I was introduced to Play Silks while living in California. Marina has some for her kids and there were many others that swore by their qualities.
What is a play silk?
It can be anything. A cape, a blanket, a fort, a skirt, the possibilities are only inhibited by one’s imagination. The play silk flows in a way that no other fabric in the lives of our children does. There is a tactile sensation that is difficult to describe. Ethan, being a baby is very quiet about his imagination play, yet if he is having a tough time, a silk will almost always comfort him. At this point he mostly chews on them, but he will wave them up and down, as it caresses his face.
Becca adores the play silks we have in our tickle trunk. She uses them endlessly, providing an open ended play that I love to watch. I recently dyed a play silk for a three year old boy’s birthday. It was a huge hit!
I use kool aid as a dye, so the silks are non-toxic. I have washed this set to ensure that all the dye has set (I learned the hard way that the first set I made for the kids was not set! Although the kool aid did not dye the cotton as it is not an animal fibre!)
Want to win a play silk? They make wonderful one of a kind gifts and your kids will enjoy them.
Answer me this:
How do you keep your kids aged 8 months to three entertained in the car? (no kids? share some idea on car trips in general … gas station bathrooms or rest stops?)
I need to be armed and ready for our trek back up to Canada. We have a dvd player but that only helps a little. Any other ideas would be wonderful.
I have all the books wrapped and ready to ship, I am just waiting for two more addresses.
You have until Saturday midnight to share with me your car trip ideas!
I have Two large silks (perfect for the super hero in your family) and Ten sets of two smaller sized silks (Ethan likes this size, however Becca has a set of six that she uses with her play). In your comment please state if you are totally not into pink 
A Canadian mom with three cute kids. This blog chronicles our lives my creative pursuits. 
I’m not missing out on this giveaway!
Here are some things we brought on our trip that we just took this summer.
Bubbles. And when you get tired of blowing them you can hold them up to the air vent and on turn on the fan to blow them in the back.
Magnets and a a cookie sheet, or we also have those travel magnet board thing…Kayla has a farm one. It folds out and can lay on her lap and she can play w/the magnets that way.
A little aqua doodle thing, I’m not sure if it’s actually called an aqua doodle (the one we have) but you fill the little pen thing w/water and when you “color” on the page the color shows up and then eventually dry and she can color again and again.
A viewmaster, Kayla hadn’t had one before and I kept it until the trip so it was new to her.
Binoculars…have her look for things out the windows.
books of course and coloring books
If I remember anything else I’ll let you know
Oh, I want one or seventy of these so here goes my best travelling with tots tips:
Stickers- to put in sticker books or in Sophie’s case on your body.
Kid’s CDs- oh and don’t forget lullabies and/or classical music to help little ones go off to sleep
Snacks and drinks- nothing worse than a tired and hungry kid
Try to find restuarants with play areas- think McDonalds, you don’t necessarily have to eat there just get a drink and let Becca run around a bit
A few favorite toys plus a new one or two from the dollar store
Hope that helps a little and don’t forget to put me in to win!!!
Oooohhh! I really love those silks!!!!
Hmmm…lessee….
Bingo. Print out some bingo boards on paper of images that you will see along your trip…When you and Becca find one you cross it off the board.
Truck, car, stop sign, yield sign…etc…When all the items are crossed off (in a line) you win bingo..
For Ethan: soft books he can chew on and look at the pictures, a mirror on the seat in front of him, sock puppets that Becca can use to entertain him while entertaining herself…He can even eat those too…if they are clean of course…
Snacks. Totally for you and them.
Also, fun to make with Becca then use in the car….Fill up some ziplock plastic snack or sandwich bags bags with colored elmer’s glue and zip them closed…beccs (and ethan too) can use their fingers to draw on the plastic to manipulate the glue and make shapes and things. (it’s all contained in the bag) no muss no fuss…no crayons needed, nothing.
Did I win?
I don`t know much about driving but whenever I go on a long flight with joey I prepare a “bag of treasures” It doesn`t have to anything flash or expensive (in fact I quite often just wrap up stuff he already owns!) but I put in some little toys that he has never seen before and wrap a few of them up. The trick is to get them out when the going gets tough and the tantrums begin. This time I put a couple of his favourite snacks in as well. It does take a little bit of preparation but really works as they can`t wait to see what is going to come out next!!
Post-it-notes, calculators, magna doodles and we have two toys that provide endless entertainment they are both Leap Frog toys, I bought them on sale at Zellers but I’m sure you could find them there. One is a Leap Frog radio that plays alphabet and number songs and the other is a Leap Frog drum that you can tap out the alphabet my kids love these. The trick to car toys is that they are only allowed these toys in the car and not the house, if they have too much access they lose interest.
I find that those erase boards, little blackboards and chalk that you can buy for a dollar (kids love to play teacher) and bringing all the old magazines and newspaper (good way to recycle) helps. I also bring alphabet and word boards to practice their reading and we play games with the words.
Oh I love these!
