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Tip Tuesday: Taking kids out of school to travel
Every week, we speak with experienced family travelers to discover tips and tricks. Question for this week: Would you take kids out of school to travel? If so, how do you get the teacher’s permission? We talk with two travel bloggers who have older children. Read over their thoughtful responses (and read more on their sites) — then share your opinion! *** Answers: Our family’s solution to this challenge comes from presenting the travel experience as an educational opportunity. First, I provide the teacher with advanced written notice, as early as possible – this gesture is always appreciated, particularly if there is a major project due during our absence. (If there is, we…
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Families Travel! Geocaching with kids
Geocaching may be the perfect Cascadia sport. It’s a puzzle (appealing to our inner geek), it’s an outdoor excursion (appealing to our inner jock), it’s a social trading game (yes, even cheerleaders can play). Geocachers hide containers with tradeable trinkets – pick one and keep it, and leave your trade inside. Cache stashes could offer small plastic toys, movie tickets, foreign money or stickers. Note your visit in the logbook with a stamp or signature, also kept in the container. Caches can be tucked away anywhere: city park, campground stream, old-growth tree or a mountain peak. How do you find these containers? With your Global Positioning System (GPS) device or cellphone, after retrieving instructions from a geocaching website (the most…
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Transportation Deals
Check out these travel deals and promotions from regional train and ferry operators. BC Ferries: Vacation Packages and Mid-Week CoastSaver Summer Rates Clipper Vacations:Â Promotions (Victoria, San Juan Islands, Seattle) Amtrak Cascades:Â Special offers (BC, Washington, Oregon, includes family deals like kids ride at 50% off) Black Ball Ferry Line:Â Online travel specials (Victoria, San Juan Islands, Port Angeles) Want to suggest a page? E-mail me at lora AT cascadiakids.com
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Maifest! May family festivals and events
Mayday! What are you doing this month? Plan your weekend getaway after looking over these family-friendly options. May 2010 May weekends. Celebrate the 30th anniversary of Mt. St. Helens blowing her top in Washington State. May 2. Kodomo no Hi (Children’s Day). Portland, Oregon. In Portland’s stunning Japanese Garden, kids are more than welcome – they’re celebrated! Try a kids’ teatime, create paper koi kites and enjoy the deep thump of taiko drums. May 7-9. Maifest. Leavenworth, Washington. A “Lookin’ Good in Lederhosen†contest, maipole dances, children’s activities and Bavarian-style parade. Oh, and some beer. For you, not the kids. May 8-9. Mother’s Day Weekend at the Aquarium. Vancouver, BC. Free mother’s…
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Cannon Beach Guide: Family-friendly picks
Oh, the Oregon Coast — golden beaches, great food, and thriving coastal communities full of art galleries and cool toystores and bookstores. Enjoy a misty morning tidepooling adventure with a hot coffee in hand. Or recline in a beach chair with a new book — while the kids create turreted castles from crystals of warm sand. Your choice. One of my favorite destinations along the Oregon Coast is Cannon Beach, only about an hour west of Portland. Cannon Beach’s Haystack Rock offers probably one of the most-photographed scenes in Oregon: Sundown, when the skies turn impossible shades of pink and purple, and the sun sinks behind the basalt monolith. Keep…