Bad Kids' Clothes Are No Fun!

How kids' apparel choices affect outside play.

By Heidi Drake

 I was waiting for my first grader in front of her school the other day—it was 29° outside and I was shivering a bit even in my down jacket, hat, gloves, and snow boots. As the stream of students flowed out the front doors, I was shocked to see the assortment of flip-flops, PJ pants, and no-jacket ensembles the kids were wearing; and it wasn’t just the middle schoolers.

I’m one of those moms who lets my girls dress themselves (pretty much), but I do have rules about clothing fitting properly and being both weather and age appropriate. I’m also a firm believer that kids need to spend as much time outside as they can, without risking illness or injury because of their clothes.

According to a recent article on kids' poor clothing choices and based on a study published by the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, inappropriate clothing directly affects how much time our children get to play outside and the quality of that important time. Over 50 child care providers were interviewed and stated that the following “clothing mistakes” cause them to limit or eliminate outdoor play at their facilities: inadequate weather protection (no coats, hats, or gloves in winter or sun hats and light cover-ups for warm weather), unsuitable footwear (flip-flops, open-toed sandals), and fancy or expensive clothing that needed to be treated with care.

Snowshoeing: Powdery Fun for the Whole Family

By Heidi Drake

I love snow.  My husband and I moved to Sunriver, Oregon to be in the thick of it and we couldn’t wait to introduce our young daughters to it as soon as we could. We bundled them up and pulled them around on sleds and packed them around on our backs and they loved it for a while, but being as adventurous as their parents, both of them squirmed with the desire to be on their own two feet.

At this time, skiing was only fun for about ten minutes, yet our girls needed something more exciting (and less frustrating) than tromping out into the back yard in their snow boots and sinking in to their thighs. Imagine our delight when we discovered toddler snowshoes. Made of light but durable plastic, they didn’t have sharp metal crampons to worry about, and they adjusted easily to any snow boot we used. And the best part was we could do it in our yard, the park down the street, or out camping—for free!

Snowshoeing has become a favorite family activity of ours—Make it a regular part of your winter outdoor time and follow these tips for getting the most of your outings:

• Eat a good meal before you go and pack healthy kids snacks to take along too. You don’t want cries of, “I’m huuuungrry!” to interrupt your peaceful surroundings. I don’t have to remind you to include a water bottle for each family member, right?

• Dress to stay warm and dry. Start with good base layers like kids’ thermal underwear, and top with warm hats, waterproof boots, gloves or mittens and insulated coats.

• Check trail conditions online or by calling your local Forest Service office, and be aware of what the weather is expected to do that day—you don’t want to be unprepared and risk being stranded, especially with your kids in tow.

Keep the TV Off This Winter!

Finding healthy ways to spend time away from the tube.

By Meredith Russell

What would you do with 32 extra hours a week? Sleep? Exercise? Sounds like a lot of extra time, doesn’t it? A new study from Nielsen reveals that children from age two to five spend 32 hours per week in front of the television! And it’s no wonder: the results also show that more than one third of children under age seven have a TV in their bedroom.

Study after study has shown negative associations with children watching television, from decreased language skills to sleep problems to difficulties in school. Even Disney has gotten in on the controversy:  Disney is now offering refunds for its Baby Einstein videos. After the Federal Trade Commission received complaints regarding Disney’s “unsubstantiated claims” that their videos were educational for babies, Disney changed its advertising and is providing refunds. 

In fact, there is not one negative sited behind removing or time-limiting the TV in your home. Some argue that kids will feel left out when their peers begin discussing shows, TV characters or video games. The bottom line is that while this is true, there are ways to bridge this gap and expose your kids in some capacity, either through certain movies, shows or sports, to participate and feel included without the negatives.

So, how do we improve our family’s TV habits, especially as it gets colder and darker and harder to convince our children to play outside? Following guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics, families can take control of the tube and change their watching patterns. 

Talk It Through

Depending on your child’s age, talk as a family about making some changes. Write down your plan for when, what, and how much television will be watched on a weekly basis. Brainstorm together on how to spend more time outside enjoying winter sports. Everyone can list some indoor activities to enjoy on those yucky days: games, crafts, looking at old photos. Be a role model and let your children know specific ways you will be changing your TV habits also.