Artistic Activities

* Keep an eye out for shapes. An on-the-go version of I Spy, especially good for kindergartners: Have players try to find as many circles as possible in the passing scenery. The first person to call out a specific item ("I spy a circle window on that van!") gets a point for it. Hint: You might want to eliminate "wheels" as an option so players will look a little harder! The player who collects the most points in five minutes or five miles wins that round. You can then go on to identifying triangles and squares.

* Make paper-bag puppets. Keep a stack of brown lunch bags and a few markers in the back-seat for those times when antsy passengers need to shift gears. They can draw faces on the bags, then use them to act out their favorite stories.

* Orchestrate the ride. An old-fashioned sing-along will fine-tune any car trip with kids. Want to sing "Moo, Cow, Moo?" but can't quite remember the words anymore? No worries-before you hit the road, visit an online site like Bussongs.com or Mamalisa.com and print out lyrics for favorite children's songs and nursery rhymes. Then sing the miles away!