Reviews for Travel & Experiential
First of all, we love the entrepreneurial success story behind this product. Louise Stall, the inventor of CARES — Kids Fly Safe airline safety harness, is a grandmother of 9 who was inspired to make airplane travel safer for her own grandchildren and for all young children. As she watched her own kids struggle to fly with her small grandchildren, Louise recognized a problem that most of us have encountered. Normal airline seat belts are not safe for toddlers and preschoolers, and it’s nearly impossible to lug a car seat onto the plane along with carry-ons and children themselves. Sketches and work to file for a patent eventually led to a partnership with AmSafe who also manufactures most of the airline seat belts found on today’s flights. After 4 years of developing and testing the prototypes for safety, the FAA certified the CARES system as the first and only alternative to car seats allowed on planes. The best thing about the CARES system, aside from peace of mind, is that it weighs just one pound. It’s packaged in a small nylon travel pouch with an instructional dvd and a safety card similar to the one found on airplanes. It can fit easily in a carry-on bag or can even be carried by your grandchild. When installed, the restraint system itself looks similar to a 5-point harness system used in an infant or toddler/convertible car seat. It should be noted that installation varies slightly depending on the type of airline seats and tray tables on the plane (and this is clearly diagrammed on the instructional safety card). On seats with a “non-recessed” tray table the CARES is installed under the tray table of the person behind you (allowing that person to use the tray table). Thus the CARES can be used throughout the entire flight. On seats where the with a “recessed” tray table, the CARES is installed over the tray table, thus it can only be used during taxi, takeoff and landing. Cares is designed for children age 1 and older who weigh between 22 and 44 pounds. Louise and her family-run business suggest that airlines should be required to carry and offer the CARES restraint to any child flying with them who fits that profile — and that sounds good to us. In the meantime, if you have grandchildren who fall in that range consider presenting them (and their parents!) with this gift of safety and convenience, invented and brought to market by a concerned and industrious grandparent — bravo!
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Are we there yet? When it comes to a family road trip, this is surely the most frequently asked question. Eeboo’s Travel Bingo game offers one solution (and while it may not resolve the problem for the entire trip it will surely help out). This beloved and easy-to-learn game has been transformed to be played in the car. Four easy-to-hold square pads (pencils included) display drawings of things that are commonly spotted while driving, such as: stop signs, bridges, dogs, motorcycles, flags, stoplights and gas pumps. Just like traditional bingo, your grandchild (and whoever else is playing) mark the item/spot when they see it and the first one to complete a row and yell, “Bingo!” wins. It’s great for all ages, although younger children may want to team up with someone since it’s harder for them to spot things as quickly. The game comes in a nicely-designed box and was awarded the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award. Eeboo also sells a travel version of their matching game and color dominoes.
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We love the simple premise of Family Talk and Grandparent Talk — card deck games with questions that provide the perfect spark for conversations among family members and peers. The games include 100 diverse question cards clipped together and small enough to bring anywhere where it might be helpful and enjoyable to pass time or become lost in memorable conversation. The questions have been developed for ages four and up — the younger set will need help reading the cards, of course. In Family Talk, questions are as simple as, “What is your favorite color?” or can get as detailed as, “What is one of the most important things your parents taught you?” Grandparent Talk is designed to help deepen intergenerational relationships among family members and keep family history alive. Questions range from: “Did you have your own bedroom growing up?” and “Who was your favorite teacher and why?” to “Are you afraid of anything?” and “What do you think about kids today?” Writing about this makes me want to turn back time to play this game with my own grandparents. Both games (as well as a Family Talk 2 version) come in the portable clip format or in a tabletop jar format. The Founder of Around the Table Games is a working mom who enjoyed learning all she could about her grandparents and great grandparents — and who knows how today’s busy lifestyles can prevent us from enjoying these types of valuable interactions. The games are great gifts for kids and their families, or for yourself — to keep at your home for when your grandchildren visit. Your “talks” will never be the same again!
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When I first played with Think-ets at the 2008 Toy Fair in NYC, what initially interested me was the game’s tiny size and simplicity — a travel pouch that easily fits in a pocket, filled with 15 intriguing little objects gathered from around the world. However, after playing it for a while with my kid-testers, I soon realized that although the game is small, and it’s materials simple, the brain-exercising activities they promote are endless. Think-ets includes a small pamphlet describing 11 games, including “What’s Missing,” where 5 or more trinkets are laid out, one player looks away while the other takes a trinket away. The player who looked away needs to guess which object is missing. In another game called “What’s Your Story,” imagination rules. The first player chooses from a few trinkets and begins a story highlighting that item. Then the next player chooses another trinket and continues the story using that item as the next subject, and so on. The inventors encourage kids and their families to devise new games and email them along to the company. The trinkets in Think-ets are purposely timeless (a tiny copper goblet, satin flower, wooden alphabet block, donut, gold band, etc.) making it a thoughtful game that transcends generations — perfect for playing with your grandchild. You can choose from one of 3 games, each with a different-colored pouch containing different trinkets — or buy all 3! The manufacturer recommends ages 8 and up (and of course, advises you to keep the game away from children under 3), but Think-ets are also fun for younger children, whose memory skills are constantly being developed and whose imaginations run wild. The game’s size makes it wonderful for restaurants and vacation travel — or for fun, thoughtful time at home with your grandchildren. Enjoy!
