Rain Rain Go Away?

It's pouring where we are right now, and it just occurred to us that it would automatically seem like a downer for us to experience weather like this if we were on vacation. So far it hasn't happened to us with children (although it happened plenty enough before they arrived), but the thought of being trapped in a room with restless children when you had planned to let them expend all their energy outdoors is, to say the least, rather frightening.

Which is why you should always prepare for some downtime. Much has been said about preparing for the travel portion of the trip, and games and full travel kits for airplane and car travel abound. Those same items can work well if you're rained in, but what about other options?

Here are some suggestions for those times when inclement weather forces you to stay covered:

-Always check the weather where you're going, first of all. It's good to know what happens seasonally as well as what is expected for your actual stay.
-If your kids are young enough to like coloring, bring along a coloring book or two. Several websites for kids' TV shows such as Dora and Diego have coloring pages that you can print out and take along with you in a folder.
-Move around the hotel or resort. Being stuck indoors doesn't have to mean being stuck in a small room. You can walk leisurely through the lobby and public areas and make up some games as you go - remember, you're paying to enjoy the entire resort. I Spy can be a great game to play, or similar games like finding 10 things of a certain color.
-Watch some TV. We don't mean just throwing on The Cartoon Network or the same cable you get at home. Look for local channels. For older kids this can be an interesting way to learn more about current events and the culture of the country you're in, and we've found that younger ones enjoy watching cartoons even if they have never heard the language being spoken. (This tip isn't only useful for kids, by the way. Once in St. Martin we tuned one night to a French Caribbean soap opera. We couldn't understand a word being said but we were so struck by the hilarious melodrama that we ended up looking for it every night to try to figure out the actual storyline, and it was far more interesting than the usual CNN or ESPN.)
-Keep a pack of cards handy. Tweens and teens can always play a variety of games (and probably teach you a trick or two) but even toddlers can be entertained. Deal a hand and ask them to throw down all the cards with hearts in each hand, or build up their number skills by asking them to identify a certain number on the card in every "round". Use your imagination to make up a game your toddler will like based on what he is learning or already knows.
-Play a story game. Have someone start a story and have each person in the family add another sentence or sequence to the story. Toddlers and slightly older children will get a kick out of it, especially if you remember that there are no rules: don't tell Junior that "that can't happen" or "cars don't fly". Let them use their imaginations, and use yours too!
-Finally, if you're not facing a hurricane, lightning, or other potential danger, go out anyhow! A walk in the rain can be refreshing and unexpected for kids who would probably love it but are accustomed to be tucked indoors whenever the clouds open. Most luxury resorts will gladly lend an umbrella if one wasn't provided in the room, or you can be really brave and go without. Show your kids how the plants and trees look in the rain. Let them stop and watch puddles form, and feel the rain on their faces. It's a great way to loosen up and experience some of the free spirit you had when you were their age. Top it off with a nice warm bath back at the room, and room service lunch or dinner. We bet they'll sleep well, and so should you.

Plane Retro

Do you remember the View-Master? The binocular-resembling toy in which you could insert a reel and view all kinds of cool 3-D images? Maybe you haven't thought about one of these in years, but now that you've been reminded, honestly - wouldn't it make a great attention-grabber on a trip?

We think so, and we happened to come across them for sale on Flight 001, a cool website that sells all sorts of travel-related items. Most of their wares are for adults (at least we couldn't see our daughter donning the sleep mask since she never even naps). But we saw the View-Master and had happy memories of our own lo-tech childhood and realized hey, today's kid could get a kick out of this too. Of course, we're not suggesting that a GameBoy kid will be staring at this for hours, but younger children might be enthralled enough for a little while, if only because it's new. The online store also sells several reels to go with your View-Master, all of them focused on different destinations around the world.


View-Master, $8, reels sold separately for $5

And Later, We'll Hit the Louvre

Children's Museum of Taipei

We've begun taking D to children's museums in our hometown because they provide her with some great stimulation and provide us with something a tad more interesting than the playground. (At least, they're interesting the first five times you visit...)

Then, several months ago, we came across the website for the Association of Children's Museums. It hadn't occurred to us that there was such a thing - an organization to which many of the children's museums around the world belong. The boon for us has been that we've been able to find museums in several destinations we've been to, and many we're planning to get to. There's even a list of "emerging museums", worth a look since some of the museums on the list are already operating. With headquarters in Washington DC, the US is best represented, but there are member museums in 23 countries across the world, in locations such as Mexico City, Vienna and Amsterdam.

Many of these museums are well-managed with unique exhibits, often nature- or science-based, that can even teach you a thing or two. We've often managed to pick up some local trivia that gives us a new appreciation for the city we're in. With the opportunity for some serious hands-on play time, this part of the itinerary will be a hit. Which could give you some serious leverage for places you want to hit...

Peapod for the Wee Tot

Our iPods are filled with a wide variety of artists: Bob Marley, Tchaikovsky, the Black Eyed Peas, Coldplay, Billy Idol...

Then, of course, there are the Dora the Explorer hits.

We willingly filled up with all the tunes that D likes because, hey, she has her musical tastes too. But can we tell you how many times we've been home alone with the iPod on shuffle, reliving our teenage years, only to get a sudden blast of Dora singing "Celebration"? Talk about bursting your bubble.

Peapod Toys is coming out with the first mp3 player for infants and toddlers,which we can't wait to try out. Due out in May of this year, it will feature simple controls for toddlers and hold up to 2 hours of audio. The molded rubber construction will make it easy for toddlers or infants to grab and hold, and should also lend it some durability, although we haven't gotten our hands on one to know for sure. Included software will help you to manage the player's library on a PC, and also purchase and download music. As of today, the manufacturer hasn't responded to questions about retail pricing or iTunes compatibility (we're guessing a fat no to that one), so check their website for updates.



The only thing that makes this not so perfect for travel is that it uses a speaker instead of headphones. That, of course, is great for little ears - they'll be plugged up with headphones soon enough - but not so great for the ears of those around Junior on an airplane (or yours in the car, for that matter.) Still, once you reach your destination, your toddler should be pleased with his ability to perform his own dj duties.

www.peapodtoys.com

UPDATE: 2/20/2007

We just heard back from the president of Peapod, who says their mp3 player won't be shipping out for another 12 weeks, with a probable pricetag of about $99. The Peapod will be compatible with any music store with the exception of iTunes. Peapod also plans to have its own website for purchasing and downloading music, with a wide variety of music outside of the traditional children's genre (good call on that one). No word on where you'll find the Peapod yet, so check their website for updates.

Busy Bodies

Kudos to last Sunday's New York Times Travel Section, which hipped us to the website Madallie.com, a children's travel store.

While you can't really reinvent the wheel when it comes to keeping kids occupied on the road, the fun products at Madallie are unique in style. They've got stuffed animals that are so plush and comfy that we're thinking of buying one for ourselves, and their magnetic games - slides and ladders and checkers are a few - put old games in fun new packaging.

Our real faves, though, aren't the games and finger puppets that are in abundance. Instead, we like the pseudo-grownup stuff, like the colorful luggage tags and passport holders. The travel journals also look really cool: they're great for helping kids keep track of what they've seen, done and God forbid, learned on their trips to Peru and Vietnam. There's even some funky stationery for camp or trips, a great tool to introduce kids to the dying art of writing letters instead of emails. (What? You mean people used to write on paper and mail it?)

Now when we prepare for our next trip we can make one online stop for all that "keep busy" stuff. Because isn't there enough stuff to do before traveling already?