If you want resorts that cater to families and ideas for a family vacation trip, the MAIN TOUR site shines. They list many adventure parks, sports venues, and entertainment locales suited to families. You may have thought of some of these, but others are likely to come as a pleasant surprise.

http://www.maintour.com/

PRACTICAL TIPS

     The FAMILYHACK family travels A LOT. They have good hints on traveling with kids, for short distances and for long distances.

http://www.familyhack.com/category/travel/

     TEN ESSENTIAL PACKING RULES when traveling with kids.

http://www.familyhack.com/2007/09/18/packing-rules/

MOM’S MINIVAN

     ARE WE THERE YET? MOM’S MINIVAN has 101 car games, a scavenger hunt, and travel fun with aluminum foil, from someone who’s been through it all.

http://www.momsminivan.com/

BECOME A JUNIOR RANGER

     The JUNIOR RANGER program makes U.S. parks more enjoyable for kids. This site, by a 13-year-old boy, tells kids how to start collecting Junior Ranger badges.

http://juniorranger.info/

FREE TIDE TABLES

     These tide tables take you as far south as Panama, as far north as Alaska, and as far east as Puerto Rico and Grand Bahama. And as far as they’re concerned, neither Canada nor Mexico exists. What can I say except, “I’m sorry.”

http://www.freetidetables.com/index.php

     WHILE AT THE BEACH, you may want to build a SAND CASTLE. Find here castling techniques and even contests.

http://www.sandcastlecentral.com/

WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH KITES

     The KITE ZOO not only tells you how to create wondrous things, it supplies “historical, anecdotal, allegorical or aeronautical snippets of information” and “hotlinks to online photos and constructional plans.” A great site for kids to explore!

http://www.kites.org/zoo/

     INQUIRY.NET will tell you how to make a dragon kite, three kinds of butterfly kite, a balloon kite, and an elephant kite that the author calls “an excellent flier.” And more of course. Why not build them now, fly them now, and take them to the beach this summer?

     I was interested in his idea of a kite for swimming. It will tow you as you lie on your back on a board in the water. The author thought he had invented something new, but it turns out that Benjamin Franklin thought of it first. Though Franklin didn’t think of the board.

http://www.inquiry.net/outdoor/spring/kites/swim.htm

     BEAUTIFUL KITES: Here you see the beauty of the kites and the skill of the man who controls them.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pe2PddwZJAI