Elizabeth Lepine, Totntow
Charles and I are proof that you can never run out of things to do or places to go in this child-friendly city (we spend roughly 3 months out of the year in the city of light). From culinary delights to cultural sights, the city always seems to welcome us back to all our old haunts and to offer us new ones.

Charles and I took in the city's spring energy with our favorite pastimes: Biking in the Bois de Bologne; riding ponies and carousels in our favorite amusement park, the Jardin d'Acclimatation; sailing boats in the pond at the Jardin des Tuileries; and watching the marionette theater in the Jardin du Luxemburg.  (These parks seem take you far away from the city's clamor and envelop you in a flowered botanical haven and kid paradise.)

The highlight of this particular trip to Paris, though, was our excursion to France Miniature, located 30-minutes outside of the city. Charles wore himself out running after the electric trains that traveled to and from the miniature cities, towns and villages.  All of France is recreated at a scale of 1/30th the size of the originals at this remarkable park.  In a single day, we got to visit all of France's famous monuments and landscapes at this 12-acre miniature theme park!  We were surprised to find out that there were also carnival-like rides and large slides to keep us even more entertained.

Jinny VanDeusen, WeJustGotBack.com
Jam-packed with eye-popping geothermal features and spectacular wildlife, Yellowstone is a national treasure on every family's wish list.  Good news: Fewer bookings for the upcoming season means this summer may be a great time to go.  This month, WeJustGotBack.com features three articles to help families plan that first vacation to Yellowstone.

Of Geysers and Grizzlies: The best of Yellowstone
So much to do, so little time? No worries.  We assembled a panel of repeat Yellowstone visitors to build a knockout shortlist of must-see park experiences.

Yellowstone Planning Tips: Advice from people who've been there
Nothing beats getting travel advice from someone who has been there, so we asked our panel of Yellowstone veterans for their best tips, hints and lessons learned.

Yellowstone Kid Stuff: 10 sites to get them psyched
Don't know a mudpot from a fumarole?  Or a black bear from a grizzly?  These ten before-you-go tools will get kids geared up for their big adventure.

*This month we're giving away a set of L.L. Bean rolling duffle bags. To enter, parents leave a comment telling us what is their child's no.1 must-pack item.

Nancy Solomon, Ciao Bambino

Just like sticking pins into a map, Boston dropped life-sized, red pins at twelve popular tourist sights. With this "Visit the Pin" marketing campaign, the city happened to create a fun scavenger hunt activity.  Have fun with the kids trying to track down these giant markers. Then, combining the latest and greatest of technology, you can text the pin and it will send back information about the surrounding area.  The pins are located at The Boston Common, Boston's City Hall Plaza, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston's Children's Museum, New England Aquarium, Christopher Columbus Park, Copley Square, Franklin Park Zoo, and Roslindale Village.

Melissa Bradley, Indagare

Thanks to the trunked heroes of Dumbo and Babar, I don't know one kid who hasn't secretly (or not-so-secretly) dreamed of being friends with an elephant.  So I kept the elephant-sanctuary part of our family safari a surprise until the end. Established by Dame Daphne Sheldrick in honor of her husband, who was the founding warden of Tsavo national park, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust operates an orphanage, where wild baby-animal orphans are raised until they can be released back into the wild. The orphans--primarily elephants but also the occasional rhino, zebra and eland--arrive from all over East Africa. Here is my daughter petting a baby rhino:

Rebecca Etter, Travel Assistant

It's finally nice out, and REI wants you and your kids to head outdoors. And to make sure you have no more excuses, they've announced another year of the "Passport to Adventure program".

Families are encouraged to stop by their local REI stores and pick up a free adventure journals and biking and hiking booklets that highlight local trail descriptions; including distances, driving direction, and general tips.

And the greatest thing is, they've posted all the materials on their website so everyone can participate even if you don't live near a store. Now go get biking!

Nancy Solomon Ciao Bambino

Bring history to life with an afternoon at gladiator school in Rome.  Located off the Appian Way, Nero and his crew provide an entertaining education on the life of a gladiator- with padded swords of course!  Everyone gets tunics and then off to training, which includes the sand bag gauntlet followed by some fun sword skills.  The kids in our group ranged from ages 3 to 12, and all of them loved this activity.  Combine this with a tour of the Colosseum and everyone will appreciate some early Roman culture. 

