Moscow, Russia — Reading enhances travel, that’s no secret. Personally, I love to read novels that are set in the place I am traveling. Russia is good for that, as the national literature is among the world’s richest. And yet,…
Harry Potter Birthday Party
Somerville, Mass – Daddio has been reading Harry Potter with the twins. I have not read the books. As a result I am largely left out of many conversations about which spells might work in which situations; what Harry, Hermione…
Humans vs Zombies
Saco, Maine – For the second year, we have returned to a “family camp” at Ferry Beach. (Find out what it’s all about here.) The twins have had an incredible week–singing, dancing, swimming, creating, exploring, making new friends and having…
Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve
Santa Elena, Costa Rica – We made our way from the tropical dry forests and beaches of Guanacaste to the mystical cloud forest around Santa Elena and Monteverde. We climbed some 4,662 feet, most of that on bumpy, windy, narrow…
Beware the Mummy’s Tomb
Somerville, Mass – I’m not sure where it came from–perhaps from reading the Magic Tree House series–but the twins have become obsessed with Ancient Egypt. It was a no-brainer that one of them would want to be a mummy for…
Magic Tree House
Somerville, Mass – So what do we do for fun when we’re not traveling? We read about traveling! This review of the Magic Tree House series is not going to be a revelation to anybody who knows much about children’s…
Mark Twain House
Somerville, Mass – A few weeks ago, as a part of my research for Lonely Planet USA, I visited the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut–one of the highlights of this round of research. For starters, there was a special temporary exhibit…
Raising Bilingual Kids – Kindergarten
Somerville, Mass – Here we go again. At this time last year, I agonized over the decision about where the twins should attend pre-kindergarten. This year I have been agonizing over the decision about where they should attend kindergarten. The…
Free Play
Somerville, Mass – A few weeks ago, I came across this fascinating article from The Atlantic, The Overprotected Kid, about a new, old kind of playground in Wales, known as The Land. (Thanks also to The Atlantic for the cover…
Let’s Talk about Race
Somerville, Mass – We are blessed to live in an ethnically and racially diverse town. The twins’ class of 18 includes students that are African American, Arabic, Iranian, Latino and Sikh. Last year their teachers were from Columbia and Peru, and their babysitters have…