Keeping the Mouseketeers from killing each other . . .

[WDWhuny]

The day of departure is drawing closer. DH and I are excited about our time at Disney World. We are wondering about keeping the Mouseketeers from killing each other on the "lovely scenic" road trip from Cincinnati to Florida. Does any one have any educational games, tricks, tips for entertaining a 9yr DS & a 5yr DD ? Thank you for any advice that will help us graemlins/mickey.gif

[Main Street Jim]

Tell 'em if they don't behave, they're gonna get taken to small world, get bolted to the floor, and taught to sing in thirty-seven languages! :D graemlins/thumbsup.gif

[DebC]

Gosh I hope someone answers this question quick!

I gave my great niece, age 5 and my great nephew, age 9 a ride home from a family outing today. Their Mom was on her way to work and Dad was just getting home from work.

I had the two of them in my car for about an hour. It consisted of :

"he touched me"
"she looked at me"
"he stuck his tongue out"
"she rolled her eyes"
about that time I banned them from looking at each other.

Then I heard comments like:
"your brain is so small it would get lost in a sesame seed"
"you have eyes like kermit the frog"
"well you look like miss piggy"
about that time I banned them from talking to each other

next came the bodily function make believe noises

yep, can't wait for someone to answer your question, cause I'm going to have these two rugrats next weekend for the whole day!

[Piglet822]

Originally posted by DebC:
Gosh I hope someone answers this question quick!

I gave my great niece, age 5 and my great nephew, age 9 a ride home from a family outing today. Their Mom was on her way to work and Dad was just getting home from work.

I had the two of them in my car for about an hour. It consisted of :

"he touched me"
"she looked at me"
"he stuck his tongue out"
"she rolled her eyes"
about that time I banned them from looking at each other.

Then I heard comments like:
"your brain is so small it would get lost in a sesame seed"
"you have eyes like kermit the frog"
"well you look like miss piggy"
about that time I banned them from talking to each other

next came the bodily function make believe noises

yep, can't wait for someone to answer your question, cause I'm going to have these two rugrats next weekend for the whole day! graemlins/rotfl.gif graemlins/rotfl.gif graemlins/rotfl.gif graemlins/rotfl.gif graemlins/rotfl.gif graemlins/rotfl.gif

Monitor cleaner, please!!

[Mr. Tom Morrow]

Originally posted by Main Street Jim:
Tell 'em if they don't behave, they're gonna get taken to small world, get bolted to the floor, and taught to sing in thirty-seven languages! :D graemlins/thumbsup.gif graemlins/rotfl.gif graemlins/rotfl.gif

Well in the last year we made the drive twice and the only thing that kept our kids(12,10,and 7) from each other was to bring lots of electronics. We took a dvd player, nintendo x2, and walkmans. If they would only sleep in the car things would be so much easier.

[Jeff]

Buy a car DVD player with 2 screens. Hook a game station up to one and movies on the other. Believe me- it's worth the cost.

[daley2461]

My kids are 8, 9, and 12 and anytime we are in the car for more than 2 hours - I bring a portable DVD player. License plate bingo and travel games are only entertaining for so long!! For long trips, I let each child pick one movie to bring and I rent or buy a couple of new movies as a surprise. If you don't have a portable DVD player, you can usually rent them for a week or two from a local rent-to-own store for $20-30.00. Hope this helps!! Have a great trip!! :D

[ABCDEFamily]

First question for me is Do You Have An In-Car Entertainment Center? (portable VCR or DVD Player?) We travel often cross country with our crew of 3 - a bit younger than yours but still, the TV has been esential! Yes, some may think this is a cop out but hey, what else are they going to do for all those hours.

Beyond that - Brainquest cards? Leap pad or Leapster? Crayola color wonder markers and fingerpaints? Books on tape that apeal to the whole family - esp ones that Disney based their movies on like 'Swiss Family Robinson' 'Peter pan'? Buy the new CD set of Disney music from the parks to get ready for the visit?

