15 Creative Road Trip Activities + Ideas

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We love these 15 Creative Road Trip Activities to get our family vacations and loooong drives off to a great start with kids! Road trips are so hard for most kids, so you’ll want to stick around and discover a few helpful ideas and activities to make road trips with kids a whole lot easier.

Here’s several more Road Trip Activities you’ll want to memorize before your next family road trip

15 Creative Road Trip Activities + Ideas

Quiet Road Trip Ideas

• Read aloud with your kids – here’s 10 Great Book Series for Middle Grade and High School – via As We Walk Along the Road
• Younger readers will enjoy these 12 Chapter Book Series for Young Readers – via Childhood 101.
• Take a picture in front of each US state sign. Here’s How to Visit All 50 States in 12 Trips – via Travel 50 States with Kids
• Keep bored minds busy with this FREE printable Road Trip Scavenger Hunt – via Kristen Duke
• Keep track of passing license plates with this America the Beautiful printable US map. Bonus! The kids will learn the location of states too – via Lulu the Baker
• Record your road trip and vacation memories using these Creative Journal Ideas for Kids – via What Do We Do All Day?

Fun Car Games and Busy Activities for Kids

• Keep little hands busy with these 10 Easy Busy Bags made from pencil pouches – via Powerful Mothering
• My boys will love marking off all the trucks they see along the rode with this Truckspotting printable – via National Post
• Learn how one mom survived a 15 hour road trip with kids with a Road Trip Mystery Survival Kit – via Teal and Lime
• Keep kids mesmerized for hours with a Calming Find It Game–it’s like “Eye Spy” in a bottle! – via Lady Behind the Curtain
• I love that this Dry Erase Road Trip Games + A Kids Travel Kit is reusable! – via Simply Designing with Ashley

Road Trip Hacks to Make Travel Easier with Kids

• Here’s 17 Incredible Family Travel, Hotel, and Road Trip Hacks that you’ll definitely want to know – via Krazy Coupon Lady
• We like these Road Trip Snack Boxes that help make road trip snacking a little healthier – via I Should Be Mopping the Floor
• We love these 18 Road Trip Snacks for Vacay Munching…there’s even some healthy options! – via Brit + Co
• Here’s 8 Great Free Road Trip Apps to make planning your next road trip more manageable and fun! – via KOA

What creative ideas do you use to make long car rides fun? 

Here’s some more Creative Road Trip Activities + Ideas you will want to try from Kids Activities Blog:

• Travel Games for Kids: I Spy Learning Windows
• Entertaining Kids When Traveling
• Crafts for Kids in the Car

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Pom Pom Apple Tree

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I hope you’ve savored summer because fall and back to school time are here! Celebrate the season with this easy Pom Pom Apple Tree. It’s perfect for toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergartners learning to count.

Pom Pom Apple Tree

Add an academic twist to this cute craft by writing a number on the black oval on the trunk of the tree. Invite children to add the same number of apples to the green leaves. Take it further by practicing addition! Little hands will have fun adding red apples and green apples together.

To make this craft you will need:

• Green paint
• Paint brush
• White paper plate
• Brown and black construction paper
• Glue
• Red and green pom poms

After gathering supplies, paint the white paper plate green.

Related: See all of our apple crafts and activities.

When the paint is dry, invite children to glue the colorful pom poms onto the plate. Allow the glue to dry completely before moving on to the next step.

Show children how to draw the shape of a tree trunk onto the brown paper. Glue the tree trunk to the back of the paper plate. Next, cut a black oval from paper then glue it to the tree trunk.

Easy and fun, kids of all ages will love creating a forest of beautiful apple trees! What a great craft to make during your apple unit or to accompany fabulous fall books.

More Apple Crafts for Kids

Felt Apple Craft for Kids

Easy Paper Plate Apple Craft

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5 Wonderful Waffles for Weekend Brunch

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Are you a breakfast for dinner kind of family? We are! We love breakfast any time of day. So whether you are planning breakfast, dinner or weekend brunch, these 5 Wonderful Waffles for Weekend Brunch recipes are perfect anytime!

Join us today for Family Food Live with Holly & Chris! We will share these recipes and a lot more today at 12 Noon CST on the Quirky Momma Facebook page!

