Roadtrip Ready: Roadtrip Behavior Clips

When we first started planning our big roadtrip, I immediately got on Pinterest to look for ideas. One of the first things I came across was this great idea from Less Than Perfect Life of Bliss for what she called Kid Clips. I knew this was something I had to make for my boys. Being in a car for 10 straight hours is going to require some kind of reward for good behavior, and this was just right for a roadtrip. The concept behind these clips is that you put them up at the beginning of your trip. If one of the kiddos misbehaves, whines, fights, or makes a bad choice then their clip comes down. At every stop on your trip, whichever kids still have their Roadtrip Behavior Clip up gets a treat. Genius idea right?!?

I started with a couple of sheets of cardstock and scrapbook paper and a clothespin for each kid. As you can tell I kept with my color coding system: blue for Henry, green for Grant, and orange for Eli.

I used my Silhouette and a circle punch to cut out a few different sized circles. My biggest circle is 3 inches in diameter and it was the perfect size to cover the entire clothespin. I layered two papers to add a little interest and attached them to each other with a glue dot roller.

Then I added each of the boys' initial to their clip.

I added a coat of Mod Podge to make them a little more sturdy and to protect the paper.

The last you do is add a little bit of hot glue to one side of your clothespin....

...and then stick your paper circle on.

After the hot glue cools, you are ready to hang them on your sun visors and hit the road!

I can't wait to use these Roadtrip Behavior Clips in a few weeks! I have a feeling the boys may test the system a little bit to begin with, but after they see someone else get a treat at a stop I have a feeling they will take it more seriously:)

How do you get your kids to behave on a long roadtrip?

Linking up here..

Tatertots and Jello

Serenity Now

Someday Crafts

Skip to my Lou

Roadtrip Trial Run

This past weekend we loaded up the Airstream and took her on a trial run. Basically we wanted to make sure we could make it down the road without any of our millions of redos and changes messing up. We also needed to see how camping was going to work, and make sure we had thought of everything before we head out across the country in a few weeks!

Our inaugural trip went pretty smoothly. We made it to our destination {and over a huge bridge that I shared a picture of on Instagram} without any trouble. Brakes, lights, hitch...everything worked just like it was supposed to!

 We arrived at the campsite and Jason got busy unhooking and setting up everything...and the boys got busy exploring:)

 We stayed close to the campground the first night because it was kind of late by the time everything was set up and ready to go. But the next morning we headed out to explore the island. We checked out the public beach area and the pier. 

 And we rode our bikes all over the island. I think we must have ridden at least 15 miles over the weekend..and I was so proud of Eli for keeping up with us the whole time! We did have to slow down for him a few times, but for the most part he stayed right with us pedaling his little legs as fast as they would go!

 We took in a little history lesson at Fort Gaines. I obviously didn't pay very close attention because I can't remember exactly what war this fort was built for...I'm assuming the Civil War though:)

 Then we let the boys play at the beach for a while.

 After all our exploring, we were ready for a snack! We found a little place that had yummy {but SUPER expensive} snow cones:)

 The next day, we got up early and did a little bird watching...well at least as much bird watching as three loud boys can do. Basically we just walked through the bird sanctuary and read a couple of signs. Grant did find a couple of birds though:) 

 We ended our camping trip with a quick lunch at the picnic table. Then it was time to start packing up to head home.

And obviously our weekend trip wore the boys out because all three of them passed out about halfway home! I think that means our trial run was a success!

Roadtrip Ready: Let the Kids Research

Planning is half the fun of a vacation...at least it is for me anyway! But planning a roadtrip can be SUPER stressful! There are a lot of things to consider: what route to take, where to stay, where to eat, what attractions to visit, what to pack, and a million more decisions that have to be made before you leave and during your roadtrip. So why not let the kids help out with some of the research and planning. They will learn a little about your destination, and they may even stumble upon something really cool that you had passed over! 

I picked up all three of these books at my boys' school book fair this year. They are full of information from the names of all the state capitals to crazy facts like it's illegal to steal an alligator in Louisiana:) These books also have information on lots of fun and interesting places that my boys have asked to visit on our roadtrip. They are helping the boys get a better grasp on US geography and understanding where we live in relation to where we are going this summer. One of the best things about these books is that after the kiddos research and help plan, they can bring the books along in the car and play the games and work the puzzles! I'm sure you could find these books {or similar ones} at a book store or even at Target.

Another great {and inexpensive} book to pick up is an atlas. The kids will love following along on the roadtrip and you could even get them to "help out" by telling you which city is next on your route or which road is your next turn. For younger kids you can start out with your route marked on the map for them, and for older kids you can give them a marker and let them mark the route as you travel. I'm sure your kids' future geography teachers will appreciate the fact that your kids will know how to read a map:)

Another great way to let your kiddos do a little roadtrip research is to pick up some books at the library. Since we are going to be camping, I found a couple of camp themed books along with a few family vacation books too. You can let the kids read the books before your trip to get a feel for how family vacations/roadtrips work, or you can save them for the car during the trip {as long as you won't be gone longer than the loan period for your library!}.

The best thing about letting the kids help with the planning and research is that they will be even more excited about your trip when you finally head out!

Linking up here..

Tatertots and Jello

Serenity Now

Someday Crafts

Skip to my Lou