I Spy...

So, recently I have become addicted to Pinterest.  Talk about totally cool and a great way to kill time!  Seeing how creative people are on that site really got my creative juices flowing for our upcoming road trip to New Orleans for our cruise in 38 days.  The last time we took a loooong road trip Aiden was only 10 months old and he did a lot of sleeping. It didn't take much to keep him entertained while we drove from Michigan to Colorado.  This time Aiden will be 2 1/2 and it takes way more to keep him occupied and happy - especially for a 18 hour trip. 

This week on Pinterest I saw a really neat idea for a DIY magnetic lap "desk" for kids while on road trips (see it here) which I plan to make sometime this week. So I decided to create some games or fun things for Aiden to do that will stick to the "desk."  Since Aiden loves "I Spy.." I created a travel version for him.

First I searched Google images for objects/items that we may see while travelling by car. And copy/pasted them into a Word document so I could fit more than one item on a sheet.

Second, I had the sheets (my objects totalled 4 sheets of paper) printed in color.  Since my ink at home was low, I ran to OfficeMax and had all 4 sheets color printed for just under $2.  While at OfficeMax I quickly cut out each piece and had them laminated.  I had 23 game pieces/objects total and they fit onto 3 laminated sheets - it only cost about $3. 

I figured if I was spending this much time to find the objects and cut them out, I better laminate them to help protect them from spills, rips, etc. and then they would be durable enough to last for more than one road trip.

After cutting out each piece I affixed a small piece of magnetic tape to the back so they would stick to Aidens travel desk so they would not slide around or fall while we are driving.  By having the pieces cut out individually we can add pieces or objects as he gets older or tailor them to specific trips.  To store the DIY I Spy game I picked up a 99 cent plastic zippered pencil pouch (like the kind kids use for school that can be clipped into a binder or trapper keeper) from Meijer.  Pretty neat, huh?

I Spy Game Pieces:

-Stop Sign

-Yield Sign

-Wrong Way Sign

-Construction Barrel

-Speed Limit Sign

-Traffic Signal

-Mail Box

-Barn

-Cow

-Horse

-Round Hay Bale

-Bird

-Tree

-Tractor

-Fire Truck

-Police Car

-Ambulance

-Motorcycle

-Semi Truck

-Construction Crane

-Sun

-Cloud

-McDonalds' Golden Arches