We are also excited to tell you about an amazing event we are going to be part of. You can see us live at the Texas Pinners Conference & Expo on September 9th & 10th. We are going to be doing one of our Family Food Live with Holly & Chris shows live at the conference on Friday, September 9th at 12 noon. Please join us at the Arlington Convention Center!

If you want to learn more about it or pick up some tickets, go here now. Please use the code: FAMILYFOOD so we know you’ll be coming. You can also use the code: FREESHOPPING to get free access to the trade show floor.

We hope to see you there!

And now on to today’s recipes!

Homemade Belgian Waffles

I absolutely love homemade waffles and this Homemade Belgian Waffles recipe is simply perfection! It’s perfect for your next Sunday brunch!

Cinnamon Roll Waffles

Shopping List:

• Pre-made Cinnamon rolls
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tsp butter, melted
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 2-3 tsp milk

Instructions:

• Brush a hot waffle iron with oil
• Cut the pre-made Cinnamon Rolls into 3-inch slices
• Put one slice on the hot waffle iron and press down
• Cook for about 2 minutes or until golden brown
• Whisk together the remaining ingredients for the icing and drizzle over waffles
• Serve

Breakfast Waffle Sandwich

Shopping List:

• 2 Frozen Waffles
• 2 Frozen BOCA Veggie Breakfast Links
• Slice of Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 6 thin Apple Slices
• 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon Sugar
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup

Instructions:

• Toast Waffles in toaster
• Microwave or cook BOCA Veggie Breakfast Links
• Cut links in half lengthwise
• Put links, cheese, apples and cinnamon sugar on 1 waffle and cover with second
• Serve with maple syrup

S’mores Waffles

Shopping List:

• Frozen Waffles
• 1/2 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
• 2 cups Mini Marshmallows
• 1 cup Chocolate Chips, melted

Instructions:

• Toast waffles in toaster
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees
• Melt chocolate for 1 minute in the microwave
• Sprinkle toasted waffle with graham cracker crumbs, top with mini marshmallows
• Put on cookie sheet and in oven for a minute until the marshmallows are golden brown
• Drizzle chocolate over waffles
• Serve

Ice Cream Waffle Tacos

Shopping List:

• Frozen Waffles
• Vanilla Ice Cream
• 1/2 cup Chocolate Syrup
• Maraschino Cherries
• Sprinkles
• Whipped Cream

Instructions:

• Slightly toast frozen waffles in toaster
• Form each waffle into a taco shape and place in baking dish, side by side
• Fill each waffle with ice cream
• Drizzle with chocolate syrup, whipped cream and sprinkles
• If you prefer cold waffles, fill each waffle with ice cream and put back in freezer then drizzle with syrup, whipped cream and sprinkles
• Top with cherry
• Serve

Join Family Food Live with Holly & Chris every Wednesday and Friday at Noon CST on the Quirky Momma Facebook page.

Or catch me on Monday’s at 12 Noon CST Live on the Burnt Macaroni Facebook page!

Here are a few of our favorite products from Family Food Live (affiliate links)

• Pyrex Baking Dishes
• Hand Blender
• Pizza Peel
• Pizza Wheel (cutter)
• Pizza Stone
• Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Double Burner Reversible Grill/Griddle
• Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Stainless 5-1/2-Quart Saute Pan with Helper Handle and Cover
• BPA free lunch containers
• Egg Rite Egg Timer
• Fit and Fresh container
• One Touch Electric Bottle Opener
• Half Pint Wide Mouth Mason Jars
• Ninja Professional Blender
• Zoku Quick Pop Maker
• Williams-Sonoma Open Kitchen Half Apron in Red or Blue
• Plano Half-Size Stowaway with Adjustable Dividers – for road trip snacks
• Curious Chef 3-Piece Nylon Knife Set
• Cuisinart 2 Quart Ice Cream Maker
• Victorinox Fibrox Straight Edge Chef’s Knife, 8-Inch
• Lemon Squeezer
• Mason Jars
• Crockpot
• Apple Corer
• Popcorn Bowl
• MaxiMatic double burner hot plate
• Glass Egg carton
• Black & Decker 4 slice toaster
• Hamilton Beach Hand Mixer
• Cuisinart 8-cup Food Processor
• Meat Mallet
• Ice Cream or Cookie Scooper
• Norpro Butter Keeper
• 3-Piece Veggie Peeler
• Garlic Press

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Monster Lunch Box

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School is back in session which can be quite scary if you aren’t prepared to wake early each and every morning. There are ways you can make mornings easier on your and your kids and one of those ways is by preparing lunch the night before. But not just any lunch, today we are partnering with our friends at Horizon Organic to share how to make a Monster Lunch Box that is filled of creepy and tasteful goodies to get your in the mood for Halloween. Lunch has never been so wicked fun!

