-
Quick Stop in Santa Cruz
After hiking at Big Basin Saturday, we needed to find another less winding route home since my son had gotten sick that morning. Looking at the map we realized it would only add about 25 minutes to our whole trip if we stopped in Santa Cruz. So we headed to the wharf, completely unprepared for beach time, and let the kids play in the sand for 2 hours.
We picked up food at Las Palmas Taco Bar, ate at Depot Park, and then grabbed shakes for the road at Foster’s Freeze.
It wasn’t enough of a visit to get to know the place, but we had a very nice afternoon and will look forward to spending more time here!
Being fully dressed plus all muddy from hiking, didn’t dampen the beach experience at all! 
Santa Cruz’s beach boardwalk has a couple big roller coasters and lots of fair attractions. 
There was a surfing competition going on, you can see all the little heads bobbing in the distance. -
40 Children’s Books to Inspire a Love of Travel
To me a good book to inspire wanderlust or spark a love of travel should either paint pictures of far off places, fascinating cultures, or simply plant the seed that the world is a huge place and we can travel it with our imagination as well as our feet.
My age ranges are approximate, based on when I think my own children will be ready for them. On the older end of the spectrum the child will be ready to read some themselves, but they all make wonderful read-aloud books.
Ages 0- 2
10 Little Fingers and 10 Little Toes, This is a cute rhyming book that talks about the differences between children around the world, but they always have something in common.
Global Babies, Pictures of cute babies from various cultures around the world introduce baby to the simple concept that no matter what they look like or where they live, all babies are beautiful and loved.
Penguin on Vacation, There’s plenty of fun things for Penguin in the tropics, once he finds a friend! and there’s lots of fun for Crab on his trip to Antartica.
Pio Peep! Traditional Spanish Nursery Rhymes, This bilingual book features beautiful rhymes in English and Spanish. Even if you’re not up to reading the Spanish parts, the book is still filled with beautiful pictures that will have you and your children dreaming of Latin America.
I Love You as Big as the World, With scenes of mountains, oceans, and forests this cute rhyming book introduces the concept that the world is big, and so is a parent’s love for their child.
Ages 2-5
Absolutely Not, My children love this book about two little bugs who set out on a walk. Their world is full of dangers, both real and imagined, but ultimately conquering their fears is so worth it to glimpse the beauty of nature.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, This super fun read ends with the classic line, “Some days are like that. Even in Australia.” This single line is so important to remember for all us dreamers, that the grass isn’t necessarily greener on the other side and we need to work to find happiness where we are.
A Baby Sister for Frances, In this age range this is the only book I’ve included that talks about running away, but Frances doesn’t get very far and the message that your family loves you and will be waiting for you when you return is a good one for little travelers.
Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile, I am a huge fan of Tomie de Paola’s art and Bill and Pete are such a classic pair. I’m dreaming about the Nile just writing this!
Forget Me Not, This was my favorite as a child and my parents can still recite it by memory. While not a particularly encouraging depiction of the logistics of a day trip, it is a great travel story and touches on the value of visiting family. It’s unfortunately out of print and hard to find good copies, but it’s a wonderful book.
The Goodnight Gecko, This Hawaiian bedtime story of a baby gecko’s journey to embrace the night features beautiful drawings of life in Hawaii.
It’s a Big Big World Atlas, I wish they would come out with a new edition of this classic, but we love to show the children where we’ve lived, traveled, or dream about going. The images of animals and major exports help us tell stories about the places on the map.
Madeline, The classic adventures set in Paris will leave your children dreaming of the Eiffel Tower and the Seine.
Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, I like that this book addresses the pull of the wild and the fun of adventure, but also the joy of going home when your adventure is done. I hope my children will always know they have a safe place to come back to.
My Granny Went to Market, We actually have this book in Spanish and so I just make up the story on each page. It’s fairly self-explanatory and the pictures of each country are beautiful and include a lot of elements about each country’s culture. My only complain about this book is that Granny took a very inefficient route around the world. (Turkey to Thailand to Mexico to China?!? WHY?)
