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By Mom Unplugged, June 12, 2010 8:58 am

License Plate Scavenger Hunt

• Download and print a free, printable map of the US (or your country/region).
• Give one to each of your children and see how many license plates they can spot while on the road.
• They can color in the states as they spot them.
• For US mainlanders, a special prize for Alaska or Hawaii makes it even more fun.

The map format (vs. just a list) gives them a real sense of geography. On a recent road trip, I found my kids saying things like: “The farthest state we have seen from where we are now is New York” or “Look! We have all the states that border Arizona!”

TIPS - For extra learning, choose one with state capitals*. Younger children will just enjoy coloring the map.

* For a printable PDF file of a US map with state capitals (free for personal or classroom use), go to this site, scroll down, and click on the link “United States: Capitals.”

(Photo from Wikimedia Commons. Licensing and author information here.)

Comments (6)

By Mom Unplugged, August 14, 2009 7:33 pm

So you don’t think a four piece puzzle could ever present a challenge? Then you have obviously never played Safari Undercover by Educational Insights.

A recent happy find before our last big trip, Safari Undercover is a wonderful logic game! The goal of the game is simple: use the four differently shaped pieces to mask out certain wild animals while leaving others exposed according to the challenges illustrated in the booklet.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it? The challenges are organized from “Starter” to “Master” and most of them really require a lot of thought, even for an adult!

The “Starter” level has hints to get you started if you need them. After that you are on your own. Each puzzle has only one answer and the solutions are included in the booklet.

What I like best about the game is that it has only four fairly large pieces and a booklet (not much to lose). The pieces and booklet store neatly in a drawer under the game’s top. Perfect for travel.

We played it for hours on the airplane and I was as eager for a turn as my kids were!

The game is also available with pirates.

The recommended age is 7 to 9 years, but I say 7 to 99 years!

PS: This is not a paid review (none of my reviews ever are). I am simply sharing my thoughts about a game that I bought myself and like.

Comments (9)

By Mom Unplugged, June 24, 2008 11:22 pm

Now is the time of year when most families embark on an overly-ambitious trip or two. Our main goal as traveling parents is to preserve our sanity and that of our fellow captive travelers by avoiding at all costs the inevitable “are we there yets,” whining, squabbling, seat kicking…well, you get the idea.

Of course you could plug the kids into a DVD player or video game. Personally I believe that when traveling: if it works, then go for it! Forget your principles and opt for The Easy Way Out (Dramamine anyone? Just kidding!).

If you are of a more solid constitution however, and wish to travel in an unplugged (and unmedicated) fashion - or if the battery runs out, what should you do?

Well as the proud Mama of two great unplugged travelers and one terrible one, I wrote this post (Traveling Unplugged) last summer after surviving a four hour plane trip.

I am not trying to “cheat” by republishing a portion of it, but just like in my kids’ rooms, stuff gets buried in the blog after a while, you know what I mean? Hopefully it might give you some good ideas:

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Originally written June 18th, 2007:

“My two oldest are now 5 and 6. They each pull their own little rolling suitcase packed with their activities, as well as a favorite stuffed animal or two. Note: I supervise the packing of the suitcase, or better yet, pack it for them when they are not there. This avoids us finding a suitcase full of rocks, scraps of paper, bits of string, and other “toys” that simply could not be left behind. I always try to include a few new “surprises.”

Here are some ideas that have worked for us:

Books:

An obvious choice. Try to pack lightweight, paperback books.

Crafts:

- A French knitter (easy for ages 5-6+ to do on their own - makes yarn “snakes” that can be coiled and sewn into various projects)

- Modeling clay (I squish one stick into a plastic Easter Egg which makes a great travel container)

- Wikki Stix (strings coated with wax, like candle wicks, can be bent into many different shapes)

Art Toys:

- Travel-sized erasable drawing board (Magna Doodle for example)

- Pocket Etch-A-Sketch

- Don’t forget the plain old pad of paper and crayons.

Travel Games:

- Are We There Yet

- Haba Story Telling Tin (children make up stories based on the picture cards they choose-very creative!)

- Also look for travel-sized editions of other favorite board games, there are many out there, you just have to search for them. Beware of games with too many small pieces to lose if you have young (or unreliable) children.

Magnetic Playsets:

- Melissa & Doug Magnetic Farm Hide & Seek

- Smethport Magnetic Playboards (some examples are below, but search for “Smethport” at Amazon toys to see all the possibilities).

Toys:

Choose toys that are small, light, and don’t have a lot of pieces to get lost.