Just some ideas - just remember at that age they are old enough to understand the goal at the end of the drive - we have always found 2-4 to be the hardest age because they just don't get why they have to stay in the car! graemlins/crazy.gif

[kimber]

We have a hand held game called 20 questions. One person thinks of an object and the game asks 20 questions that you answer yes, no, sometimes, or don't know and after all of the questions it guesses the object your thinking of. This keeps my 7 and 9 year olds occupied for a long time. I also go to the dollor store and stock up on little toys and objects that I keep hidden and then after bathroom or meal stops the kids get something when they get back into the car. It helps when they complain about getting back in the car. smile.gif

[Mousefever]

If the kids are old enough to be motivated by spending money, I would create an incentive program. Each child could start out with $15 or $20 or $25 in ones. (This can be in addition to their regular spending money.) Every time one of them complains, whines, hits, etc., they have to pay you one of their dollars. If they behave, they get to keep their extra money! It all depends on whether spending money is important to them, but it might work! ;)

[buzznwoodysmom]

My biggest tip would be-- do not let them sit right next to each other. Make sure one is on the passenger side and one is on the driver's side and hope that there is as much room in between them as possible. :D My second tip and a life saver for long road trips with children is bringing along a portable DVD player, preferably one with two screens. If you don't already have one and don't mind spending the extra money on it there is a great one at Target right now. For $350.00 you can get one that not only has two screens, but they can even each watch a different movie at the same time. You can play one movie on both screens or switch to two different movies, one playing on each screen. You can also have one of them watching a movie and the other can play games. You can either hook up a playstation, xbox, ect. to it or you can use one of those little joysticks that come with several different games on it. May I also recommend earphones. You don't want to be stuck listening to two movies playing and your children argueing over the other putting their volume too high. I also bring along small toys, books, coloring books, crayons, color wonder, snacks (if their mouths are full they can't talk ;) ). I had my 4 year old DS, my 2 year old DS, and my 9 year old nephew on our last trip to WDW. What I did was make them each several small goodie bags with snacks, small toys, cool ink pens and notepads, anything small that I thought might amuse them. Their first goody bag was in a small backpack I purchased at a dollar store (this was to store all of their items and to keep them from mixing their belongings up). If they behaved then every few hours they each got a goodie bag. Not only did the activities in the bags keep them occupied with new fun, they were on their best behavior so that they could get another bag in a few hours. After about 3 hours they would start getting anxious and I would figure it was time for another goody bag. This worked great. I encluded almost only disney related items in their bags which made them more excited to get there. If all else fails try to travel through the night so that they will sleep most of the way, that has always worked well for us also. Good Luck!

[CPT Trips]

As the name suggests, chemicals! The original dramamine works well. Let them sleep the trip away.

[Disney-4-Me]

Our option was letting them sleep the trip away - but drugfree!

When our boys were that age, we left southern IL at about 9 PM and arrived in Orlando the next morning. Now that they are civilized teenagers, ;) we can drive when the vampires aren't out!

[WDWhuny]

Wow! You guys are great! These are fantastic ideas. I can't thank you all enough. If anyone has any more advice I am always open to help. Intercot has some of the most creative parents in the whole "World"! graemlins/clappy.gif

[Lady]

Our children are about the same ages so I have been there. There are several sites (google search "Disney travel games") that offer travel games you can print. I make up 2 different booklets for our kids, one for the 9 year old and one for the 4 year old. There are several great pages for Disney. We have a mini van so I try to sit with each kid awhile and using a plastic tray, I taught DS to play several card games last year and I played Polly Pockets with DD. We also bring books on tape that are chapter books. Our library has a great selection. We do have a DVD system but that made them car sick for some reason. I think because of their age difference, they get along better than most siblings. We also leave very early AM so they sleep several hours before our first stop. We drive from Ohio as well, just south of Cleveland, so we drive about the same distance. We try to leave early so when we stop for the night, the kids have a chance to swim and unwind before bed. Good luck.

[ June 19, 2005, 01:18 PM: Message edited by: Lady ]

[Tinkerbellfan]

Hi-

Yes - The portable DVDs work magic. They saved our ears recently when our niece and nephews were in town and we had to do a lot of driving. Make sure you get tons of Disney movies.

Also, pick up a guide book for Disney World. Together, maybe the 9 year old can read to the 5 year old and you can have the map out "your plan of attack." If you do this in the middle of the trip, you can remind them throughout the remaining portion of the trip "if you don't behave, we won't do such and such".

And, if you aren't driving, bring your I-Pod to drown out the noise.

Good luck.

[WDWhuny]

Thank you that is so sweet and a great idea. But I guess I am to old or technilogically challenged to know exactly what an ipod is or how it works. Though I don't still use them I remember 8-tracks from high school. I am sure that I will figure out ipods, buy one and love it right before they become obsolete. You meet the nicest people on Intercot. Thank you all so much! Keep the great ides coming. Each post has given me more insight! graemlins/notworthy.gif

[Googlie Bear]

Have surprises stashed for the trip. Go to the Dollar Tree and stock up on doodle pads, puzzles, games, action figures, crafts, and trinkets, and gift wrap them and keep them in the front seat. Each kid gets to pick a new surprise as you cross each state line. Don't forget to save some for the ride home!

