Piling it on at Kitchen Little

"You need to add Kitchen Little to your list for places to eat in Mystic/Stonington," writes Jenny, a DayTripper contributor. "Excellent, excellent breakfast! Tiny, tiny place, but a nice outdoor seating area (you'll share a table with other diners outside) right on the water so kids can watch the boats going by. Outside, the ground is just rocks, so my 3 1/2 year old was infinitely entertained sitting under the table making rock piles while we waited for our delicious food! Coffee's pretty good, too."

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Wilderness Rafting Trips & Jobs

Many of our readers are already planning spring and summer travels, and this is a gem that's fairly close to home - the Dispatches checked it out with four teenagers last June. After 21 years rafting up to Class V (summer is mostly Class I-III) waters on the Kennebec and Dead Rivers, Magic Falls Rafting Company is still family owned by Dave and Donna Neddeau. They operate 41 rafts, 25 inflatable kayaks, a campground, lodge and inn for groups; recreation pavilion, retail shop on 15 acres alongside the Dead River. In 2008 the Neddeaus carried more than 6,000 rafting passengers. Note that Magic Falls is also hiring fit & experienced 18-plus guides for the summer; and judging by the involved guides we had last year, the Neddeaus are great employers!

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Cool in Cambridge: Sprinkler Park Crawl

One of my very favorite resources for the question of "Where can we go to COOL DOWN with little kids" is Cambridge's awesome map of its 24 (that's Twenty-Four!) sprinkler parks, in every corner of the city and then some.

One thing we did last summer that was a blast on medium-hot days was a "sprinkler park crawl" (a healthy alternative for those who have outgrown "pub crawls") where I'd throw the kids into a car, pull out a map, go to a sprinkler park, jump out, everybody'd play for a bit, jump back in the car with towels set up on the seats, go to another, get back in the car, drive to a third park, after which those kids slept VERY WELL that night (as did I).

Particularly fun with another family, especially with a van with electric doors. It's a like the Keystone Cops every 16 blocks.

So print out the map and go crawling! Or at least get sprinkled, spritzed, splashed and COOLED ON DOWN. Enjoy!

- by Robin, Greater Boston DayTripper Diva

Drop of Hope Photography Project

The Roots & Shoots youth organization invites everyone to participate in this year's Drop of Hope Water Photography Project. There are even a couple of spaces left in a special photography workshop at Deer Island on Sunday, August 23.

The project encourages youth participation in celebrating bodies of water, building awareness about water issues, as well as creating and enjoying art. Roots & Shoots is again working with the Griffin Museum of Photography and Boston Photography Center on this project. Roots & Shoots is founded by chimpanzee researcher and environmental activist Dr. Jane Goodall.

This project involves three stages:

1. Young people take photos and briefly write descriptions about bodies of water they have visited, projects they have done with water or water issues that are of concern to them.
2. Exhibit the photos and descriptions in an online Roots & Shoots photo gallery, allowing visitors to the gallery to learn about and comment on the photos. (Anyone may submit photos for this portion of the project.)
3. The eventual exhibition of a selected number of the photos in the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, MA. (Only photos taken by Roots & Shoots members can be selected for this opportunity.)

click here for more information