travelling with kids, without an ipad

The plan this week was to write about the struggle of doing without an ipad on a long car journey with kids. To outline that in our house there are no iphones, no ipods, no i anythings. We don’t have a mini dvd player for the car, a tv in the kids bedroom or playroom or anything on which to play the many cute and amazing apps I read about on coolmomtech.com.

It is all true but really, who am I fooling? I'm just showing off. For me these journeys are just a great excuse to buy nice stuff online. 


So, cutting out all the nonsense for once, this is what I recommend to keep kids aged one to ten happy(or if not happy, at the very least quiet for a while) on long car journeys. 



That's if you don't have an ipad.

A white/blackboard http://www.mimitoys.ie/product_3505_Magnetic-Chalk-and-Dry+Erase-Board.html

And for the little fella, a magnetic vehicle board http://www.mimitoys.ie/product_4556_Vehicle-Magnetic-Board.html

A mini ink pad and notebook with instructions on how to draw thumb thingshttp://www.mimitoys.ie/product_4556_Vehicle-Magnetic-Board.html

A little pad of folding activitieshttp://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Lets-Fold-Kumon-Publishing/9781933241128

More thumb stuff http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Draw-Thumb-Animals-Editors-Klutz/9781570549816

A sticker book for boyshttp://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Sticker-Dressing-Knights-Kate-Davies/9781409508069

And, for whoever doesn’t feel sick when they read:

Mad Libs (jokey stuff to read aloud)http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Mad-Libs-on-Road-Roger-et-al-Price/9780843174984

My fathers Dragon(age 6 up)http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/My-Fathers-Dragon-Ruth-Stiles-Gannett/9780440421214

The Case of the Absent Author(age 6 up)http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Case-Absent-Author-Ron-Roy/9780679881681
Emil and the Dectectives (age 8 up)http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Emil-Detectives-Erich-Kstner/9780099413127

Happy trails, Lucy.