Oh the Places You’ll Go, This list could not be legit without including this classic. This book shows up at baby showers and college graduations alike precisely because it has the wonderful message that the world is your oyster.
Paddington Bear, This lovable bear gets used to life in London!
SkippyJon Jones, Another one that is super fun to read, this little cat imagines himself a masked hero battling banditos in Old Mexico. It’s especially fun for the accents you can read it is.
The Story about Ping, This little duck’s adventure on the Yangtze River one night paints an excited picture of the hustle and bustle of fishing boats in China.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit, This classic rascal’s adventures are quite close to home, but far for a little bunny. All children love Peter Rabbit and the scrapes he gets into.
Tikki Tikki Tembo, This Chinese folktale is so fun to read but will leave you out of breath and your children laughing!
Where the Wild Things Are, This was another one of my favorites when I was little, and I’m sad to say that it’s currently a little too scary for my kids. They like to listen to half of it and then stop. I like to think this book teaches the children the value of imagination and that even if you long to travel but are stuck in your room, you can still have wonderful adventures.
Where’s Waldo, Such a fun way to mix up story time and make it a little more interactive. The funny illustrations always spark a lot of conversation but my daughter can also sit and study this for quite a while independently. I bet she can’t wait to start her own worldwide backpacking trip!
Ages 5-7
Just so Stories, Although these written are by a British author, I always imagine the stories are being told in the jungles of India and Africa. Rudyard Kipling includes the words “just so” as his daughter was used to hearing them so she wouldn’t complain.
The Little Prince, This classic heart wrenching tale may delight your children but leave you crying. It’s definitely one to revisit throughout the years as the themes take on different meanings at various stages of life. At every stage it will make you long for adventure but cling to the love ones who mean home.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, I think every child should read this entire series but these are the two that I think most spark the imagination related to travel. Whether you dream of walking through your closet and finding yourself in a fantasy land or sailing your ship to the edge of the world, these books are wonderful for inspiring adventure.
Pippi Longstocking, Pippi will have any child yearning for adventure, whether it’s in the South Pacific ord the neighbor’s yard!
Ages 7-12
Anne of Green Gables, Anne never travelled particularly far from her home on Prince Edward Island, but the descriptions of that pretty place have me longing to visit! I’ll get there someday soon.
The Cricket in Times Square, This is a great story about having adventures but then just wanting to go home, and that’s ok.
D’Aulaires Book of Greek Myths, Oh how I loved this book as a child. I credit my early love of Greek mythology for my decision to study abroad in Greece. I don’t regret that one for a second and I can’t wait to take my children there.
From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, My favorite part of this book is how carefully the children had planned their escape to the museum. I sincerely hope my children never run away from home, but I also hope they make plans to when they are young. I still make plans to run away on a regular basis, they’re just slightly more complicated since I’m always dreaming that all 4 of us pick up and go somewhere exotic or tropical and start over as housecleaners or taxi drivers.
The Hobbit, This classic adventure story is full of goblins, elves, a dragon, and treasure, all good things in an adventure story. When we are traveling I often think of J.R.R. Tolkien’s famous line from the Fellowship of the Ring, “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door,” he used to say. “You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
The Lightning Thief, I read this recently as an adult to see what all the fuss was about and really enjoyed it. I love a classic retelling and the Greek gods and goddesses are so rich in drama and adventure that it’s easy to imagine them in the modern world created here. I’ve only read the first in the series and I’ll save the rest to read with the kids when they reach that age.
My Side of the Mountain, I was thinking about this great book this weekend while we were hiking, it definitely captures the imagination as you start asking yourself “Could I live here?” in the middle of the woods.
One Thousand and One Arabian Nights, There are dozens of variations on these classic Arabian stories but they all paint colorful images of the east and you can smell the spice in the air as you read them.
St. Clare’s Series, This one is much more targeted towards female readers, but they will have your kids dreaming of boarding school in the UK.
Swiss Family Robinson, Many of my childhood games and fantasies centered around shipwrecks and the struggle to survive and thrive on desert islands.
