By Brenda Winter Hansen
The school year’s hectic schedule is upon us and families everywhere are readjusting to being more bound to home base once again. Sports may swallow your weekends. Meetings and after school activities threaten to gobble up every free evening. You may even be feeling a tad claustrophobic from all the “volunteer opportunities” at school. If you want to get away, but only have a morning or afternoon to do it, then it’s time to look in your back yard. Okay, not literally.
If I had a plum for every person I met who hadn’t bothered to explore their own city, I’d be making jam and pies for a week straight. If this happens to be true about you, then your city is calling out for a little local love and who better to share it with than your children? You won’t even have to pack the luggage or find a pet sitter. The Chamber of Commerce is a good place to start if you need a list to check off. Be careful, though; there are a lot of ways to bust the budget. Do your research, ask friends, and choose wisely.
Tours are perfect for local adventures because they marry education with entertainment. Most fall into one or more categories: history, geography, art, science, or business. Even if it’s a tour of a factory, you and your kids will be picking up loads of great information about the world, their community, and their own potential. Encourage the kids to document their experience in any way that interests them: notebooks, audio recordings, sketches, and taking pictures are all fun ways for them to create personal memories.
For instance, when I took my kids to tour Theo Chocolates of Seattle, we learned about the history of the cacao bean, where and how they are produced around the world and the science of tasting chocolate (Yes, there were taste tests!) Bonus: they also had discussions concerning the ethics of Fair Trade and Organic Agriculture, and why Theo Chocolates is committed to both. Brilliant and delicious. This tour did charge, but it was worth it!
With a little internet research I discovered the Tsue Chong noodle and fortune cookie factory in Seattle’s International District. I was thrilled to discover they offer free tours for groups of children (and a few chaperones). I sent out the call for more kids to join us, and they came. It was fantastic. The grandson of the original owner gave us a lovely introduction about how the factory got started and why it thrived. I couldn’t have thought of a better way for my kids to learn about Asian-American history and food. The smells (cookies!), the sights (rivers and mountains of noodles!), the questions (What happened to these funny shaped cookies?) and answers (Oh, those are misfortune cookies.) all contributed to an unforgettable experience.
Consider taking local tours a step further. What about organizing a class field trip? Even if you cannot personally chaperone, if you can make arrangements (with the teacher’s blessing, of course) a local tour could be the highlight of your child’s school year. Call a local factory, bakery, library, historical or botanical society. These places may be a great fit and enthusiastic providers of a class-sized tour.
If you feel even more ambitious, plan your own walking tour! Every city has plenty of history and as long as you incorporate storytelling and food, it’s sure to be a success. Be sure to give yourself plenty of planning time beforehand, and build in walking and eating time too.
Good luck, and get out there!