Active Bodies, Active Brains

Keeping your kids moving during the school year

By Heidi Drake

The 2011-2012 school year is about to begin (or already has for some kids)—have you thought about how to keep your offspring physically active in the face of school lunches, cooling, wetter weather, and less time for outside play due to homework and other commitments?

Yeah, it’s a daunting task for sure. But with child and adolescent obesity rates currently ranging from 16-33 percent in the U.S., we can’t ignore it. But even we at Play Outdoors realize our kids can’t be outside all the time, so we need to find the right activities for them during the school year. And if they learn a bit about teamwork and commitment or spark their minds in some other way as well? Bonus!

•    Team Sports. Got a coordinated kid who likes a little competition (or a lot)? Enrolling  them in soccer, football, track, basketball, baseball, or any other team sport fosters school spirit and teaches teamwork and follow-through. But, don’t force a kid who just doesn’t seem comfortable with the   pressures of being on a team or really struggles with the basics. Take it from someone who was the picked-on kid on the team!
•    Individual Sports. Don’t give up because your child didn’t take to soccer! You just might have a budding golfer, tennis player, or cyclist living under your roof. Expose your kids to several activities or sports without pushing, and see where they naturally gravitate. Martial arts is a great option for many kids.
•    Family Sports. Because of my not-so-great team sport experience as a kid, I became interested in things that didn’t feel like “exercise”—skiing/snowboarding, hiking, kayaking, horseback riding, and the like. Now I’m able to do these things with my girls and husband, so we all get a dose of family bonding to boot.

Kick the Kids Outside to Play, Even During the School Year

By Heidi Drake

After several glorious weeks spent swimming, hiking, camping, biking and general outdoor exploring, my girls are both looking forward to school and seeing their friends daily and lamenting the end of one rockin’ summer break. My impending challenge? Making sure the school year doesn’t mean a sedentary lifestyle for my two energetic kids.

If your kids are involved in outdoor sports like soccer, football, or cross-country running, you’ve already got a leg up—bravo! Not all kids are cut out for team sports, though, and it’s important for them to spend fun time outdoors doing non-competitive things too. Things like:

•    Jumping outside. Got room for a trampoline? Get one! There’s nothing more freeing than a good bounce, for kids of all ages. Trampolines make great beds too—grab your favorite insulated sleeping bags and snooze under the stars with the kids after you’ve tuckered ‘em out.
•    Walking outside. From a scavenger hunt in your neighborhood to a riverside search for a geocache… customize a simple stroll and it becomes an adventure. The kiddos won’t even know they’re exercising (works for you, too). Don't forget to take a reusable water bottle no matter how long you're planning to hike.
•    Balancing outside. All you need is a Gibbon Slacklines balancing strap and a couple of trees to create well-balanced kids. Set it up and they’ll gravitate toward it! The Gibbon works your child’s core while encouraging balance—and it’s just plain fun.

A Water Park in Your Back Yard? Shoosh, Yeah!

By Kevin Farron

The only thing worse than a hot summer day at home is a hotter day in the car. Instead of fighting summer traffic and traveling to water parks or crowded beaches, bring the refreshment to your backyard! We've got some ideas that are sure to beat the heat and get the fun flowin'. But first, protect the little ones from the sun with super stylish kids' SPF swimwear or a boatload of waterproof sunscreen!

Water Wars. We've all done it. 1 on 1, 2 vs. 2, or perhaps Mom and Dad against all the kids?! You pick the teams, we'll supply the ammo.
First, choose your weapons. The likely options are squirt guns and super soakers, but hoses, water balloons and buckets also work well. Here are two great ways to have fun and cool off, and still have a small competition:

Option A) Begin the battle completely dry, in a shirt and shorts. The team that can squeegee the most water out of their clothes at the end, well, they're the wettest!

Option B) For this option you need three things, in this order: 1) Mom and Dad's approval 2) grubby, ragged, I-no-longer-care-what-you-look-like-and-I'm-going-to-destroy-you clothes, and 3) two different shades of food coloring. Yes, it's going to get colorful. One team fills their water weapons with drops of one color; the other chooses the other color. In the end, it's easy to see the damage. Let the battle begin! And don't worry; the purple grass will be fine.

Falling Down -- A Biking Tale

By Meredith Russell

I fell down while on my bike the other day. Well, more like tipped over. Just fell onto the road as I slowly pulled out of my driveway, pulling on my biking gloves. As I still, a week later, scratch the itchy scabs on my knees, I'm really glad it happened. 