My favorite items for the kiddos are Leap Pad toys! And something to write on – the Aqua Doodle was mentioned, another one is the Magna Doodle. LOTS of books, I had some they had access to and others I put in the back of the car and swapped a couple out each day (our drive was five days) as well as magazines, kid cds for music listening and snacks! The snacks prevented us from having to stop every four seconds for food.
Oh and potty breaks – it worked easiest for us to get gas (if needed and we found a gas station), use the bathroom and play for a few minutes. We drove ALL day long all the days and the kids definitely got tired of the car. I am very lucky I know because we had zero tantrums. Oh and they napped alot – the car puts my kids to sleep though, and you have to think about once you stop for the night will they be tired enough to sleep! Haha
Aw, man… I was going to say all these ideas! But, there’s still one idea that someone hasn’t mentioned: Whenever I’m on a road trip and things get insanely boring, we count and shoot the miles. Perhaps this is only fun for adults, but when a mile marker comes up, I have pointed it out, and shot it with my “disappearing potion.” This magic potion can come out of my hand – but (we all know that shooting guns with our hands is not a popular activity with kids), your magic potion can come from a kiss, or a wink, or any other fun body part. Make those miles disappear!
I’m also a big fan of the simple, old fashioned notebook + marker/crayons. My three year old goes crazy with a spiral notebook – making sure to draw on every single page. This keeps her busy for a long time!
For the baby, my best recommendation that I can come up with is to leave your place super dooper early (like 3 or 4am)… this way both kids are still sleeping and you’ll have a few hours of quiet driving time before you stop for breakfast somewhere. Hopefully your breakfast destination has a park nearby!
Good luck, girlie. I may be a lurker, but I’m lurking every day and very excited for your move!
I traveled to and from Germany about 10 times Miss-D and MonkeyBoy starting at ages 2 and 9 months. One word….Benadryl
Kidding!
Plane or car they loved the little “clings.” The little soft plastic “sticker” that they could put on the books or the windows and then pull them off and put them someplace else.
I took lots of little snacks, snacks that they normally did not get to have like fruit by the foot. I also hit the dollar store and and buy a bunch of little toys and they wrap them like little presents. They loved opening them and Miss-D could help baby brother open his.
I bought a little tray, much like a mini tv tray that would fit over their lap in a car seat. I would never travel without one. Ours had little “pockets” on the sides. So Miss-D had a hard surface for her coloring book and a place to stash her snack and crayons so that they would not roll off.
Good Luck!
Every one took my suggestions. I use to get them a new toy, pack a stuff animal, a pillow and a blanket, some snacks and a water jug. The silks are pretty neat.
This summer for our road trip a must have was the Crayola Color Wonders. The girls loved them, and given Jillians love of drawing on herself and all around her they were perfect!
Another very unorthadox thing we did was scream. This especially worked when I was getting tired. But we would have a screaming contest to see who would scream the loudest, sadly if I needed to scream to save my life I would be in BIG trouble.
Being very close to an all girl house we don’t have a pink issue LOL.
BTW how far is the drive?
Duct tape. How could everyone miss that? O.k., for those out there that don’t know me – kidding.
Most people said mine, and you already know mine from the trip from CA to NM, however, here goes what’s left:
books on cd (or ipod – there’s free sites)- I even have some I could send you (of course, I would never violate copyright
). I have the entire Winnie the Pooh (in which C.R. shoots W.t.P., thereby giving W.t.P. the Pooh part of his name, anyway . . .), as well as a ton of others.
Read to them – cds or mp3s are fine, but nothing beats a true story by mom or dad
DO NOT GIVE THEM SUGAR – sorry whoever suggested the fruit by the foot, but I’ve been in the car with DS for 12 hours (just this summer), it’s soooo not worth it
If you can, make your stops interesting, not just road stops. We found a dairy we could get cheese at to stop at. It took a litttle more time, but we had to stop, had to stretch our legs, and made life better.
I spy (I can’t believe everyone missed that)
It’s time for a leapster. Seriously. I know it’s expensive. I know it’s a video game. I was completely against it when my mom got it for Jamie. I worship the ground she walks on now, esp. after our roadtrip this summer.
No pink please. You know, if I win
.
I want to win!
I don’t care what the color is. I’m not picky!
Okay, here are some things we do to keep Snuggle Bug entertained during long car trips:
1) Bring his favorite books and read to him in the car or let him read.
Bring his favorite pillow & blankie and encourage him to take a nap!
2) Bring his Little Touch Leap Pad (he enjoys this)
3) Bring his favorite toddler music cd.
4) Bring his favorite snacks/drinks in a small cooler.
5) Take frequent potty breaks and allow him to run off some of his energy!
6) Sing “action” songs with him (Itsy Bitsy Spider, Wheels on the Bus, etc).
7) Buy him new toys from the dollar store and give them to him (one at a time) during the trip.
How’s that for a list?
Glow sticks are great for night time travel. We tired using a flashi light but the kids kept shining them in the mirror and into my eyes while I was driving. Glow sticks put out a much softer light.
I usually get each kid a new notebook, some crayons or colored pens or pencils and some tape. The tape is really key. Entertains my kids for minutes. Or get some of those window-cling things that they can stick to their windows and make scenes with.