What You Will Need to Make a Monster Lunch Box:

• Horizon Organic Chocolate Low-Fat Milk Box
• Horizon Organic Mozzarella Cheese Sticks
• Horizon Organic Cinnamon Snack Grahams
• White Bread
• Fruit Strip (in a dark color)
• Candy Eyeballs
• Gummy Worms
• Chocolate Pudding
• Mandarin Oranges (with peel still on)
• Black Permanent Marker
• Bento Box
• Spoon
• Butter Knife
• Black and Red Cardstock
• Scissors
• Tape

How to Make a Monster Lunch Box:

1. Start out by making your sandwich using the white bread. We made a peanut and jelly sandwich but you can use meat too. You will also want to remove the crust.
2. Take a small piece of your fruit strip and place it on top of your sandwich (this serves as the dark strip under the mummy’s eyes)
3. Take your Horizon Organic Mozzarella Cheese Sticks and peel the cheese into strips and start to lay them on top of your sandwich is a random type pattern.
4. Place 2 googly eye candies on top of the black strip to complete the mummy sandwich.
5. Take the sharpie marker and draw jack-o-lantern faces on the oranges. Place inside your bento box.
6. Next, take the Horizon Organic Cinnamon Snack Grahams and place some into a baggie. Use the back end of a spoon to mash them into “dirt”.
7. Put your chocolate pudding into your bento box container then sprinkle on the crushed Horizon Organic Cinnamon Snack Grahams. Put a few worms on top for a creepy dessert!
8. Last but not least, make what I like to call “Count Chocula”. You can just draw 2 different sized capes on black and red cardstock. Cut them out and then tape them onto the outside of the Horizon Organic Chocolate Low-Fat Milk Box.

Now give your little monster this delicious lunch and see what they have to say! This is a perfect back to school lunch solution perfect for now, Halloween, and any time really. I mean, who wouldn’t love a fun-filled monster lunch?

Even Monsters Can Eat Good with Horizon Organic

With a holiday like Halloween you can see how easy it is to be enticed by candy and sweets. Monsters need good nutrition too which is why Horizon Organic is an excellent choice for any monsterific meal.

Horizon Organic provides healthy options for families for meal and snack time. Don’t let the organic label fool you, their foods are packed full of delicious flavor along with things that are good for you too!

Horizon Organic actually has several products ranging from milk’s and cheese’s to snacks like graham crackers and fruit snacks. So the next time you are looking for something wholesome and delicious, check out the Horizon Organic line of products.

You can learn more about Horizon Organic by visiting their website and following them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Horizon Organic. The opinions and text are all mine.

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DIY Glue Batik T-Shirt

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Our DIY Glue Batik T-Shirt project is such an easy and fun idea for kids of all ages (grown-ups too!). This would be such a fun summer t-shirt craft to make with both little kids and teenagers alike. My 8 and 11 year old kids had a blast making these shirts. If your kid is old enough to draw a straight line, then they can make this t-shirt craft!

Kids also like our Fun DIY Stamped T-Shirt project. It’s another easy tshirt project for kids!

The key to making a DIY Glue Batik T-Shirt is Elmer’s Blue Gel Glue. You MUST use this glue in this t-shirt project for it to turn out right. You will also probably need to set aside two days to make this batik shirt, because you’ll need the blue gel glue to dry completely before dying it in the color of your choice. 100% white cotton works best when selecting a t-shirt to use so the dye will set properly. It’s also a great idea to only let adults or mature older children do the dying process. This would be a fun shirt to make during a party or sleepover with a bunch of kids.

