Traveling with children is a joy. Smiling kids, seat belts fastened, sitting in the back seat of the van watching the countryside go by, appreciating the changing landscape, commenting on the excellence of American agricultural techniques, laughing, singing, occasionally napping sweetly . . .
Right.
All together, kids: “Are we there yet?”
Someone should invent a game called Are We There Yet.
But we do indeed have games and toys and books and things, created both to creatively expand the mind (in some cases) and (in all cases) fill time between potty stops and fights with siblings.
Here, listed in no particular order, are some of them. Understand that games with projectiles and loose game pieces (which can become projectiles) may not be great for play in moving vehicles.
Don’t Wake Daddy, Milton Bradley, $13 at TravelWorks, 2070 N. Clybourn Ave., 773-296-9908. Ages 4 and older. It’s a smaller version of the full-sized board game. Especially fun when you step on the cat’s tail and wake Daddy. Hey, it’s a game.
Kids Travel, Klutz, $19.95 at Rand McNally Map and Travel Stores (including 444 N. Michigan Ave., 312-321-1751). All ages. Games, maps, quizzes, license-plate checklist, songs, twine, dice, markers, sign-language guides (American Indian and hearing-impaired sign language).
Word Spin, Geospace, $9.99 (basic version) at Noodle Kidoodle. No age listed, but if they can make simple words and count a little, they can play.
Are We There Yet? Are We There Yet Inc., $14.95 at Rand McNally. Ages 7 and older. Yeah, we’re too late. In this game, which has won three awards from parenting organizations, players are dealt cards with things you see along the road (grouchy people, buildings with flat roofs, signs, etc.). Spot one, you get another card. Most cards at the end wins.