites!) is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?" I found this matching activity on a website that has a whole booklet of activities to go with that children's book. Pretty cute! Check it out here: http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.com/BrownBear.html. I just downloaded the matching cards, printed them, and took them to Office Depot to be laminated. Quick and easy!

We also have a portable DVD player and MobiGo (thanks to both sets of grandparents), so I'm hoping that with these "Busy Bag" ideas, a few matchbox cars, a stash of books, and a favorite tractor or two, we might survive our summer road trips. I'll keep ya posted. :)