Tag: Travel

Car Busy Bag

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We’ll be in the car a lot more this fall than back in the spring, but I don’t want Veronika feeling bored as we shuttle big brother to and from school each day. I created a toddler-sized tote full of goodies for her to make car rides feel special.

For the tote itself, I repurposed an old craft, a bag with her handprint from when she turned one. It was just the right size to tuck in a few items.

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First, add something to read. Small board books are great, but Veronika especially loves flipping through her Hello magazines.

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Next, I tucked in a few small toys. Alphabet robots and mini toy trucks were perfect. These are small enough that she can stash them in her seat’s cup holder when she tires of playing.

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Don’t forget the tunes! I’m so thankful for all the Music Together CDs we can rotate through so we never get stuck with the same song on repeat. That said, Veronika definitely has her favorites from each collection!

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Finally, don’t forget a snack. Think mess-free and easy for a toddler to self-feed, like a dry O cereal or crackers.

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We’re ready to roll!

Five Senses Car Games

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In general, Veronika is an easy child to travel with in the car. She loves to “read” books to herself, or listen to music, or even just look out the window. But I also like finding new ways to keep her entertained in the back seat! Here are a few fun suggestions that will engage all of your toddler’s senses.

Taste & Smell: Make a snack necklace. Remember those candy necklaces from the penny candy store? This is like that, only healthier. Thread o-shaped cereal onto string or a shoelace, and knot into a necklace.

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It was a little difficult for Veronika to understand the mechanics of biting off one cereal piece at a time, but once she figured it out, this was a big hit. And it’s way less messy than handing a bag filled with snacks into the back seat!

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Sound: Ahead of time, enlist other family members to help make a voice recording on your phone. When you then play the sound in the car, your little one will look around for where the voice is coming from! Big brother Travis was my cohort to record a few knock-knock jokes. Then we recorded ourselves humming Darth Vader’s theme song. Poor Veronika looked so confused when we played the jokes, not understanding why Travis’s real mouth wasn’t moving. But she grinned when the song began!

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Sight & Touch: For a whole new view of the world (literally!), make mini toddler binoculars. I cut empty toilet paper tubes a little shorter than actual length, and then hot glued two pieces together for each set of binoculars.

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Cover the front of the tubes with a sheet of colored cellophane.

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The world could be pink! Or purple! Or green!

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These were the biggest hit of the day, and I could hear her little fingers crinkling along the smooth slippery cellophane with interest, too, adding an element of touch to the game.

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Note: These cellophane sheets are great for changing up the “view” at home, too, You can have your toddler peer through just one color…

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…or overlap two colors to see color mixing. Veronika likes to look from object to object. “Orange Baby!” she might say, or “Orange Mommy!” Be sure to supervise this game closely so cellophane doesn’t obstruct breathing.

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After all that sensory play in the car, you might just get this:

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Does your toddler have a favorite car game? Please share in the comments!

Straws in a Bottle

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Looking for a quick and portable way to entertain a toddler? This game takes up no space at all, which makes it ideal for airplanes, dinner tables, or just on the floor at home in a pinch.

I used a clear empty water bottle and gave Veronika an assortment of colored straws that she could place inside. Bright colors make this particularly fun, so we used turquoise and sparkly ones.

Of course first she just wanted to screw the bottle cap on and off.

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Then I showed her how to aim one straw at the bottle at a time and drop it inside; letting go is equally a part of the lesson here. Veronika got the hang of it quickly!

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She loved fitting in all the straws…

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…after which there was the fun off dumping them back out.

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When the bottle was full of straws, we could put on the cap and shake it like a maraca.

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Then you can dump and start all over again, making this the game that keeps on going. Later she found other toys around her playroom to slot the straws into.

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There’s tons of fun to be had here, with the lowest tech components possible.

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Travel with Me Panda Crate

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Veronika received her second crate from Panda Crate today. As I reminder, she’s receiving crates meant for babies a few months younger than her actual age, since I wanted to be sure we didn’t miss a single thing. Read my full explanation here.

So, adapting “Travel with Me” slightly, we still had fun with the following crate items at 11 months old!

One: Travel Play Mat

This item is truly meant for those still doing tummy time, with tactile elements galore. The handy roll-up-and-velcro feature means you can take it anywhere in those early days when you don’t want your newborn on the floor (germs!).

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The reverse is a nice fluffy fabric, which makes it a cozy blanket for chilly fall days even now that Veronika is bigger. The one element she loved as an eleven-month-old was the pocket; hide toys in here for your bigger baby to find and you’ll get great smiles of delight.

