The boys and I travel. A lot. We rarely go anywhere closer than 4 hours away. We don't have a portable DVD player or hand held games so we make due with good old fashioned paper books and art supplies. For a while, I've been on the hunt for some sort of lap tray for the boys, but they are all too expensive (remember, I'm buying 2!). While at the $1 store the other day, I realized I could make a couple of my own, and they'd be magnetic!
All you need is scissors, hot glue, 1 roll of shelving mat and a small cookie sheet.
Cut a piece of the shelving mat to fit the bottom of your tray.
Glue the mat to the bottom of the tray.
All done!!! Now you've got one shiny new magnetic travel tray that is also non slip so it sticks to your child's lap!
We tested these out during our 5 hour drive to Nashville for Christmas (and home!). They worked great!!
These were the perfect thing for our 5 hour trip to Nashville. I usually keep car toys and activities stowed away during our visit. That way, as we load back in the van 7 days later, everything feels fresh, new and fun again. The trays were no different!
What a clever idea! When my kids were little we didn't do the electronics thing either. It's funny how our creativity can be sparked when we're trying to inspire theirs.
ReplyDeleteI feel like being a mom has forced me to be more creative. I think to myself every day "What can we make/do to keep them busy and stimulated?". Lots of cutting and gluing around here :)
DeleteI love Nalgene sippy cups. And we have a cookie sheet in the car right now. But I never thought of putting something on the back to make it non-slip. Brilliant.
ReplyDeletei learned the hard way jen :) after many short trips with trays flying off their little laps, i finally figured it out!
DeleteAwesome idea!
ReplyDelete