Melissa Biggs Bradley, Indagare

"Mom this is like Planet Earth but better," gasped my 9-year-old son when we came across a huge herd of giraffe in the Serengeti. "It's a journey of giraffe," my daughter announced, "that's what they call a group of giraffe." We had been on safari only three days, but we were all collecting animal facts. "And it's a troop of baboon and a dazzle of zebras," my son chimed in. We hadn't seen a TV or computer in days and none of us was missing them. Why would my son need Indiana Jones, when he was allowed to sit in a tracker seat on the hood of a Land Rover and scan the bushes for animals himself? I went on my first safari at twelve and had wanted to take my kids as soon they were old enough. "It's good that you brought them young," one of our guides told me, "because what they see and learn will grow with them." From our first stop at Giraffe Manor in Kenya, where the majestic beauties craned their necks in the window of the breakfast room for kibble, my kids were hooked. They peppered the guides with questions and soaked up the answers. When we had to wake early for game drives at Klein's Camp in Tanzania, they didn't grumble like they do on school days. They were dressed, binoculars and cameras slung around their necks, and eager to go in minutes.

Nancy Solomon, Ciao Bambino

Today, there was a package in my mail that had cute stamps like "world traveler," and "special delivery."  I was trying to remember if I had ordered something, but was pleasantly surprised to see that someone had sent us this wonderful gift from Little Passports.  Inside the box was an adorable suitcase and interactive kit for my kids to follow Sam and Sofie on their global adventures.  With stickers, computer codes, a world map and a story, this kit appeals to multiple ages.  What's great is that it seems more directed towards school age children, who are a bit too old for some of the picture books and need something interactive to really capture their attention.  This is offered as a monthly subscription for $10.95.  Each month, Sam and Sofia travel to a different country and share their information with your children. What a wonderfully innovative way to inspire children to learn!

Yolanda Edwards, Travel & Lifestyle Editor

One of my favorite properties ever is the Carlisle Bay in Antigua. I just got an email about amazing deals running throughout the summer. Its one of those places that is a shoe-in perfect vacation: the pool is perfect for toddlers to adults (a ledge that the little ones can splash on safely, while parents stand up in the deeper water right next to it)...I think I made at least three friends in that pool that I still am in touch with. The food is so good-lots of it is sourced locally (which can be rare on islands), the staff is so attentive, and the room layout is perfect for a family-kids get their own little room, and parents have theirs. We would order room service once our daughter went to bed, and watch movies, or sit on our beachfront terrace and look at the moon. It is dreamy, and these rates make me want to book a flight Right Now!!

Carlisle Bay deals:

Travel before 28 August 2009 and enjoy Ocean Suite rates of $345 per night for two adults including breakfast and afternoon tea. Stay four nights or more and receive a $250 resort credit.

Four nights from $2,220 or seven nights from $3,885 for two people including meals and up to a $500 drinks credit. Free for children up to 15 years and 50% off for teenagers in an Ocean Suite.

For more details, vist Carlisle Bay's Special Offers section of their website.

Visit Cookie's archive for more on Carlisle Bay.

Linda Meadow, Gurumommy

I wondered How do you introduce your kids to a city that you grew up in or have visited hundreds of times? That's what I was up against last week when I took my seven and eight-year-old daughters to New York.  Although they'd been before (when they were three and four) and had covered the main tourist attractions (Statue of Liberty, Central Park, and - but, of course - the American Girl store), this time around they were really seeing it 'fresh,' so, naturally, I wanted to make the most of it! 

We flew Jet Blue from LA so they could watch the satellite TV the entire flight (OK, so maybe they did replay the same three shows on Nick and Disney over and over again-who's counting?!). Here are the highlights of our trip to the Big Apple:

1. American Museum of Natural History: Located on the upper west side, it has a butterfly conservatory that's open now (through May 25th). The butterflies flitter about right over your heads as you observe them in their habitat! (For anyone who's read Fancy Nancy: Bounjour, Butterfly!, it is exactly as it is in the book - they literally fly overhead.)  My daughters especially liked watching the cocoons in their glass cases, ready to hatch at any moment. 

2. Dylan's Candy: Truthfully, if we had gotten off the plane, gone straight to Dylan's, and gone straight back to airport, my kids would have been satisfied with their trip to NY! It is like no other candy store. No. Other. One.

3. Peanut Butter & Co: A trip to this peanut butter shop was planned special for my seven-year-old who loves peanut butter sandwiches. Ever since her school banned them from campus (due to peanut allergies), she makes sure to have one every day after school. Located in the hear of Greenwich Village (just around NYU), everything comes with peanut butter. The most popular sandwiches are the Cinnamon Raisin Swirl and the Raisins and Cream Cheese.