1. Frame it! The obvious choice, but sometime it’s too big a hassle, especially when the art is coming in by the bagful at the end of every week. Another option is wall appliqués like Kitsch artwork frames ($36) which make it easy to “frame” art on the wall and change it out depending on your feeling. A few other options like this are available, but make sure the openings are large enough to handle big sizes or you’ll be stuck trying to find only small drawings that will fit (usually rare for the pre-school set).

2. Use iPhoto or animoto.com to make a musical slideshow you can send around to folks by email.

3. Create a binder (larger than 8X10) to store flat art that you can organize by year. Or, take photos of the art and use services like Apples iPhoto or Inkubook.com to make pro-looking art books featuring your child’s masterpieces.

4. Take a trip down to the local hardware store and get the artwork laminated. Laminated art makes for fine family placemats so everyone can enjoy them.

5. Take photos of the art and make it into a calendar to give away this holiday season. KodakGallery.com and all the other photo sites have calendar options.

Whatever you do, don’t throw it all away OR store it in boxes waiting for some day. The longer it sits unframed, the better chance it will eventually end up at the bottom of a landfill anyway.

Astronomy and star-gazing has always been a great dad and child experience. Nothing beats lying on the grass on a warm August evening staring up in the sky and conveying the majesty and mystery of the heavens to a small child. This is a completely free activity, there are also plenty of accessories around if you’re so inclined. Here are a few of our favorites this year:

1.
Moon in my room - $39 - This light up moon hangs on your wall and shows the moon in 12 different settings, controlled by an infrared remote control. An audio CD tells more about the moon.

2.
Planisphere watch - $59.95 - This watch glows in the dark for 2-3 hours. It’s a great present for the astronomy geek who always wants to take advantage of a dark night sky. The watch shows northern constellations only.

3.
Celestron Skyscout - $199 (50% cheaper than in 2007) - The Skyscout uses GPS to ID and 8000 starts and planets and then will even tell you about via audio or text. All the astronomer has to do is point this gadget into the night sky and it actually finds constellations for you. As one reviewer on Amazon says, “This is the astronomy device I’ve been waiting for all my life.”

4. Orion Star Target Planisphere ” target=”_blank”>Orion Star Target Planishere - $11.00 - This stargazing the old fashioned way, with a map of the heavens you hold up in the night sky. You’ll also need a red flashlight to read the map in the dark.

5.
Barska Travel Telescope - 59.95 - Savings priced telescope for aspiring astronomers with 300X magnification and a 5×24 finder scope. Don’t expect the world, but this is a good intro telescope. Minor to major inconvenience is the table level telescope. It’s perfect for setting up on a picnic table and taking turns looking from there, but impossible to use at ground level.

Happy stargazing!

Perfect excursion for dad and kids!

All aboard The Golden Gate Express™ for a San Francisco holiday experience like no other!

This winter, Golden Gate Park’s Conservatory of Flowers
premieres its first garden railway exhibition. It’s a celebration of the
city of San Francisco as model G-gauge trains wend their way through a lush
landscape of dwarf plants and steam past mini versions of the city’s
landmark buildings. From Mission Dolores to the Golden Gate Bridge, Coit
Tower to Chinatown’s dragon gate, replicas of San Francisco’s most famous
places are set amongst miniature gardens and parks to create a magical
setting for this special holiday attraction. Visitors will also enjoy a
vintage train station seating area, appearances by costumed conductors and
interpretive materials about the development of San Francisco and its
railways. So, gather the family and get on track. The Conservatory of
Flowers’ Golden Gate Express™ is a must see destination for the holidays!

WHAT:
The Golden Gate Express™ – a garden railway exhibition featuring model
G-gauge trains, a landscape of dwarf plants and replicas of San Francisco’s
landmark buildings

WHEN:
November 20, 2008 — April 19, 2009. Closed Mondays and on Thanksgiving,
Christmas and New Year’s Days.

TIME:
9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays – Sundays

WHERE:
Conservatory of Flowers, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

TICKETS:
$5 general; $3 youth 12-17, seniors and students with ID; $1.50 children
5-11; children 4 and under FREE

INFORMATION:
www.conservatoryofflowers.org <http://www.conservatoryofflowers.org> ,
415-831-2090

We are starting a ten day summer vacation and, like millions ofnpther families, we’re spend the first day in the plane. My daughter, age eight, is happy though. She has four books and is just discovering Lemoney Snicket.

