Before-You-Go Puppets to Go

Directions:

Here's a way you and your children can make a collection of road puppets that will divert your kids' attention from the clock.

Gather the makings of puppets, including old gloves (each cut-off finger becomes a puppet), hollow rubber balls (cut a small hole in each one and poke your finger through the "head"), plastic silverware (draw a face on a spoon), mittens and socks (move your thumb up and down inside the mitten or sock to make the puppet "talk"), and paper lunch bags (put your hand inside the bottom part of the bag that's folded over and control the "mouth" with your fingers).

To make hats, hair, and costumes for the puppets, use colored paper, contact paper, cotton, yarn, felt, patches, or whatever other sewing and art supplies you have in the house. Add facial features with paint, crayons, or markers.

After you've created the puppets, place them in a shoebox (which your child can decorate) for safekeeping. You might also want to bring along some extra accessories so your puppets can make quick changes en route.

More on: Family Travel

Excerpted from:

© 2005 by Steve and Ruth Bennett. Excerpted from 365 Unplugged Family Fun Activities with permission of its publisher, Perseus Books Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

To order this book visit perseusbooksgroup.com.