A great list and a Winner!

Thank you so much for all your awesome ideas for in-flight kid entertainment!

Here are some of my favorite ideas that I hadn't already thought of, for future reference:

• duct tape - to tape the kids down, no wait, it was for them to make crafts with. Either way, maybe I can get some hexagon making in :)
• get some little toys, candies etc. and wrap each one. They have unwrapping as well as playing with what's inside!
• a roll of painter's tape. They can go crazy and not ruin anything.
• remember those little books with the invisible markers--do you remember those? I always liked those. Or mad libs (the kid friendly ones)
• A quick game that I play with my young grandkids in restaurants is "Something's Missing": Line up several items (knife, spoon, sugar packet, napkin, etc) One person closes their eyes and the other removes one item. Then eyes are uncovered and the guessing begins. Young children require only 3-4 items and you can add more for older kids. It goes quickly and may fill some of your time!
• don't forget some lollies to suck on when taking off and landing!!
• H2O uno. the cards are waterproof so they're great by the pool or while we're waiting for food (easy to clean!). I think they even have decks with a plastic ring so you're not toting a card pack and they can be "clipped" to a backpack.
• I kind of think the older two should be old enough to plan their own entertainment. Perhaps provide a small budget for them to buy something new or to supplement something they already have.
• I kind of think the older two should be old enough to plan their own entertainment. Perhaps provide a small budget for them to buy something new or to supplement something they already have.
• I like window cling stickers for a long flight- if you have a window seat, the kids can cling the tiny stickers to the window for quite a while. I also like tiny doll houses with tiny people. Sometimes they roll, so we put a small felt square of 'grass' on the tray table first.
• You could also pack a bunch of pipe cleaners and have them make things with them.
• my mother would print out maps of wherever we were flying over (US, etc) to color. I'd try to figure out where we were and color the states, etc, in time with our travels.
• Silly putty. It amuses them for hours!
• But I also love to bring new crayons, a few big buttons, and some yarn scraps, along with a glue stick, and see who can make the best barf bag puppet!
• Post-it notes. We travel with a pencil pouch filled with a variety of sizes of post-its, blunt nosed scissors (Yes, they're allowed), and twistables. You can make all sorts of things and stick them to the plane. Also, ask for an extra cup - use it as a pencil cup (jam it between the tray and the seat in front of you) to keep the twistables from rolling away.
• Now, I have an idea for your 4 year old. And maybe the olders, too. Take a gallon sized ziploc bag and fill it not very full with pretty tempra paint (we used blue sparkly paint). Seal securely. Lay it flat and put a piece of clear contact paper over both sides, sealing around the edges. Flatten the paint with your hands, then put it on a flat surface and you can draw on it, then smooth it down by wiping with your palm. I have very tactile seeking kids, which might be what makes this such a big hit. They draw pictures and practice letters and numbers and such. Then you just roll it up and stash it in your bag. Of course, now that I think about it, I wonder if the airport security people would confiscate it.

Now the winner from Random.org ...

...who is...

Thanks for entering everybody!