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We know you love it already, but it’s possible to make cooking with your grandchild even more fun, as well as a perfect teaching moment. Just as you feel comfortable cooking with your own set of kitchen tools, so will your grandchild with this kid-tailored set. Included are 5 age-appropriate laminated recipe cards, an overall guide to teaching children how to cook, and pint-sized dishwasher-safe utensils (whisk, spoon, spatula, pastry brush, mixing bowl, timer, baking pan, safety scissors, measuring cups and spoons color-coded to match each recipe), as well as a denim tool belt apron and a vinyl backpack on which you grandchild can write his or her name. Of course, this experience wouldn’t be complete without a recipe featuring our favorite ingredient… chocolate! You and your grandchild will indulge in baking — and eating — delicious “Chocolate Mountain Lava Cakes!” The kit is appropriate for 3 – 10 year olds, and when they’re not using the kit “professionally,” younger grandkids can use it to whip up fabulous imaginary meals. It’s called the Playful Chef Kids Cooking Kit, but it takes intergenerational cooking time seriously. Some great lessons, such as nutrition, food safety, measuring, and following directions, are built into the set, not to mention the obvious — priceless time together creating delicious treats and lasting memories.
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This kids luggage literally says it all. It’s the perfect bag for special visits. This particular model is for little kids and is smaller than the standard pilot case (see our review). The roll-along luggage is weather-resistant and wipes clean. It has a retractable 16-inch pull handle, 2 sturdy wheels, a large outer zip pocket and two inside mesh pockets. The tote has a zip-open bottom pouch to separate shoes or toiletries. Along with saying “Traveling to Grandma’s,” you can personalize the bag with names up to 12 letters. Available in primary colors, or pink for girls.
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Babies and small children love Gymboree baby gym classes and baby music classes, especially on a cold or dreary day when there’s little reason to be running around outdoors — which is why moms and dads love these classes so much. Kids also revel in the uninterrupted one-on-one time with mom or dad. Designed by child development experts, there’s just the right amount of stimulation and interaction for each age group, beginning at Level 1 (0-6 months), all the way up to Level 7 (3-5 years). Sensory exploration for infants, yoga and other fitness programs for moms and kids, as well as painting and music classes! And Gymboree can be found all over the U.S., and has many international locations. A refreshing experiential gift!
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Club Med for Families$varies at Club Med |
It’s wonderful when families go on vacation together — grandparents, parents and siblings, and the kids, of course — all convening to spend quality time together. Club Med makes these kinds of gatherings easy. There are loads of activities for kids, including a real circus school (with trapeze flying lessons) at four locations, including Sandpiper, its U.S. location in Port St. Lucie, Florida. What’s nice about Club Med Sandpiper, aside from it being easy to get to, is that it has programs for children of all ages — Baby Club Med, for 4 to 23 months; Petit Club Med for 2-3 years; Mini Club Med for 4-10 years; and Juniors’ Club Med for 11-17 years. The baby program is unusual for resorts, and is especially nice for parents who really need to re-energize after having a child… or another… or another! And don’t worry — there’s also plenty of grown-up things to do, including just plain old napping by the pool, or walking on the beach. There are many Club Med Villages to choose from, most in beautiful and even exotic locations. This is certainly the type of gift that will create lasting memories.
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Magical Oxford: From the Narnia Chronicles to Harry Potter$vary at Elder Hostel |
My mother-in-law took our niece and nephew on this Elder Hostel intergenerational travel program, and although it was several years ago, they still reminisce about the fantastic, or should I say, “phantasmal” time they had! Kids 9-11 years old (and their grandparents) delve into the magical worlds of Narnia, Alice’s Wonderland, Middle Earth and Harry Potter’s Hogwarts through this journey of enchanted Oxford (a town also known for other things). Over 18 nights, they visit locations and meet characters made famous by Lewis Carroll, J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, Roald Dahl and Philip Pullman. Also included are discussions with local experts who tell tales of elves and hobbits, wizards and muggles. Elderhostel is a top-notch nonprofit organization that coordinates educational and adventurous travel programs for elders. This trip is one of their intergenerational programs that give grandparents a chance to travel with grandkids in a safe, well-supported environment — and where kids have a ball meeting friends their own ages. Elderhostel’s programs are perfectly conceived and executed. If your grandkids love Harry Potter and this type of literature, this would be a trip of a lifetime!
Not your average circus, Cirque du Soleil is no less than other-worldly, taking your senses on a dazzling and delightful journey. A wide variety of shows, some home-based, and some traveling throughout the world, have many different themes and features. “O,” based in Las Vegas, for instance, is performed entirely in water! Be forewarned that some of the shows, although beautiful, have dark, eery qualities, as Cirque du Soleil is known for experimenting with lighting, music, and stretching the envelope of a human body’s capacity to do, well, almost anything! So we’d suggest that Cirque du Soleil is intended for older children. If your family is willing to travel to one of the show’s locations, or if one travels to your area (see schedule), it’s not to be missed. It should prove to be a wild and worldly new experience for your grandkids.
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