Best Crayons for Hot Summer Weather

On a family vacation to Valley Forge and Philadelphia, my parents, sister and I toured Betsy Ross’s house, saw the Liberty Bell and picnicked on the site of the Revolutionary War soldiers’ camp.

It was an exciting vacation, but the drive was well over three hours. To keep us entertained, we took crayons and a coloring book.

Unfortunately, it was so hot in the car that our crayons melted all over the rear window dash!

Don’t let that happen to you this summer! Take crayons that won’t melt inside a hot car.

The winning crayons (i.e. the brand that melts the slowest in hot temperatures) is Cra-Z-Art from Walmart. The loser is Scholastic.

It’s okay, though, if you don’t want to buy new crayons. Simply pack your crayons in a plastic bag and place them in thermal bag with an ice pack or frozen water bottle. They’ll stay nice and cool and will be ready to color when your kids need a playtime activity in the car on hot summer days.

A Fun Travel Game for Kids

We try to limit car rides since we’re saving money like most families and share the car with my husband. But when we do travel to doctor appointments or on errands, our trips require plenty of planning. My energetic son doesn’t travel well so I always need a healthy supply of snacks and plenty of water. He also enjoys playing with his favorite matchbox cars and listening to Junie B. Jones books on CD when I’m able to borrow them from the library.

Recently, we discovered another game that we all enjoy. Hangman gives my daughter a chance to play school, and my son enjoys trying to guess the letters. On my to-do list, I planned to make a laminated game so we can track the letters we choose and save paper.

Today, I found a Melissa and Doug version that erases this item from my to-do list. It looks sturdy and should work great for us. I can easily store it in the car without losing any pieces. Online reviews suggest the marker wears out quickly, but we have extra dry erase markers at home.

With this game, our car rides should be calmer and more enjoyable wherever and whenever we travel.