Travels with Children

Here in rural Minnesota, our communities are made up almost entirely of people whose heritage is from either Germany or Norway.  Blonde hair and blue eyes are common; languages other than English are not.

So how do we teach our kids about other cultures?  Museum visits are a great way to learn about other countries and their ways of life.

Currently in the Twin Cities, there are some great opportunities to teach kids about other cultures.

• The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is hosting an exhibit called INDIA: Public Spaces, Private Places.  This exhibit was also the basis for a recent Family Day at MIA.
• The Hmong at Heart exhibit at the Minnesota Children’s Museum gives visitors a look into the Hmong culture in Laos and in America.
• Urban Expedition programs at St. Paul’s Landmark Center explore the culture and traditions of countries such as Germany, Uganda, and Latvia.

Museum visits are an excellent way to introduce children to new cultures, as well as history, science, and art.  Giving children the opportunity to learn about other people in the enjoyable setting of a museum can spark them into wanting to learn more.

And how can they learn more, without traveling the world? Books and movies can be a good way.  I was recently made aware of a DVD series for children called Global Wonders, which teaches children about India, Mexico, and more.  I’ll be looking for them on our next trip to the library, where we can also find books, movies, and music reflecting any culture we’re interested in.

Do you live in a culturally diverse area?  How do you teach your children about other cultures?

For more ideas, see what other twitter moms have done.

My latest entry at Uptake.com is about one of our all-time favorite museums. I’ve written about it here before, but if you want to read a more general review of it, see Uptake Attractions.

Here’s this week’s edition of tips for traveling with kids and places that look interesting to visit. There are even a few cheap and free deals this time around!

• Are you a Bank of America cardholder? Less than a Shoestring has the lowdown on free museum admission this weekend.
• WeJustGotBack has details on a new whale exhibit at the National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C.
• Debbie from Delicious Baby wrote a guest post at Freebies 4 Mom on 10 Tips for Finding Travel Freebies.
• MV On the Spot spelled out some kid-friendly restaurants on Martha’s Vineyard.
• Mother of All Trips has some great photos from the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia.
• The Q Family Adventure had fun at a Pumpkin Patch Farm.
• The Bon Bon Gazette’s family went to the Popcorn Park zoo in Forked River, New Jersey.
• The Vacationer presented A Kid’s Guide to LA.
• You Must Be Trippin has some favorite corn mazes.
• Mommy Poppins has tips for getting around New York City with kids on the subway, and free times at NYC museums.
• Savvy Star Baby wrote about some ups and downs of a trip with toddlers.
• And finally, TravelBlogs discusses Why Travel with Kids is Worthwhile.

I hadn’t left the house since Monday except for one meeting and one preschool pickup, so with hubby still in the field working long hours, I asked his blessing to take the kids to St. Paul. On our agenda: three “boo” activities.

I had read about the ZooBoo event at St. Paul’s Como Zoo, and when researching it as an outing, I came across a post at minnmoms.com about Grand Avenue’s Boo Bash. At the bottom of the Grand Avenue brochure, Boo-ology at the Science Museum of Minnesota was mentioned. All three were come-in-costume, trick-or-treat activities, and the times actually looked workable: Boo Bash from 10-2, Boo-ology from 1-4, and ZooBoo from 4:30-7:30.

After supper last night, we scrambled for costumes so we’d be ready bright and early for the two-hour drive to St. Paul. The kids were up before our alarms went off, so apparently they were looking forward to the day. I had in the car a caped person of some sort, a red M&M (ironic since he’s allergic to peanuts and can’t eat M&M’s), a princess (likely Cinderella), and a cow (or calf, as her older brothers liked to specify). I was either a scarecrow or the cow’s farmer, depending on who looked at me. (Raiding hubby’s closet was a last-minute move, and it actually worked out pretty well.)

We got to the parking garage at Victoria and Grand just after 10:00 and headed to the Red Balloon Bookshop, where author Rick Chrustowski would be reading from his new book, Big Brown Bat, at 10:30. What a delight! He not only read from the book, but answered audience questions about his start in illustrating, why he writes children’s books, and how he does his drawings, but did a drawing of a bat on the spot and gave it away to one of the children. He was entertaining to watch and listen to, and it was a great start to our day.

