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.

Running with Kids—How Much is Too Much?

By Meredith Russell

For many adults, spring means getting back in shape, which often consists of some sort of jogging or running routine. As my kids get older, they are increasingly interested in lacing up their favorite sneakers and joining me on my runs. While I want to encourage their interest in this life-long sport, I worry about the impact (pun intended) on their growing bodies. Here's what the experts have to say, by age group:

Under 5

Due to an immature running gait, short attention span, and limited vision system, children under five shouldn't participate in formal running activities other than short (a couple-hundred yards at most) races geared for children.  But, everyday running as part of play is crucial for good health and fitness, so don't stop 'em when they're tearing up the backyard!

5 – 8 Year Olds

Children this age can begin to enjoy running as a sport and can participate in training, if it is geared for fun.  Exercises might include some brief speed intervals or short hills. Hold off on the  5K's for a few more years.

9-12 Year Olds

These kids are having serious growth spurts, so they are at risk for growth related injuries.   Overtraining can lead to discomfort at the ends of their bones where cartilage is not fully formed.  According to the Mayo clinic, this can lead to Osgood-Schlatter disease, which is a common knee injury for youth athletes. 

Many experts focus on the mile as an appropriate distance goal for this age, with more emphasis on speed than how far they go.  




Early Teens

Think middle school cross country teams. These growing teens need good quality training and coaching that is neither too intense nor too frequent.  As their bones are not still fully formed, check in with your doctors and coaches about the training routine. 

Kids@Heart: Inspiring Kids to Get Healthy Outside

By Heidi Drake

It seems we parents are having trouble these days finding the balance between raising inactive, obese video game kids and superathletes who push themselves so hard they’re dropping on the playing field or court—often for the last time.

Thankfully, there are companies like Play Outdoors that are committed to helping families get outside and live healthy, balanced lifestyles (yeah, we're cool with tooting our own horn), and we’re always stoked to find like-minded organizations. Like Kids@Heart. A regional group started by Central Oregon’s St. Charles Healthcare System, Kids@Heart began offering cardiovascular screenings for middle and high school athletes in an effort to reduce the alarming number of sports-related fatalities among this age group. The screenings soon grew to include cholesterol, height, weight, and blood pressure tests, and a secondary goal arose: put a stop to childhood obesity.

Spring Cycling Tips for Families

By Sarah Laufer

If you’re looking forward to spending some time riding bikes with the family this spring, these Family Cycling Tips will get the party started lickety split! Whether it's safety you’re after or just plain fun, here's some practical advice to get you and your family outside and on your bikes in no time flat.  Remember: Safety First!

6 Ways Crazy Parents Keep their Kids in Shape

By Heidi Drake

You’ve got kids and now you’re responsible for their health and physical shape—who has time for that? You can play evil P.E. teacher in the midst of your daily routine. Didn’t you have kids so you can mess with ‘em once in a while?

1. Sabotage their morning routine so they have to run for the bus. Seriously, they won’t be zoning out half asleep on the way to school after that.
2. Take the bunk bed ladder away. Whether they choose the chin-up/pull-up method of getting into  bed, or the “backside end climb,” your kid will build muscle and coordination skills. Teach them the correct way to jump off, and they’ll be ahead of the game for popping cornices in the powder.
3. Get a big dog and make ‘em walk it. It’s a freestyle running session and an arm workout rolled into one. Toss on your hiking shoes and take them out into the woods and you’ve got an obstacle course to deal with too. Hilarious!

Put Down the Controller! 15 Ways to Get Your Kids to Play Outside

Play Outdoors is happy to feature guest blogger Henry Baker, whose original post is featured on the website HowToBecomeaPharmacist.org. See? Even people not directly involved in the kids outdoor industry agree with us that youngsters need to spend a good amount of quality time outside! Read on and see what Henry has to say...

By Henry Baker

Kids are playing more video games than ever before. Whether it’s on a pricey game console or on the computer, kids as young as three years old are playing video games. Sure, some may have educational lessons, but the vast majority are for mere fun and suck away the hours on a summer day. Get your kid outside and moving with these tips to get them away from video games.

