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Set Your Course For Family Adventure, Power Parent StylePick a family adventure, and see your children bloom. Go to the beach, a zoo, camping, to a museum, an amusement park, pick up a sport, see a play or a baseball game, go letterboxing - and pump up your family life. Every time we go somewhere and experience something new as a family, we grow closer together. There is something especially magical about revisiting favorite childhood haunts with your own kids.
There's no replacing the zoo as an anchor in my memory of childhood. For me, that is the Bronx Zoo. Our family of 7 had a membership and we went all the time (I'm sure they lost money on us!). Walking around together, seeing all of the animals, watching my baby brother spit up on my father's hair near the Elephants, and the Skyfari were all highlights. Now we try to hit zoos whenever we go somewhere new. They are always fun, inexpensive adventures. You can also take advantage of reciprocal admissions at participating zoos around the country if you become a member of your local zoo. Zoos are open year round and it is interesting to see the changes in the animal behavior and scenery seasonally. A tremendous safari family adventure awaits!
We love to go to Children's Museums. It is hard to pinpoint the best destination for family adventure, because they are all different and special in their own ways. Try them in New York, Boston, San Diego, Orlando, and most other cities. Science Museums are awesome. They are filled with experiments and action packed exhibits. We love the Carnegie Science Museum in Pittsburgh, PA, the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum in Washington DC, the Baltimore Aquarium, Wonderworks in Orlando, the California Science Center in LA and the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Who doesn't like Dinosaurs? They are the main attraction of Natural History Museums, but lead to many other interesting discoveries. We love the Peabody Museum in New Haven, CT, The American Museum of Natural History in New York, The Museum of Natural History in Los Angeles (site of Night at the Museum movie) and the La Brea Tar Pits also in Los Angeles. Children are also natural art lovers. I recommend trying art museums about two hours before closing when they are less crowded and you won't feel obliged to hush your children incessantly. Point out colors, shapes, feelings and details in the pieces you love. Ask them what they like. You'll be surprised at the observations they make!
My middle son, four at the time, declared that our one night camping at a $25 a night campground in Malibu was the best night of his whole life. Need I say more? Give it a try - and borrow gear the first time you go. If you love it, invest in a great family dome tent, sleeping bags, a lantern and a camp stove.
It's not that I don't love you (cause, I do, or I wouldn't be doing this), but I'm not willing to part with the location of our favorite family beach. It is too good of a secret to share! We like that it is family friendly, not commercial, and not too crowded. Places like that get discovered and ruined. You owe it to yourself to get to a beach - ocean, lake, river, you name it, and spend a glorious day. I was always a pool girl, until I had kids. Now nothing beats the experience. Kids can dig in the sand, collect shells and rocks, find spectacular wildlife, run until they get silly, build sand castles, learn to swim, boogie board, jump waves, get frozen ices, play frisbee, surf, fly a kite and be perfectly content for hours at a time. Our favorite time to visit the beach is on warm days in the winter. The beaches are normally empty, but 90% of the fun remains. What are you waiting for? Head to the beach right now!
There are a ton of ways to try out sports adventures. See a professional game - there are many affordable, kid-friendly amateur or semi-pro teams close to mid-sized cities that make an excellent outing. Go early and watch the players practice or get a tour of the stadium. Sign up for a sports team or league. Go to open gym or open swim night at your local YMCA. Go to a park or out in the yard and throw or kick a ball around. Take a yoga class or learn from a yoga DVD for children, together. My two year old learned yoga at his Montessouri preschool and taught the rest of us. Now he walks around in prayer pose saying, "Namaste, mama". Yoga has definitely helped him be calmer and more flexible.
What is letterboxing, you ask? Well, it is a bit of a craze that started in the UK and has now spread across North America. It is like a giant game of hide and seek, where people place water tight boxes with stamps, ink and a visitor notebook in a secret hiding place, and leave clues for finding the box on the internet. When someone finds the box, they stamp their own journal with the stamp from the box, and leave their family stamp in the box's notebook, reassemble and replace the box in its hiding place. What a great family adventure! Check out Letterboxing North America for more information about boxes hidden in your area.
Your Next Family Adventure Awaits, at Top Ten Tips
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