Car Travel Bins

Long car rides.  They can be torturous for kids.

"I'm bored."

"Are we there yet?"

"How much longer?"

"I can't find my _____!"

"She has my _____!"

It's enough to make any easy-going parent snap when you're in the car for hours on end.  And for the not-so-easy-going (you know who you are), well... good luck to you.

Technology has certainly changed since I was a kid.  BUT, my kids can only play on a device for so long.  They'll want something else to do.

On the way home, the bins are a bit messy

That's where these bins come in handy.  I've tried bags in the past.  The stuff in the bags ends up in a heap, burying the bags.  Stuff is falling onto the dog.  No one can find anything.  It's a big mess.

The beauty of the bins is that they're open, the kids can see everything in them and grab it easily.  What they put back goes right into their own bin.  The responsibility of keeping the bins neat rests solely on the bin owner.

What goes in the bins?  I'll write another post about that later - heh, heh.

Ok, I'll tell you one thing.  I'd like to point out that you can see a pink cup in the picture.  Colored pencils go in a cup, one cup for each kid.  Why colored pencils?  They don't melt in a hot vehicle like crayons.  They don't accidentally mark the vehicle when dropped and they don't dry out.  I really like the twisty kind of colored pencils by Crayola because they're easily sharpenable (yea! I made up a word!) with just a small twist.  Buy one package of these things, split them between the kids, and everybody is happy.  When the kids were younger, the Crayola Wonder markers were my go-to.

The bins are stacked nicely at home, easy to get ready for the next trip.  Though, honestly, they're still sitting and waiting for some items to be put away before I can put the bins where they belong.  Yeah, my process of unpacking from a trip sometimes involves laziness.