Outdoor Play Is More Important For Children Than You May Think

Following is the description of how a film-maker connects little ones with nature and how he explains the significance of the outdoor play for children.David Bond does this in a plan called Project Wild Thing.

He begins with a feeling of uneasiness when he compares his own childhood to that of his children. His children are interest in technology and he himself wonders at how skillful they are in it at such a young age. His four year old little girl knew so much about electronic media and is devoted to TV. When he asked her how much she loved it, her response was in numbers, “One hundred billion.”

At the same time he noticed that his children had no fancy for playing outdoors. The modular playground equipment held no attraction for those young minds like it did for himself when he was a child.Sooner this uneasiness turned into fright and he decided to act on the problem. He interviewed experts and discussed his concern about declining rate of outdoor play. He shared his apprehensions about the impact of screen-based life on children and their resulting loss of contact with nature.

The onset of new social lifestyles and the domination of commercial forces have made today’s children a lot more susceptible to sedentary habits and technological entertainment instead of going outdoors and playing with modular playground equipment. This has more adverse effects than immediately seen. Children become lazy and at times unsocial. They also lose out on the actual human interactions and exposure to forces of nature. Staying indoors and away from human contact also makes children more likely to get anxious and irritable without actually knowing the reason.

Playing outdoors in the natural world is vital for children’s physical and mental development. From self-confidence to social skills to behavior control and emotional maturity, a major proportion of their personality development depends on their interactions with nature and other children and grownups. It is equal significant for a society’s future as children are responsible to shape it as they grow up. Bond turned to a psychology professor to ask what would happen if children didn’t play to which he replied, ‘We’d be left with an adult society that looks like Lord Of The Flies. Everything would be an unstructured mob.’ Scary stuff.

Now the film maker was determined to reverse the trend of children losing touch with nature. At the same time he wanted to give his film a touch of positive case for natural play instead of just making it dwell on what is going wring. For him conveying the positive impacts of outdoor play was more important than merely harping on the negative impacts of its absence.

Therefore Project Wild Thing is essentially produced with insistence on the benefits of playing outdoors. Nature and its benefits are highlighted as well as their significance for young minds and bodies. The techno-consumer kids and their parents are addresses with a positive outlook on what they have to gain by stepping outdoors and playing on commercial playground equipment.

Using Programs like “GET OUT & PLAY” to Help Kids Become Active

Do you find it hard to get your tykes out of the house for a hearty physical activity? When was the last time you actually used an commercial playground with your kids? Do you often get out with your kids? I bet the answer is a dubious “yes”. There are quite a few programs that allow children to make significant improvements with regards to their physical and cognitive health.

The “Get Out and Play” system is an organization with Park City School District primary schools, Weilenmann School of Discovery, Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort, Park City Ice Arena, Utah Olympic Park, White Pine Touring, Young Riders, the Mine Bouldering Gym and the Youth Sports Alliance that offers children in first to fifth graders the chance to take an interest in ski, snowboard, crosscountry, free-form, free ride, ski bouncing, bouldering, mountain biking and ice skating.

This program incorporates direction, lift pass, transportation from schools taking to interesting venues. This couldn't happen without the incalculable guardian volunteers who help with everything from offering kids 'some assistance with gearing up' at the schools, to escorting on the transports that vehicle the children to the selected venues, to aiding on the mountain or trail with lessons.

The Get Out and Play program really offers something profitable for pretty much every tyke in this group by getting them off of the couch on Friday evenings, presenting them to another game they have never attempted, or testing their effectively created abilities by using complex playground equipment.

Do your community schools partake in such programs to help eradicate the epidemic of obesity in America? Share your opinion with us through our comment section below and let other parents learn more about similar programs that can help children become more active and ultimately pursue a healthy lifestyle.

Why We Should Let Kids Be Independent in their Decisions?

There are a lot of ways to raise a child, but there’s no way that you could call a perfect recipe for raising a well-mannered child. Many parents believe that be keeping the reins in their hands, they allow kids to grow in a best possible way that is deemed appropriate by the society. However, not letting them off leash may not serve you well in the long run.

Research suggests that children should be able to have a little freedom in making their choices. Whether it’s a choice about choosing playground structures, or picking out what to eat for dinner, children need to be involved with various decisions in order to understand their importance in the house. In addition, children need to understand the importance of analyzing the pros and cons of a situation before making a decision.

Letting kids decide for themselves allows them to be more independent in thought, which helps them understand responsibility, the importance of being independent, and the ability to make good choices, and learn from the bad choices. When children have a certain autonomy in everyday decisions, they begin to learn the pros and cons making certain decisions that significantly impact their life.