DIY Glue Batik T-Shirt

Supplies

• 100% cotton white t-shirt
• 1 package RIT dye
• 1 gallon very hot water
• 1/4 cup salt
• Elmer’s blue gel glue (NO substitutions!)
• Spray bottle with plain water
• Foam board or something waterproof that you can slide your shirt over

Directions

First, slide your white t-shirt  over something waterproof such as a tote lid. Alternatively, you can use foam board.

Spray front of shirt with water so it is wet.

Using Elmer’s blue gel glue draw a design of your liking. Some ideas a shapes, zig-zags, and quotes. Allow to dry completely–this may take as long as 24 hours.

Remove shirt from foam board or waterproof barrier.

Follow the instructions on your RIT dye package. Ours called for 1 gallon of very hot water mixed with 1/4 cup of salt and the dye package.

We added our shirt to this mixture, stirred to completely soak shirt in dye, then allowed to sit for 30 minutes in the dye.

Rinse with cold water.

Run in washing machine on cold cycle and then dry thoroughly in dryer. Enjoy your new custom DIY Glue Batik T-Shirt!

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Quinoa Black Bean Burgers

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Quinoa Black Bean Burgers are not only delicious, they freeze and re-heat like a dream! Double your recipe and throw some in the freezer as a backup dinner plan when the school year gets hectic! If you like this recipe, check out this subscription meal plan service, and if you sign up, use the code KAB20 for 20% off your entire order!

 

Quinoa Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup quinoa
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup minced yellow bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced onion
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Roughly mash the black beans with a fork leaving some whole black beans in a paste-like mixture.
3. Mix the quinoa, bread crumbs, bell pepper, onion, garlic, cumin, salt, hot pepper sauce, and egg into the black beans using your hands.
4. Form the black bean mixture into 5 patties.
5. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.
6. Cook the patties in the hot oil until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
7. Serve with whole wheat burger buns or a romaine lettuce wrap and fixings.

Nutrition

Amount per serving (5 total)

Calories:245 kcal

Fat: 10.6 g

Carbs: 28.9g

Sugar: 1g

Protein: 9.3 g

 

We love this meal from this subscription meal plan service, and if you sign up, use the code KAB20 for 20% off your entire order.

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Number Puzzle Scavenger Hunt for Preschoolers

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This is a fun puzzle scavenger hunt that will have your preschooler counting their way through the hunt.

Puzzles are a favorite of mine. I spent many hours as a kid putting together 1000+ piece puzzles, especially in the winter. I am so glad to share this pastime with my oldest now, and we’re getting there with George.

Puzzles are fantastic for so many skills. From cognitive, thinking skills, to recognizing new objects. We’ve even made our own to work on learning to count, or recognizing their name.

We also have so many puzzles from when the kids were little and they’re outgrowing now.

But they still can get lots of use! I shared a bunch of ideas to use these chunky puzzles for over on the Melissa & Doug blog. One of them is to do a scavenger hunt with the pieces!

It’s so simple and can be done with any kind of chunky-type puzzle. If you have letters or numbers though you can work on recognizing them. But you can also do that with animals and shapes and so forth. Great for any of it!

So, I had the kids slip upstairs to play in their rooms for a bit while I hid the puzzle pieces.

We have this Melissa & Doug number puzzle with numbers 1-20.

Louis isn’t ready for that high of numbers, but George is working on the teens. So I split their numbers up, Louis got 1-10 and George got 11-20.

When I hid them around the house, I kept that in mind. The lower numbers were put in easier spots to find, while the higher numbers were hidden in more difficult places.

When I was ready, I called them down.

I briefly told them about the split of numbers, but made sure to tell George to leave the numbers 1-10 for his brother if he spotted them.

However, if Louis spotted a 11-20 number, it was fair game.

As they found them, they matched it up to the number on the base plate of the puzzle.

By the way, we love a good hunt! Here’s 32 other scavenger hunts for kids.

As they found the numbers, I’d encourage them to tell me it. If they didn’t know, I’d say,

“Oh look, you found the number 8!”

“Can you find the number 8 on the base of the puzzle too?”

It was great for number recognition and just plain ol’ fun!

My kids are always up for a scavenger hunt, are yours?

Here’s 32 other ways to go on a scavenger hunt with the kids, try one!

 

Number Puzzle Scavenger Hunt for Preschoolers on handsonaswegrow.com