Then we headed east down Grand Avenue, stopping in businesses that had trick-or-treating signs. Segments of the route were quite crowded, and I was glad we had decided to leave the stroller in the car. Not that keeping four kids corralled and remembering sidewalk courtesy was easy, but the stroller would definitely have complicated things. We ended up walking as far as Hamline Street before heading back on the other side. I don’t know exactly how far that is, but the round-trip took us 3 1/2 hours. At 60 degrees and sunny, it was a beautiful day for a walk.

Buckled into carseats and the go-ahead given to eat a few treats, we wound our way down Summit Avenue to the Science Museum, where there were several activities and treat stations in the entrance area. Inside the museum galleries, they weren’t handing out treats like they had last year at the Science Center of Iowa, but they had some good activities going on. The kids participated in a costume contest, and there was a very entertaining “Spooky but not Scary” magic show that garnered a lot of smiles and laughter from both the kids and adults in the audience.

At 4:00, we moved toward the parking lot for the trip to Como Zoo. We drove through the Como Parkand past the zoo, but instead of parking far away and walking to the zoo, we kept going toward the fairgrounds to the free park-and-ride lot. There we were met with a line of about 150 people waiting to board school buses. I quickly calculated the number of buses we had already met en route, the fact that it was just 4:30 and the crowd would continue to grow, and the price of admission, and broke the news to the kids that we were going to change our plans. I’ll brave a lot, but a big crowd of people, most in costume; four kids and one set of adult eyes and hands; and darkness not far off were enough for me to back out. Sure, I went to the state fair with the kids and we did fine, but that was in broad daylight.

I broke the news to the kids, and we were all disappointed, but we agreed that we’d already done two things today that were a lot of fun. The promise of supper in the immediate future helped to curb their disappointment.

By the time we got home, three of the four were asleep and ready to drop into bed. (I actually really enjoy it when that happens; it’s so sweet to carry them in the house half-asleep and tuck them right in.) I told my youngest, who was awake, “You were a good little cow today,” to which she replied, “Trick or treat!” A treat it was indeed to spend such a nice day, once again, with my little ones.

Did I make the right decision in not going to the zoo? Have you done any fun Halloween-before-Halloween activities with your kids?

Here’s this week’s list of places I’d love to go with my kids, and ideas for traveling with kids that I find useful:

• Looking for Halloween ideas?  Read about the Monster Splash Nighttime Halloween Bash at the Miami Seaquarium and the Ascarium at the Aquarium in Brooklyn at FlyAway Cafe.  Mommy Poppins knows about 15 FREE Halloween Events for Children in New York City.  CNN Travel has a list of spooky fun and games for the whole family.  For some family Halloween fun, see if your local zoo has a Boo at the Zoo program, like these reported by CBS.
• Thanksgiving?  See Frommer’s post on Thanksgiving at U.S. National Parks for some family-friendly ideas.
• These are right up my alley:  Twenty Ways to Soak Up the Season at Divine Caroline offers simple ideas for spending family time together, and Midwest Guest shows us the road less traveled.
• BackPack to Buggy has suggestions for five super low-budget, family destinations for fall.
• Michelle Tripp wrote about a Family Day at Bodega Bay.
• Fall ideas: Read about a mother & son trip to Highland Orchards at The Mother of All Trips, the fun some cousins had at a hayride at BagMomma, and Bizzie Mommy’s trip to a pumpkin festival in L.A.
• On the Go with Amy discusses Exposing Kids to Democracy in Washington, D.C.
• The Q Family Adventure headed to Six Flags over Georgia.
• Travels with Baby gives information on family stops in Long Beach, California, and Salem, Oregon.
• TravelMuse provides ideas for a Tampa and St. Pete Family Vacation, How to Pack for Road Trips with Infants, Top U.S. Aquariums, and a Sarasota Family Vacation.
• Families who need a break in New York City can head to the Bryant Park Reading Room, as reported by FamilyTravelLogue.  And if you’re planning to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, see TravelingMamas’ tips.
• Travels with Child wrote about a trip to the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia.
• Kid-Friendly Travel shares its picks for Downtown Chicago with Kids,  Day-Tripping Downtown Minneapolis, Washington, D.C.-Virginia area, Washington, D.C. with Kids, and  Kid-Friendly San Diego.
• Frommer’s recommended family-friendly travel locations in Rappahannock County, Virginia; describes fall fun at several United States children’s museums; and offers tips for traveling with toddlers by car.

