Next week I'll be boarding a Utah-bound plane with Matthew and Daniel for a long-awaited visit to see my family and the mountains they live surrounded by, both of which I miss dearly. In preparation for the flights (since non-stop flights out of Cincinnati are hard to come by, unfortunately), and because electronic gadgets aren't an option, I've been raiding every dollar store, bin, and sale this side of the Ohio rounding up an arsenal of distractions to hopefully keep them busy and pleasant while we travel. Okay, so my search wasn't actually that extreme, but I did manage to come away with a good stash of stuff that I think they'll enjoy.
Small pad of construction paper. Good for drawing, coloring, folding, and....
Lots and lots of stickers. Stickers are Matthew's favorite thing these days.
Play-Doh with ice cream scoop set. Matthew's other favorite thing is Play-Doh, and his speech therapist this summer had the ice cream scoop set, which she used as an incentive for cooperative behavior at his sessions since he loved it so much. I'm not sure the flight attendants will love it as much as he does, but I'm going with it anyway.
Fruit snacks. In their two favorite characters -- Snoopy and Curious George.
Coloring books. Also Peanuts themed. And they come with stickers. Win win.
Big crayons for little fingers.
Mechanical pencils because, aside from being logistically easier, I'm pretty sure pencil sharpeners are something the TSA would prohibit.
Calculators. Because my children are math geniuses. Or not. But seriously, these are my secret weapon. What toddler/preschooler doesn't love pushing buttons (literally and figuratively)?
Chunky board books. One of them features the alphabet, which Matthew is all about these days ("That letter in my name!"). Another features babies.
Chenille pipe cleaners and pony beads. I'm well aware that this could prove disastrous, both in the security line and in the potential mess. But I'm hoping that if I package everything right, it'll work okay. Because if there's one thing their newly nimble fingers love to do it's string beads into bracelets.
Rubber ducks. For those times when they just want to hold something, and ducks are beloved by these boys.
Not that I'll have room to pack much else, but what would you add?
1 comment:
Wow I usually check your blog for car trip ideas. I haven't gone on a long flight with kids ever and I doubt 2 1/2-3 hours counts as long. Though my kids enjoy unwrapping a gift every hour or so when we go on road trips. I'd also add matchbox cars.
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