With the weather improving, you might be thinking about a road trip with your family. Here are some great ideas from ECFE parents that will help smooth the way.

Traveling with children probably means that you'll need to take a lot of things that you wouldn't need if you were traveling alone. Your list might include:

• Snacks and drinks -- choose items that take a LONG time to eat!
• Wet wipes
• Garbage bags
• A clipboard for coloring or other art activities
• A pan with a sliding top to use as a lap desk (with built-in storage!)
• Pillows and blankets
• Extra clothes
• A night light
• Special blankets, stuffed animals, pillows or pacifiers that your child WON'T sleep without!

You'll want to plan many stops along the way -- playgrounds, rest stops, town squares, college campuses, all make great places to run off some energy. Take some balls or Frisbees along to throw around when you're at a rest stop.

In the car, you'll need a lot of amusements:

• Colorforms stick on car windows
• Etch-a-Sketch or Magna Doodle games
• Sticker books (or even Post-It Notes!)
• Coloring books or a plain pad of paper
• Pipecleaners (fun, quiet, and not messy)
• Finger puppets
• A ViewMaster with new slides for each trips
• Books, comic, activity books
• A small flashlight
• Listen to music, or have a sing-a-long

Try wrapping a few small toys and give them out one at a time over the course of the trip. Don't forget to save a few for the trip home.

Happy traveling, and please share more of your family's "must-packs"!

Esther Schak,
Parent Educator, Saint Paul ECFE