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Two: Star Grasping Toy

Speaking of hidden toys, this is the one I secreted away in the pocket. The crinkly elements will be catnip for little babies’ hands. Because so many baby toys are round or square, the shape was also fun to talk about with Veronika.

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I touched each of the 5 points of the star, counting them out as we went.

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Three: Hanging Rattles

These two rattles attach to the loops of the blanket for any babies doing tummy time.

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I appreciated that they work great as travel toys even for older babies, since they fasten easily onto the handle of a car seat. My big girl didn’t let them dangle for long; she loved snatching them down!

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You can also of course use them to talk about the weather (cloudy, sunny). Best of all was using them more like maracas together, shaking along to songs in the car.

Four: Fabric Book

Last month, Veronika received a bath book about Panda, now it was time for a crinkly book. It’s super lightweight, making it perfect to pack as a travel toy. This one was fun because we could name vehicles and Veronika is old enough to imitate the sounds each makes (the vroom vroom of a car, the choo-choo of a train). The book has very few words, which encouraged me as a parent to narrate what we saw on each page, talking about all the details.

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Once again, I perused Wonder magazine, including a Grow section on muscle and movement development. The Learn section was a trip down memory lane: we hit all the suggested activities back in the day, whether tummy time skin to skin as a newborn, reading board books during tummy time at 4 months old, placing toys just out of reach at 5 months old, and encouraging rolling at 6 months old.

The Play section was also a nice reminder of ways I enriched Veronika’s experience as a younger baby: outings like going to a coffee shop, arranging a mommy play date, picnicking in the park, strolling outdoors, or going to the aquarium. If you receive the crate when your baby really is four-months-old (or thereabouts), you’ll love the suggested “Beyond the Crate” activity of Ribbon Play.

For travel-themed musical fun, I sang Veronika Wonder‘s version of “Wheels on the Bus” with cute new verses:

The baby on the bus goes on a trip,

On a trip, on a trip.

The baby on the bus goes on a trip,

All through the town.

 

The baby on the bus looks all around,

Up and down, what’s that sound?

The baby on the bus looks all around,

All through the town.

Finally, we checked out these three books at the local library:

  • Baby Touch: Tummy Time by Ladybird
  • Go! Go! Go! by Nicola Bird
  • Red Wagon by Renata Liwska

The Ladybird book in particular is fantastic, actually an accordion that folds open and can keep Veronika entertained for hours.

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We’re looking forward to more Panda crates, especially as the toys become more appropriate for Veronika’s true age.

Car Picture Game

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Veronika had the longest car trip of her life so far this past weekend, and I knew she’d need some extra entertainment. For this easy game, tailor the pictures to your baby’s interests. Good sources are magazines, picture books you don’t mind cutting up, or family photos.

Veronika particularly loves animals, so we went through big brother’s old Ranger Rick Jr. to cut out cute pictures. I also added a few random images, like cars and hearts.

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Laminate the photos and then trim down to size. (Note: if you don’t have a laminator, a copy shop in town can usually do so for you). Punch a hole in the top of each image.

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Thread a string through the pictures, and suspend for your child in the car.

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You can attach them to the brim of a car seat with safety pins, but I didn’t want them dangling that close to Veronika’s face.

Instead, I threaded the string around the headrests of the rear seat, and they dangled exactly where she could see them.

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She stayed mostly calm throughout a six hour drive, so hopefully these pictures helped!

What is a Landmark?

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We’re only in our second month of a subscription to Raddish Kids, but I continue to be impressed with the company’s thorough lesson plans to accompany each recipe. I mentioned last month that the lessons are meant for everyone from preschoolers through big kids, so you’ll need to adapt and adjust accordingly. To wit, I worried Travis wouldn’t get much out of a lesson on French landmarks (to go along with the French dessert we baked), but boy was I wrong!

The idea is to learn about the Eiffel Tower specifically, and then follow-up with a discussion of landmarks in general. So we started with a video clip about the Tower.

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Travis had so many questions right away: Could you really go to the top? What was the tower made of? How did they light it up at night? He was even more amazed when I pulled out a few old photos from my own trip up to the top!

Next, we looked at pictures of other landmarks. I selected some from a travel magazine, and showed him a mix of man-made (the Great Wall of China) and natural (the White Cliffs of Dover). Now it was time to ask him to define a landmark based on what he saw.

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This was a tricky question for a preschooler, but he decided it was something you built. I pointed back to the cliffs again, and we settled on this definition: anything that can be easily recognized, that marks a specific location.

We explored further with a fantastic STEM activity, encouraging kids to build replicas of famous landmarks. Duplo was a natural medium for my preschooler, and he loved the challenge.

