The trip is perfectly planned, you've crossed all of the "t's" and dotted all of the "i's", made all of your connections without a hitch. After arriving at the dream beach house, the inclement weather arrives, and you've found you are NOT prepared for this situation.... (oh, and we want to help you NOT turn on the TV.....)
Here are a few things you can do almost anywhere, anytime....
Lean 'em" card toss game: no card reading skills necessary, just deal the cards out evenly amongst the players, choose a spot away from a wall, and try to toss and get the most of YOUR cards to lean up against the wall (obviously easier on a carpeted floor, but take the challenge on a hardwood floor!). Make up your own point system for those leaning tall or horizontally etc.. Different colored decks of cards per player make it easier to figure out who owned which cards (or sort by suit)
Trail Mix: Head to the kitchen and mix up some trail mix. Go traditional and use peanuts and raisins, add chocolate (make it colorful with M&Ms), we also like to add any 'brown' cereal (like bran chex), pretzels, Goldfish snacks - use your (healthy) 'snacking' imagination
Draw a Meal: have a child that doesn't want to help put a meal together? Get him/her a placemat-sized piece of paper (or try one of these DOODLE pads to get you going), and have them sketch out their napkin, knife, fork, spoon, plate(s), glass/cup, etc. - ending with drawing their meal!
Crayon Rubbings: add a piece of paper and rub over any object. Things that are always handy; coins, puzzle pieces, pieces of cloth, bandaids, rubber bands, paper clips
Collage: gather newspapers and old magazines, child safe scissors and some glue sticks and let the creating begin. A great exercise in 'art from recycling!'
Dollar Quiz: can your child find the following: name of the President, where the bill was printed, Series year, value of the bill, how many times the value (number) of the bill is on it, make up your own 'finds'
Learn Sign Language... start with the Alphabet, here's a link to a site we like.
Play the little game of "I'm on a trip, the weather is NOT cooperating, and I wish I'd brought....". We like to play starting with an "A" object, then "B" etc... as the next person has to repeat all previous items before adding a new one, and it makes it a bit easier to remember that way
Silent Game :-) Challenge the kids (and adults!) to 'how many minutes can you go....' without speaking, moving, blinking.... or whatever you'd like them to try. Or just do a charade like game where you must communicate without talking.
A few things we recommned having for an 'emergency'
It's nearing the holiday season, and if your family is like mine, as the shorter days of winter approach, you are looking for a way to keep the TV off and the brains growing! My kids LOVE puzzles (as do I), but we always run into the issue of which puzzle to do, seeing as 'my' puzzles are a bit too challenging and sometimes frustrating for my 4 and 7 year old boys, and 'their' puzzles, well, they don't really WANT my help!
To the rescue.... the Ravensburger FAMILY puzzle. It has 3 sections, with 3 different sized pieces, for variety of ages, starting at 4 years of age. These 3 sections all interlock, making it the PERFECT family puzzle. Fun, fun!! We love it, and everyone is happy!
Keep your eyes on Ravensburger Puzzles at Kids Travel Happy! Soon to come are 'puzzle balls' for fun, holiday decor, even a functional globe (over 500 pieces!!)
It's raining, you're on a wonderful trip to a tropical setting (or, maybe you are JUST at home!), with the beach in mind, but the weather is NOT cooperating. A couple of young children (but mostly YOU) are bummed about being inside. What to do?
Of course, you can do things like go to a movie, find a Children's Museum, or other activities that cost money. BUT, we find this is the best time to take those "imaginary journeys", make the best of it, and hope the weather is perfect (or at least adequate) soon.
preschoolers: 'super-heroes', wizards or princesses, as the silks can be tied as a cape or as a headdress
for school-age: dress up is still a great activity, or use the silks to make forts with chairs; we also like to use silks for play surfaces; green for magic forests, blue for mythical oceans
One of our favorite school-age (and up) 'imaginary' journey activities is the Think-ets Storytelling Game. Why you may ask? It's a simple concept - a small mesh bag with at least 10 little random trinkets in it. There are many variations, but basically, the idea is for someone to pick one, begin a story, the next person then picks one, continues, and so on. One could also pick multiple 'trinkets' to start the story. Never the same story twice, and you can even add your own little treasure 'trinket' pieces to expand the options. OR, get multiple sets!
Want to go all out? Don't want to sacrifice the furniture to the 'hideout' or 'fort' building? Try a Crazy Fort Construction Kit, and make a castle, an igloo, or just a cube and throw any old sheet on top. Better yet, take an old sheet and let the kids draw details on their creation. Packs easily back in the box it comes in, and simple to take along for emergency 'bad weather', especially for road trips, or visits to Grandma/pa's house!
Where were all of these innovative things when I was a kid??
Before you know it, the weather will improve (or at least everyone's mood will!) and you'll wonder where the time went.
For more 'Rainy Day' or 'At the Destination' ideas check this LINK. And, remember, sometimes the best journeys go no where at all except in the mind.
