Do you keep any books, tapes, games, anything in the car to "study" while in the car? I was thinking of putting a box of stuff in the car to stay there while we are on the go.

My kids like to keep some write on wipe-off books in the car.

My son will ususally bring a book into the car to read, or is MP3 player which mostly has audio books on it.

Wow, Maria, thanks for the idea on the MP3 player and audio books...do you download those from the internet?  Can you do the same thing with an iPod?  (Can you tell I still have little ones....I'm totally clueless about this stuff!)

We don't keep anything in the car other than praise and worship CD's.  We do alot of driving, but we are normally talking or singing, so we don't do 'formal' learning in the car.  Occassionally, when going to the dr.'s office, my oldest DS will bring a book and start reading it in the car and go into the office with it. 

Am I a bad homeschooling mom now that I don't car-school!??  LOL  

Am I a bad homeschooling mom now that I don't car-school!??

Amanda, you said that you are singing and talking in the car.  You are doing car-school!  :)

We listen to music as a family or listen to audiobooks as a family in the car, that we own or borrow from the library. We have tried MP3 audiobooks borrowed from the library (on a gadget called a "playaway') but thiey don't work well unless the driver drives in silence while the passenger(s) listen to their personal devices. So we are not big fans of things like the iPod and MP3 players for one user. Now if I had something to turn an MP3 player into listening throught the car stereo it would be great as our local libraries give free downloads of MP3 audiobooks from our home via Internet (very convenient).

Also I keep a crate for their books in the car, books THEY choose like comics and 'pleasure reading'. In there are some activity books (like the Usborne non-consumable puzzle books and Where's Waldo type books).

I find we have very ood conversations when nothing is playing in the car (story or music) so sometimes I intentionally play nothing and we talk.

We don' "do school' subjects in the car.

We also DO NOT have a  TV in the car and we hope we never do. Sometimes it is good to be bored and I'm not into filling every second with entertainment for my kids. Also for the record we drive 30 minutes or more many times per week and also take frequent trips over 250 miles one way, with no hassles.

So that is what we do......

Thanks, Amanda...I was really being sarcastic....but I appreciate the encouragment! :)

A way of listening to mp3s in the car is to use an fm transmitter. I've found the ones that plug into the lighter are better--maybe because they are grounded into the car and therefore transmit stronger. In effect, it turns your mp3 player into a radio station within your car, and you just dial your fm tuner to the selected frequency, and listen to your audiobooks. These are not expensive (I think mine was $19). This works for any device (cd player...I use my phone) that has a regular headphone jack. Once upon a time on very long trips (this was before car dvd players), we used to use our laptop to play a movie, and used the transmitter for the sound. We were ahead of our time, I guess ;-)

Besides audiobooks, we keep "Wrapups" which are a drill (comes in math, science, states, etc.) where you wrap a string around so it is self-checking. You can get these at rainbowresources.com.

We also keep our bag of "already read" library books in the car, so we're sure they get to the library, but I can't count how many times I have been thankful the bag was in the car with some books the kids can read during "down time" when out and about.

We also have lapdesks (as you can tell, we put many miles in), and if the kids feel like it, they can work in workbooks, but I don't insist on this--I just have them available. I think I got them for $2 at Big Lots a while back.

As an aside, I find we have some of our best teaching moments in the car...I guess because only the driver is distracted by other things, and we have some very interesting discussions. I miss it when we we're not in the car for a few days.

Kay in San Jose

We keep tapes for learning Japanese and Spanish in the car. Also Suzuki Books 1-4 violin CDs for 5yo violinist dd to listen to for her daily listening. We also keep CDs of classical music, praise and worship music, and the "fun" music my older boys like to listen to.

We do a  lot of riding in the car to activities and such so I like to make some of that time productive but much of it is just relaxing.

Donna in NJ

We don't school in the car, either. We might play games, like I Spy, or rhyming words, or 20 questions, but I don't call that school. I call that having fun with the kids. I fly in the face of today's version of reason, because I strive not to turn every waking moment into some sort of productive, educational experience. I am all about kids being kids. School time is school time for us, and after that, it's not school time. I prefer to use my car for driving. :) Besides, with the drivers on the road today, I want to pay attention to the idiot trying to merge into my fender, not conjugate verbs in French or quiz spelling words.

Aside from that, I talk to my daughters. We have some of our best conversations in the car. I learn a lot, especially about my oldest daughter, by listening.

I'm with you Michelle :-)

Hi,  I keep books, flash cards, and games in the car.  I made flash cards using spiral bound index cards - I put the multiplication tables on them, sight words, and anything that requires memorization.  It worked wonderful for my daughter, when she attended pubic school she was in special ed.  She knew her multiplication tables before most of her classmates who weren't in Special Ed. 

We now homeschool and I still keep things in the car, my son enjoys reading funny thngs to us as we ride along.  I don't require my kids to even touch the stuff.  But have found that it can be a great time to discuss articles or other things that come up from the words, articles or stories.

I say make it fun and interesting!  If it is there they will learn!

Hi,  I keep books, flash cards, and games in the car.  I made flash cards using spiral bound index cards - I put the multiplication tables on them, sight words, and anything that requires memorization.  It worked wonderful for my daughter, when she attended pubic school she was in special ed.  She knew her multiplication tables before most of her classmates who weren't in Special Ed. 

We now homeschool and I still keep things in the car, my son enjoys reading funny thngs to us as we ride along.  I don't require my kids to even touch the stuff.  But have found that it can be a great time to discuss articles or other things that come up from the words, articles or stories.

I say make it fun and interesting!  If it is there they will learn!