As much as I’d like to, I can’t possible see every great place with my kids. But if I were going to try, I’d look at these sites:

• CNN Travel offers tips for Kid-Friendly Exploration in San Francisco
• On the Go with Amy has a list of 9 Things to Do with Kids in Philly.
• Because of weather concerns, Debbie at DeliciousBaby had to change her plans and spent a lot more time at Chicago’s Notebaert Nature Museum than we did.
• Take Me to the Zoo: Travel Savvy Mom describes some great zoos from around the world. The U.S. entry is the San Diego Wild Animal Park.
• WeJustGotBack.com describes the new day-pass program at Orlando’s Nickelodeon Family Suites for an alternative to a day at Disney.
• Rookiemoms.com offers tips for a week’s stay in Austin, TX, with little ones.
• Michelle Tripp writes about a great family stay at Gateway Canyons.
• Just Go! describes the Vatican Splendors exhibit at the Minnesota History Center.  This one we’ll probably get to see.
• Midwest Guest found a town that time forgot.
• Mommy Poppins recommends some toddler-friendly New York City-area apple orchards.  If you’re looking for orchards in Minnesota, see my post on orchard visits at Uptake.com.
• MomAdvice’s Amy Clark found a great pumpkin patch in Michigan.
• Traveling Mamas have some Recommended Family-Friendly Halloween Events in LA.
• Backpack to Buggy knows Five Budget Friendly Ways to Make Any Trip Feel Like a Vacation.
• Vicki at Where the FuhKaui? found some great back roads in Colorado.
• USA Today tells about America’s Prettiest Towns.
• I haven’t flown with my kids yet, but if I ever do, I’ll keep in mind AirfareWatchdog’s Top Tips for Flying with Tots.

Do you know of any other recent posts on family travel in the U.S.? Add them to the comments!

A three-and-a-half hour trip is stretching the bounds of a day trip for me, but when the opportunity arises, I try to take it.  (See #5 of my tips for outings with kids.)  A longer car trip is much more palatable on a sunny fall day, so I packed up the kids and we headed to southeastern Minnesota.

Historic Forestville is one of a handful of Minnesota Historical Sites that we hadn’t been to yet, and it had been on my to-visit list for quite a while.  We headed east from Austin, through Spring Valley, and followed signs to the Forestville-Mystery Cave State Park.  Following the signs to the park, we were met with a sign that declared “bridge out 3 miles ahead.”  I called the site and was told I was on the right road; the bridge is no longer in service for cars, but we were on the proper side for parking and would be able to walk across the bridge to Forestville.

Once at the site, we checked in at the modern building and headed to benches in the shade to await the start of our tour.  Tours were running every few minutes, whenever a group gathered.  Our guide gave us a brief history of the village of Forestville, and told us that when we entered the buildings, we would be stepping back into the year 1899.  We were then ushered into the Meighen (mee-en) Store, where the shopkeeper tried to sell us new boots since ours (sandals) all had holes in them, and asked if I had brought my shopping list, keeping in character while telling us of the wares in the store.  He left time for us to browse and ask questions before ushering us into the attached house of Thomas Meighen.  Here, a woman who was helping keep the house showed us the office and parlor of the house, and let the kids help clean the rugs with the fancy “new” Bissell carpet sweeper and play the organ while she pumped it.

From there, we moved into the kitchen, where fresh apple pie awaited us.  The cook was great with the kids, pointing out things about the kitchen that are different from modern homes.  Then we headed into the kitchen garden (which is different from the 3-acre winter garden) and were given a tour of the plants before going into the granary.  Here the kids shelled and cracked corn, and then went out back to feed the chickens.  We finished our tour in the barn, and the kids helped to mow the grass with the manual mower.

I had expected Forestville to be a larger village, thinking along the lines of Murphy’s Landing, so I was surprised that there were only a few buildings to tour.  That didn’t matter, however, because the staff gave such an interesting tour, tailored to the interests and attention spans of my young children.

Historic Forestville has special events throughout the year, including an annual Fourth of July celebration, that would be interesting to attend, but the quiet fall tour was just right for us.

If you go to Historic Forestville, please be aware of these things:  In addition to the admission fee, a Minnesota State Park permit is required, and can be purchased on the way into the park.  Modern restrooms are located in the gift shop.  Strollers would be best left in the car, as there isn’t room to navigate them through the buildings.

