Rake into FALL ...

Can it really be OCTOBER?  Where did September go?  Kids in school, leaves falling, and snow will soon be in the forecast (NOT quite ready for that!). 

We're enjoying the last of the items from our garden (corn, carrots, herbs, kale....), and so are the kids, as they are equipped with kid-sized things to help harvest and help collect those falling leaves into 'fun to dive into' piles of leaves.

Choose from the approx 27" tools above for $5.99 each.

Or, from the set of 3 hand tools all for $5.99.  The kids will have so much fun, they won't even realize that they are 'working'.  The Hand Tools are especially good for travel, and make great beach toys too!

A small Investment for PEACE while traveling

Yes, I will admit, I am no admirable blogger (it has been a MONTH - horrors!), but mostly due to being primarily a one-woman operation (excuses, excuses), it's tax season..... BUT, that being said, I still have LOTS of ideas, just not ALWAYS the time to put them in type...

My thought of the day as I was putting my new Nordic skis on the roof is that I am thankful to have a roof rack that keeps them safe and on TOP of my car (leaving room for all the other things we will soon pack IN the vehicle to go to "Ya-Ya's" house later this afternoon). My point? When one invests money in things, like a trip (are you starting to see where I'm going with this?), it seems silly, and perhaps 'unsafe' NOT to invest in a few things to 'insure' the entertainment of your children for the trip to that lovely beach destination or the exotic lodge for the winter ski trip. Let's keep this in perspective.....

You just spent a few thousand dollars on a big trip, and decided to fore go the money for travel activities. The result? Kids NOT traveling Happy, and as a result, no adult is happy either.

You don't have to spend a lot, just take a look around our site, you can shop by mode of travel, age, theme, activity type and more. We even have CUSTOM kits, where you pick how much money you want to spend, answer a few questions and we do all the work. We will even wrap a few of the items for FREE. Send us an email if you need some advice. We're always happy to help.

Don't forget to check out our Travel Trays, the solution to easy play on-the-go.

Remember, it's a small investment to keep the kids entertained (AND, we'll keep them UNPLUGGED - that's our thing), and we like to think of ourselves as the FROSTING on the cake - maybe not completely necessary, but almost always enhances the experience.

To the Beach.... don't forget these!

You've made a list and checked it twice.... no forgetting the sunscreen, sunglasses for all, hats, the towels, beach umbrella, beach chairs, lunch, beverages, dry clothes for the kids, even your own stuff (and how nice it would be to have that 'assistant' to carry some of it?!).

You arrive at the perfect beach spot, be it an ocean, lake, pond. The kids get stripped down to their suits, as you realize, beach toys are at home!? (oops....)You won't want to be without at least a basic Beach Bucket - makes a great snow sculpting set too! Ours (as pictured above) may contain any of the following (though contents may vary)

• watering can
• shovel
• rake
• Shaped mold
• assorted colors
• ALL sets include the bucket w/ handle

Windy and a little too chilly for the water?
This fits in a travel pocket, and unpacks for easy flying fun. Made of nylon, so much more durable than 'plastic' kites of a similar price. The Pocket Kite from HQ Kites (and, as a bonus, it's not hard to get back IN the bag after use!) will last many beach, park, camp, or backyard uses. String and handle also included. Tell your kids to "go fly a kite" (and MEAN it!).


One last suggestion (we could go on and on but will spare you by stopping with our top picks....) is a flexible, soft flyer. It's 6" diameter and easy for anyone to throw. We like it for the smallest of 'frisbee' players, who tend to throw a bit more erratically and complain about how 'hard' a plastic frisbee is when they try to catch it.

Garden Tools for On-The-Go

What a great time to teach kids about gardening? And, we have an inexpensive, kid-sized set of hand tools to help ease the process.

Set includes a trowel, shovel and rake, and each tool is approximately 8" in length. The handle is wood, and the 'ends' are colorfully painted metal.

We also like taking our set to the beach, sandbox or the park as well as tossing it in the wheelbarrow and taking the tools to the vegetable garden.

