The World’s Best Playground and Why We Need More Playgrounds Like This

Today’s playgrounds and community parks do not have the enthralling play structures that once used to adorn the parks in the past. School playgrounds are even worse, especially the playgrounds designed for preschoolers and toddlers. Recently, a TED author brought our attention to an amazing playground located just outside of Tokyo. The playground is more than just a play setting for children and there’s a reason

In the recent post on TED, Author Thu-Huong Ha brought forth an interesting playground that was not only a fresh piece of play equipment to look at, but also reminded us how much we need creative playgrounds and play equipment. In the recent years, technological devices have changed the way our children think, play and interact with their peers. This escalating change is not affecting our children’s physical health, but also making them a sedentary individual. The creator of the Fiji playground, Takaharu Tezuka, had a vision to build something extraordinary for growing minds in a different way.

 

 

What’s Inside The Fuji Kindergarten?

The Fiji Kindergarten is nothing like the kindergartens you usually encounter. The structure of the playground/building takes an oval form with a single story. But that is not the only thing different about this architectural wonder; the trees grow right through the classrooms. Children can literally climb to their classrooms instead of taking the stairs. The colossal playground with modern commercial playground equipment takes most of the space where children can unleash their inner beast and have the fun of a lifetime.

The Kindergarten has introduced a unique seating arrangement that does not involve any furniture. The hollow wooden boxes are used for seating and playing (in case the children wish to engage in activity after the class.) In addition to the modern play structures, the kindergarten offers ample opportunities for children to run and have the physical exercise that they need. If we could put the enormity and peerlessness of the Fuji kindergarten in a word that would be prodigious. The structure is one in a million and is currently Tokyo’s finest kindergarten to date.

Why We Need More playgrounds Like the Fuji Kindergarten?

Fuji Kindergarten is an institution for younger kids who need more physical activity than the teenagers. The purpose of creating an open-space kindergarten was to let the young bodies explore their physical capabilities and nourish their cognitive health in order to have a better academic performance in the future. Therefore, It is obvious why we need more playgrounds like the one observed within the walls of the Fuji Kindergarten.

The first and the most important things that our community playgrounds need is enhanced outdoor playground equipment that adheres to all the safety measures. Safety is one of the biggest issues that the playgrounds face today and Fuji Kindergarten handles masterfully. The children are accompanied by their instructors at all times as they engage with their preferred playground equipment.

The other important thing that our community playground management can learn from Fuji Kindergarten is the undeniable creativity. We ought to let kids discover their hidden talents and that is only possible through modern play structures and the ample play space. Children are no longer attracted to the junk filled play areas that offer minimum play structures and no adventure.
Parks and recreation departments in every state need to invest time and effort to create playgrounds like Fuji Kindergarten playground, so our children can have the opportunity to explore their physical strength in a better way.
[1] http://ideas.ted.com/inside-the-worlds-best-kindergarten/

4 Fun Ideas for Sibling Games to Try this Summer

Siblings are the most important component of any family and to make sure that the family stays well-bonded, it’s important that you introduce kids to fun oriented games. In this post, we will discuss the 5 most fun games that you can let your children try to strengthen their sibling bond.

The "Detective" Game

There are numerous sibling games that can allow children to have a better bond with each other. The Detective game is one such game. In this game, you become the detective or let any of the kids become the detective. You can prepare a list of questions that you can ask the kids that are being interrogated. If one of the kids becomes the detective, gently answer any question that they might have. This can be much more fun than a school playground equipment and other similar structures. However, this does not mean that you should eliminate the playground fun from your children’s life and completely push them into family based games. Find a balance between activities and stick to it.

The "Kids vs. Adults" Game

Another game that you can engage with your kids is the "Kids vs. Adults" Game. Usually, parents do not like the idea of teaming up against their kids, but in a game things can be totally different. The beauty of this game is that it can be applied to any family game you wish to play. For example, you can create teams (grownups and kids) while playing basketball, volleyball, table tennis, football and cards. When children play on the same team, they learn the power of association and teamwork. This can significantly reduce the everyday sibling fights that disrupt the good environment of the house.

Build Mud Castles

You don’t always need an outdoor playground equipment to engage your kids. If you have a patch of ground with ample mud, you have a perfect opportunity to engage your kids in an interesting outdoor activity. For this activity, all you need is children garden tools and the mud. Siblings can build can build mud castles, mud boats and mud houses together. To make things more interesting, you can set up a competition and see who builds the finest castles. Add rewards for the contest to add even more spice to the play.

