We are in the middle of a two to three week road trip visiting family and friends in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.

Obviously this means a lot of time spent in the car trying to keep our three small kids entertained and content.

The first leg of our trip took twelve hours between driving time, stopping for gas, and stopping for the sake of sanity. I was on my own for the almost ten hour second leg of our trip. And there is more driving yet to come.

It’s never a big party to be in the car for hours on end with small children, but thankfully we have been able to figure out a few ways to keep the masses happy. Keeping toys in reach, offering fun snacks for the road, and making car naps more comfortable are always helpful.

Yesterday these farm boxes were a lifesaver. They kept my kids entertained in the car as they played with them for two hours straight at the beginning of the trip and then again after lunch.

I found a package of small farm animals at Target for $7 and spent $7 on materials from the dollar store to make both farm boxes. Only seven dollars per box, less than ten minutes to make two, and hours of quiet, imaginative play on the road. 

Make a Road Trip Farm Box:

Materials Needed:

• Shallow, lidded container
• 1 bag of floral moss/grass
• 1 small bag of blue/green decorative stones
• 1 small bag of rocks
• 1 plastic plant (I used a plastic succulent)
• farm animals
• hot glue gun

Method:

1. Glue the floral moss to the bottom of the container, leaving one small corner for the “pond”. Spread a thin layer of moss across the glue, pressing down to adhere. Lightly run your fingers across the top of the moss to pull off the moss that isn’t glued down. Fill in any gaps by gluing down a little more moss.

2. Add the blue stones to the unfilled corner.

3. Glue the plastic plant in another corner.

4. Cut an opening in the empty pot to make a “barn”. Apply a line of glue around the top of the pot and turn it upside down to adhere it to the moss/container.

5. Add a few stones and the farm animals.

Like this post?  You can find more tips, encouragement, and projects in the On-the-Road series page.

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