I remember when I first traveled with my family, I was very curious about why the roads were so curvy; why the railway tracks went criss cross; why it rained at one place while some miles ahead we could only find breeze to accompany us and so much more. Today, I wish to see the same excitement in my children. I don’t want to take them on a lavish vacation where all they can do is admire the beauty from far and brag about it when they meet their friends. I prefer taking my kids for a trips wherein we live in a homestay, spend some time with local people, and children can mingle around with the localites learn how to adapt new life, get their hands dirty with mud, eating a cuisine which they would not otherwise get in the city.
“The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are” – Samuel Johnson
Although the internet has changed the world into a global village, one still needs to travel. Children are like butterflies, they remain in the cocoon for a purpose and they adapt the change only when exposed to it. And as a parent when I think of what is that one thing I want to give my kids, the answer unanimously is Education & Travel. Education is taken care of by the schools, while travel for us, it teaches children the cultural diversities and to appreciate and relish that experience forever.
Considering the weather, I thought it is time for parents to take their kids to places where they can engage themselves in activities that will not just entertain them but also teach them how to embrace the change. Often families going on a trip miss out on whether their children will enjoy as much as they will. Is the place kids friendly? We hardly find places that could teach the basics of a simple life to our children. I found few such places and am sure kids will absolutely cherish the experience!
# 1 Help them discover themselves
While we decide to lay back and relax in the amazing weather, your kids could get a chance to lay their hands on gardening, fishing, bird watching and everything that excites them about nature. This Agro-farm located at Kamshet offers a comprehensive range of terrestrial and aquatic adventure activities, and a series of horticultural and farm-based educational experiences within the premise. With a variety of outdoor experiences it will help children discover oneself & hone one’s capabilities.
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# 2 Spice up their trip with different Cultures
Nestled in the majestic Sahyadri valley, surrounded by lush green mountainous forests, blessed with abundant rainfall, this place at Pali can make your stay comfortable. While we laze around the place, taking a stroll on the half km walkway, the kids can engage in learning how to fly a kite. One thing every parent must consider doing here is to ditch your car for once and hire a bullock cart to visit the nearby scenic locations like Padsare waterfall, Jatayu temple and Pali Ashthavinayak Ganpati temple.
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# 3 Teach your kids to care for animals
Far from the maddening crowds, just 100 km from Mumbai, cocooned among the western ghats, in the Raigad district, this place is a recreation of all the simple elements of village life within 7 acres of land – fields, orchards, temple, pond, waterfall, farm animals, and last but not the least – Indian country homes, made by unskilled hands, with natural materials and rustic decor, which are comfortable, clean and furnished with necessary amenities. If your kids love to pamper animals and play with them, this is an ideal place for petting. They can enjoy the simple joys of waking up with the cackle of geese and spend their day walking in the fields, swinging, kite flying, rowing, fishing, planting, feeding the fowl and cattle, riding a bullock cart, star gazing or just watching time go by with nature. Having ponies and horses is an added attraction for kids.
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# 4 Ecology will surprise them with its balancing skills!
In a place surrounded with rustic village atmosphere along with 1200+ trees, you can get an easy access to peep into nature’s beauty at Kolad. With the help of the caretaker one can arrange for river crossing and river rafting at Kudalika river. One can also arrange for kayaking, day and night trekking and river body surfing. Not just the kids, but parents too can enjoy these activities.
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# 5 Let them take the Monkey’s ride
Besides streams and scenic beauty this place at Karjat is situated amid 120 acres of thick wooden mango orchads. Visit here in monsoon for the lush greens, fresh forest smells, and gurgling river that is safe even in monsoon to play in. Remember the last time you climbed a tree? Probably not! It’s time for you to let your children jump and hop around the trees like monkey and relive your childhood days. The farm attracts a splendid variety of birds. One can take walks around the property and swim in the river or even have a family barbeque or just sit back and read and listen to nature.
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# 6 Let them learn the art of farming
Are you a Konkani? Or have you heard alot about Konkani tales? Then this place at Khopoli is ideal for you to travel with your kids for them to taste the many flavors of this region. We would love to live at a traditional Konkani Cottage with veranda overlooking mountain ranges. The place is doing its best to preserve and protect our ecology, our native culture and food habits. And they are prepared to share the natural beauty and comforts of their place with the guests. Kids would enjoy farming and they can learn the very art of rice cultivation, soil building, poultry farm and brick furnace. Also, camping and barbeque can be arranged on request.
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# 7 They will understand the value for money
Living within the wooden interiors and a place that follows agro-toursim, I am sure this place at Mulshi has great deals for our kids to learn. This place is been taken care of by the local villagers and they gladly welcome you to witness their warm service and mouth watering food over your weekend trip. The villagers believe that everything is of value and use and the homestay itself is been built with a lot of recycled material. What could be a better way to teach our kids ‘best out of waste’! The localites are known to indulge kids into fun activities like crab hunting and rice plantation. Now every time they will crave for sea food, they know where it comes from! The best thing about choosing this place as a farmstay is to realize that the money raised by the guest visits is being used for the education of village children which is an amazing effort!
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If you think your children would love to indulge in similar fun activities, then visiting these places is a must! On your way back home if you sense the same curiosity in your kids which you had years ago on your first travel trip with your parents, then your weekend trip to the above places is worth it!
About the Author:
Keenjal Patel
A reader at mind, a writer at heart, a believer at soul and an achiever overall, is what she want to be. She loves to express through words. She’s a firm believer that imagination rules the world and the day this world absorbs the essence of her words, that would be a day of pride for her!