Play the Good-Old Fashioned “Charades” 

 

 Can’t think of a game that you can play as a family? No worries, there are a plenty of games that you can engage in to have a great family time without stepping out of the house or using any commercial playground equipment. Charades are one of the most commonly known family game that offers both recreation and edification to the players. But that’s not the only thing that the charades can offer; this can be a great chance for you to let the children’s mingle together and forget their small differences.
Try the above-mentioned fun games this summer and rekindle the family bond for great values. Do you have anything to add to the above list? Share with us in our comment section below.

Did you Catch Your Child Lying? How to Deal with the Sneaky Behavior

Sneaky behavior in children can be the most troublesome things for parents to handle. Dishonesty is one of the most important virtues and if your child chooses to lie over and over again, it is an indication that you have failed as a parent. However, all is not lost; there is always something that can be done about the sneaky attitude. This article will explore how you can detect when your child is lying and take proper measures to eliminate the behavior.

Understand Why Children Lie

The first and the most important thing for parents are to understand where the sneaky behavior comes from. Refrain from grounding your child or sentencing him for a week of punishment before understanding why he did what he did. Childhood is a messed up age when hormones and the environment do not exactly resound well with each other. Children can use lying as a way to get out of a circumstance that they believe is out of their control. In most serious situations, children use lying as a way to avoid repercussion or punishment.
Research shows that children who have a friendlier bond with their parents seldom portray a sly attitude as compared to children who usually feel pressured by their parents. If your child is afraid to share something with you, there is a pretty good chance that he will keep the important details to himself. Therefore, understand what’s making your child engage in such a behavior and then try to fix it.

Let the Time Heal

You are probably aware of the common saying “time heals.” It really does. As mentioned above, childhood can be a messed up stage for children; most of the time children are not sure how they want to handle a certain situation and they seek refuge in lying. This kind of behavior can usually be observed in toddlers who are exposed to negative peer groups at school. However, over the time, children can learn the consequences of lying and eliminate the behavior on their own. So, let the time heal before you take any serious action.

Have “The Talk”

If you think that your child is not going to shed the sneaky behavior, then it’s time for you to have the talk. Parent to child conversations are a great way to talk to your child about his behavior. A good way to do this is to engage your child with his favorite outdoor playground equipment and try to have the conversation. Avoid confronting your child; always approach the situation in a friendly manner so your child does not feel like he’s being judged for what he did. Try explaining to your child the consequences of lying and why it is moral for people to engage in devious behavior.

A growing body of research suggests that active children who regularly participate in Preschool playground equipment activities usually have stronger character than those who pursue a sedentary approach towards life. If the above-mentioned ways fail to work, analyze your relationship with your child and see what’s causing the problem.

The Late Night Malaise: Sleep Disorders in Children

Children can face tremendous problems when it comes to a peaceful night’s sleep. Most children suffer from unstable sleep patterns due to various sleep disorders that usually go unnoticed by the parents. In this post, we will look at the different sleep disorders in children and how to deal with them.
Before we go any further, let’s first look at the appropriate sleep time for children of different age groups. Here is a list that illustrates the amount of sleep that your child should be getting every day.

• For 0 - 2 months, sleep hours should be around 10.5 - 18
• For 2 - 12 months, sleep hours should be around 13 - 14
• For 1 - 3 years, sleep hours should be around 14 - 15
• For 3 - 5 years, sleep hours should be around 12 - 14
• For 5 - 12 years, sleep hours should be around 10 - 11

 

Most Common Sleep Disorders in Children

Do you ever get bothered by your child’s midnight call? Does he insist on sleeping with you every day because a monster is hiding under his bed or in the closet. Children can face a lot of sleep problems, especially in the early days of life. Below, we will discuss one of the most common sleep disorders that the children usually face.

Nightmares

Bad dreams frequently happen on occasion; they usually occur change in a tyke's schedule. They for the most part happen later in the night and are recalled the following day. Fortunately, bad dreams have a tendency to go away characteristically. Motivate your kid to discuss the bad dream.
To make sure that your kids fall asleep early, allow your kids to have ample physical activity through an outdoor playground equipment or school playground equipment so they feel tired enough to go to bed early. In addition, maintain a strategic distance from TV promptly before sleep time can aid in assuaging bad dreams.

