Winchester, Mass – We still have one kid in a cast (albeit a waterproof one) and one parent with a deadline hanging over her head (albeit a less stressful one), so it still does not feel like summer is in…
Children’s Eternal Rainforest
Monteverde, Costa Rica – The Bosque Eterno de los Niños, or Children’s Eternal Rainforest, started back in 1987, when a fifth-grade class in Sweden decided to raise money to protect the rainforest. They did the typical fundraisers–puppet shows, bake sales…
Ecocentro Danaus
La Fortuna, Costa Rica – There must be hundreds of Mariposarios in Costa Rica. It seems that every town has a butterfly house, where you can witness the life cycle from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. Last year we went…
Quintessential Finland
Porkkala, Finland – We were looking for a mini-adventure with the twins – something close to home but still special. A neighbor had told us that this peninsula jutting into the Gulf of Finland is a beautiful place. We didn’t…
Nature Boys
Kirkkonummi, Finland – Have you been wondering what we have been up to? Daddio and I have been busy hanging out in archives, conducting interviews and treating people to expensive, tax-deductible meals. The twins have been attending an English-language daycare…
Maple Sugar Madness
Topsfield, Massachusetts – Our friends A and J are really good at involving their kids in outdoor activities, like farm visits and nature walks. Last summer, they talked us into going blueberry picking, which I never would have dared, but…
Arenal Observatory Lodge
Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica – The grandparents and the twins went on an adventure today, completing a 2km hike from from Arenal Observatory Lodge to a refreshing 20-foot waterfall. The boys walked almost the whole way, until it…
Selvatura Tree Tops Walkway
Monteverde, Costa Rica – The twins got this book for Christmas. It’s the story of a boy named Carlos who goes into the cloud forest in hopes of finding animals and birds. When he doesn’t see anybody, he leaves…
Christmas Eve Traditions
Monteverde, Costa Rica – After spending a wonderful day yesterday on our own at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Daddio and I decided to spend today exploring our immediate environs with the twins. We just walked along the road, heading from our villa toward…
Natural Paradise
Sitio de Mata, Costa Rica – We will be in Costa Rica for almost five weeks, staying in four different parts of the country. If all goes well, each region (and each house we have rented) has its own unique…