Treasure Island, With swashbuckling pirates on the high seas, it’s hard for any child not to get caught up in this classic. Depending on the child’s age and reading ability, this might be a better one to read aloud.
The Twenty-One Balloons, Whether this book leaves you dreaming of amazing hot air balloon rides, or beautiful tropical islands, or starting a whole new country, it’s sure to spark the imagination some how!
What did I leave out? I’m sure there are hundreds more!
*I have used Amazon Affiliate links throughout this post, so if you make a purchase using one of these links I will receive a commission.*
-
Hikes and Rambles: Big Basin Redwoods State Park
Saturday morning we woke up and decided we wanted to see waterfalls. Big Basin was only 1 hour 15 minutes away, but through such windy mountain roads that my son actually got sick. We paid $10 for the car and received trail advice from the ranger before setting off on the 4.5 mile loop that was the Sequoia Trail to the Skyline to the Sea Trail and then back to the parking lot. The ranger confirmed what I’d read online, that it is crucial to take a map on these trails since the signs can be confusing or missing.
From the parking lot to Sempervirens Falls is about 1.7 miles of gradually walking uphill. The path was muddy and we were parallel to a road for most of the time, but didn’t see any cars.
The falls themselves were roaring and clearly benefitted from all the rain we’ve had recently. There were some stairs down to a viewing platform and signs saying not to leave the platform since rehabilitation was going on.
From Sempervirens to Slippery Rock was only a short .1 mile hike and we got to see the sun at Slippery Rock since it was the only place on the hike not entire wooded. We sat in the sun and ate our picnic here, but we had to keep a close watch on the kids because the rock was named for a reason! We made the kids walk up the rock holding hands because we didn’t want to risk falling with them in the carriers. I had one minor wipeout, so I guess that was a good idea!
After Slippery Rock the 1.5 miles on the Sequoia trail was mostly flat or gently downhill through a fantastic, quiet, Sequoia forest. The trail was narrow with a steep drop off to one side, so the kids had to be in carriers or holding hands, but this was my favorite section of the trail. We saw one Sequoia that was so huge it dwarfed the other trees in diameter. The pictures really don’t capture this, but it was magnificent.
We also came across some wood where the bark had been stripped away and the bare wood had the most incredible red and green finish. The wood must have been sanded by the elements and it felt smooth as glass. Looking at the charred bark, I would guess the original bark was burned off leaving the wood exposed and allowing the wind and the rain to polish it. It was quite remarkable, but unfortunately someone had carved their name on it. I’m not sure what kind of person is motivated to go out into the woods and witness the wonders of nature and then still decides to carve their name on something like this. *end rant*
Once the Sequoia trail runs into the Skyline-to-the-Sea-Trail you have to turn left to get back to the ranger station. We turned right but fortunately Chris caught our mistake quickly and we were able to walk the 1.3 miles back to the ranger station.
This portion of the Skyline-to-the-Sea-Trail did not include any vistas but continued through the woods beside Opal Creek. The kids walked most of this section but there were a couple particularly muddy parts. Chris ended up falling in the mud with HJ in the carrier, but she wasn’t hurt at all and he just got really muddy. Neither of us were clean by the end of the hike!
Throughout the hike we passed several campgrounds with very nice spots. We’re definitely going to be camping here sometime soon and attempting the longer hike to Berry Creek Falls. I did notice that very few of the campsites seemed occupied, which makes me wonder whether people cancel their reservations on weekends when rain is expected.
Back at the parking lot they have a little museum with exhibits on the Redwoods, the weather in Big Basin, and the wildlife in the area. The kids were particularly impressed with the taxidermy owls and coyote. The museum is free with a donation box inside but no ranger monitoring the museum.
If you have a favorite trail in Big Basin, please leave it in the comments, I can’t wait to get back and explore more of this beautiful park!
-
10 Things to Expect from a Wedding in India
A few years ago Chris and I had the supreme honor of being invited to a friend’s wedding in India. The pictures I took are not great and they all look a little blurry, but it was an incredible experience and absolutely worth the long flight (while pregnant and super sick).