It was a surreal experience…slow motion but also sudden. As I went down, a voice inside me said, "Don't hit your head. Don't hit your head," even though I had a helmet on. I also was thinking, "You're an idiot! Why are you putting on gloves while you're biking? And You're. Not. Going. Fast. Enough!!!"

Once I found myself on the ground, I first looked around to be sure no neighbors saw me. Then I inspected my scrapes and bruises and my turned ankle. I limped my bike back to my garage, a little shaken. Then the cliché hit me: I needed to "get back on the horse." I'm (obviously) not a frequent or talented cyclist, and knew if I didn't get right back on, I never would.

So I took a short ride, loosened up, and generally felt quite satisfied at how brave I was. That night, when I showed the kids my perfectly circular bruise on my hip, they were impressed. "That's awesome, Mom." "It looks like a plum, Mom."

The whole silly experience was the best insight I've had in a while to what it's like to be a kid. We're constantly asking them to try things that are wobbly: physically or emotionally. They fall down and get hurt all the time and don't expect to be congratulated for their bruises. We cajole them to "try again" when they don't feel like it. And we constantly nag them to use a helmet because someday they just might need it.

My kids are way more resilient and brave than I, and I am recommitted to acknowledging them for those great qualities. And when they fall down on their own kid-sized bikes this summer, as six year olds always do, I will be in awe of their bruises.

Bikin' and 'Shroom Huntin' - It's On!

By Heidi Drake

It all started with vanilla malts. Daddy made 'em at 7:30 on a Sunday evening when bedtime for our school-bound girls is 8:00 pm. When six-year-old Maya started bouncing off the walls and talking so fast we couldn't understand her, I ordered Dad to get out the kids' mountain bikes and take 'em out to burn it off before snooze time. 

Not long after they set off to cruise our two-acre spread, Maya ran in yelling, "Mom! We found a Morel mushroom! I need Daddy’s pocket knife!" I gave it to her (with a host of "be careful, it's sharp!" warnings) and it was only a couple of minutes until they asked for a bag 'cause they'd found a bunch more. They gathered 67 before I made them come in for bed.

When the weather turns to a mix of warm days and rain, the Morels pop their spongy little heads out of the ground and it's harvest time. There are a bunch of helpful mushroom hunting websites to consult for complete information before you go, but here are a few tips to get you pumped for the hunt:

• Make sure you're legal. Before you head out to search for Morels, visit your local forest service office and get a permit. It's free, and it'll keep you out of trouble! Even on private land, permits are needed for large quantities, but if you happen to stumble upon a few and plan to use them right away for dinner, it's okay to harvest them without a permit. Do talk to a ranger to clarify the rules in your area.

The Full Meal Deal: Backpacking with Kids

By Meredith Russell

As we've previously discussed, camping with kids can suck. So imagine how crummy a backpacking trip can be!  Done simply, however, backpacking with your kids can create some of the best family memories. 

Start Small. Consider not only a short hike, but also a short drive. A shorter distance to the site helps keep the kids' enthusiasm up, and a short trip home limits confined periods of whining!

Start simple. An easy way to limit the complexity of a first trip is to camp at the trailhead. You can have the fun of camping without having to trudge your tent and sleeping bags uphill the next day. You can fit in an overnight, a full day of hiking, fishing, etc., and then head back to the car in the evening for the trip home.

Plan destination hikes. Once the kids are up for it, there's nothing cooler than hiking to a waterfall, lake, or some final spot that takes your breath away and makes everyone forget about their blister or sore shoulders! Set it up so you camp at your "destination," which will make your kids feel that the hike, no matter how tricky or "exhausting," was worth it!

Let's Go Camping!

Oregon State Parks and Play Outdoors help you get started

By Kevin Farron

Are tent poles and tent stakes the same thing? Should I bring firewood or a chainsaw? What the heck are we going to eat and how are we gonna cook it? Do I really need a -10 or 30-degree sleeping bag? And what exactly does poison ivy look like?

Relax. PlayOutdoors.com and Oregon State Parks have got you covered. The park department's Let's Go Camping program offers families who are new to this whole camping thing the opportunity to try-before-they-buy, learn-before-they-burn and know-before-they-go. Providing free gear rentals, ranger-led camping basics, owl prowls, plant identification, fire safety and Dutch oven cooking, Let's Go Camping has something for everyone!

The group camping outings are only $20 per family and include overnight costs, parking fees and all programs. Did we mention they provide sweet gear as well? From stoves to sleeping pads and tents to sleeping bags, they've got you covered. There's no better way to learn to camp, and there's certainly no better deal. Oh, and did we mention, Let's Go Camping provides all the S'mores you can stomach? Sweet!

