Paging Surfmom
Mar 22nd, 2009 | 09:57 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,007
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Paging Surfmom
Surfmom, thank you for all the good advice and tips re children in Paris. I loved your pictures; what wonderful photos.
Yes, that's a good idea to begin the travel journal right on the plane although my granddaughter would probably stayed glued to the tv screen in front of her if her mom didn't set limits. But glued to tv is preferable to asking "when are we going to be there?" every few minutes. LOL!
A couple of questions: Did you buy My LIttle Louvre at the Louvre or in US before you went? I like the idea of getting post cards upon entering and hunting the paintings, too.
We will do that!
Some books I have bought her in preparation for the trip:
Everybody Bonjours
A Spree in Paree
This is Paris
Eloise in Paris
La La Rose
Adele & Simon
Again, thanks for the ideas; I really enjoyed your report when you wrote it, and I was already anticipating a trip someday with my granddaughter. I hope our trip is as successful as yours was.
PS Do your girls ever talk about their trip?
Yes, that's a good idea to begin the travel journal right on the plane although my granddaughter would probably stayed glued to the tv screen in front of her if her mom didn't set limits. But glued to tv is preferable to asking "when are we going to be there?" every few minutes. LOL!
A couple of questions: Did you buy My LIttle Louvre at the Louvre or in US before you went? I like the idea of getting post cards upon entering and hunting the paintings, too.
We will do that!
Some books I have bought her in preparation for the trip:
Everybody Bonjours
A Spree in Paree
This is Paris
Eloise in Paris
La La Rose
Adele & Simon
Again, thanks for the ideas; I really enjoyed your report when you wrote it, and I was already anticipating a trip someday with my granddaughter. I hope our trip is as successful as yours was.
PS Do your girls ever talk about their trip?
Mar 22nd, 2009 | 10:03 AM
#2
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,190
Likes: 0
Hi grandmere-I saw that you were moving the post about paper and just wanted to add that I totally agree that it is a good idea to bring those with you since frankly they are not that different from what you find in Paris for that age. But I also wanted to add that one of the most fun things to buy in Paris for kids that ages are back to school supplies-because everything is very branded-little pencil bags, sharpeners etc. The grands magasins have a great selection.
Sorry to hijack that subject but just thought I would let you know. Have a great trip.
Sorry to hijack that subject but just thought I would let you know. Have a great trip.
Mar 22nd, 2009 | 04:25 PM
#4
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 3,403
Likes: 0
grandmere, you are going to have a fabulous trip!
The girls talk about the trip all the time. Just the other day, they were laughing about how they woke up in the middle of the night and made their beds by themselves.
I think we had 'My Little Louvre' before we went. (I think I purchased it on a previous trip). There is also a 'My Little Orsay' (by Marie Sellier - I checked) and a 'My Little Picasso'. It worked well for us, but it isn't an absolute. There is also a really cute kids series of books "Museum ABC's" "Museum 123's", and maybe shapes ? What it does is take elements of art and find things in them. For example, for the number 5, it might have 4 pieces of art that have 5 things in them... 5 rings, or fruit, or cups, or people... You could adapt this and make a scavenger hunt throughout museums. "Today is ABC's. We need to find something in a picture that starts with A. Oh, you see an apple in there (still life)? Great, how about B ? You see a boat ? Great... and on.
j is right in that you will find many cute crayons, pencils, etc. there. FNAC Jr. is a great store - toys, books, art project stuff, etc. Monoprix also had a small (but yet complete) kids section. The downside to waiting is that you rely upon finding that at the beginning of the trip whereas if you carry it, you know it is there.
As I mentioned in my trip report, we were pleasantly surprised how nice everyone was. It was really great how people bent over backwards to accommodate children.
Another fun idea is to have her write a postcard to herself every day. Mail them all at the end of the trip to herself at home. Or just mail them daily as it occurs. When she gets home, it will be a fun reminder of your trip and give her something to look forward to.
We brought home a few special French books. I have "Goodnight Moon" in French and "Where the Wild Things Are". My kids know the story that they like to listen to my butchered French reading it.
Another thought is a camera for her ? I wanted to get our kids a digital camera and rather than the kids digital ones (which have gotten horrible reviews), I got a waterproof, impact proof (can be dropped) pocket digital. My daughter just had fun with it on a recent trip. It would be something else to keep track of though, so if she is prone to losing things, might not be worth it.
I have ideas of where playgrounds are all over Paris. If you want to know where they are close to major attractions, I can share where they are. Maybe not by street address, but I could walk there, so I could figure it out from a map. Let me know - Playgrounds are always a good thing!!!
This has actually gotten me excited about taking my kids there next spring. We just did the Disney/Universal/Sea World thing, but by next spring, my youngest would be ready to handle it. We're going to pay attention to when ff flights are open and use miles for flights. I can't wait!
This thread may get zapped (editors don't always like posters names in titles), so I would copy this into a word document so you don't lose it. Also, check my profile for my email and I can always answer things off line. I'd prefer to keep it a thread if others want to chime in.
The girls talk about the trip all the time. Just the other day, they were laughing about how they woke up in the middle of the night and made their beds by themselves.
I think we had 'My Little Louvre' before we went. (I think I purchased it on a previous trip). There is also a 'My Little Orsay' (by Marie Sellier - I checked) and a 'My Little Picasso'. It worked well for us, but it isn't an absolute. There is also a really cute kids series of books "Museum ABC's" "Museum 123's", and maybe shapes ? What it does is take elements of art and find things in them. For example, for the number 5, it might have 4 pieces of art that have 5 things in them... 5 rings, or fruit, or cups, or people... You could adapt this and make a scavenger hunt throughout museums. "Today is ABC's. We need to find something in a picture that starts with A. Oh, you see an apple in there (still life)? Great, how about B ? You see a boat ? Great... and on.
j is right in that you will find many cute crayons, pencils, etc. there. FNAC Jr. is a great store - toys, books, art project stuff, etc. Monoprix also had a small (but yet complete) kids section. The downside to waiting is that you rely upon finding that at the beginning of the trip whereas if you carry it, you know it is there.
As I mentioned in my trip report, we were pleasantly surprised how nice everyone was. It was really great how people bent over backwards to accommodate children.
Another fun idea is to have her write a postcard to herself every day. Mail them all at the end of the trip to herself at home. Or just mail them daily as it occurs. When she gets home, it will be a fun reminder of your trip and give her something to look forward to.
We brought home a few special French books. I have "Goodnight Moon" in French and "Where the Wild Things Are". My kids know the story that they like to listen to my butchered French reading it.
Another thought is a camera for her ? I wanted to get our kids a digital camera and rather than the kids digital ones (which have gotten horrible reviews), I got a waterproof, impact proof (can be dropped) pocket digital. My daughter just had fun with it on a recent trip. It would be something else to keep track of though, so if she is prone to losing things, might not be worth it.
I have ideas of where playgrounds are all over Paris. If you want to know where they are close to major attractions, I can share where they are. Maybe not by street address, but I could walk there, so I could figure it out from a map. Let me know - Playgrounds are always a good thing!!!
This has actually gotten me excited about taking my kids there next spring. We just did the Disney/Universal/Sea World thing, but by next spring, my youngest would be ready to handle it. We're going to pay attention to when ff flights are open and use miles for flights. I can't wait!
This thread may get zapped (editors don't always like posters names in titles), so I would copy this into a word document so you don't lose it. Also, check my profile for my email and I can always answer things off line. I'd prefer to keep it a thread if others want to chime in.