Comprehending the value of sound decision making comes with time and practice, and by letting your kids have the independence of decision making, you are preparing them for the future. Research suggests that children who have autonomy at home are more confident in the classroom. These kids also show improved results in academic endeavors.

Do you allow your kids to be independent in their decisions? What usually do you do to make sure that your kids understand the significance of making their own decisions? Share your opinion with us through our comment section below.

Run like Paula Radcliffe: Let Your Girls Learn How It's Done

Do you have girls in the house who are marathon enthusiasts? Today, we have decided to bring some marathon champion quotes to you, so your sports enthusiast girls can get some inspiration and start stepping up their game in the commercial playground or any field for that matter. Nobody can be more inspiring than Paula Radcliffe, so let’s just look at some of her most inspiring words.

• At big championships it's not the fastest person, it's the person who gets it right on the day.
• For an athlete, the biggest pressure comes from within. You know what you want to do and what you're capable of.
• From my training I can get a good idea of what I'm capable of.
• In the marathon anything can happen.
• Every time I go out and race it's a goal to go out and run faster than I've done before.
• A half marathon is a good way to have a bit of fun and race against those girls and learn a bit more about them. The world half marathon is a world championship at the end of the day and it's important. I've win it twice and it's a quality event.
• I can't imagine living and not running.
• To represent your country at a home Olympics is something special and I'm over the moon to be selected for Team GB. I was pleased to get the qualifying time in Berlin earlier this year and my sole focus is getting in the right shape for London.
• I have always run as hard as I can. You are not going to run any harder with or without men. You are running on your own two feet.
• No one remembers who came fourth.
• As an athlete, there are advantages being with a team and getting regular physio.

How do you inspire your girls to be active on the playground structures? Share your opinion with us through our comment section below.

Controlling the Little Freaks…

 

Children are nothing less of a freak/monster that dwells on your veins, 24/7. Most children fail to listen and develop outraging behavioral patterns that become a nightmare for the parents. Do you feel like that it’s hard for you to control your little freak? If so, read below to find some useful tips that can help you control them.

Tips to Raise a Well Balanced Kid

• Establish standards in the house. Children should know what they can and can’t do.
• Establish authority. Most parents make it too soft for the kids that the kids feel like bending the rule any way they want. If you establish certain authority in the house, children will fear you and would probably abstain from being their own boss.
• Establish certain rules. The rules keep everyone in line, and children are no exception. You can make several rules for children. For example, let children know how much time they can have with the outdoor playground equipment and TV. In addition, establish rules regarding household chores. Research suggests that children who learn to live by the rules are more likely to succeed academically than the kids who get to have their way with everything.
• Be a role model. If you don’t practice what you preach, you are not going to get the results that you desire. Children learn a lot from what they see at home, so make sure that you practice self-discipline and restrain from things that may encourage your kids to practice bad behavior.
• Use positive and negative reinforcement. Various research studies have shown that reinforcement works better than the punishment. So, make sure that you get kids in line with the right approach.

How do you help your child practice self-discipline and not turn into a freak? Share your opinion with us through our comment section below and help other parents.

Tricks To Deal With “You’re Not The Boss of Me!” Attitude

So does your kid has “you’re not the boss of me” attitude? I know, most of you have nodded “yes”, which doesn’t come as a surprise. Most children have that attitude and they fail to let it go even when they reach the teenage days. In this article, we have outlined tips and tricks that will help you deal with this attitude problem.

• Concentrate on the qualities and search for the positive attitude in your child. Voice your gratefulness at whatever point a youngster is adaptable, positive, or versatile.
• Maintain a strategic distance from verbally abusing and naming children as “problem kid”. Labels wear down self-regard and confidence in children.
• Use reflection to offer kids some assistance with recognizing alternatives. “Today, we are not going to commercial playground, and instead we will enjoy a Disney movie.” Children must be able to adapt to alternatives.
• Be understanding, sympathize, and decipher disposition qualities.
• Keep up an anticipated calendar. Caution offspring of changes in routine so they aren't found napping during active hours. For example, before it's a great opportunity to leave the outdoor playground equipment, let kids know when they can have their last play activity.
• Destructible youngsters hear one thing at once. Give kids the basic, regulated headings so they can understand and succeed in a particular activity.
• Keep your home quiet and unsurprising. Noisy TV, music, or family contentions will stretch any youngster, yet particularly those with troublesome personality.
• Appreciate your youngsters' inclinations for nourishment taste, aroma, and other things. Good example adaptability by serving eggs in a way your kid likes.
• Mentor youngsters about discretion. Help them expert dialect to express emotions. Remind them to discover non-forceful approaches to accomplish objectives.
• Offer kids some assistance with regaining control amid or after fits of rage.
• Show and support positive social aptitudes, for example, exchanging, arranging, sharing, welcoming others to play, asking before entering others' play, offering to help other people, requesting help, and sharing thoughts.