Weddings will differ significantly by region, and if a the couple is not Hindu it could be totally different, but from our own experience and talking to others, here are 10 things you can expect:
#1 Lots of colors
Make an effort to wear bright colors and Indian garb. Our hosts had clothing selected and waiting for us upon our arrival in India so we didn’t have to worry about this step. Since we didn’t have time to be fitted, I did not get to wear a traditional Sari but I was thrilled with the beautiful colors and patterns on the clothes I was provided. Traditional Indian clothing will help you feel more comfortable, but if you’re white (like us) don’t expect to blend in no matter what you wear!
#2 Lots of spices
Spices were incorporated in many parts of the actual ceremony and also were offerings at temples the night before and the morning of the wedding. As part of the ceremony spices can be (and probably will be) eaten, thrown on people, thrown away from people, offered to gods or alters, or smeared on faces.
The pujari preparing the spices for the ceremony while the children watch. #3 Many people
We attended two days worth of events and the first day had over 300 people. The main ceremony included over 1000 people!
The men just starting to sit down to dinner. #4 Lots of jewelry
The bride was bedecked with pounds of gold jewelry, from armfuls of bracelets to nose rings. The bride and groom even gave each other gold necklaces as part of the ceremony.
#5 Wonderful food and lots of it
The food doesn’t even wait for the reception either, food and tea were passed around during the actual ceremony at the wedding we attended! I was worried that there wouldn’t be anything mild enough for me to eat (I’m kind of a wimp when it comes to spice) but there were plenty of options at every spice level.
#6 Separation of men and women
The first day we attended was a parade through the streets. Typically the men would dance around the groom and his horse while the woman followed behind. At certain intervals the men would rest and the women would all dance together in the middle of the road. The morning of the ceremony itself the women paraded through the streets to a local temple where only women could enter.
Parts of the ceremony itself involved the women on one side of the room and the men on the other. During this part of the ceremony we all sat on rugs surrounding the bride and groom.
When dinner was served all the men ate first and then cleared out of the dinner area before the women ate. The bride and groom ate together after the men and then again after the women.
#7 Extreme hospitality
Having travelled so far, we were treated like kings and queens throughout the entire wedding. We received front row seats and had people bringing us food and drinks throughout the event. At one point I was looking for a place to put my bag down and the bride herself picked it up and found me a place for me.
In addition to the groom arranging for our clothes, the bride also arranged for a henna artist to paint my arms during one of the non-ceremonial parts of the wedding.
#8 Lots of dancing
The ceremonies the day before and the morning of the wedding both involved dancing in the streets. The day before the wedding we progressed (with the women and men taking turns dancing) from the groom’s home to a nearby temple for some pre-wedding rites. The highlight of this progression was the groom on his white horse and his friends and family dancing around him and waving money at him for luck.
#9 Sitting on the Floor
Chris and I were provided a special mat right next to the pujari for the ceremony the first night we were there. During the main ceremony the women and men were on opposite sides of the room and I shared my mat with several women and children. The ceremonies are very long but wiggling or stretching was common and expected so we were never uncomfortable.
#10 Being a bit of an attraction yourself
This one probably only applies if you are white or otherwise obviously distinguished from the rest of the guests, but we were a huge source of entertainment to the children. The bravest kids would come speak to us in the english they learned from school and the shiest would sit in front of us grinning but refusing to speak. They all giggled a lot when they saw us and some of them would dare to touch us and then run away shrieking with laughter.
Attending this wedding was such a wonderful once-in-a-lifetime experience, and it’s one I would love to repeat! I’m secretly hoping one of my children will marry an Indian so we can throw one of these amazing parties!
-
Hearst Castle (San Simeon)
William Randolf Hearst is known as the newspaper tycoon who was one of the founders of sensational journalism that was the early predecessor of modern “click bait” titles. Hearst built on his father’s mining fortune with newspapers, films, a tour in Congress, and his corporation is still alive and well today (holdings include just about any magazine you can find at the airport: Cosmopolitan, Popular Mechanics, Women’s Day, Town & Country Magazine, House Beautiful, etc.).
