Me at Boulders Beach, a beach known for it’s odd shaped boulders (of course) and the thousands of penguins that inhabit it
As our own children transition from infants to kids to teens, we are becoming more and more interested in the teen perspective on travel. What are the best ways to prepare for a trip and what kinds of experiences are most memorable? A great example of a teen trip well taken is our friend Fiona’s recent adventure in South Africa. Fiona is 13 and, while she was traveling, she wrote a fabulous blog about her adventures. We enjoyed reading all about her trip so, when we caught up with her over the holidays, we asked her some questions about her trip, about how much she had prepared, and about what she learned and enjoyed most. Read more
We think about cultural and historical education when we’re on the road with kids. We remember to take our kids to art museums, historical landmarks, and famous icons. But what about music? Music differs all over the world, it’s everywhere, and it’s often free. It’s something that can be hard to find time for at home so take advantage of being on the road to expand your child’s vision of what music means.
Pictures of Earth from space are always impressive. We gain perspective, learn geology, see our own hometown in a new way, and maybe even pick up a little geography. On your next plane flight, why not spend more time looking out the window with your kids?
it fun and education for your kids. The coolest program is the Discovery Pack program, available at lots of National Parks (but not all). We used them at Denali National Park; They’re available at Grand Canyon, Saguaro, Wupatki, Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, Voyagers, Canyon Lands, Yellowstone etc . Inside there might be activity guides, books, plant, bird, or animal ID cards, magnifying glasses, binoculars, thermometers, water testing kits, clay for making footprint casts, a blank journal, water color pencils, pastels, pens, blank postcards to create your own. All to borrow for free in most parks (some ask for a small donation). Some parks offer ranger programs to teach you what to do with the pack. Other parks, for example Biscayne National Park, have packs for teachers with lesson plans and all curriculum materials for a group of students.
On longer trips, we usually make a pilgrimage to a locally-owned, independent bookstore to buy paperbacks. The books are a great souvenir and they also enrich the whole experience. We went a little crazy in Juneau at Hearthside Books: Pacific Northwest Legends, Facts about the Iditarod, an Alaskan adventure by local author Will Hobbs, a book of mammals and facts about them, and a beautiful story of a girl and a sled dog.Reading local books on the road is fun (and sometimes I read them too). It gives the kids motivation and context for what they’re visiting as well as motivation and context for what they’re reading.
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