Anne-Charlotte PasseraInterview of Marisha Wojciechowska – Travel activity book series for young explorers
Whether you are planning on a staycation or hopping on a plane to explore a new destination, it’s important to get kids engaged while you travel.
There are fun and easy ways to prepare kids to travel before heading out which I tell you all about HERE. However, how do you deal with your children’s short attention span upon arriving at destination?
I recently interviewed Marisha Wojciechowska. She is a Canadian author and international consultant on water policy who has written a travel activity book for kids covering various cities across the globe.
Her “My Globetrotter Book” series has been designed for kids in mind to discover the world and inspire them to explore beyond their borders.
Let me start off by saying that I am fascinated by working moms who also have a side hustle for which they are passionate about. For that reason, and also because I believe we should lift each other up rather than down, I enjoy shining the light on other women. You know, the ones who find the time to share their experiences and their knowledge with others. Hopefully, in doing so, you will be inspired to follow their path or learn something new.
Marisha Wojciechowska is a Canadian author and working mom. Her mother, Cécile Cloutier, was a Quebecois poet (French Canadian). In fact, her collection of poems L’Écouté earned her the Governor General’s Award for French-language poetry in 1986. Marisha’s mother was a professor at the University and very passionate about French. Since both of Marisha’s parents were University professors, every 7 years they would get a sabbatical leave for a year.
Each sabbatical leave was spent in France and all together Marisha spent 4 years living in France and going to school there.
If that wasn’t enough in terms of traveling, Marisha, now an adult, spent 15 years living as an ex-pat in Asia working for the United Nations among other agencies and organizations.
She has recently moved back to Quebec with her husband and 17 year old son. It has been a hard adjustment for all as the move happened right in the middle of the global Pandemic.
The inspiration behind My Globetrotter Book
Marisha got the idea to create her travel activity books after visiting the national parks of the Rockies and Yellowstone. Indeed, the Yellowstone National Park has a Junior Ranger Program where children are introduced to the natural wonders of the park and their own role in preserving these wonders for the future. They provide an activities booklet for children 4 and up to complete during their visit throughout the park.
When Marisha returned home to Bangkok, she realized that this type of activity did not exist for kids when traveling to cities.
So, she decided to create her own activity booklet based on cities where she traveled to and lived with her son based on their experience. In fact, her son even participated in creating these books.
In 2020, Marisha was awarded the award for the Independent Authors Network for My Globetrotter Book series and is a recipient of the Gold Seal from Mom’s Choice Awards.
Reasons for kids to use these travel activity books
My Globetrotter Book provides activities for children between the age of 6 to 12 years old.
The concept was developed to prepare kids to travel to a specific destination or to be part of travel support. The goal for kids: discover the world on their own terms, in a fun and educational way.
Traveling, exploring and visiting can be stressful for some children. It can even create anxiety. Preparing them for a trip through activities or providing them with age appropriate activities to do while traveling will allow them to ease themselves into the unknown.
After a day of exploring a new city and if you want a little time to unwind, an activity book is a great way to keep your children occupied. Also, it’s a fun activity to do when it is raining outside and easy to pack in your backpack.
These books allow children to visit and learn in an exciting and different way instead of just walking by buildings in total indifference. Furthermore, the aim is to explore a city through its customs, culture, historical significance and to dig deeper.
My Globetrotter Books can also make for a lovely educational present and are perfect if you want your children to let go of the tablet or cellphone.
Inside the travel activity My Globetrotter Book
There are activities to do on each page of the booklet. The cities that have been covered thus far by Marisha are:
- Bangkok
- Singapore
- Tokyo
- New York Find your way through the maze of Central Park.
- Paris Finish drawing the Eiffel Tower.
Once you’ve gone through the booklet, HERE are some activity ideas you can do in Paris with the kids.
- Quebec & Montreal Did you know that Quebec City was the only fortified city North of Mexico?
HERE are some ideas of places and activities to do in Montreal as a family to complement your booklet.
The first page provides a map indicating where the city is located geographically along with the historical monuments.
Then, you’ll find page after page diversified games about vocabulary, mathematics, drawing, culture, etc.
Once completed, your child will have to decipher a code. This will earn him or her a personalized certificate to download which you can print and frame if you’d like.
Now, more than ever, it’s important that our children broaden their horizons. A travel activity booklet is perfect to use to discover a new city. Moreover, it can be used to rediscover a city in which you presently live in.
Thank you Marisha for your time and the interview.
Happy exploring!
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