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Here is our little Eiffel Tower, replete with a tourist on top!

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We also tackled London Bridge, the Parthenon, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

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Big kids can get super creative with these, in a wide variety of materials, and aim to be much more exact.

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From here, older children can go on to make a brochure, travel blog, or model of any landmark they choose. But Raddish’s suggestion for young kids was to keep things closer to home. I’ll be honest: If I didn’t have a three-month-old, I would have taken Travis to a world-famous landmark in nearby New York City, like the State of Liberty or the Empire State Building.

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But since that was out of the cards, I asked Travis if he could think of a landmark in our little town, and was so proud when he remembered the bell we pass ever day en route to school, part of a Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building.

So off we went on a frigid morning for a few pics!

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Travis loves using our instant camera, so was a happy participant despite temps in the teens.

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We came home and wove it all together by making a brochure. I showed him a few examples, and soon he was gluing pictures down proudly.

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In sum, this was definitely an advanced social studies lesson for a preschooler, but I’m glad we accepted the challenge to tackle it. Travis learned so much, and we had a blast in the process.

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Destination: Meow Cat Parlor

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Here’s the latest in my series of day trips for children if you’re in the New York City area. Meow Parlor was the first cat cafe in New York, modeled after similar spaces in Japan. The idea is to go in and spend time with cats, who are all available for adoption.

If you’d like to visit Meow Parlor with kids, plan in advance! There are only special time slots available to children ages 8 and under, including select weekdays at 4 p.m. and every other Sunday at 11 a.m. You have to book online in advance.

With our reservation underway, we headed off to the city.

We arrived a little early, which gave us the opportunity to check out the sister store next door, the food component of the Parlor. Travis was ecstatic to try his first vegan croissant!

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Then we headed next door to play with the cats. There are only 10 to 15 cats on site at a time, making it feel manageable and intimate for both humans and felines.

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The cats have ample room to roam around, get up high, and sneak behind custom-designed cabinets with multiple entrances and exits, so none ever seemed bothered by even very loud or assertive children in our group.

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Travis was over the moon. The hour passed surprisingly quickly, between petting cats, dangling toys for those who wanted to play, and simply marveling at their antics.

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For kids who want additional stimulation, the Parlor provides crayons and markers, books about cats, and pictures of successful adoptees.

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We couldn’t take a cat home today, but we loved the experience! We capped off our city afternoon with brunch at the mainly-vegan Dirt Candy before heading home.

Trip Date: February 2018

Ages: 0 to 8 (designated times only), 9+ (any time)

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Destination: MCU Park and Coney Island

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Major league baseball stadiums can be overwhelming for children – the noise, the crowds, the noise, the fans’ energy, the noise – did I mention the noise?

A great bet for a child’s first game (and subsequent ones!) is to support your local Triple-A team. We’re lucky to live near MCU Park, home to the Brooklyn Cyclones. The stadium is wonderfully family-friendly; many games include kids running the bases either before or after the game; fireworks on select nights; or themes like Harry Potter Night.

Because the stadium is small, there is literally not a bad seat in the house, perfect for explaining the ins and outs of the game to children old enough to understand.

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You’ll be right up close to all those silly mascots, too!

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MCU Park has the added bonus of being right up against Coney Island with the rest of its attractions. Make a day of it before the game starts (I find that 4 p.m. games are the ideal start time for the preschool set). If you arrive in the early afternoon, you’ll have ample time to stroll the boardwalk and sample the food (Italian ice is a must!). Duck into Luna Park for a few kiddie rides;

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Gape in terror at the roller coasters;

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And soak up the local characters (parrot-toting guitar players??)

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A perfect summer afternoon!

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Trip Date: July 2017

Ages: 3+

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Destination: The High Line

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This is the first post in a new series of vacations or day trips to enjoy with kids! The High Line is a perfect oasis, not just for children, but also for adults overwhelmed by New York’s concrete jungle. Up a flight of stairs off Tenth Avenue, you’ll suddenly find yourself above the fray of the metropolis. (Note: There is elevator access at the 14th Street, 16th Street, 23rd Street, and 30th Street entrances).

Summer is my favorite time to visit the High Line, although each season has its beauties. You’ll find acres of gardens planted with flowers and vines.

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There are also grass lawns to sunbathe on and strategically placed viewing platforms where you can sit right above the traffic – perfect for toddlers learning to name their vehicles!

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Best of all, if you visit when the High Line is not too crowded, there’s a bit of room for kids to run or walk about and get out their energy… A much safer thing to do up on the High Line than down on the sidewalks.

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A perfect oasis!

Trip Date: July 2016

Ages: All!

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