we are planning a trip from kansas to pennsylvania with kids any suggestions?

Question

i would appreciate ideas of places to stop and see if anyone knows any-leaving the kids at home is not an option its a FAMILY TRIP-THANKS

Answer 1

Road trips with kids, I even hated them when I was the kid. Okay first of all make sure you bring snacks with you, this saves a lot of money plus you can stop at a rest area for the snacks and let them run off some energy. My parents were always good about this and I try to be now. I would also try to bring some type of outdoor game for those rest stops that do not have play grounds, something like a bat and ball. Helps get the energy out!
Speaking on energy limit the SUGAR!! Trust me this is a life saver, you don’ want hyper kids just tired kids in the car.
Make sure you have some car games that everyone can play. Try something like car Bingo, 20 questions, the Licenses Plate Game and so on (I will put a list below). These make the car ride fun for everyone! Do a scavenger hunt or buy some of the travel size games of things like Trouble, Battle Ship, and Sorry. They sell all kinds of them at a place like Wal-Mart or Toys R Us.
Plan your overnight stops in advance, this way you know where to be at what time, try to get to the hotel early enough so you all get a good break and again you can work off some of the kids energy.
Brings music, coloring books, card games, a favorite toy, and other things that the individual kids can do by themselves. Word Searches, crosswords and word hunts are always good.
Another good thing is to get them a small new toy before you leave, do not let them have it till you are on the trip. This entertains them for a long time.
Give each kid a disposable camera and a journal, have them take pictures along the way and write in their journal about their trip. Things like where you stopped, where you ate ect…. This always is fun and it is a great scrapbook.
Have each kid pick out a place to stop along the way. What cities are you going to be going through? Pick some places and let the kids pick something like a science museum or park. This lets them feel like they have some purpose on the trip. This is also a great thing to do with places to eat. Also if a kid is old enough to read a map, let them help you (have the other parent check as they are giving directions) the older ones always get a kick out of this. Plus it helps them learn something new!
Try leaving super early in the morning so the kids sleep part of the way, or try driving a little later at night, a few hours of quiet for the adults is always good!
Last thing remember to bring your patience you will need it!

Well I hope this helps, road trips are always an adventure. I put some car games and some websites that have things you can print out for your trip below. Have a great trip!!!!

The Geography Game
To play this game, someone has to name any place in the world - New York, for example. Then the next person has to name a place that begins with the last letter of the first place - so for New York the next person could say "Kuala Lumpur." Whoever goes next needs a place that starts with an 'R' cuz that's the last letter of Kuala Lampur. You can't use the same place twice in a game. If you get stumped, you're out. The last person left in the game is the winner. You can mix things up by using celebrities names, movies or any other subject you can think of!

The Grocery Game
This memory game is bound to whet your appetite for your next pit stop. One person starts by naming something they could buy in a grocery store that begins with the letter 'A' - apples, for example. The next person says, "apples," and then says something they could buy at a grocery store that begins with B, such as bananas. The next person says, "apples, bananas, can of beans," and so on. If you mess up, you're out. The last person standing (well, actually, sitting) is the winner!

TWENTY QUESTIONS: One player thinks of a famous person, place or thing. Everyone else gets to ask the player 20 questions, which must be answered "yes" or "no." For example, "Does it know how to read?" is a valid question, but "What's its favorite book?" is not. Whoever guesses correctly gets a turn to think up something.

A IS FOR ARMADILLO: Starting with A, each person tries to be the first to spot and name three items beginning with that letter. For example, the first to see and announce "armadillo, auto and apple" gets to choose the next letter.

LICENSE PLATE LINGO: The goal of this game is to come up with a phrase using the letters on another car's plate. So if you see the plate LMT 823, the first person to call out a somewhat logical phrase such as "Love me tender" or "Lost my tooth" earns a point.

ODDS, EVENS: Two players pick either "odds" or "evens." Then they make a fist, shake it, say, "One, two, three...shoot," and stick out one or two fingers. If the total is an odd number, the player who picked odds wins. Same goes for evens.

Name that tune
Rules of the game
Here's a game that's great for those who like to sing or hum a tune. One player thinks of a song that everybody knows and hums its first few notes. (Hint: Your child might not recognize top-40 pop songs yet, but chances are he can recognize "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" or "Baby Beluga.") The other players try to guess the name of the song. If they can't guess, the first player keeps humming more notes in the song until someone comes up with the right answer. There are no winners or losers in this game; it ends when everyone gets tired of it.

Rainbow Game
Call out a color and each person has to find something that color. For example, when you call out green, one person might point out grass, another a green car. It gets harder when you get to purple and pink.

Tall Tales
The rules are fairly simple: One person starts telling a story. She talks for about a minute and stops when she reaches an exciting moment. Then another person picks up where she left off. The game continues in this manner, with the tale twisting and turning with each new speaker. If a large group is playing, the last person to have a turn finishes the story. With a small number of children, the game is over when one player decides to give the story an ending.

http://www.momsminivan.com/
familyfun.go.com/
parentingteens.about.com/
www.roadtripplanning.com

Answer 2

I recently took a trip from South Carolina to Pennsylvania. The kids were terrible. Unless you really want them to see the countryside, I suggest you drive at night. They sleep the whole time and the traffic is lighter. We did that on the way back and it was much better than trying to entertain them and having to stop for food/drinks/or restroom breaks.

Answer 3

Get lots of books on tapes for kids...some a great fun to listen to for the adults too!
Stop for breaks often! Bring lots of colored pencils, paper, and handiwipes, and trash bags. Stock up on bottled water and juice boxes.
Have caps to keep the sun out their eyes because their seats don't have sun visors and it gets really uncomfortable when the sun flickers on your face.
Go the Philly Museum of Science, and see the Liberty Bell. Cool! And then social studies seems real.

Answer 4

Plan lots of car games that will keep them busy. Watch for rest area signs for bathroom stops, as stopping at restaurants can eat up valuable travel time, and become costly. Handheld games and puzzles, music with headphones, neck pillows.

Mostly the usual travel stuff.

Answer 5

in case you opt for for to do Philadelphia and Pittsburgh you need to shuttle between the two on Rt. 30. It starts out as Lancaster St. in Philadelphia, travels via PA dutch u . s .. Then via York, Gettysburg, Chambersburg, ect. till you attain Pittsburgh. One spotlight you will desire to no longer omit is the Shanksville Memorial for flight ninety 3 from 911. I somewhat have traveled this course many situations and its alot extra scenic than the PA turnpike.

Answer 6

Get a good baby sitter and leave the kids at home or along the road in OHIO somewhere....

Answer 7

ear plugs

Answer 8

don't take a wrong turn in st. louis.