How do you help your children to eliminate that kind of attitude? Share your opinion through our comment section below.

Train your Child’s Bilingualism while Getting Physically Fit (Part 1)

We are dwelling in an era where “good enough” is not good enough. We need to be more competitive in order to stay ahead. Our children face a massive challenge to make themselves stand out among the highly scholarly crowd. If you are in America, it is crucial that you at least understand Spanish. In this post, we will highlight how you can help your child’s bilingualism (and yours) while getting the regular dose of physical activity in a commercial playground.

Counting in Spanish

This exercise is simple. Perform a simple warm up with your kids, but instead of counting in English
Uno (oo-no), Dos (dose), Tres (trace) (move to the left)
Cuatro (kwat-ro), Cinco (sink-o), Seis (saze) (move to the right)
Siete (see-yet-eh), Ocho (och-o), Nueve (new-eh-veh) (do the twist)
Diez (dee-ace) , once (ohn-say), doce (dos-say) (clap your hands and jump)
You can gradually add the new numbers. The list of 20-100 counting in Spanish in given below:

20 veinte	30 treinta	40 cuarenta	50 cincuenta
veinte uno	treinta y uno	cuarenta y uno	cincuenta y uno
veinte dos	treinta y dos	cuarenta y dos	cincuenta y dos
veinte tres	treinta y tres	cuarenta y tres	cincuenta y tres
veinte cuatro	treinta y cuatro	cuarenta y cuatro	cincuenta y cuatro
veinte cinco	treinta y cinco	cuarenta y cinco	cincuenta y cinco
veinte seis	treinta y seis	cuarenta y seis	cincuenta y seis
veinte siete	treinta y siete	cuarenta y siete	cincuenta y siete
veinte ocho	treinta y ocho	cuarenta y ocho	cincuenta y ocho
veinte nueve	treinta y nueve	cuarenta y nueve	cincuenta y nueve

Introduce new numbers to children as they play on their outdoor playground equipment, or engage in any other physical activity.

60 sesenta	70 setenta	80 ochenta	90 noventa
sesenta y uno	setenta y uno	ochenta y uno	noventa y uno
sesenta y dos	setenta y dos	ochenta y dos	noventa y dos
sesenta y tres	setenta y tres	ochenta y tres	noventa y tres
sesenta y cuatro	setenta y cuatro	ochenta y cuatro	noventa y cuatro
sesenta y cinco	setenta y cinco	ochenta y cinco	noventa y cinco
sesenta y seis	setenta y seis	ochenta y seis	noventa y seis
sesenta y siete	setenta y siete	ochenta y siete	noventa y siete
sesenta y ocho	setenta y ocho	ochenta y ocho	noventa y ocho
sesenta y nueve	setenta y nueve	ochenta y nueve	noventa y nueve

How do you make sure that your children learn Spanish while getting physically active? Share your opinion with us through our comment section below.

Those 45 Minutes of Recess: Are They Any Good?

As soon as the bell rings, a wave of thrill runs through the drained students who have probably waiting for that bell all day. Recess holds a significant position in school life, but is it as important as we think it is? And, most importantly, how much of a break is necessary; does the 30-45 minute general break is enough for the day?

Research suggests that recess gives tykes a cerebral rest that allows them to retain the information that they have garnered all day in class. In addition, the brief period of rest also allows them to digest the information; children understand what they learned in class better if they have time to process all the information. During recess children not only get to free themselves of academic stress, but also get the chance to enrich their creativity through school playground equipment and other play structures.

So are those 45 minutes good enough? Researchers suggest that the 45 minutes are more than enough, but children could use a couple of more minutes. Most research suggests that children who have longer break periods retain and process more than the kids who do not utilize the break period. It is extremely crucial for children to make the most out of their break. There is a certain kind of joy attached to the outdoor playground equipment that cannot be garnered through any other activity, not even the P.E. class.

On average, a child needs to have at least 60-85 minute of active play per day. Your child will not necessarily get that from the school break, so make sure that at home he gets ample time to participate in active play. The most common forms of active play include imaginative play and various forms of unstructured play.

Got any thoughts on the above subject? Share your opinion with us through our comment section below.

Action Songs for Kids of All Age Groups

The hardest job for today’s parent is to keep kids fit despite of all the enticing distractions that make it impossible for children to leave the couch. So to help your kids get into action, I have dug up a few action songs that are perfect to get kids of any age into action for an intense physical workout. So put on your work out pants and get your kids out of bed and prepare for a bombastic work out.

Get Up! By Pam Minor

With this song, do a warm up routine. Jumping jacks are great for warm up, but you can use any routine to get the muscles to prepare for the exercise.