With all his wealth, Hearst took a remote piece of land in Central California and put a European-Renaissance inspired castle on it.
The Castle is now owned by the State of California and run by the Park Service who offer tours throughout the house and grounds. Tours of the Grand Rooms cost $25/adults and $12 for children 5-12.
The tour includes a movie which touches on Hearst’s inspiration for the castle as well as some insights into the parties he hosted. He was certainly well connected in his day, and hosted many stars and starlets including Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Cary Grant, Charlie Chaplin, the Marx Brothers, and Bob Hope.
The “Cottages” ranged from 2500-5500 square feet and mostly housed young bachelors, while the single women slept in the main house. The actual tour departs by bus from the visitor center and winds 5 miles up the mountain with commentary on the use of the grounds then and now. During the height of his fortune, Hearst kept the largest private zoo in the country including polar bears, a herd of zebra, and tigers. They told us that sometimes you can still see the ancestors of the zebra roaming the fields with the cattle.
The castle itself was modeled after an old European town where the cathedral would be in the center at the top of the hill with a square in front and the village surrounding. The grand house certainly looks like a cathedral and the cottages make up the village around the square. I was expecting the whole thing to be rather gaudy and derivative, but it was really lovely.
One of the highlights of the tour is supposed to be the outdoor Neptune pool, but it was unfortunately closed for renovations. Apparently the descendants of Hearst still have privileges and can swim in it after hours, so I am going to have to make a point to get invited to one of those parties! (I will also settle for a swim in the indoor pool, if any Hearst relations are reading this!)
The tour of the rooms was well done and informative, with several very interesting tidbits about the construction of the castle, quirks of the owner, and the parties hosted. Hearst filled his home with hundreds of antiques dating back to antiquity and my favorite story was that he obtained beautiful wooden panels for the ceiling in the sitting room and replicas were created to fill in the space as needed. Well 50 years later the originals are being cleaned as part of a preservation effort and as the dirt is removed they are found to be an entirely different color from the replicas. They have to finish the cleaning process because the dirt is beginning to affect the paint, but when they are finished they will no longer match the replica pieces, which will always appear dirty and smoky!
The 70 foot palms were transplanted to their current spots when they were only 20 feet tall. Now the view from the castle is supposed to be a phenomenal panorama of the ocean, but we couldn’t see beans through all the fog. The towering 70 foot palms that Hearst had transplanted here were very impressive, but we couldn’t see beyond them at all. If you are in the area for a couple days, it would be worth waiting for a sunny day to ensure you get the view, but it’s still a nice visit in the fog and I wouldn’t be opposed to going back, they have a couple different options for tours to try out.
-
Camping with Kids: Morro Bay
Before children camping involved a lot of sitting around the camp fire, hiking through the woods, and generally relaxing and communing with nature. Sure we never slept particularly well in a tent outdoors, but we went to bed earlier then usual and that made up for it.
After children camping involves a lot of chasing little people away from the camp fire, slowly creeping through the parking lot towards the hiking trail as they stop to pick up every rock and stick, and not relaxing at all until the kids are asleep for the night. Sleeping with children in a tent means constantly having to rearrange positions as the little kings and queens claim way more space then their small bodies deserve.
Or is that just my kids?
Sometimes this is the only way to make them move on a hike! The crazy thing is that I actually prefer camping now that we have kids. It’s chaotic and I am mostly always hopelessly underprepared, but the children receive so much joy from it that I can’t help but feel fulfilled (and proud of myself for making it happen).
This weekend we had the fun opportunity to go camping with family, including 4 of my cousins ages 5-11. My children hero worship their older cousins and had a ball running around and playing with them. I also got to see the light at the end of the tunnel as my Aunt and Uncle were far less frantic then we were and could trust their children to go to the bathroom on their own, stay out of the fire pit, and stay in their tent once tucked in for the night. They still had some child-specific challenges, but it definitely made me optimistic that camping trips will get easier with time.
