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Imagine that you're going to visit your brother. He has moved 400 miles away so the trip will take awhile. You really want the kids to meet their uncle so they are tagging along. The last time they were cooped up in a car that long... well it's pretty painful to think about that! You're already beginning to picture the scene. The whining and fidgeting soon turn to arguing and other childish pranks. At first you shrug it off but soon you are ready to scream. Everybody is upset. The top complaints were: 22 of "how much farther is it?" 19 of "Mom, sister's poking me." 10 of "Can I get something to eat?" 4 of "I'm bored." The kids need something to occupy them for a long time. Maybe we could find a way to entertain them. If it weren't for the many bumps in the road books might work. Another idea is to try a portable television but the reception won't be too good in some places. Their favorite songs would work for just a few minutes. They are too short to last the whole trip. Here's my unique solution to you travel. These days most families have at least one mp3 player or a cd player. If yours does not then consider a buying a mp3 player like an Apple iPod or a SansDisk player. I recently (late 2006) purchased the later brand 2 Gigabyte player for around $80.00. There are some for much less than this. Just pack this in the car but do these very important steps first. 1. Log on to a on-line audio book store 2. download a couple of audio books. 3. Grab you mp3 player and plug it into the computer 4. Use your favorite music player to sync the audiobooks to the player. A word about the audiobook's length is in order. Although a full length unabridged audiobook can be over ten hours long don't expect the young ones to complete it all at once. Their attention span will not stretch this far. Many children's titles are much shorter and can easily be completed during a trip. Try a full dramatization for a little added interest. The peaceful atmosphere while they are listening will make all your effort worthwhile. Now for the big ending. Imagine what just may happen when you end the trip before they complete the story. You've got it! Your child may very well just ask you to drive a few more miles. Whether you circle the block a few times or tell them to wait for the return trip is up to you. Your there now and in your right mind too! You think, "This was certainly better than our last trip." I realize that this won't work for everyone but if you have not tried it how can you know what will happen? Get a shorter title like a dramatization of "Treasure Island" and d see for yourself.
This article is written by Daniel Brown, the father of two active boys. He also operates an on-line audiobook store where you can find some excellent audiobooks. ~ai601 Feel free to grab a unique version of this article from the travelling with children Articles Submissions Service
Article Source: http://www.changingearth.org
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