How about a high stakes game of I Spy? Kids that age respond to money. They can earn pocket change (Or disney dollars) for finding unusual things along the way. They can even earn $ for good behavior: Reward them for every hour they don't argue or complain.

The key is to have an arsenal of new ideas to divert their attention, and dont show all your cards in the first hand.

:mad: My dad used to have the worst punishment when we were bad on road trips. He would pull out Windex, paper towels, cotton swabs and toothpicks, and MAKE US DETAIL THE CAR!!!
graemlins/thedolls.gif

[Googlie Bear]

I thought of another one! When you do stop for breaks, let the kids get out as much energy as possible. Stop at a rest stop and play tag, have races, and be silly as a family. It will not only wear them out, but releave a lot of stress, too!

[nja33]

Maybe not such a great idea if all the kids are gonna do is fight but cards always kept my brothers and I entertained. At least for a little while. Since there was usually a cooler between us we'd use that as the table. It definitely gave me something to do since I can't sleep sitting up so I was forced to be awake for the 12 or so hours we traveled a day.

[CuteAsMinnie]

Assmuming you are not blessed with a family entertainment center in your vehicle, I would find a way to budget for a portable DVD player (currently $110 at Target) and let them watch movies THE ENTIRE WAY DOWN!!!!!!!! We do have a DVD player in our van and it is a blessing on all our driving vacation! The kids packed a ton of movies and watched as many as they wanted. They thought it was so cool to be able to watch as much TV as the wanted - just this once.

[MichelleJ]

We always gave our kids maps to follow. you can get detailed ones from AAA and they each would have one.
Each child would get a section of the map that they were in charge of (watching for exit # or town and city signs)
Even the younger ones can find the mile markers and other #'s.

[Becky2005]

Good Luck!!

We are leaving this Saturday with our 4 munchkins and I have an arsenal of stuff but there are days I'm questioning my sanity of doing this! (Oh, like this morning! :rolleyes: ).

I have a surprise "travel bag" made up for each kid and then things like Mad Libs. I read about an idea of making up a travel binder and each time you hit a different state give them the folder that goes to that state with a map in it with your route highlighted, trivia about the states, things to do, etc...

Of course, my trick now is to find where in the world I put all the print-outs! graemlins/rotfl.gif I printed TONS of stuff out (I made up find a words about the states on-line & one for Disney, etc... and need to find them).

I know also, we let them run around at the rest stops/lunch break, etc...

And of course, sleeping. I'm actually not too worried about the trip down, it's the trip HOME that will be more challenging.

Especially since my older 2 are the ones that just like to pick on each other and they sit next to each other (their "spots" in the car are ingrained and they aren't about to let me switch them around. I have tried on occassion and they let me know that that is *THEIR* spot. graemlins/rotfl.gif !)

I do intend to put some luggage between the 2 since we have a limited amount of space with the stroller and all...hopefully this "wall" will help.

[RescueRanger23]

Definitely get a portable dvd player and a lot of dvds. The more electronics you have, the better chance you have for peace. If that doesn't work I'd drug them. ;)

[WDWhuny]

Thank you all so much. My sister is visiting and she suggests dramamine, aka VACATION VITAMINS. Please keep up with your suggestions I have two more weeks to go! graemlins/mickey.gif

[divinedi]

I ditto all the suggestions from above - and add one thing. IN 1997, when my kids were that age, they were told several times before we went that it was going to be a very long ride, there was nothing that could be done about that if they wanted to go. We calmly explained to them that we needed to be able to concentrate etc., in order to make it a safe trip, and that we would get very annoyed, and it would only tire us out more and make us miserable, if we heard are we there yet constantly, and other stuff like that. We also had snacks, toys, some games etc. - no portable DVD's back then - but they were exceptionally good all the way there and back, considering my oldest got the flu the last day we were there, and had to lay down most of the way back. Now I don't think my kids are more well behaved then otheres in anyway, but explaining the situation to them, and putting some of the responsibility on their shoulders, they did seem to understand and behave accordingly (we went with my parents, myself, and my three girls, 10, 8 and 6). Just a thought.