Morro Bay had some great climbing trees. You can see a the bottom of a leg in the top of this pictures to see how high the big kids climbed! Morro Bay State Park is half way between SF and LA so is a great spot for meeting family or friends. If you are making plans, make sure not to get confused between Morro Bay (on the bay) and Morro Strand (on the beach). Morro Bay has 122 spots total and was pretty much full during our visit. As far as camp sites go, these seemed particularly close together and there were no hills or groves of trees to give any particular spots an advantage over the neighbors. Try to get out a spot on the back perimeter if you can, although you’ll need reservations early for that.
Right across from the camp ground is a small marina where you can rent kayaks or watch the boats. The small peninsula that separates the marina from the bay has a wooden boardwalk that makes for a pleasant walk and there is a natural history museum on a hill overlooking the marina. The museum costs $3 for adults and closes at 5, but you can get in free after 4:30. It was a fairly small museum but had some interesting exhibits such as taxidermy animals or hands-on weather demonstrations. They also have a little puppet stage with puppets for the kids and (of course) a gift shop.
From the back of the camp ground there is an “exercise trail” from which you can access several other hiking trails. We didn’t make it very far down the exercise trail, because it has stations where you are supposed to do certain exercises. The children took this very seriously and spent a lot of time at each station as well as their usual delay picking things up or playing in the dirt.
Again, sometimes the only way to make forward progress on a hike! Overall it was a nice campground (although I prefer ones with fewer spots and fewer RVs) and I’m sure we’ll be back. The location is really spectacular and we would like to spent some time at the beach when it is warmer (as well as actually progress through an entire hiking trail.) The drive back on Sunday was very beautiful, and there are a couple stops we could plan for next time.
Where should we go camping next?
-
Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery
This weekend we camped at Morro Bay, visited Hearst Castle, and decided at the last minute to take a short detour to see the elephant seal cubs in San Simeon right off highway 1. From Hearst Castle it was only 4.5 miles down the road to a large parking lot and observation deck overlooking the beach.
The seals were certainly not hiding and we got a good view of scores of them as well as some information about their life cycle and pictures of newborn pups from a park ranger who was manning the deck. Almost all the seals we saw this visit were pups with a few mothers sprinkled through the herd, as the adults leave in March to spend months at sea hunting. Friends of the Elephant Seal lists what you can expect to see each month of the year and I think I’ll be coming back next January to try to see some actual births.
If you’re traveling down highway 1, I would definitely recommend a stop here and you can stay as little as 5 minutes and still witness some remarkable animals. We saw very little activity since everyone was sleeping, but I did see one particularly impressive yawn!
-
Hikes and Rambles: Pearson-Arastradero Preserve (Palo Alto)
We are always on the look out for close, easy walking trails that I can walk with the kids during the week. The Pearson-Arastradero Preserve has over 10 miles of trails, but we just walked .4 of them up to the Arastradero Lake and then back. The trail we covered was a mixed use trail allowing horses, bikes, and hikers. It was a fairly wide packed dirt trail that was perfect for the kids to run along.
When you first find parking you will follow a short trail down to the road. The crossing made me a little nervous with the kids, but we just had to move quickly. Traffic wasn’t bad so that helped a lot.
For the first part of the walk we could see some nice private homes looking down on us. I’d be really interested to hear how much those places go for.
The lake itself was on the small side but nicely situated in the hills so you didn’t hear the surrounding roads. There were several species of duck floating peacefully on the pond, and there were two 200 ft trail options to take around the lake. The lower one hugged the lake closely before disappearing into mud and the higher one sloped pretty dramatically at first, and we didn’t follow it to see where it went.
I’m sure we’ll be back to explore more of the available trails, but we’ll probably make this short little trip on a regular basis. With the path by the parking lot and the 200 ft lake trail, I would peg our trip at a mile exactly. For a Mom traveling with two kids, this is a pretty perfect distance and it’s hard to find something this length with such a pretty lake as the destination.
