How long is the flight? (Not counting the lay-overs) and what should I do on the flight to entertain the kids?
My kids get out of school on May 13th. And on May 14th, we will be traveling down to my parents beach house in Ocean City and go to the beach, the boardwalk (if it is open), do activities and go to Assateuge Island. On May 20th, my husband scheduled us a surprise flight to Hawaii. I thought we were going to Orlando this year but he said we will in October but this summer we will be in Hawaii. We will be flying from BWI (Baltimore is an awesome airport, but about 3 hours away from Ocean City but the best airport to be at in this case) to Hawaii (Maui). We will be stopping in New York City for a lay over and the next flight is 10 hours away. So we plan to take a trip to the Statue of Liberty (Which will be about 6 hours duration. Getting out of the airport, taxi, ferry, arrive, pictures, going inside, getting out, gift shop, saying good bye, ferry back, taxi back, then check in the airport and go to our gate) And then sleep for 2 hours coming back and eat something then wait and get boarded. In April, for our Spring Break, we went to NYC and did everything except the Statue. We went to Ellis Island, but not the Statue! Then from NYC we will be flying to Seattle. Then it is a 4 hour wait till our next flight so we will be taking a nap at the gate. Then we will fly from Seattle to Hawaii and that is a 6 hour flight. Then we will arrive at 10:00 am in the morning and get our lei and eat breakfast and check into our hotel and take a nap for the remainder of the afternoon and then spend our summer there. So here is our schedule: 3 hour car ride from Ocean City to BWI. 2 hour check in: Check in, Sercurity, Breakfast, Nap, and board then fly to NYC for 2 hours. Come in to NYC and have 10 hours of free time. 6 hour flight to Seattle. Arrive in Seattle and nap for 4 hours. 6 hour flight to Hawaii. Arrive. So I am traveling with 4 kids. An 8 year old, A 6 year old, A 4 year old, and 4 month year old. What should I do with them during that LONG LONG time? Activities? Especially on the flight? Please help!! Oh and we are traveling with 2 dogs. And they will be on the flight with us. What should we do to entertain them and what should we do when we are in the Statue of Liberty??
Grade-Schooler - 3 Answers
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1 :
The flight, I would imagine be a good 10-12 hours- just the flight added together. Those are a lot of breaks and a lot of time between them but in some cases it is good to use it to nap and eat something and in other cases it is good to do something during the time. 2 dogs, I don't think it is a good idea to take it on the flight. Especially if you are going to go to the Statue of Liberty. I think you should keep them home where you live with a pet-sitter or a kennel or if you would like them to come, put them on a flight with no stops and when you arrive- you can pick them up. I have taken my dog before and I entertained her with a Kong Toy and put peanut butter in it and gave her a lot of treats so she can even her ears and I brought in little chew toys. But she was a different dog- she never barks or gets very crazy like other dogs. For your children, give them comfortable pillows and blankets so they could maybe take a nap during the flight or the lay overs. Give them coloring books and journals and papers and crayons and pencils. Then give them a DVD player with a ton of DVD's. Give them little crafts to do. Maybe you can let the older ones play on your laptops and all. Nintendo DS's, little video games, anything really.
2 :
Bring a backpack of toys and activities. Kids like being in charge, so give them something to be in charge of. A backpack is perfect because it stays put, unlike a bag which can slip off their shoulder and you end up with one more thing to carry; just don't make it too heavy for them. Not only is this useful in-flight/on-board entertainment but it'll serve a dual purpose of amusing the kids once you reach your destination. Put in all your favorite ideas, including these suggestions: Books. There’s never enough time in the day to read to the kids, so take advantage of the opportunity of the long plane, train or car ride for some one-on-one time. Pack your kids' favorite books for you to read or easy-reader books for them to read by themselves. There’s no reason to plug their brains into electronics for the whole journey. Expand their imagination through the endless possibilities in a good book! Coloring Books. Coloring books can be a great distraction and can help get out a little scribbling energy. A favorite coloring tool is Crayola’s "Color Wonder" markers and paper. They’re great because the markers only write on Color Wonder paper, which means your little ones leave no evidence behind! Also try dollar stores for coloring books you won't mind them half-completing and being discarded for the sake of extra space. Comfort Toys for Small Children. Throw in a favorite blanket or bear for small children. It may help them snuggle down for quiet time or just help get through a bumpy patch of air or a tedious part of the drive. You can never have enough props for entertaining that last 20-30 minutes of a flight when everyone is impatient to get off! Favorite games to play with a blanket or cuddle friend are "peek-a-boo" and "pat-a-cake". DVDs/Movies and Personal DVD Players. A laptop with a DVD drive works just as well as a personal DVD player. Bring a long a set of earphones (or a splitter so you can have two sets of earphones), so your child's viewing of his/her favorite movie doesn’t interfere with the comfort of others. Although, if you are taking a plane flight, you can save on space and rely on the in-flight entertainment. Best suited to car travel. Electronic Games. Hand held games are extremely popular for older kids and can keep them quiet for hours. Bring a long a set of earphones so your child’s favorite game doesn’t interfere with the comfort of others. A long plane or car trip might be a good time to invest in a new game for a special surprise! Sticker Books. Reusable sticker books are great for early elementary age kids. You can find them in your child’s favorite TV/movie character or interest. And because they’re reusable you can create new scenes, stories or just mix them up for fun! Take snacks. Snacks, snacks and more snacks! Snacking keeps children busy and entertained. So pack your kids favorites for your long journey. The healthier the better - try carrot sticks, celery pieces, permitted nuts, gummy bears etc.
3 :
The car ride to BWI- *liscence plate game *try to look at signs and see who can find the alphabet IN ORDER first... *play little games like that and award mini prizes like maybe a small trinket/lollipop/candy etc. *make up a story where each person adds a sentence...make it as crazy as possible!!! *read from a joke book/poem book *try figuring out riddles. *listen to music...each kid gets 2 songs and then u switch who picks....that way there rnt fights! 2 hr check in: not much time but if u do have tim and theyre bored get a convo about hawaii going maybe educational, maybe wat u wanna do there, etc. 10 hrts free time: statue of liberty naptime maybe read a quick story or 2... 6 hr flight: definately maybe u can bring a DVD player if u have one?borrow one? because kids will usually watcha a movie for at least 1 hr 30 min...then there r 4 hrs 30 min left where u can listen to music maybe, bring a card deck, handgames, stories again, the 8 yr old can ask for hw from the teacher and do it on the plane... maybe sleep that usually happens a lot...does the 8/6 yr old have a DS, ipod, etc.? bring that if yes. also you can get a cheap 20 dollar mp3 if u want theyre grreat really...also mioni games like tic tac toe/hangman/word games/cross words work great and are fun if you do like 3 ata atime then switch activity...internet if theres wifi is obviously great, but that usually isnt free... GOOD LUCK! also make sure to stretch in the flite walk around, anything relly to get moving for a min or 2 helps them not get restless