She’s been asking for a Nintendp DS, but we are holding fast against that. I did give in, finally to Wii, but only because we can play that as a family. The only activity I want her doing that envelops her in her own private world is reading, at this age. Even now, reading for her is a communal activity. She stops every few pages to read me a particularly funny sentence.

Traveling can be very stressful, and traveling with teens doubly so, for reasons that are completely different than for traveling with smaller children. Teens are developing their own interests and more than ever, you have to plan around how best to incorporate their needs, however exotic or seemingly selfish into the program. Here are ten ideas to help the trip go smoother this time.

1. Remember who your fellow travelers are. Just as you wouldn’t take your sports-ambivalent wife to a week of baseball training camp, try to figure out destinations the whole family can enjoy. That doesn’t mean it has to be Disneyland or the least common denominator. Think instead, of places that will have real highlights for all members of the family. New York City for example, can satisfy many many different types of people with museums, sports legends, nightlife, theatre, and even great parks. But pick a single-interest destination, like say, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the entire family better be into rocking out, or have other reasons for being in Cleveland.
2. Ask your teen to help plan. We like the City Walks cards series because you can spread them out and deal them like cards. Easier for everyone to see than passing out a book, the cards give everyone a chance to pick an itinerary and there will still likely be things of interest for the whole group. They also come in a more limited series for kids. Either way, have everyone look through the guide books or websites and choose at least one thing they really want to do, so no one feels like they are being dragged along an entire holiday.
3. Try to stay near the center of your destination and activities. Nothing aggravates family dynamics and the fatigue factor like long car trips or transit. Even if it means cutting back elsewhere, a great location can really ease a lot of tension when a trip back to the hotel is easy.
4. Consider an apartment rental or hotel apartment. Nowadays, there are many more options than having the whole family stay in a single room. That’s not a vacation for you or your teeen. Short stay apartment rentals give you more space for your dollar and feature a kitchen for more casual meals (pizza!) and cheaper breakfasts.
5. Let your teen choose things “you didn’t come all this way to do.” Even if you’re in National Park and your teen wants to spend an hour in the hotel arcade, let him have a little break from the stuff you “should” do.
6. Set up a vacation budget. It’s better to give out a fixed amount for souvenirs and extras before the trip starts. If you say that the money is theirs to spend as they see fit and they keep whatever they don’t spend, you’ll create a strong lesson in budgeting, but you’ll also be amazed at how many things now seem unnecessary for them.
7. Let them bring a friend. Obviously this isn’t a possibility on all trips, but when it’s possible, it might make for a great solution for you to get some downtime. Of course, now you’re responsible not only for yours, but someone else’s, so take this advice with a grain of salt based on the personality of your child and his or her friend.
8. Go easy on the “no iPod/no video games” rule. While you may not let your kids be constantly plugged in at home, vacation may the time to let them escape into their own little world during long car, train, or plane rides. It gives them a little privacy and a little down time that might make everyone a little less stressed out than if you make them interact with you at close quarters during the entire holiday.
9. Check yourself before you speak. It’s easy to get caught up in slights and disappointments during a tirp and to keep bringing them up. Small little fights are likely inevitable, but you can short circuit a lot of longer fights by counting to ten or just saying to yourself what you’re tempted to say out loud.
10. Pack light. With airlines finding new ways to charge for previously free services, a large added expense may be checked bags, which, at $15 each one way, can add up very fast for a small family. Packing simply will also save a lot on back-breaking lifting, which usually is dad’s job.

Like most people, I have a dirty little secret: I collect tacky souvenirs from monuments and buildings when I travel.

Like collections of snow globes, one monument alone is a tasteless souvenir. But put together a FULL CITY of monuments and you make a statement. My wife could never understand this mania, or “neurosis,” as she puts it, until a few years ago when the San Francisco International Airport featured a full concourse exhibit of souvenir monuments from around the world. There, in plenty of glory, were miniature reproductions of every major edifice in the world. Suddenly, my puny collection gained stature and value, rather then just being the goofy past-time of a middle-aged traveler. Some day, I could bequeath my collection to the Museum of Modern Art or even the Met!

