How to Playground Prep Your Car

Is your car playground prepped? Valerie keeps a splash pad/playground kit in her truck at all times in the summer! She says that her kids love having the extra gear to play with, and she likes not having to pack and unpack the car all the time.

Here is what the back of her truck is always loaded with; 

• a bin filled with beach toys like buckets, shovels, and water guns
• kites for all three kids
• scooters, helmets and pads (some parks have great skateparks)
• a shade tent and quilt to sit on
• a book bag (for anyone who wants downtime at the park or for the long drives between parks on some days)
• sunscreen, towels, and bug spray
• picnic lunch and snacks (packed and replenished daily)

For a busy mom of three who is always getting the kids out of the house, it is a lot easier to keep everything packed up in the truck than to load and unload it every day. But what if you don't have a truck with all of that storage space? 

Here are her tips to keep your car organised and playground prepped; 

1. use a big bin to store toys and buckets in (especially if you go to beaches or that sand can get everywhere!) and that way you can also easily load and unload all of the toys from the car at once on the days you know that you won't be using them
2. pack extras so your kids can share with new friends they make at the park (or in case something breaks) 
3. find great deals on buckets, shovels and small water pumps or water guns (that are great for sandy beaches but also splash pads!) at a local dollar store
4. if you're staying out all day bring other things to do like kites, chalk, bubbles, or a bag of books
5. do NOT store your sunscreen and bug spray in the car (the sunscreen can 'cook' and will not be as effective as the protective properties will be weakened, and definitely do NOT store aerosols as they can explode if it gets too hot) 
6. do NOT store water bottles in the car (the heat and plastic do not go well together) so you'll need to pack water each time you go out
7. keep one bag at the backdoor to easily toss in your picnic lunch when heading out to the car (along with the other things you don't want to store in the car like sunscreen, bug spray, and electronics)

Do you have a playground prepped car?
What other things do you keep in your car for spontaneous park trips?