Housers on the road - traveling with kids

Being locked in a car with 3 kids for multiple hours can be a way to torture people - just saying!  We have been on the recieving end of crying, screaming, I am bored, I need to pee, ugggggghhhhhh mom we are starving - etc!  Last summer when we made the 13 hour drive to the beach I put together an "activity bag" and pulled out things when the kids were bored. They loved it!  Now let me be honest...normally we bring the iPads and leap pads and let them watch movies when we make the 3 hour drive to the zoo and to visit great friends! 

 After putting together our on the go activity kit I already had one backpack stuffed with travel ready items.  I decided to put together a backpack for the older kids with activities for the car.  I spent 1 dollar on this.  Literally one!  I bought SK a word search book at the Dollar Tree and everything else we had on hand.  

Some of the items in SK's backpack: 

• word search

• color wonder marker book

• Where is Waldo travel book and magnifying glass

• hidden picture book and colored pencils

• Lego kit

• her digital camera 

(They had soooo much fun taking silly pictures of each other!  The laughing/giggles coming from the backseat were priceless!)

• her bird watching binoculars

• little chalk mat and chalk 

Some of the things I included for W:

• Waldo travel books and magnifying glass

• color wonder marker book

• sticker sheet and his name 

• quick lacing cards ----

Side note about these - I had read an idea on Pinterest about making lacing cards from family pictures etc.  Since it was approximately 11:30 the night before when I was putting together backpacks for the trip I had to use what was on hand.  I grabbed a couple boxes from our cardboard stash and cut out the front of some things they love like poptarts and popcorn.  I punched holes and included some plastic string and had some quick ultra cheap lacing cards. 

• Lego kit 

W and SK were thrilled to see me stuffing their backpacks with little things for them to do.  They loved carrying their own backpack and actually did a great job of putting things up when they were finished.  

Anything that has loose parts I made sure had some container.  The little marker book I put inside a ziplock bag to hold that and the markers, the lacing cards also were in ziplock bags.  The Legos were contained in the metal lunch boxes.  SKs colored pencils went into a pencil pouch.  Having something to hold each individual thing really helps them keep it seperate and off the floor!  What keeps your kids busy in the car?