Katie here. Today you’ll find me over at Simple Mom, talking about why you should let your kids get dirty. The following post was written by repurposing contributor Eren Hays San Pedro of This Vintage Chica.

When I was in college, I used to make “study boards” for my roommates and friends.  They were simple pieces of wood – painted and decorated specifically for the recipient.  They were padded on the backside with batting and fabric to make them more comfortable on your lap.  We used them for everything!  I have been thinking about making my boys a study board (aka lap desk) for years.

This summer our family is taking a road trip to Portland, Maine.

That’s three boys.

In the car.

Give or take a few hours for meals and the required oh so frequent bathroom breaks, it should take us somewhere around 14 hours.

One way.

As parents, we are always on the lookout for anything to make long car rides more pleasant.

My husband and I were brainstorming ideas for things to take when he said, “Man, I wish they each had little lap desks to use in the car.”

Our youngest is just learning to write his letters and one of our older boys is fascinated with drawing cartoons right now. So a lap desk for each child would be a a great thing to have on the trip. While my husband went online to look for lap desks to purchase, I went to the hardware store for supplies to make them, like I used to do in college.

Here’s an easy way to make personalized lap desks for your little travelers.

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