As a former New Yorker, when I saw these, I knew I had to have them. The cars are cute too, but I’d skip them for a PanAm building, miniature Whitney, or a Columbus Circle. In fact, I’m getting two sets. I’m getting one set for my little boy to place between tracks of his train set (yes, the scale is a bit off), and one to go up on the shelf until I get a call from the mus

eum asking to take my collection on tour. They will make a perfect addition to my collection of stone, plaster, bronze and wood miniatures from cities I’ve visited around the world.

To read more about the history of this crazy hobby, check out this book: Souvenir Buildings Miniature Monuments: From the Collection of Ace Architects, which is a good book for dads and kids. My four-year-old son loves looking at the monuments. The book is divided mostly into major city-scapes, composed of mostly bronze and iron replicas of local landmarks and buildings. This is a fun book for both dads, kids, and budding architects.

What I don’t know about labyrinths could fit into many many websites. However, when I was younger I used to love to play the BRIO Labyrinth, which could eat up hours in pre-video game fun. I’d still recommend it on a coffee table to divert desultory visitors who need distractions during cocktails (or to occupy a teenage visitor who has to sit with adults).

Now here are labyrinths of another type. Please chime in on what you know about this subject, but labyrinths date from Greek and Egyptian times and have been used in mythology, and later in the Christian church. They saw a full flowering in the 12 and 13th centuries, most notably in grand pavement labyrinths at gothic cathedrals like Chartres, Reims, and Amiens.

Wikipedia provides more information on the meanings of labyrinths.

Prehistoric labyrinths are believed to have served as traps for malevolent spirits or as defined paths for ritual dances. In medieval times, the labyrinth symbolized a hard path to God with a clearly defined center (God) and one entrance (birth).

Labyrinths can be thought of as symbolic forms of pilgrimage; people can walk the path, ascending toward salvation or enlightenment. Many people could not afford to travel to holy sites and lands, so labyrinths and prayer substituted for such travel. Later the religious significance of labyrinths faded, and they served primarily for entertainment, though recently their spiritual aspect has seen a resurgence.

Many newly-made labyrinths exist today, in churches and parks. Labyrinths are used by modern mystics to help achieve a contemplative state. Walking among the turnings, one loses track of direction and of the outside world, and thus quiets his mind. The result is a relaxed mental attitude, free of internal dialog. This is a form of meditation. Many people believe that meditation has health benefits as well as spiritual benefits.

There is a labyrinth locator available from the Labyrinth Society. This is a fun activity for the whole family. Less of a maze than programmed walked within borders, it can nonetheless provide focus for young brains and an alternate activity to other organized mayhem.

Take a look at the cool video on the Amazon site for these battling Air Hogs R/C AH-64 Apache Havoc Heli Indoor Infrared Micro Helicopters. They come two to set for $69.99, which is about $10 bucks off two bought separately. The cool thing though is that the pair comes equipped with laser sensors, so you can actually “shoot” the other helicopter down (actually, it just gives it a momentary tailspin). The real live video game quality of flying infrared controlled helicopters can’t be beat, and this added dimension made this toy a Time Magazine toy of the year for 2007.

In my experience, these helicopters take a lot of work to get flying properly; work that probably involves losing a tail rotor or top rotor (or several), so buy extra or you’ll have six minutes of fun, interrupted by ten days of waiting for spare parts. Because they are not super easy to fly, and each collision risks breaking the fragile rotors, I have never even shown this helicopter to my four and eight-year-olds. They would not be able to watch patiently while I fly it, and it would just end with one of us crying, probably me. I fly mine only in the bedroom, where I can control most crashes into the bed. This video shows amazing control though, so maybe they’ve improved controls.

At first, I thought this was going to be a complicated “make your own Monopoly” set-up where you’d have to upload a bunch of photos and choose how they would be laid out on a board, before it created a custom-printed board for you. Actually, this is much different, and potentially more fun.

This Photo-opoly just provides you with the guts of a Monopoly board (playing pieces, deeds, specially titled “chance” cards). You supply the photos out of the shoebox, cut them to fit the boxes, and glue them on. It sounds like a big project, but promises to “unleash your creative genius” (if you have one lurking inside).

The Photo-opoly can be renamed around any theme you desire, but has to retain the “opoly” ending, likely for licensing reasons.

$30 from Photojojo.com .

Just Piece Of Paper . Crazy Paper Toy