long train journey

[Immi666]

i have to take two eight year old girls on a four hour train journey in a couple of weeks and i'm looking for ideas to keep them occupied. colouring books only last so long!

[andy-hughes]

Get hold of some reading books, colouring books, inexpensive toys and so on. Keep them hidden, and dish them out at half-hour intervals, less if one is a particular hit.

Plus, even simple games like I-Spy, counting red cars, things like that absorb children of this age.

[PinkFizz]

I get travel size snakes n ladders,hangman etc for long car journeys.

[devilwoman]

take a picnic style dinner too, sandwiches, fruit, crisps and a drink, also do they have gameboys ? there good used to keep mine occupied at least a couple of hours.

snap
grandmother went to market
i spy
get note books and pencils and play how many red things they see ie telephone box, a coat, red bike and so one, theres lots of various ways to p;ay this game.

how many different animals .

[skyep]

Get hold of 2 scrap books & a couple of pritt sticks & two pair of safety scissors. Collect together some old magazines ( ask friends) Let the girls cut out what they want to make there own scene, let them mix heads on different bodies ect.. there's lot's of fun in imagination! Dont forget to take along a couple of bags for any leftover rubbish.

[meltoadhall]

we have 3 girls between seven and eleven and we play i-spy, grannys basket, how many........ can we see. we have pads and colouring pencils, pass the pigs is a brilliant travelling game if you can get it,playing cards for sanp and old maid, normal reading books.
it is only for 4 hours - eating will take a chunk of time too.
try 12 hours on the london to inverness run - now that takes a lot of games:)

[mimififi]

card games; happy families, uno, snap, top trumps, ginrummy,

story tapes, borrowable from the library, just need a little walkman etc

new magasine

new book

puzzle books

spotting games eg, make a worksheet with boxes on witha different picture next to it. In a five minute time slot they have to count how many of each picture they have spotted.

story writing

a new journal and pen to start journaling they journey...start with the train ride. Take some prit stick so the can stick in, sweet wrappers, their tickets (at the end of course) etc and this can be used thruoghtout your time away and on the journey home (if that is what you ar planning)

FOOD this is always good. A compartment picnic is way more exciting than buying lunch from the trolley, esp if they don't know what they are having.

language games; word association, I spy, i went to the shops, fizzbuzz

hope this helps.

[mimififi]

sorry, didn't see the other answers for some reason when i posted, sorry to have repeated everything...

if t helps, Im dealing with a migraine, one eyed typing and a noisy tractor in my garden.

[GK Fanatic]

All you need is a pack of UNO cards....................

[wee-janine]

what about a portable dvd player. My sons love theirs and even my friends who has an autistic child swears by it for journeys. They are not that expensive now and you can pop some ear plugs in so you get a little peace and quiet too.

[Immi666]

thanks a lot guys, there are some really great ideas there :) i'll probably use most - if not all -of them :)

[trogette]

last year we took scoobies, I don't know what the current crafty-craze is? floam's a bit messy for the train I guess... knitting, crochet, cross-stitch, french knitting? can you see a theme? lol