I love silks, and I don’t car what color if I win. I don’t have kids, but I do a LOT of babysitting, so they will get used!
I remember playing “spot that tag”. We used to look for each of the 50 states license plates as we drove. Mom once had a map that we checked off each state as we found it. The state you are in cannot count (While you are IN New Mexico, you can’t count it), and you would be amazed how many people travel so far from Rhode Island. You could also keep an eye out for Canadian Provinces or Mexican counties, too.
One of my college friends used to shoot specific trucks (like the disappearing mile signs) as they traveled. Each child (he was oldest of 4) would have their own kind of truck to blow up with the imaginary explosive or whatever, and Schneider orange trucks were universal. I used to live near a Mayflower weigh station, and the drivers were rude, so that was my truck. Spotting them is probably better for the little one than blowing them up. But keep track! It teaches them to count over a long time, or in quick succession. And it teaches pattern and color recognition.
An idea on the Bingo, you could make a page with all the letters of the Alphabet on it, and have Becca look for the letters. Big letters on signs. Starting letters of animals’ names. (one letter per item) Have her cross them off in order?
Do you love music? Ask Becca to sing to you/baby brother. Bring a mix CD of songs the whole family loves. (My friend Maria taught her daughter to headbang to 80’s rock, and her husband Matt taught the girls “In the Ghetto” from Southpark… yeah, my friends are crazy)
Make lots of stops. The adults need to walk as much as the kids do. Plan your route, and let Becca in on it. Tell her what City is next. Show her the map, and ask her what direction you are going.
I wish you good luck in your Grand Journey.
I keep coming back, hoping I’ve an idea that no one else has, only to find that the list of brilliant ideas is just getting longer. I so love the silks, but do not think I have anything to add to this amazing compilation of ideas. – I’m thinking I might steal them all and chuck them on the blog!
Here are a couple of small ideas:
1. Pipe cleaners – don’t know if you call them the same thing – bendy bits of wire covered in funky fabrics. Here we get a bag of 20-30 for $2. They bend into all sorts of fantastic shapes, you can join them together ….. have a challenge for Becca e.g. who can make the biggest, most colourful flower. You can also thread beads onto them and make bracelets etc. She could make them into gifts for friends (Olivia likes to make bracelets for her girlfriends)
They also wrap around wooden pegs to make a peg family – felt-tips for eyes etc.
2. Dolls for dressing and undressing.
3. For Ethan – finger puppets, an abacus, wire bead frame. A box or container with a lid that he can take off and put on to his hearts content!
4. A treasure hunt along the way ……. Photos by iconic things in the small towns ….. spot the “—- ” …… A plastic container / bag to put little treasures eg. shells from …… beach, stones, leaves, flowers …. then when you are unpacking give Becca a large piece of card and she can make a mural of your road trip with all the bits she collected, and the photos of your stops!
Oooo! I want one of those, however, I do not have any tips for you since Emma is an aweful traveller in the car. I always have a couple soft toys for her there but she just throws them 2 minutes into the ride & that’s that for them. Luckily we only do 10-15 minute errands around the city, lol.
Good luck & hope you find something that works.
The look on his face is hysterical, that’s a man who loves his silkies!
I don’t have kids (I’m entering because I have friends who have kids). I don’t remember what my parents did to keep us occupied when we were babies, so I have no ideas for Ethan, but when we were a bit older I remember having a lot of activity books – connect the dots, word searches, sometimes those “invisible ink” pens with quiz books. We didn’t have them often outside the car, but my parents bought a couple of new ones for every long car trip. We also got snacks that we didn’t usually, like goldfish crackers and those little pouches of fruit snacks. We spent a lot of time singing. Sometimes we sang along with tapes, and sometimes we just sang (and yes, everyone was out of tune).
I once started counting telephone poles and didn’t stop until I’d counted well over a thousand. Sometimes, after whining for a while doesn’t work, kids will invent their own entertainment.
We haven’t done long trips in a while, but when we did, I found that Color Wonder markers and books helped a lot! It’s a way for them to color without having to worry about them coloring on anything other than the paper, and the books have a cardboard back, so are a bit stiffer than the average coloring book, which helps too.
We also play 20 questions or sing songs, or I Spy as well. Timing trips during sleep/nap hours is a big help too since you don’t have to worry about keeping them amused during that time.
Good luck!
I would be totally not into pink.
I love your silks and would love to win some! In the car, we have a BIG mirror mounted on the back of my seat for the boy to “play with himself” (heh). Whenever possible one of us sits with him and plays while we drive. We have travel sized magna doodles and other such car games with no pieces to lose, and we sing a lot. Badly, but he doesn’t know that yet!
[...] case we run out of ideas for what to do with our playsilks, there are some ideas here and here. I think that a large playsilk/veil would be a terrific toddler/preschooler birthday [...]
[...] case we run out of ideas for what to do with our playsilks, there are some ideas here and here. I think that a large playsilk/veil would be a terrific toddler/preschooler birthday [...]