Disney Road Trip and Travel Ideas

Now that the kids are back in school, crowds at the Disney parks are a lot less.  Cooler temperatures mean that it's also a great time to be outside all day.  For today's Travel Time Tuesday, I've collected up all my Disney blog post so they're easy for my readers to find and use.

After booking your vacation, it's time to start the countdown!  There are so many fun and adorable online.  I collected my favorites in the post you can access by clicking on the picture.  Which one is will you chose?

This colorful "Hidden Mickey" matching game fits into an Altoid tin for easy transportation.  Great for teaching colors to a preschooler, too.  Print your own copy by clicking on the picture.

I made this fine motor activity page for my daughter to practice braiding and tying bows.  It could easily be added to a quiet book for a full-load of travel fun.  Click on the picture to see the bow tying and learn how to make the pages.

My kids love listening to Disney audiobooks while on vacation and anytime.  The familiar characters and predictable story lines are perfect for kids with short attention spans.  Each stories two to three hour length makes them a great alternative to movies on road trips, too.  See our favorites by clicking on the picture above.

As readers of my blog know, I love themed road trips!  Before turning our vacations into "parties on wheels," we had very few references when sharing memories for each other.  Conversations sounded like "Remember that one time that we went to Grandma's house?"  "Which time?"  Now, we say, "When we were on our pirate road trip...."  So much better!  Plus, the kids love to help me plan the trips and picking our themes.

If you love red, yellow, and black and the iconic ear shape, then you'll want to have a Mickey themed road trip!  Classic and fun.

I don't think Frozen Fever will end any time soon.  A Frozen themed road trip is perfect for a winter vacation with lots of snow or a summer trip when you want to cool off.

My kids really enjoy The Good Dinosaur.  If you're kids are nuts about dinosaurs like mine are, then you'll want to indulge them with this theme.

Have a Magical Day!

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DIY Airplane Activities for Kids

Several months ago, my friend took her two little children on an overseas airplane flight for the first time in their lives.  I was so excited to provide some activities for her kids that were small, portable, and had lots of play potential for different skill levels.  Since I usually write about and create for road trips, I had a lot of fun putting together this list for all of you, too.

I had some leftover plastic spider rings from Halloween time, so I thought a Catch a Spider game would be perfect.  I cut the backs off of the spiders and added a pair of tweezers.  The child can use the tweezers (so great for fine motor skills) to pick up the arachnids and move them in and out of the tin.  I added some counting cards to expand the play into a learning opportunity.  I included cards 1-5 because of the kids' ages and 15 spiders so they could make a number line.  Click on the picture to see the original blog post.

As part of donut week this year, I created this donut matching game that fits in an Altoid tin.  Although I didn't include this game in my activity pack, you could easily take it along.  The small container means that it fits in a pocket or purse for a quick, on-the-go game.

Skimmer (age 6) loves Star Wars characters, so I made him this Star Wars Matching Game.  Like the other one, it fits in an Altoid tin.  If you have a fan of lightsabers and space ships, they'll love this game.  Click on the picture to visit the original post.

This miniature Mickey Mouse Matching Game fits in an Altoid tin, too!  It's a fun and easy way to practice colors.  Click on the picture to print it for yourself.

Magnetic fishing games are so easy to make and fun for kids to play.  My kids played a long time with a set at the children's museum.  This set breaks my "altoid tin" rule since only the fish fit in the tin.  I sewed the pond out of felt and added plastic canvas in the middle to give it some structure; although that wouldn't be necessary.  The fishing pole is made from a wood dowel covered in felt and the hook is a magnetic jewelry closure.  Obviously with magnets, children need to be supervised, which makes this a perfect toy for an airplane flight.

I made this felt map a few years ago, and decided that my friend's trip was a great time to pass it on to another family.  I added a few shells, pirate toys, and jewels for extra small world pirate fun.  The map rolls up and ties with a ribbon, while all the other little toys fit in an altoid tin.  Click on the picture to see the original blog post.

Oops!  This one isn't an altoid tin.  The container is a recycled Crystal Light canister, which can hold quite a few activities.  I cut a hole in the lid for poking down the hair bands and miniature dominoes (poking is good for fine motor skills development too).  The hair bands can also be sorted by color, counted, or worn on fingers.  The dominoes are about the size of a piece of gun, so care must be taken with little ones; however, they are so fun to touch and can be used to play a real game of dominoes.

I made this printable a few years ago, and it's one of my most popular.  The Zoo Train tracks are the perfect size for mini Thomas the Train cars and very cute.  Add some tiny zoo animals for extra fun.  Click on the picture to print the map.

Which one would be your kids' favorite?

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How to Plan a Pumpkin Spice Road Trip

I know that it seems really early to start talking about fall things like pumpkins, but Starbucks signature drink, the Pumpkin Spice Latte, has already been available for over a week now!  Since people tend to go crazy about pumpkin, I thought it might be fun to plan a gourd themed road trip.  These food and activities are perfect for a long drive through autumn leaves.

1- Muddy Buddy Mix // Thrifty Jinkxy

2- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies // Baking Beauty

3- Whole Wheat Muffins // Money Wise Moms

4- Gluten Free Muffins // Kids in the Kitchen

5- Donuts // Crystal and Co

6- Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cookies // Kids in the Kitchen

7- Instant Pumpkin Spice Cappachino // 4 You with Love

8- Chocolate and Pumpkin Truffles // The Soccer Mom Blog

1- Pumpkin Hunt // Still Playing School

2- Quiet Book Page // It's the Small Things

3- I-Spy Jack-o-lanterns // Parenting Chaos

4- Knit Rattle // Amazon

5- Sensory Bottle // JDaniel 4's Mom

6- Beginner Sewing // Coffee and Carpool

7- Coloring Books // Amazon

8- Paper Plate Maze // Buggy and Buddy

What's your favorite latte flavor?

What themed road trip should I do next?

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