Do you have a favorite historic site or restored village?

The following post was authored by Jonah Lisa of The Toby Show.

• 444 West 100 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101
• For more information call 801-456-KIDS or visit www.discoverygateway.org
• Monday & Friday 10am-9pm, Tues-Thurs 10am-6pm, Saturday 10am-6pm & Sunday noon-6pm.  call ahead for holiday hours.
• General admission is $8.50.  Members and children under 1 are FREE, with discounts for pre-registered groups.  Get parking validation before you leave or you’ll be paying a few more bucks for that as well.
• Totally stroller accessible, though that kind of defeats the pupose of this interactive, child centered space.

My toddler and I visited Discovery Gateway as a stop over in the middle of a long road trip.  We didn’t visit the whole Utah Children’s Museum, which is geared to older kids (with science, art, natural history and interactive exhibits) but the Discovery Gateway section of the facility was the perfect stop for a busy toddler who’d been cooped up in th car.

It’s broken up into several interactive play zones:  the bee hive, the construction zone, the pretend village and a climbing wall, water play area and a baby/toddler only duck pond area.

You enter through the bee hive, which is a huge ball play area.  You know those fabulous tubes at the bank drive through that fascinated you as a child as they sucked the little case from beside your car to the inside of the bank?  Well those snake throughout the bee hive.  There are little sliding doors that you can open, insert a ball, and then watch as it gets sucked up and carried over your head, throughout the clear tubing system and then out somewhere else.  Lots of fun things to do with balls here.  I could barely pry Huck away to visit the rest of the place.  The bee hive would really have been enough for him.

The construction zone is just that–an area with lifts, cranes, shoots and giant soft blocks for moving, building and demolishing.  The zone is set up on two tiers so that kids have to work together to get anything done.  One kid operates the crane up top, but needs someone else down below to load the blocks into the sling.

The pretend village is called Kid’s Eye View and it was my favorite activity zone.  There’s a house with a kitchen, furniture and dolls.  There’s also a gas station, many different types of vehicles, a totally cute and well-stocked grocery store (that I was dying to play in but Huck wanted nothing to do with) and a farm.  Huck was totally enamored of the farm.  He picked a few vegetables but spent most of his time tending to the chickens and collecting eggs.

There’s also a post office, mail bags, mail carts and mail and all the different areas of the village have their own mailbox.  Fire Fighter costumes are hung on the wall near the post office, just in case an emergency arises.

The climbing wall is great for older kids but Huck found it a little daunting.  He tried it once but then it was straight back to the chicken coop.  There’s also a nice water play area with 2 good clean up stations that include soap dispensers and hand blow dryers.

The Baby/toddler duck pond is for 2 and unders and has a little gate so if little ones get a bit too overwhelmed they can get away from the big kids in the main play areas.  This area has some ride on toys, a slide and a treehouse to play in.  There’s also a little nursing and reading area for some quiet time.

The really great thing about Discovery Gateway is that it’s very open and has lots of seating for Moms and Dads.  I followed Huck around a lot because it was all new to us and I was having such fun watching him play, but you can actually just pick a nice spot and keep tabs on your kid as they navigate the whole area.  Lots of moms even had knitting with them.  Knit one, purl two, check on Timmy.  The one exception is the bee hive which is kind of separate.

If you’re planning a visit, be such to check the activity calendar on the website.  Discovery Gateway offers toddler storytime and an art project at a certain time on most weekdays–though NOT on the one day we were there.  Oh well.

This is a great place to take kids 8 and under.  They will be stimulated and worn out–every parents goal, right?

Through October 26, receive a free child’s admission to nearly 130 children’s museums in the United States.  See the list of participating museums at goCityKids.com, and see details and a link to the coupon as well.

Since children’s museums often charge the same for toddlers and children as they do for adults, this can be a great opportunity to take your kids to a museum and save some money.  Have a lot of kids?  Take a grandparent or friend along to enjoy the fun.

While you’re at GoCityKids, check out their city guides for comprehensive listings of family-friendly activities in major metropolitan areas, and their Steals & Deals section for savings at attractions, shopping, and online stores.

It took all day, but my first Youtube upload is finally complete.  Now you can see some video clips of the Farmall Promenade.  I apologize for the mediocre quality of the picture; my little digital camera did the best it could.  Enjoy!