 

Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is frequently initially recognized in pubescence, yet may happen as ahead of schedule as ten years old. Youngsters with narcolepsy experience unnecessary daytime sluggishness even after a proper night’s rest. Youngsters with narcolepsy ought to be diagnosed by a child specialist, so do not ignore your child’s daytime sleepiness.

 

Sleep Walking

Sleep Walking mostly happens in children in the age bracket 4-8 years. These slumber interruptions happen during the night and disrupt the normal sleep pattern. During sleep walking, kids are both awake and asleep at the same time, but they do not have any recollection of what they did and where they went.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep Apnea is a genuine issue in which there is a trouble in breathing during a night’s slumber. Tyke’s with sleep apnea may wheeze noisily, encounter anxiousness and be lethargic during the day hours. Other issues faced by children with sleep apnea can include augmented tonsils or adenoids, hypersensitivities, weight issues and other therapeutic issues. There are numerous approaches to treat apnea, so it is vital to see your specialist for an analysis and treatment. Research suggests that children who spend ample time in a playground or around commercial playground equipment usually face less sleep apnea problems.

Studies demonstrate that 37% of kids, kindergarten through fourth grade, experience the effects of sleep disorders. In case your youngster encounters any of the above mentioned sleep issues or is exceptionally languid during the day, immediately get the necessary help.

The Cancer of Technology: Who Suffers the Most?

Today, children are suffering from ailments that were once considered grown-up health issues; obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, blood pressure and other various physiological issues that the vulnerable young bodies never experienced before. Technological miracles have changed the spectrum of everything; we have surrendered ourselves to the digital devices that have completely enveloped our lives. But who suffers the most?

The Impact of Growing Modern Technology

Since the early 2000’s, the world has experienced the least expected technological heave that has clocked every corner of the world. It is hard to find a place where technology has not left a discernible impact. Gone are the days when children could enjoy simple outdoor playground equipment and engage with simple chores in the house to have the ultimate recreation. Now the responsibility of entertaining the younger minds has been transferred to the bleeding edge technology.

The technology has its hand in causing various ailments that were once considered for the adults only. According to an article published in Time magazine in February 2015, children are becoming aged before their age. Most tykes in America suffer from various ailments that were once known to occur in adults. Below are the statistics provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

• 18.4% (2009-2010) percent of teenagers age 12-19 years who are obese
• 18.0% (2009-2010) percent of children age 6-11 years who are obese
• 12.1% (2009-2010) percent of children age 2-5 years who are obese
• More than 2 in 3 adults are considered to be overweight or obese.
• More than 1 in 3 adults are considered to be obese.
• More than 1 in twenty adults have extreme corpulence.
• About one-third of children (between ages 6-19) in the United States 19 are considered to be overweight.
• More than 6 children of ages 6 to 18 are obese.

The above statistics show the prevalence of corpulence in children and teenagers. Studies suggest that children grow older before their age by developing ailments that become the main hindrance in academic and social life. The lack of physical activity and high level of sedentary activities have turned teenagers and tykes into indolent individuals who are more prone to serious ailments such as type diabetes and carpal tunnel syndrome along with myriad other diseases.

Who Suffers the Most?

By looking at the above statistics, it can easily be said that children are the primary victim of technology. It is true that handheld devices allow kids to get acquainted with technology and understand the complexities associated with it which help them later in life. However, technological advancements bring physiological damages that our children may not be able to recover from. Therefore, in the long run, technology will prove to be an informational gadget that edifies children at a price.

So, do we just sit there while our children lost themselves in the upheaval of gaming devices and screen based activity? In this era of digital devices and escalating screen times, commercial playground equipment and modern play structures are our only hope to bring our children back to the healthy lifestyle. So, take steps to improve your child’s health and introduce him to an active lifestyle.

Reference
http://time.com/8693/young-kids-old-bodies

Toddle talk: How to Understand your Toddler Better

Wait, what was that? Did he just say ‘mommy’? Parents are enthralled by each everything that their kids do, but the gold star goes to the their ability to articulate. Every parent yearns to hear the words spill out of their toddler’s mouth, especially the very first words. However, it is not always easy to comprehend the ‘aww’ and the ‘oee’ sounds that the toddlers make. This post will help you understand how you can comprehend your toddler’s speech and communicate better with him on a day-to-day basis.

Start with the Body Language

Children have a very specific body language when it comes to expressing themselves to their parents. Have you ever wondered how a mother quickly understands his infant’s needs, even when he’s just an infant? Body language can tell you a lot, especially in toddlers. So, if you are really interested to understand what your toddler’s talking about, start with the body language.

