July 2006

Books Guide Parents to
Year-round Activities with Kids

By Wenda Reed

Out & About with Kids: Seattle

If you’re from Seattle or visiting from the surrounding area, you’ll love this well-organized inventory of places and activities for kids. Beyond listing hundreds of venues, the guide tells parents what they need to know before starting out: Where can I park? Can I use a stroller? Is there anywhere to eat nearby? Are there age limits?

The first section, “Exploring the City,” begins with the Seattle Center, gives great detail on downtown areas, and pops into the more popular neighborhoods, ignoring most of the area south of downtown. Beyond the obvious attractions, the writers look at what kids find cool, from food stops and out-of-the-way art pieces to interesting stores. Other sections profile places to see animals, culture for kids, harvests (farmer’s markets and farms), indoor and outdoor play areas, parks, spectator sports, eating out and out-of-town excursions.

If you have the 1993 edition of this guide, you’ll need this 2005 third edition for all of the changes and additions. Even so, heed the writers’ advice to confirm hours, prices and locations before setting out. Since last year, for example, the waterfront trolley and monorail have temporarily closed, as have the downtown Seattle Art Museum and pony rides at Woodland Park Zoo. The KidsQuest, Kids Discovery and Future of Flight Museums have opened.

Out & About with Kids: Seattle is written by Ann Bergman, mother of seven and former co-publisher of Seattle’s Child and Puget Sound Parent, and Virginia Smyth, mother of two and former editor of the magazines (Sasquatch Books, 2005; $18.95).

Best Hikes with Kids: Western Washington & the Cascades

My 1988 version of this book is dog-eared, water damaged and highlighted with things we saw on various hikes. In this 2006 edition, Hike #1 is still Heliotrope Ridge in the Mt. Baker area, but there are 41 new hikes, bringing the total to 183.

The must-read introduction still includes strategies for making children love hiking, what to bring, the importance of parental attitudes and outdoor manners. It adds valuable lists of best hikes to wildflowers, wildlife and birds, waterfalls and meadows and best ones for fishing, building sandcastles and lake swimming, as well as barrier-free trails and winter hikes. A new appendix lists campgrounds near the hikes and the amenities of each.

The heart of the book is the detailed, kids-friendly description of each hike, complete with the most spectacular things to see and places to play on the way to the “final destination” and the condition and safety of each section of the trail. In this edition, pertinent “Before You Go” and “About the Hike” information is highlighted in orange squares. However, the smaller trim size of the book prevents the publication of the description, area map and photo for each hike on two facing pages, as it was in the earlier edition. It isn’t as easy to follow.

Longtime Seattle camper, hiker and outdoor writer Joan Burton is the author of the original and this new guide, with photos by the late Ira Spring (The Mountaineers Books, 2006; $18.95).

Tent and Campers Handbook: Advice for Families & First-Timers

The newest entry in the Backpacker magazine series of books isn’t about backpacking at all, but about driving up to a camping site and setting up your tent, RV or van. It covers what to buy, best places to go and practical tips for what to do when you get there, including ways to keep kids happy, healthy, safe and motivated. The appendix includes “boredom buster” activities for families stuck in tents on rainy days and “Top 10 Family Campgrounds” listed by state.

Co-author Buck Tilton, a contributing editor to Backpacker magazine, begins with his own camping “newbie” experiences, including setting up a tent on a lovely, flat spot, with a great view of a lake. “Trouble was, it rained cats and dogs all night, and the flat spot was also the lowest spot for probably a mile in all directions,” says Tilton. “By the time I abandoned the tent, the floor was under several inches of water.” The book’s practical tips can help you avoid similar disasters.

Backpacker gear editor Kristin Hostetter is Tilton’s co-author (The Mountaineers Books, 2006; $16.95).

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