Pre-Trip Fun for White Mountains, New Hampshire

"On Golden Pond" -- Filmed on Squam Lake, just south of the White Mountain National Forest. (Preteen and up)

Maple syrup -- Tapped all over New Hampshire, it's a tasty topper for pancakes, oatmeal, and even vanilla ice cream.

"G is for Granite: A North Country Alphabet" -- An introduction to all things New Hampshire, with a particular nod to nature's beauty with colorful illustrations. (Ages 4 to 8)

"The Legend of the Old Man in the Mountain" -- A heart-warming folktale and tribute to the famous now-missing stone face in Franconia Notch State Park. (Ages 4 to 8)

"The Bear That Heard Crying" -- A captivating story of a three-year-old New Hampshire girl who gets lost in the woods and is rescued by a bear. It's even more impressive considering the tale is based on real events in the life of the author's ancestor in 1783. (Ages 4 to 8)

"The Great Stone Face and Other Tales of the White Mountains" -- Short stories by the nineteenth century American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne, who died while visiting the White Mountains. The title story is a treatise on character that centers on a boy who grew up under the eye of the famed Old Man in the Mountain. (Note: Also available in picture book format. [by Gary D. Schmidt]) (Preteen and up)

"Rookie Read-About Geography: New Hampshire" -- What the heck is granite anyway? Find out this and more facts about the state, including what makes the Whites unique to the rest of the state. Basic text is just right for young readers. (Ages 4 to 8)

Weather graphs -- Chart and compare your hometown temperatures to those on the rugged tip of Mount Washington (brrrr!) for a week.

Maple butter -- It sure beats boring old margarine on toast, bagels, and muffins.

Black bears -- Make playful miniatures of the critters that roam the White Mountains from polymer clay and wire.

A paper steam engine or a tin can train -- Your junior engineer can set the scene before chugging off for the Cog or Conway Scenic Railway.

A field journal: Handy for young hikers who like to document the action and relive it later.