Pearson-Arastradero Preserve
1530 Arastradero Road
Palo Alto, CA 94304
650-329-2423 (Foothills Park) -
Upcoming Cultural Celebrations in Silicon Valley
In yesterday’s post I wrote about ways to help encourage our children to be great travelers, even when we aren’t traveling ourselves. The one on the list that I’ve been least committed to was attending local cultural celebrations and I set myself the goal of making a list and marking my calendar for some upcoming events over the upcoming months.
I’m going to plan on updating this list every couple months to keep visibility of the next 4 months or so, be sure to let me know if there’s a great event I left off! I may need to make a separate list of events happening in San Francisco, because I’m sure there are a lot.
SplashoMania 2017 Bollywood Rain Dance Holi Event, Sunnyvale, April 1
Celebrating the Hindu “Festival of Colors” this event features a colorful rain dance set to a DJ playing the best in Bollywood music. They also have a “kid zone” where the little ones can play and color each other. Food stalls selling Indian food will be set up. Tickets are $25/person but there are discounts available for groups of 6+ or for purchasing tickets early. Kids under 3 are free.
I’m going to have to mark this one for next year, since we already have plans that weekend.
Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival, April 29-30
This Japanese cultural festival celebrates the cherry blossoms and Cupertino’s sister city Toyokawa, Japan. There is Japanese food, entertainment, and exhibitions. As far as I can tell it is free admission.
San Jose Greek Festival, June 2-4
It looks like the admission last year was $5 but you could print off a pass for free admission from their Facebook page. Greek food, music, and dancing, sounds like a party to me so I’ve added it to my calendar!
Dia de Portugal Festival, San Jose, June 10
This festival honors Portuguese heritage and features traditional dance and music, a children’s carnival, a traditional parade, as well as food stalls. This event is free.
El Dia de San Juan Salsa Festival, San Jose, June 17
The festival celebrates the people of Puerto Rico and includes food, music, and dancing as well as kid friendly entertainment. Tickets are $25 at the door, but can be bought for $15 until March 31st and $20 until June 16th.
Tahiti Fete, San Jose, July 1-3
This is a dance competition for traditional Tahitian dance. The dancers wear elaborate traditional costumes, traditional food stalls are set up, and cultural dancing workshops are set up for guests. Tickets will go on sale in April, and the website doesn’t say how much they will be but they were $22/adult and $17 for children under 13 in 2015.
I think this one sounds particularly awesome, although maybe a little pricy, but this year we will be out of town.
San Jose Betsuin Obon Festival, San Jose, July 8-9
This Buddhist celebration includes traditional Odori line dancing, drum performances, traditional Japanese food, presentations, and performances. The festival is free but I’m sure we would be dropping some money on yummy gyoza dumplings!
I’ve marked my calendar for this one!
-
5 Ways to Raise Great Travelers, without leaving home!
This is something I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about. Of course, actually traveling with your children is the best way to raise little travelers, but money and vacation days are scarce, and we want to make sure we are properly preparing them for both the trips we take as a family and the travel they will do as adults.
If we start by defining the goal, a great traveler (at any age) is:
- Kind and Respectful
- Adaptable
- Curious and Inquisitive
- Adventurous
So, what can we be doing the other 51 weeks per year to raise kind, respectful, adaptable, curious, inquisitive, and adventurous little people? Keep in mind that my children are 2 and 3.5 and some of these I’m doing and some of these are goals. I don’t claim that my children are the best travelers right now, but I truly hope they will grow up to be!
#1 Read about the world
The importance of reading to inspire wanderlust cannot be overstated. Reading broadens the mind and sparks the imagination, and you need both those things to be a great traveler. Reading also exposes children to those who are different from them, in a way that teaches them differences can be wonderful. I will do another post on some great books to inspire wanderlust, but a couple of my favorites right now are:
0-2 years old
10 Little Fingers and 10 Little Toes, This is a cute rhyming book that talks about the difference of children around the world, but they always have something in common.
Global Babies, This is a beautiful picture book with a short rhyming message that no matter where they live or what they look like, all babies are loved.
2-5 years old
Madeline, This is a classic story of a French girl living in a boarding school who has wonderful adventures.
Tikki Tikki Tembo, This is a fun Chinese story that will leave you out of breath after reading it to your children!