- Lacing block

- Zip-lock bag full of hot wheels cars

- Peace Ring

- Piece of string or yarn (for Cat’s Cradle)

Creative Coloring Books:

I like to find coloring books that are not your typical stay within the lines type of activity.

- The Anti-Coloring Book series is wonderful with suggestions for all kinds of imaginative possibilities.

- The Taro Gomi books are also very original but have a lot of pages so may be too big to pack easily.

- Here are also a few other suggestions for coloring books featuring abstract patterns that can be colored in many, many different ways.

Wipe Clean Board Books:

Tip: Stash away an airline cocktail napkin or two for wiping these off.

Find-It Books:

- Our favorite is the Look-Alikes series of books by Joan Steiner. These feature amazing, realistic photos in which the objects are almost always something else (sidewalks made of crackers or wheels made of buttons, etc.). Kids (and grown-ups too) enjoy looking through these books over and over as there is always something new to notice. It is also a fun activity to say to kids “I see a penny” and have them find it. You will tire of that game before they do! Of course there are also the well-known Where’s Waldo and I Spy books, but here are also some additional ones we like that are not so common:

Scholarly Pursuits:

Not fun for all kids, but my oldest loves this stuff!

- Workbooks

- Flash cards

- Brain Quest

Learn Some Games Yourself!:

If you are really desperate, buy a book such as Car Games: 100 Games to Avoid “Are We There Yet?”. This book offers suggestions for over 100 fun games to play in the car, airplane, or even while camping or waiting in line for example (not all games rely on spotting license plates or signs). A fun book. Parents could learn a few of these games in order to provide timely distractions at critical moments!

As for traveling by air with 18 month-olds: my best piece of advice is grit your teeth and remember that you will never see any of those people again!”

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Plus here are a few additional ideas from the comments to this post:

• a zip pencil case filled with canning ring lids for little ones, a disposable camera for use during the flight, a preflight gift of colored pencils and a little travel diary in a zippered pouch (from Wishy the Writer)
• a small wrapped present to be given hourly and a small snack surprise on the off half hour (Andamom)
• A bag of magnet shapes from the dollar store and a metal tin lid as a magnet board (“girlcarew”-sorry I can’t find your link!)
• A new toy for a new trip - pick one that is easy to transport but whose discovery will occupy for a while (Whymommy)

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BONUS!!: an extra special Pilot Trick (since I am a pilot) -

When you have a screechy kind of child that you must take on a commercial airplane full of other people, sit as close to the engine as possible since that is the noisiest part of the plane. Screechy child=bad, lots of ambient noise to help drown it out=good.

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What works for you? Good luck and happy travels!

Comments (0)

By Mom Unplugged, July 5, 2007 9:55 pm

The Look-Alikes series is wonderfully clever! Almost everything in the picture is actually something else, for example a tree might be broccoli, or a fence post might be a crayon. I can’t imagine how long these photos took to set up.

There is a list of all objects in each photo at the end of the book, so you can see how you did (if you want to). Personally, I prefer to just be happy discovering new objects each time I open the book. Unlike many other find-it books where you quickly learn what’s there, you can look at this book a hundred times and still see something new.

There is also a Look-Alikes Jr.: The More You Look, the More You See! with less detailed photos that are easier for younger kids to search.

The books are great for travel since they seem to keep kids happy for quite some time. This is entertaining searching for children as well as adults. Our favorite traveling-on-the-airplane game is when the adult says: “I see a penny” or “I see a comb” for example, and the kids have to try and find it.

Also check out Look-Alikes Christmas: The More You Look, the More You See!. I have not personally seen that one, but it sounds fun. If anyone can comment on the Christmas book, I’d love to hear from you!

Comments (0)

By Mom Unplugged, June 20, 2007 8:37 pm

This is a find-it alphabet book with a twist. The challenge is to find each letter of the alphabet in very realistic paintings of scenes of city-life (New York City is the inspiration). Some letters are very obvious, others not so easy.

I did an experiment, and upon opening the book randomly, the letters were hidden well enough that I couldn’t always figure out what I should be looking for. But if I went through the book in order so that I KNEW what was supposed to come next, it was easy (for me as an adult), but often quite cleverly disguised.

This is a really fun book for pre-readers (no words, just letters to search for) and readers alike. It is a great travel book, or one to keep in the car. It really makes both kids and adults learn to look at everyday objects with new eyes.

The artwork is truly amazing and each page is a pleasure to look at. No wonder it is a Caldecott Honor Book!