Little Passports

Do your children love geography or yearn for the adventure of world travel? (Don’t we all?) San Francisco-based Little Passports may be just the ticket to teaching them the history, language, culture and geography of countries from around the world. Each month, virtual friends Sofia and Sam will mail a packet of information about a new country they are visiting. Inside is a letter describing their adventures, souvenirs and gifts unique to that country, as well as a secret code allowing access to online games and activities. $99 for 12 months. littlepassports.com. – M.S.

Birthday Parties that Give Back

OK, so this isn’t actually a product, but it is a trend that we here at TWL heartily endorse. Rather than collect tons of gifts that won’t last the week, why not have your child’s birthday party guests bring gifts for those less fortunate? Donate them to patients at local pediatric hospitals or homeless shelters. Or, have the guests make a donation to a charity of your child’s – or your – choice. – P.S.

Togetherville

Is your child ready for social networking, but you’re not ready for him to start? Then check out Togetherville.com, a new website for children ages 6 to 10 and their parents to use, well, together. Co-founded by Mandeep Dhillon, a Redwood City father of three, Palo Alto-based Togetherville is a free (and ad-free) “online neighborhood” parents set up, linked to their own Facebook accounts. The site allows children to interact with other children and safe adults, playing games, creating artwork and sharing status updates, videos, gifts and more – just like the big kids do. togetherville.com. – J.D.

Cool Cups

It can be tough to keep busy kids hydrated on warm summer days. Petaluma’s CamelBak comes to the rescue with 12-ounce, BPA-free plastic and stainless-steel bottles. Kids will like the cool designs from mermaids to dinosaurs to polka dots. Parents will like the spill-free cap and straw that come apart easily for cleaning. All parts are dishwasher-safe, too. $14-$20. camelbak.com. – J.D.