Pre-Trip Fun for Palm Springs, California

"Holes" -- Kids will get a sense of the desert heat's impact on outdoor activities by watching this engaging family adventure film. (Older school-age and up)

Angel Delights -- The majority of dates produced in the United States are grown in the Coachella Valley. Introduce kids to the sweet fruit with these award-winning cookies.

Fruit Pizza -- Cover sugar cookies with a sweet spread and decorate with different types of grapes, another top Coachella Valley crop, to make this tasty dessert.

"Desert Discoveries" -- Kids learn about how the time of day and temperature affect activity levels of desert dwellers like rattlesnakes, jackrabbits, and tarantulas in this illustrated book by Ginger Wadsworth and John Carrozza. (Preschool and up)

"Life in a Desert" -- Life in a Desert -- Carol K. Lindeen introduces the desert climate and the animals and plants that thrive there. (School-age)

"101 Facts about Deserts" -- This book for kids ages 8 to 11 by Julia Barnes details more than one hundred facts about the formation, traits, plants, and animal life of the world's deserts. (School-age).

Desert in a Box -- Get kids excited about the prickly plants that thrive in the desert with this fun craft.

Cardboard Palm Tree -- Set the mood for your vacation by "planting" a palm tree in kids' bedrooms before the trip.