Photo of the Day (2-27-08)

by Jamie Rhein on

One reason I like this photo is because of the boy wearing the red sweater. He brings the photographer into the shot with his glance. The second reason I like this shot is the mix of clothes the kids are wearing. It reminds me of any village where I’ve traveled where kids have access to western style clothes but mix it up with traditional items.

The book, a Lao alphabet book, is from a project called Big Brother Mouse that fosters literacy in Laos. The book was left with two older kids in the village. According to the description by uncorneredmarket who posted the shot, it seemed the kids hadn’t seen a book before and were delighted–a fine interaction indeed.

If you’ve had a fine interaction, share it with us with your photos by posting them at Gadling’s Flickr photo pool.

Scan-It: Airport security toy for kids

by Anna Brones on

I get frustrated about airport security, lots of people do — what’s new? But maybe that’s just because some of us grew up in a different era without today’s strict regulations; I remember a time when family members followed you to the gate to wave goodbye, you left your shoes on and bottles of water from home were not thrown into the trash. But today things have changed, and traveling children are exposed to post-9/11 security measures at a young age. To help them better understand the complexities of airport security, what better way than an educational game?

Scan-It, made by Operation Checkpoint, is a toy airport metal detector, meant to get kids used to the idea of security in airports and other public spaces. The toy is intended to provide “healthy fun with education and awareness,” which includes wooshing items through security to find hidden metal. Nothing like a toy to make you feel like a TSA agent. If only I had a Scan-It when I was little…

Via Boing Boing

One for the Road: Caribbean Journey from A to Y

by Kelly Amabile on

I’m always on the lookout for creative travel titles geared to kids. Here’s one I came across that can serve as a niche geography lesson, with a review of the alphabet thrown in for good measure. All this and beautiful illustrations too: A Caribbean Journey from A to Y should peak young readers interest with this mysterious subtitle: Read and Discover What Happened to the Z.

Published by editorial Campana (publisher of literature by Latin Americans in both English and Spanish), this educational guide takes young folks on a journey that stretches from Aruba to Trinidad, introducing country names and fun facts about each place along the way. Read an excerpt from letters B and C to get an idea, and be sure to take note of Native American artist Earleen Griswold’s colorful illustrations, drawn during her years s a resident of the Virgin Islands.

One for the Road: Uncommon Traveler

by Kelly Amabile on

My mom is a children’s librarian and often introduces me to great travel titles for kids. The other day I was helping hang posters at her elementary school library when I spotted this book displayed on a top shelf: Uncommon Traveler is the true story of Mary Kingsley, born in England in 1862. Her father was a family physician who traveled the world caring for his wealth patrons, while Mary led a busy, sheltered life at home tending to her ill mother. But at the age of 30, both parents deceased, Mary was free to travel, and headed to West Africa.

The book has beautiful illustrations of Mary crossing dangerous ravines, battling an eight-foot croc and trekking with her guides through the forest towards the Remboue River (near what is now Gabon.) She took two journeys to West Africa, in 1893 and 1894, and developed a close relationship with members of the Fang tribe during her visits. She died during her third trip to the continent, while in South Africa as a volunteer nurse. Author and illustrator Don Brown has done a wonderful job capturing her bravery and spirit. Do you know of other children’s books that tell the stories of great women travelers?

Photo of the Day (10/10/07)

by Jamie Rhein on

When looking for photo for Photo of the Day, I thought kids. Iva’s post about kids and travel got me thinking about what makes kids on a trip fun. They’ll do their thing no matter what’s going on. This shot captures a kid’s world perfectly. Look at the sea of legs. This little girl in Madrid, Spain is not letting being surrounded by adults stop her from a good time. Jon Rawlinson who took this one and posted it on our Gadling pool at Flickr, knows what any photographer of kids knows, get down to their level, be patient and you’ll get exactly the right moment when a rope comes around.

If you have any shots of captured moments, we’d love to see them. Post them on the pool (above link) and you might see one of yours as a Photo of the Day. This one was posted June 2005.