1.  Go for a nature walk. Kids seldom know much about nature, outside of the basics they learn in science class. Take your kids to explore the outdoors by taking them on a nature walk. Don’t worry if there’s no national park nearby, you can go down a trail at your local park or in the neighborhood and spot bits of nature as they turn up. Check out birds and collect neat leaves and flowers along the way. It teaches kids to appreciate and respect nature and gets them in tune with the great outdoors.
2.  Share old school games with your kids. Today’s typical six year old may not know what Red Rover is. It’s too bad, since the game is a blast! Share old school games with your kids that will make them want to get outside and start Red Rover games with their friends and neighbors. This is a great game to play at a kid’s birthday party too, since there are usually plenty of kids around.

Help Us Bring Back Play!

Outdoor play movements are gaining momentum, and you can help

By Heidi Drake

Imagine a world where kids don't go outside for recess at school. If you think this is a bleak, post-apocalyptic scene, think again. It's already happened in our own country; according to a recent NY Times article, one frustrated mom in Pennsylvania is fighting to re-institute recess at her son's school. What's happened to outside play? Why isn't it a priority anymore?

Ok, I may be dating myself here, but I grew up having only three channels on TV (with questionable reception) and being kicked out of the house to go play outside on a daily basis. If I whined, “But it’s raining…” my dad would say, “Better get your coat and rain boots.” If the weather was really disagreeable, my brother and I would build forts, write plays, or otherwise engage our imaginations indoors.

Sounds fun, doesn’t it? It was. And scenes like that are becoming more and more rare in an age where kids not only beg to spend time playing video games and watching TV; they're using computers more at school. That’s a lot of screen time, and an ever-decreasing amount of time spent just playing, inside or out. Add to that busy, plugged-in parents who prefer the quiet and lack of mess, and we’ve got one vicious circle. It's tough to encourage kids to get dirty and quit texting when their parents are addicted to their smart phones or are required to be perpetually available for work.

Winter Fitness: It’s a Family Affair

By Meredith Russell

For families who who spend their summers looking forward to their favorite winter sports, getting in shape can be part of the fun!  The experts at the Mayo Clinic and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) have some great tips for getting children in shape for a fun and safe winter season (which means they'll be in better shape for carrying their own gear!):

•    Set an example.  True in many areas of parenting, setting the example is the best way to impact our children’s behaviors.  Show your children that you are preparing for ski season by exercising every day. 

 •    Turn it off.  Limiting screen time--including television, computer, and video--is a crucial step to getting children to be more active.

•    Follow their lead.  When we follow our children’s interests and pace, they are most likely to stay engaged, involved, and happy.  Participate in the sports, activities, and active games they enjoy.  Focus on sport and fun, not “exercise.”

•    Keep a routine.  Despite busy fall and back to school schedules, carving out time for exercise is the best way to build a habit. Whether it’s dancing for 15 minutes after dinner or stretching together every morning after getting dressed, prioritize the time.

•    Warm up thoroughly before playing.  Starting with a stretch or slow walk reinforeces a great habit and can prevent injury.

•    Gear up. Children and adults should always have the appropriate protective gear: helmets, goggles, padding, etc, depending on the sport. Also, be sure to outfit your kid in a weatherproof jacket and pants before they head out--cold-related problems can be just as dangerous as sports-related injuries.

Help! We’re Stuck Inside and We Can’t Get Out!

By Meredith Russell

It’s winter again.  If it felt like a short summer, it was.  Despite the fact that the rest of the country experienced record heat, Oregon had record cold.  According to KATU.com, Portland had the coldest summer since 1993, and this June was the wettest on record.  Ever.

It’s hard not to begin that cabin fever panic.  Check out these easy ideas for indoor fun that won’t leave your house a mess.  The Campfire's always the place to go for ideas to keep children active indoors and motivated to go outside!

Indoor Fun: 

An all-ages favorite, scavenger hunts can be simple, fun energy burners which require little preparation.  Think of three items throughout the house, then time your kids to see how quickly they can find them.  Parents, let 'em help without even knowing it by having them find things you need brought to you, e.g. a laundry basket full of dirty clothes, Mom’s keys, etc.

Dance parties/rock concerts never fail!  Let the kiddos each choose a few songs, shuffle them up, and turn up the volume!  Children seem to love to watch their parents dance, so the sillier you can be, the more involved they'll get.  Kids also love playing "air band," so even if you don't have real instruments on hand, pull out a tennis racket or hockey stick and show them some moves!  Help them create musical instruments to use: wooden spoons on plastic bins and boxes make great drum sets!