We feel if kids have their own 'tools' they will be eager to play outside during the soon-to-be-here summer break!

You could use these in a pinch (but, we recommend the KTH Alternatives!)

NOTE: To follow, we give you some FREE activity suggestions, BUT also see end of this blog post on how to save 20% off everything on our site thru the end of October (sale items included), in honor of the 1st year anniversary of www.KidsTravelHappy.com~!

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We've all been there. We've packed everything we needed for the trip, but somehow neglected the most important items. Things to keep the kids entertained. Bummer.

We thought we'd let you in on a few activities to do with items you probably brought (by default) but then we'll also suggest something that would have made the activity easier, and perhaps more fun & exciting for the child(ren).

1) One-two-buckle (tie) my shoe... Have a young one that needs practice with shoe-tying. Have them take off a shoe, or better yet, give them an adult shoe, and let the practicing begin. It's helpful if one adult (or older sibling) can demonstrate this task while the younger one attempts it.
The KTH alternative: check out the Tie-Up Shoe from Plan Toy. It's wooden, colorful, and easy to use on a lap or travel tray. Child not quite ready for tying? Use it as a lacing activity.

2) Along the same theme as #1, preschoolers can practice such tasks as zipping, snapping, buttons etc. depending on what they and family members are wearing.
THE KTH alternative: We think that the Award Winning Dress-Up Princess is a much more fun way to teach all those skills, as the buttons are large (better for small hands, less frustrating that tiny 'adult' shirt buttons), the zippers have 'big' teeth, the snaps are manageable, and the doll makes a perfect, colorful, huggable travel companion!

3) Perhaps your kids are a bit older and have the 'snapping, tying, buttoning' tasks down. There are always the pad of paper (or scrap, or bank deposit slip, or receipt...) and pen(cil) games. Hangman, Tic-Tac-Toe, draw a scribble and then have the child try to make it into something.
The KTH alternative: Go Games from Magnetic Poetry make all of the classic paper and pen games a cinch, and don't waste all of that paper! One of our favorites is the Magnetic Hangman. For the scribble and draw, we like the guided, independent nature of Squiggles on-the-go with a range of themes from colors & shapes to Squiggles On-the-Go Outdoor.

4) You ball up your jacket, sweater, extra shirt and hand it to your sleepy child. Or, perhaps (if you are at all like me), use it to prop up the infant's head who's neck seems to get in an ergonomically inappropriate way, even in the carseat. This is definitely the economical choice.
The KTH Alternative: Uglydolls. What you say? Well, they are so Ugly, they really are quite CUTE, and the original sized Uglydoll is not only a kid favorite take-along stuffed friend, but makes a fine, soft, crushable pillow.
OR, perhaps a ladybug or a frog is more appealing to you and your child? Check out our kid-sized neck pillows (they are even on SALE!_ - a friend and a pillow. Very cute (and, not ugly at all!)

5) Lastly, here's a game that admittedly, could be played in my handbag. "Find-It", meaning, can you find the penny? the lip balm? the keys? a pen? In the bag?
The KTH alternative: The (real) Find It Games, "a contained adventure" that will have your kids (and you) shaking, manipulating, searching and checking them off the list. Make up games with it, time each other, challenge each other to find something within a certain period of time. Comes in Kid Version, Original and Beach themed. For those a bit younger (3 and up), the I Spy Bags are just the ticket , as they are more malleable, made of fleece, and easier to find the items on the sewn-in list on the back. Either choice doesn't have any loose parts, and lots of fun packed into a safe 'container.

Well, we can't give away all of our secrets in one month, but thanks for reading!

We also want to note that we are celebrating ONE YEAR of KidsTravelHappy.com, as we launched October 20th, 2009. We are not hosting a giveaway on this BLOG this month, but we want EVERYONE to win by saving 20% off any order now through the end of the month (and, with our FREE shipping deal for the month of September, this is a GREAT deal). Just use Coupon Code "Celebrate1" (that's a number ONE at the end, and please do NOT include the quotations), in the coupon code spot at checkout. Thank you for your support!