#2 Teach them how to read maps
We have “It’s a BIG BIG World Atlas” and my children just love to look at it. We’ll point out where all their family lives, where Mommy and Daddy have traveled, where they travelled when they were in Mommy’s belly, etc. It’s a wonderful way to talk about the world, the different people in it, and distances. The super size makes it silly and fun for the kids.
Whenever we’re out and about and see a map I like to point things out to the children. Even if it’s just showing the 3 mile loop we are about to walk I’ll explain it to the kids and then recap when we return (“We walked this whole way! Remember when we passed this little lake?”)
#3 Travel around the world, with food!
Food is so central and critical to cultures all around the world, and appreciating local cuisine is a huge part of traveling. Fortunately this is one of the easiest and most fun things to introduce to your children! We are fortunate to live in an area with a lot of cultural variety and that means there are many ethnic restaurants nearby and lots of opportunities to shop at ethnic markets. Ethiopian is my favorite right now!
A good number of people may read this and laugh because their children are such picky eaters, and I don’t really have an answer for that. I do think we should just keep trying though, one day my daughter will tell me she can’t eat anything but macaroni and cheese but the next day she might be sampling the candied ginger at a sushi restaurant. We just try to set a good example and keep presenting different options.
If you’re on a strict budget (like me) and need to do most/all your eating at home, try out some exciting new recipes! Remember to have a conversation with the kids about where the recipe comes up, maybe even look it up on the map or involve them in the cooking.
#4 Local festivals and cultural celebrations
This is not one I’ve committed to as much as the others, but as part of writing this post I have set myself a goal of researching the festivals in my area and marking my calendar for the whole year. I love a good international party or cultural celebration and I’m definitely going to be searching for a good Greek festival! Festivals can be an especially good way to expose children to other cultures because they are always so fun and happy, which will make sure your child’s earliest impressions are good ones.
This was the 4th of July, but you get the idea. I’m going to seek out a cultural celebration and replace this picture soon! #5 Encourage language
This is a big one for me. My kids have been learning Spanish since my daughter was 4 months old (first from our nanny and now from a 3-morning a week Spanish immersion preschool). They’ve also been learning Mandarin (first from a Mandarin immersion preschool in NC, and now just once a week at the Los Altos public library’s Mandarin story time). My dream is to build up an unshakeable Spanish foundation by Kindergarten and then send them to a Mandarin immersion elementary school, and continue with Spanish education after school and on weekends.
At their ages they can soak everything up like little sponges and I firmly believe it is building a strong foundation for language acquisition that will be critical for their future travels, and open doors I cannot access as a monolanguage speaker. Not only are they learning the language, but they are learning from people with different cultural backgrounds, and I truly hope they are coming to appreciate the rich world we live in.
But you do not have to go the route I’m going! In the early years language can be introduced in a variety of ways, even if you aren’t lucky enough to have multiple languages spoken in your home!
- A babysitter or caregiver who speaks another language
- Swap babycare with a local international family; you watch their kids in English, they watch yours in Swahili (or whatever).
- Immersion preschools or summer camps
- Library story times (I’ve seen Mandarin, Spanish, French, German, and Russian. You might be surprised what is available in your area!)
- Organic exposure visiting Chinese markets, Mexican markets, the laundromat, ethnic churches, etc.
- Foreign language podcasts (Check out Internationaltales.com on iTunes for some free options in several languages)
- Computer and phone games (We have Duolingo, Gus on the go: Mandarin, and Gus on the go: Spanish, but are always looking for new options if you have any suggestions!)
- TV (I try to minimize this one, but my go-to is purchasing Disney movies on iTunes and then toggling them to Spanish. )
Our beloved nanny reading to HJ in Spanish. 
My daughter on her first day of Chinese school. Am I missing anything? Please comment with anything else I should be doing!
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. I just signed up today so this is my first time trying it out, the books I reference above are linked to Amazon.
Magnets From Everywhere
Dreaming, planning, inspiring family travel. Starting here, starting now.
Magnets From Everywhere 