Monday, July 15, 2013

Magnetic Roads Busy Bag

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This simple busy bag idea for kids is perfect for kids who love cars! 

Next month we will be going on a six hour car ride.  Both boys can barely last the hour long car ride to my parents' or my mother-in-law's house in my hometown.  So of course, in preparation for this upcoming trip, I have been trying to come up with some activities to keep the boys busy.  Then I saw this Portable Pretend Model Train Set from Play Trains.  I instantly fell in love with it!  However, the boys aren't really into trains.  Cars, on the other hand, are something they love.  So replace train tracks with roads, add some magnets, and here's what you get...

Magnetic roads busy bag from And Next Comes L

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This magnetic roads activity set features 10 roadways, pom pom bushes, pipe cleaner trees, and felt water features.  The vehicles I used are from the Safari On the Road Toob.  They are the perfect size for the craft stick roads!

Pieces in the magnetic roads busy bag from And Next Comes L

To make the road ways, I painted 10 craft sticks with black acrylic paint.  Once dry, I painted the yellow dotted lines.  I then hot glued a strip of magnet tape to the back.  I also hot glued a small magnet to the bottom of each pom pom bush, felt water feature, and pipe cleaner tree.

The pipe cleaner trees are so awesome.  I wish I could take credit for the idea, but I cannot.  You can find the full instructions on how to make them over at Play Trains here.  I used a mix of sparkly pipe cleaners and plain pipe cleaners.  I find the sparkly pipe cleaners made the trees look more realistic than the regular pipe cleaners.

Close up of magnetic pipe cleaner trees from And Next Comes L

All that is needed now is a surface to play on.  When travelling, I always use a cookie sheet for magnet play.  They work great, as seen below.

Close up of magnetic roads busy bag from And Next Comes L

Magnetic roads busy bag from And Next Comes L

Magnetic roads busy bag from And Next Comes L

Magnetic roads busy bag from And Next Comes L

Magnetic roads busy bag from And Next Comes L

J and K playing with the magnetic roads busy bag from And Next Comes L

We had the opportunity to try this activity out in the car over the weekend.  It worked fabulously.  J spent the entire car ride playing with it, while K had a nap.

Looking for more activities using cars?  Check out our outdoor roads made using paving stones or our outdoor car ramps.  You can even use a ride on car to practice sight words.