Understand the circumstance

Mostly when toddlers try to talk to you, they are trying to refer to a current circumstance or a situation. Understand the circumstance to understand your toddler. Be more involved with his daily activities to know how he communicates about everyday stuff. For example, when a toddler falls from an outdoor playground equipment he immediately reacts by crying or making a sour face. If you look at the circumstance, you will immediately understand what your child is trying to tell you.

Have an age-appropriate conversation

Would you ever feel comfortable talking to someone 15 years younger or older than you? You might engage in an uplifting talk, but you would never want to discuss the personal things. Your toddler feels the same way. He does not expect you to understand him; you have to make him feel comfortable about sharing things with you. On a daily basis, communicate with your child and even though you don’t understand the words, pretend to listen and respond. The daily conversations will let your child know that you are interested in what he has to say, and that he matters.

What if my child is not that expressive?

It is very common for children to be less responsive to parents, which can sometimes be worrisome. The non-responsive attitude in toddlers can be sometimes difficult to handle. Pediatric psychologists suggest that if your child is difficult to talk to, then there is a chance that he’s having communication issues. Many toddlers have a difficult time making affiliations with the other toddlers. Watch your kid as he plays around a commercial playground equipment along with other children and look out for any conflicting situation. Another approach that you can try is to have a talk with your child about his day-to-day activities and find out if there’s anything that is bothering him. If you understand his body language and the circumstance (as mentioned above), there is a pretty good chance that you will be able to resolve the issue.

For the strong foundation of parent-child relationship, it is important that you develop an understanding with your toddler. So, have the talk now to avoid future problems.

Creating Safe Play Areas: Guide to Playground Hazards

Playgrounds, the so called fun lands, can sometimes be the main culprits for agonizing wounds. Statistics show that most injuries occur on or around a playground equipment simply because of lack of playground equipment maintenance and tyke supervision. To Ensure our children’s safety on the playgrounds it is crucial that we understand the hazards and avoid them.

Tripping Hazards on the Playgrounds

Tripping is the most common hazard and the cause of substantial injury on the playgrounds. Play regions need to be free of tripping points. The major reason that cause tripping include the gadgets for play area gear with detached fill surfacing materials. All the gadgets on the play area, for example, solid footings or flat bars at the base of adaptable climbers, should have a support of the defensive surfacing material.

The protective surfacing will keep youngsters from getting serious injuries in case they fall on an uncovered footing. Another crucial point is to differentiate the shading of the surfacing with the hardware shading to add better perceivability. Children should be able to comprehend the equipment and dividers in order to avoid impact. A well skilled supervisor should explain the dangers of the equipment to the children before they are allowed to play. Let’s look at some of the most common hazards on the playgrounds and how to avoid them.

Hazards of Sharp Points

Sharp corners and edges on any piece of equipment may cut a child's skin. Sharp edges can result in genuine cuts if precautionary measures are not taken. To dodge the danger of harm from sharp edges and corners:

• Make sure that exposed open finishes on all tubing not lying on the ground are secured by tops or fittings that can't be evacuated without the utilization of instruments.
• Make sure that wood parts are smooth and free from fragments. All corners of metal and wood should be properly adjusted.
• There ought to be no sharp edges on slides. Give careful consideration to metal edges of the slides.
• In the event that steel-belted radials are utilized as play area gear, make sure that they are inspected consistently to guarantee that there are no uncovered steel wires.

Hazard of Impalement and Entanglement

Outdoor playground equipment in the play areas should not have the capacity to ensnare kids’ apparel. Ensnaring can sometimes result in serious injury. To avoid this danger:
Make sure that the equipment is properly maintained with no loose nuts and bolts.
Before letting your kids in the playground, survey the place for improper wiring.
Talk to the park supervisor and make sure that there are no hidden hazards that might become the cause of entanglement.
Warn your kids about the hazards of sharp wires and unsafe gear, and make sure that they understand how to stay protected.

Hazard of Ropes and Strings

Apparel can sometimes lead to serious injuries. Drawstrings on the sweatshirts, coats and other similar apparel can easily get entrapped in commercial playground equipment. The entrapment can sometimes result in strangulation. To evade this danger, follow the following steps:

• Make sure that your child does not wear any adornments, coats or sweatshirts with drawstrings attached by strings.
• Remove all the ropes, chains, or other similar play area hardware that can become a cause of entanglement.