Educational Media Reviews Online

In this episode of Travel with Kids, parents Carrie and Jeremy take sons Nathan and Seamus to Ireland. In three half hour segments, the Roberts family travel through the sites of Dublin and then board a train to the southwestern part of the country to experience some old Irish culture. A narrator interjects information of a factual nature while Carrie and Jeremy take turns narrating the trip, adding helpful, family-friendly information. Nathan and Seamus chime in as well sharing fun factoids.

In Dublin, the family learns some of the stormy history between the English and Irish at Dublin Castle. They also experience the culture of the pub, learn about authentic Irish music, and dance the jig. In addition, they see Trinity College, the Book of Kells, the Guinness Brewery, St. Stephens Green, and the Phoenix Park Zoo. The double-decker bus and umbrella strollers are a boon to site-seeing in the big city.

Then it’s off to Killarney by train. The train works well for family travel with aisles for walking and the constant change of scenery. From Killarney, the Roberts take in the surrounding sights. First on the list is Killarney National Park and Ross Castle, then on to the Dingle Peninsula to learn about local sea life. Next it’s a climb through Blarney Castle, a kiss to the blarney stone, and of course receiving the “gift of gab.” Not to be missed are Bunratty Castle, the famous high cliffs of Maher, and the Aillwee Caves on the Burren. Staying in a real castle along the way makes history come alive.

Each episode has great cinematography and is packed full of places to see and things to do. The fast pace and helpful family-friendly tips make this the perfect adjunct to the traditional travel guide for parents wishing to travel with their kids. The bonus features include: additional preparatory information on Irish cooking, learning to jig, and speaking Gaelic as well as out-take bloopers.

The Travel with Kids award winning series has 20 current DVDs available as well as real-time social media sites including a blog, facebook, and twitter presence. Their website includes information about their upcoming travel locations, their partners and sponsors, additional trip planning tips, television episodes, sample trailers, and more.