101 Activities for Kids in Tight Spaces: At the Doctor's Office, on Car, Train, and Plane Trips, Home Sick in Bed . . . (Paperback)

~ Carol S. Kranowitz (Author) "SOME KIDS have lots of ideas for entertaining themselves-but many of these ideas are neither practical nor possible in a tight space on a nothing-to-do..." (more)
Key Phrases: Teddy Bear, Aiken Drum, Little Bo-Peep (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

You can never have enough space. And if you can't, just think of your kids--all the time they have to spend in tight spaces--like cars, planes, trains, the doctor's office, the grocery store, being sick or housebound, waiting in line. Kids need room to move around, but there are many times when they just plain can't have it.

While raising two exuberant boys, teaching preschool, leading Cub Scouts, and running a birthday party business, Carol Kranowitz came up with savvy, creative ways to keep kids content in tight spaces. Her activity ideas combine old standbys with new ones born of desperation and cramped quarters. They follow a philosophy that helps kids develop their different skills and abilities while entertaining themselves and interacting.

You'll find great projects for every imaginable small space parents and children encounter:

Fun Food for Tiny Kitchens: Ants on a Log, Footprints in the Snow, and Aiken Drum Faces

In the Urban Community: Windowsill Garden, Bug Jar, and Corn-on-the-Sponge

When the Walls Seem to Be Closing In: Pillow Crashing, People Sandwich, and Teeter-Totter

When what you've got is a small space and a restless child, what you need are 101 ingenious solutions--right away. Here they are--easy to implement, creative fun for the three to seven-year-old--activities that can turn tough moments into teachable, terrific ones.

About the Author

Carol Stock Kranowitz, M.A., is a music and movement teacher in Washington, D.C. She lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with her husband; they have two sons.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1 edition (November 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312134207
• ISBN-13: 978-0312134204
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #137,165 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, March 24, 1999

By A Customer

It has lots of old ideas I'd forgotten from my own childhood and it has lots of new ideas. The writer understands the needs of children. They can behave a lot better if they have interesting little things to do like the ideas that are in this book.

35 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One basic problem with this book--, April 20, 1998

By	Mary Lou Derksen (South Dakota) - See all my reviews

I have a basic problem with this book: it's too small! Although 101 activities sound like a lot, when you break them down into situations in which they are workable (at home, waiting in the doctor's office, in the car/train/airplane, sick in bed, etc.) a person might like more ideas. The activities presented in the book are simple. They are fun. And all of them I have tried work (many are old stand-bys that this grandma used with her own children-but many were new to me). I plan to use them soon on a long trip with my grandchildren. When could you use them next?!

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars disappointing, January 16, 2005

By	mountainmom (Tooele, UT) - See all my reviews

I bought this book in preparation for an airplane trip with my family, including a 5 year old autistic daughter. As I am familiar with Kranowitz's book The Out of Sync Child, regarding sensory integration, I was disappointed that there was not more in the book that I could use with my daughter. Also, the ideas that could be used away from home are somewhat limited.

I have found some fun activities in this book to do with my children at home, so it is not a worthless book. However, it didn't really fill the need I was looking for.