Travel for Kids March 2025

Notre Dame, Mardi Gras cupcakes, books for toddlers, travel tips, seasonal events

In our March newsletter:

Notre Dame is open
Mardi Gras King Cake cupcakes
Fun books for petite travelers
Travel tips: Stay overnight at the airport
Seasonal events

Notre Dame is open

Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is now open.

Cathedral is free, reserved timed entry reservation is required.

Official website to book tickets: Notre Dame de Paris

Note: The South Tower with all the gargoyles is still closed, scheduled to reopen this summer.

Tips for visiting Notre Dame, inside and out, playground and picnic spot, plus Sainte Chapelle, and ice cream on Ile de la Cite.

Read more … Travel for Kids Notre Dame

Mardi Gras King Cake cupcakes

Mardi Gras is March 4.

To celebrate, make King Cake cupcakes, kids have fun decorating with purple, yellow and green sprinkles.

Cupcakes
1 cup sugar
1 2/3 cups flour
1 ¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
6 tbsp butter, softened
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs, room temperature

Frosting
3 tbsp butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
1 – 2 tbsp milk, to make icing easy to spread

Purple, green, yellow sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with muffin cups.
In a large mixing bowl (for mixer), add sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together.
Add butter and beat on low speed, until mixture looks crumbly (butter evenly distributed).
Combine milk and vanilla, pour into mixing bowl. Beat on low speed 30 seconds, then increase speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds. Scrape the bottom and sides of mixing bowl.
With mixer running at low speed, add 1 egg. Increase speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds, add second egg and beat for 30 seconds. Scrape sides of bowl, then beat until batter is smooth.
Use ¼ cup, scoop batter into prepared muffin tin.
Bake 22 – 25 minutes, until cupcakes are domed and light golden brown around the edges. Toothpick inserted in center will come out clean. Place cupcakes on rack to cool completely before icing.

To make frosting, in a small bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and beat together until light and fluffy.
Gradually add powdered sugar, beating well.
Add milk, little at a time, until frosting is easy to spread.
Spread frosting on each cupcake, decorate with purple, green, yellow sprinkles.

Store at room temperature or refrigerate for several days. Also, wrap well and freeze.
Makes 12 cupcakes.

Mardi Gras in New Orleans is famous for colorful parades, but there's also world-wide celebrations of Carnival in Rio de Janeiro and Venice.

Full story: Celebrating Mardi Gras and Carnival

Fun books for petite travelers

Toddlers are always ready to get up and go.

Read board books with little ones and explore the world!

Little Traveler Board Book Set

This book set is a perfect place to start - landmarks, things that go, fun food, animals.

With our list of 50+ board books, spend the day in different continents, discover national parks, ride in a London taxi or Indian tuk tuk, celebrate festivals, learn about nature and habitats, enjoy dumplings, sushi and shave ice, float on tropical waves, drifting off to sleep.

Read full story: Travel books for toddlers

Travel tips: Stay overnight at the airport

Planning international flights this summer, take a direct flight, reserve a hotel at the airport overnight, continue your trip the next day.

With this itinerary, if there are airline delays, all too common these days, instead of rebooking connecting flights, just check into your hotel at the airport. Airports have lots of amenities, everything is convenient - restaurants, cafes, even supermarkets.

Airport travel tips and hotels lists for London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Paris Charles de Gaulle, New York JFK, Washington Dulles, San Francisco and Los Angeles airports.

Full story: Stay overnight at the airport

Seasonal events

Fun for St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day is coming up March 17.

More than a celebration in Ireland, look for parades and events in United States cities. In Chicago the river is dyed emerald green!

At home, bake a batch of bright green shamrock sugar cookies, decorate floors with leprechaun footprints, and read children’s books about the holiday.

Full story: Fun for St. Patrick’s Day

National Cherry Blossom Festival Washington DC

Every spring, cherry trees bloom with delicate pink blossoms all around the Tidal Basin in Washington DC.

Cherry Blossom Festival is March 20 - April 13, 2025.

Events include a Blossom Kite Festival, Petalpalooza with music, performance stage, family-friendly hands on activities, Festival Parade with floats, marching bands, lots of kids participating, live music.

While you’re in Washington DC, fun things to do with kids - free Smithsonian museums, National Zoo (two new giant pandas), parks, markets, rent bikes, and more.

Read more … Travel for Kids Washington DC

Ramadam - Eid al Fitr

This year, March is the sacred month of Ramadan for Muslims.

It begins when the crescent moon appears in the sky, and ends with a large celebration called Eid al-Fitr.

During Ramadan, people fast all day, when the sun goes down, everyone gathers to eat a meal called iftar. Families try to help those who are less fortunate, and are thankful for their blessings.

Tip: Ramadan is celebrated by the lunar calendar, so sacred month is a different date each year.

One winter visiting India, we were in New Delhi during Ramadan. A family invited us to share iftar at their home. In a large room, they spread out beautiful Persian style rugs on the floor, then arranged a wonderful array of dinner dishes and sweets. We sat down on the soft rugs to eat dinner. The family came from Kashmir, and the delicious lamb saffron dishes were seasoned in that style. It was a meal our family will never forget.

Three children’s books for an introduction to Ramadan:

Eid Tale: An Eid al-Fitr Adventure by Aaliya Jaleel

During Ramadan, two children put on their new clothes and go out to bring sweet gifts to neighbors at the shelter, aunties decorating hands with henna, uncles drinking tea, spice sellers roasting cardamom and cinnamon, until they reach the masjid (mosque) for prayers. Then family and friends gather together for an unforgettable Eid celebration.

Fun for little one, lift the flaps and look for a cat in each of the scenes, delightfully illustrated. (Board book)

Ramadan Kareem by M.O.Yuksel, Hatem Aly

Families around the world celebrate Ramadan, starting with pre-dawn meal (suhoor), morning prayers, off to school, giving donations to people in need, reading the Qur’an on grandmother’s lap, preparing dishes for iftar meal, after fasting all day, everything tastes “sweeter than sweet.” The month of gratitude passes, and then it’s time for Eid al-Fitr, celebrated with the entire family.

The Night Before Eid by Aya Khalil, Rashim Kheiriyah

The night before Eid, a boy helps his Teita (Grandma) make a famous cookie - ka'ak. Teita and Mama remember past holidays singing songs and playing music with extended family. Everyone helps mix the dough, while sipping qamar al din (iced apricot juice). When the cookies are done, the kitchen fills with aroma of vanilla, toasted sesame seeds, and sweet honey. (Picture book)

Recipe for ka'ak cookies, and info about celebrating Eid.