summer camp guide - Orlando Family Magazine

Virtual VacationsTravel the World with the Click of a MouseBy Carolyn Jabsouldn’t you love to show your kids the wonders of the world? The reality is thatWmost of us don’t get the chance because travel is expensive and vacation schedules are short. Still, it’s arare parent who doesn’t fantasize about holding a child’s hand while standing on the edge of the GrandCanyon, or pointing out the marvels in a museum such as the Smithsonian.Family TECH TALKHappily, you can take a dream trip by simply logging on and visiting the right websites. Obviously, a virtual vacationisn’t the same as the real thing, but if your goal is to awaken in your kids a curiosity about their natural and culturalheritage, these websites are a terrific option. If you are really lucky and you can experience your virtual trip on amammoth-screen, high definition TV, it’s almost like being there! The only thing missing will be the smell of the zoodooand the aching tootsies from hours of walking!Here’s a few virtual trips to get you started:Tour the Smithsonian Museum.If you’ve actually visited the Smithsonian, you know howoverwhelming “America’s attic” can be. Start with the Museum ofNatural History, where your tax dollars have been put to good usecreating a 360 degree virtual tour that makes you feel like you arewandering around the museum (www.mnh.si.edu/panoramas/).When your child spots something intriguing, he or she can ask for aclose-up view of everything from dinosaurs, fossils, and mammals, toplants, insects, and gems. Younger children will also enjoy the LiveCams at the National Zoo (www.nationalzoo.si.edu).Visit a National Park.The National Park Service (www.nature.nps.gov/views/index.cfm)website is rich with visuals, as well as information about the ecologyand history of the parks. In addition to famous parks like the GrandCanyon and the Mall in Washington, D.C., you and your kidscan hang out in more remote spots such as the Badlands of SouthDakota, Petroglyph Park in New Mexico, or the Timpanogos Cave inUtah. The pages on the site load quickly, in part because they don’tinclude music or narration. Read the short, but intriguing, captionsaloud; it’s a good way for kids to keep classroom skills sharp. Yourlittle adventurers will love the occasional game that pops up on somesites. If real travel is in your budget, use the website to plan a visit to apark—or to remember past trips.Hike in the Woods.UPM, a multi-national forest products company, sponsors anextraordinary website that makes you feel as though you’re trompingthrough a forest. To access the site, go to (www.upm.com) and clickon UPM Forest Life. Suddenly, bird calls fill the air. Is that a streamburbling in the background? A guide will appear and offer to showyou around, but you can also explore on your own by clicking hotspots that explain everything from fungi to forestry management.Explore Earth.Planet in Action (www.planetinaction.com) enhances mapsavailable at Google Earth to create vivid interactive tours of landmarksites. Check out the “Places” section of the website for tours of MountSt. Helens, Manhattan, and Paris Disneyland. With a twitch of themouse, you can zoom in at points of interest for a closer look. The sitealso includes flight simulation games for kids who find a simple tour“boooooring.” You can also go straight to the source by downloadingGoogle Earth 5 (www.earth.google.com/intl/en/), a richer versionof GoogleMaps that allows investigation of almost any place onthe planet, sometimes in amazing 3-D format. Start by looking forfamiliar landmarks in your own community - your child’s school, theplayground, or your own backyard. Then branch out to the exotic,such as Tokyo, a Caribbean island, or the Serengeti.Take a Moon Walk.If exploring earth seems a bit mundane, try a virtual vacationthat is, quite literally, out of this world. On the toolbar at the top ofGoogle 5, there’s a tiny image of Saturn. Click on it, and you get achoice of studying the night sky, exploring Mars, or traveling to themoon. On the lunar surface, Apollo astronauts offer a personal tour,explaining the craft they used for their historic flight, and pointing outtheir famous footprints.A parent as the guide makes a virtual tour more enjoyablefor younger children. Older kids can conduct their own expeditions.Point them toward one of these sites and suggest they put on theirtravel guide hats and lead the family on a tour of an exciting new land.Share a virtual trip to a place you’ve always wanted to visit and youhave created your own mini, but memorable, vacation.23www.OrlandoFamilyMagazine.com