Top books and games to keep kids entertained in the car

"Are we there yet?" It's every parent's least favorite phrase to hear on a road trip. Lynda Blankenship from Smart Toys and Books has some ideas to keep your kids from getting bored. Here are her top picks:

-IQ Baby Baby Buzz?r?Mini baby soother. Flashing eyes keep baby visually engaged. Vibrating motion grabs attention. Lullabies soothe. Teethable ears. Mirror. 3 months and up. $13

-Car Seat Gallery?Soft vinyl pouch that attaches to the seat in front of the baby. High contrast graphics slip into sleeves to help your child with visual and multi-sensory development. 0 -12 months. $15

-Toddler Tote?Classic travel activities for 2 to 5 year olds. Includes puzzle assortment and stacker pegs, in a tote with a handle. $16

-Splash Art?Water filled pen creates designs that magically disappear. Double sided. Dries and is ready to reuse in approximately 20 minutes. Ages 18 months and up. $15

-Maggy Leigh Magnetic Dress up. Wooden ?paper? doll that comes with 27 magnetic clothes that you can mix-and match. Ages 3 and up. $11

-Chicken Socks Activity Books?Great new activity books from Klutz. Self-contained books with materials to keep kids occupied. Crayon Rubbings, Rescue Trucks, and Amazing Lacing to name a few. Ages 4 and up. $9.95 and up.

-Travel Buddies--Neck rests for kids. $13

-Smart Bag Mobile Desk from Haba?Great lap desk and portfolio with clip board and storage pockets. $35

-Travel Blokus?Travel version of our most popular board game in the last year. Try to fit as many of your tiles on the board as possible. Simple in concept, but with room for lots of strategizing. Age 5 and up. $20

-Electronic 20 Questions?Think of something?anything?then answer a series of 20 questions. 20Q will try to guess what you?re thinking. Age 8 and up. $18.99

-Flip Side?newest brainteaser from Thinkfun. Based on a traditional slide puzzle?slide the rows and flip the center section to swap the top and bottom rows?puzzle is solved when the numbers are in order. Ages 8 and up. $10.00

-Gordon?s Knot?World?s toughest brain teaser?might take the whole road trip to solve it! Unraveling this puzzle takes 69 steps! Ages 8 and up. $10

Other Tips:

Puppets and Finger Puppets are great, especially if you have more than one child. They can put on shows for each other.

Back pack with crayons, sticker books, paper, etc.

CDs for kids. Raffi is a great artist with lots of recordings to choose from.

Keep some activities for ?surprises?. Stagger them during the trip to create excitement as the day progresses. A ?grand finale? toy or activity keeps kids motivated and builds anticipation.

Smart Toys and Books is located at 9700 Kingston Pike: 691-1154.