Check out Let's Go Camping's website for dates, host parks and how to register. Happy camping!

Tent Games for a Rainy Day

By Kevin Farron

The forecast may be callin' for rain this Memorial Day weekend, but that doesn't necessarily mean your camping trip is a wash.

One of my fondest camping memories takes me back to a trip with my parents and my sister, when I was five. For two weeks we car camped our way through Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It rained almost the entire time. Looking back on this, two questions come to mind: how was this such a delightful memory and how on earth did my parents put up with my eight-year-old sister and me? Tent games are a big part of the answer.

There were four of us crammed in a tent. My parents decided it was time for us kids to learn a new card game: euchre. I don't know how many rounds we played during that trip, but to this day, it's my favorite card game. I think about that camping trip every time I play.

Below are a few ideas to pass the time in ways that are more memorable than, well, simply passing the time.

• Embrace the rain! When you're equipped with the right waterproof rain gear, camping in the soggy woods can be fun! Search for salamanders, jump in puddles, and, well, be a kid! If you can't get dirty while camping, when can you?!


• Terrestrial Trivia! The woods are full of creatures and you don't have to be an expert to spark some species speculation. Pick an animal – Where do they go when it's raining? What do they eat? Where do they sleep? How do they communicate?
  
  Wanna step up your game? Educational camping board games like Camp offer hundreds of creature quizzes with varying levels of difficulty, capable of stumping even Mom and Dad; I promise!

• Pick up a new game! Camp isn't the only game in town—we love Educational Outdoors' S'mores card game and their superfun Snipe Hunt hide-and-seek game too. You can't go wrong with a classic like chess or backgammon, either. If the weather isn't clearing anytime soon, Risk and Monopoly are great adventures! Playing by headlamp or electric lantern adds to the fun! Candles and gas-powered lanterns aren't tent-friendly, but I'm sure you knew that.

• Animal off! Have two campers sit, kneel or stand back-to-back. Then, on the count of three, yell out an animal of the woods. Both little performers will turn as if dueling and both act out the animal the best they can – growling, prancing, scratching or slithering!  Winners can be awarded candy, privileges, or nothing at all. With more than two players, the 'best' impersonation can judge the next round, and so on. Mom, Dad… join in and get wild!

Well, what are you waiting for? Rain or shine, it's time to put your foot down. Make this Memorial Day memorable and go camping! Just don't forget your rain fly.

Family Hiking: Get Ready, Get Set…Go!

By Meredith Russell

Hiking is a wonderful family activity for many reasons, not the least of which is that a good hike can keep everyone "unplugged," at least for a little while.

Preparation is always a great way to increase family fun and minimize meltdowns.

Gather the Gear.  There's a ton of great gear out there for adults and children to make hiking easy and fun.  But remember: whatever gear you pack for the kids, there's a high likelihood you'll be carrying it by the end of the hike! Your child is likely to be psyched to have his own child-sized backpack, but you never know how long the enthusiasm will last. So, you may want to be sure that his backpack fits inside yours, or that you can carry both backpacks.  I'm just saying….

Choose the Hike.  There are some awesome websites that provide current information on hikes appropriate for young children. Be sure to get info on the elevation gain as well as the length, and check whether the hike is good in all seasons. Use your own judgment based on your family. When we first started hiking with our kids, we averaged one mile per hour when we factored in snacks and stops!

Have a "Take Your Child to Play" Day

By Meredith Russell

There was a lot of hubbub about "Take Your Child to Work" day last week, from NPR to the White House. What an important concept, teaching our children about the value of work and the role modeling of loving what we do.

It got me thinking about the importance of showing our children the value of how we play and choose to spend our free time in life-long hobbies.  What are ways we can show our children how we spend our grown up play time?   I'm planning a few "Take My Child to Play" days.

Snowboarding. Since I'm a life-long and yet very average skier, my kids were amazed to hear that I took a snowboarding lesson shortly after my daughter was born.  They couldn’t picture me doing something that seemed so out of my comfort zone. What a kick it'll be when I join them for their first snowboarding lesson next winter!

Biking. My children, for some odd reason, have spent very little time on their bikes. They're not confident, happy bikers and haven't had that universal experience of flying down a hill on a bike with a huge smile and the wind on their face. (It occurred to us as our children were bawling after riding Space Mountain at Disney World this year that the kids had never gone that fast on anything but a car!) Truth is,  I'm just not that crazy about being on a bike myself, and this has unfortunately rubbed off on them.  Great biking parks abound in our town, so this summer, no excuses. We will bike as a family.