Wake up and stretch
Rub sleep from your eyes
Get out of bed
I’ve got a surprise
We’ve got to move
Our work’s cut out
No matter the weather
We’re gonna shout Hey
It’s time to make a bright new day

Hurry get dressed
Brush your hair too
Breakfast is ready
And so are you
We’ve got to move
Our work’s cut out
No matter the weather
We’re gonna shout Hey
It’s time to make a bright new day

Go brush your teeth
Grab books and lunch box
School bus is coming
This day really rocks
We’ve got to move
Our work’s cut out
No matter the weather
We’re gonna shout Hey
It’s time to make a bright new day
Hey it’s time to make a bright new day

Hi De Ho by Andrew Queen

This is a great song for aerobic exercise. If your kids are into water aerobics, then this is the best song out there. Simply encourage your kids to follow their usual exercise routine, but ask them to sing along and a clap at the end of every chorus to make things interesting. This will prove much better than the outdoor playground equipment activities.

Hi de, Hi de, Hi de ho
Wig-wig-wig-wig-waggedy wo
Bop she-bop she-bop she-bo
Reach up high and reach down low
Hi de, Hi de, Hi de hee
Wig-wig-wig-wig-waggedy wee
Bop she-bop she-bop she-bee
Flap your wings and shake your knees

Hi de, Hi de, Hi de hi
Wig-wig-wig-wig-waggedy why
Bop she-bop she-bop she-by
Wave your hands up to the sky

Instrumental – guitar solo

Hi de, Hi de, Hi de hay
Wig-wig-wig-wig-waggedy way
Bop she-bop she-bop she-bay
Twist your body in every way

Hi de, Hi de, Hi de how
Wig-wig-wig-wig-waggedy wow
Bop she-bop she-bop she-bow
That’s all folks now take a bow

Now Jump! by Wendy Rollin

With this song, simply encourage kids to act out the lyrics.
Put your hands together, make a happy sound
Open arms wide, then clap
Now Jump
Twisty jump, arms stretched wide, jump as you twist side to side

Wave your arms way up high
Lift arms high over head and swing side to side
Now Jump
Twisty jump, arms stretched wide, jump as you twist side to side

Can you swim in rhythm
With your arms, do a forward swimming motion, in rhythm with the music
Can you do it backward
With your arms, do a backward swimming motion, in rhythm with the music
Don’t stop
Don’t stop

Now stop
Stop, with your hands held out, palms out, like a policeman stopping traffic

Put your hands together, make a happy sound
Open arms wide, then clap
Now Jump
Twisty jump, arms stretched wide, jump as you twist side to sides

So what do you think? Are you inspired to act yet? Share your opinion with us through our comment section below.

Ways to be Supportive Towards your Child’s Sports Activities

Children, especially boys love to engage in sports activities; however, at times this can become a hurdle in children’s academic activities. Most parents see sports activities as a recreational thing and therefore encourage their kids to only take part in such activities that add to their academic tasks. This post will shed some light on why it is important to be supportive towards children’s sports activities, and how can you be more supportive.

Children Need a Guiding Hand

When it comes to outdoor playground equipment and outdoor play activities, especially the sports activities, children need somebody who can guide them. This is especially important for children in the preschool years. Simply, watching kids from the bleachers is not enough; you have got to get up and take part in the activities so the kids can garner encouragement from you. You have got to let the kids know how much taking charge of their activities is important for the growth.

Most parents prefer to not mingle with children’s play activities, which can greatly impact the way children take sports activities. If your children don’t see you being enthusiastic about physical activities, they are probably not going to take it seriously. Research suggests that parents who are more involved with physical fitness activities are more likely to have children who will take part in commercial playground equipment and other sorts of play activities.

Step Up

So you spend most of your time in your office chair and then the living room couch? What impression do you think that leaves on your children? If you are not able to pursue an active lifestyle, then don’t expect that your children will automatically start living an active life. You have got to step up and show your kids the encouragement and support that they need.
One way to encourage kids for sports activities through cheerful and inspiring stories. Here are some of the sports quotes that are worth mentioning:

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…” – Dr. Seuss

“You’ve got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was.” – Irish Proverb

“Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play.” – Mike Singletary

“A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than an hour of praise after success.”

“Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

“When you’re riding, only the race in which you’re riding is important.”– Bill Shoemaker

“Number one is just to gain a passion for running. To love the morning, to love the trail, to love the pace on the track. And if some kid gets really good at it, that’s cool too.”– Pat Tyson

“There may be people that have more talent than you, but there's no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.”– Derek Jeter

Are you encouraging your kids enough? How do you make sure your kids love to spend time outdoors? Share thoughts and opinions with us through our comment section below.