Go to top For "Electronic-Age" Kids
For car travelling "Game boys" are often provided by parents to their children to keep the kids quiet most of the time. These small electronic devices usually run on batteries and can keep the kids entertained for hours. Movies are very popular with this age group but I'm not advising that you install individual movie screens into the back of your headrests (but this is available now), nor do you have to take a TV or video player. You can however, justify taking your laptop to play DVD movies. This may upset Dad however, who planned to use the laptop for running GPS mapping software. If such a conflict arises, either take 2 laptops (!) or only record your trip plots for the offroad sections when it is advisable not to run the DVD player anyway.
You can sit the laptop between the seats and plug it into the cigarette lighter socket or plug it into your 240V power running off your inverter (a preferable method for running the computer for long stretches)
At the very least, the movie will keep them amused for the duration, usually 90minutes, at which time you'll all need a break and a walk around. You don't have to take a lot of movies because kids watch movies over and over again even if they have new ones to watch.
You will find an excellent range of Childrens Audio Books on CD and also Children's Audio Books on Casesette Tape from our Adventure
Shop.
Note
The ExplorOz Team do not actually condone the use of electronic games for outback trips. Our aim is to encourage you to leave the city and all its trappings far behind and to make this a conscious commitment. Try to encourage the old fashioned car games and take the rare opportunity to have the whole family together for some quality "talking". If you ban the computers however, you might have to lead by example and not take yours either!
 |
 |