Summertime is just around the corner and if your kids are not going to camp, its really easy to let them veg in front of the TV, handheld gaming device and PC for endless hours. Children have become dependent on technology for entertainment. Many kids can’t ride their bikes around the block without needing a 30 minute break! We should worry that kids are losing out on the beauty of the outdoors or what it’s like to have more activity than lifting a TV remote or typing on a keyboard.
According to Parentstv.org the average American child spends almost 30 hours a week watching TV and over 54% of children have their own television in their room. Another study by the National Youth Prevention Resource Center said that over 74% of kids and teens spend at least one hour a day on video games and 3 hours a day on the computer/online. These statistics are staggering when you actually think about them for a moment. The majority of a child’s day is spent in front of a screen and even more so during the summertime when kids are free for three whole months. Now there is nothing wrong with television, computer or video games as long as they are done in moderation. So how does a parent get their child off the couch and getting some physical activity?
Here are a few helpful tips to unglue your child from the screen.First step is to lay down some ground rules for television, video games or internet time. Allow only a certain amount of hours per day for each specific one. Moderate a child’s intake of television, computer and internet as well as what they are watching and doing. One great way to get your kids to be active is to plan family outings. You could have an afternoon picnic, a hike, a bike ride through the park, a trip to a local museum or bonfire at the beach. The ideas are endless but the key is to get out of the house and have fun as a family. One great idea is to have a pool party for you kids and their friends. This way they can have fun with their friends without technology.
As a parent you should always set an example for your child. Therefore you have to be as active as you want your children to be. Even if this means a short walk after dinner together it could make all the difference. Teaching your child a new hobby is a great way to get your kids off the couch as well. You can teach them how to cook their favorite recipe, knit or sow, ride a skate board or scrapbook your favorite family photos. These ideas can be great to grow stronger bonds within a family while stimulating a child’s mind without technology. Another great idea could be instead of buying your kid another DVD or videogame get them something that will help promote activity. A great outdoor toy is the Plasma Car. This unique vehicle is unlike anything you’ve seen before. The Plasma Car uses the natural forces of inertia, centrifugal force, gravity, and friction to move. All you do is just rotate the steering wheel left and right and you gain momentum. It’s almost like a segway for kids. Another great product to help kids get active is the California Chariot by Marky Sparky. This product takes the best aspects of riding a bike, skateboard and rollerblades and combines it all in one. The front consists of a bike wheel with bike handlebars but the back is two skateboard like planks that you stand on. This unique product will make any kid want to hope on and go for a spin! Hopefully with these tips and these products you can help your child put down the remote and become more active and have fun doing it.
Archive for March, 2010
Getting Kids Active and off the Couch
Saturday, March 27th, 20105 Summer Family Fun Activities
Monday, March 22nd, 2010The school year is almost over and you have not even had a chance to think about what to do with your kids this summer.
Maybe your vacation budget is tight or even non-existent this year. But you still want to create fun family memories that your kids will cherish for a long time.
What can you do?
Well here are 5 ideas of fun activities you can do that won’t cost you a fortune:
1. Scavenger Hunt
Kids love scavenger hunts. The beauty of a scavenger hunt is that they can be altered to fit practically any theme and age level. The basis of a scavenger hunt is that each kid or team has a list of things they need to find and the first team to bring back all of the items on the list is the winner.
How to Create a Scavenger Hunt:
Decide what types of things you’ll include on the scavenger hunt and make a list. Give one list for each team, set the ground rules (i.e. You must stay in the yard, You may not go inside, etc.) and let them scavenge for the items!
2. Obstacle Course
An obstacle course requires the kids to make it through a series of challenges that you have created for them. The obstacle course should be age appropriate so the kids can have fun with a little bit of challenge and if you have kids of a wide range of ages, try to make the items adaptable for each kid.
Ideas for Obstacles:
3. Celebrity Chef
Let your kid be the celebrity chef for the family dinner. He can plan the entire meal and then serve it to the rest of the family.
How to Create a Celebrity Chef Meal:
Have you kid choose the main course, side dishes and dessert. Together, look at the recipes and figure out a grocery list. Spend the afternoon preparing the meal and setting the table. Enjoy the dinner!
Variations:
4. Video Production
Kids love to see themselves on the big screen (i.e. your television)! This is a great activity for the dramatic and even those who are not as dramatic like to do the behind the scenes work for the production.
How to Create a Video Production:
Talk to your kids about planning what type of production they will be making – a short movie, a public service announcement, a commercial, a music video, etc. Then, write a script (or at least outline what they will say and do). Finally, discuss and organize costumes and props.
5. Library Detective
This is an interesting twist on a scavenger hunt.
How to Create a Library Detective Event:
Set up your clues ahead of time and then, if necessary, have the kids look at books in the library while you set up (or, if possible, go a few minutes early and have someone else bring them.)
Your clues can require them to explore different ways to search for books (by author, by subject and by title) as well as how to find the books once they’ve done the search.
Give them the first clue. This clue should lead them to a book that contains the second clue and so on. The clues should be written on color paper and placed within the book on a certain page so they are easy to find once the book is found.
Create memories that will last longer than a trip to the mall!
Here Is THe Table Tennis DVD That Helps To Become A Master
Sunday, March 21st, 2010You have probably heard of “the Mozart of table tennis,” Jan Ove Waldner, the Swedish superstar who took this celebrated of sports into an all-time high level. And that might have set you thinking if he could do it, why can’t you? If playing is not your cup of tea but just an avid enthusiast, you might be thinking how you can be able to watch the heroics of such men and women. Whichever category of the above two you are in, you have nothing to worry about as the answer lies in getting yourself a table tennis DVD. Table tennis may not be as popular as soccer and other mainstream sports but it has a loyal following. Die-hard fans will risk anything to watch two contenders attack each other in that vicious way that is unique to table tennis. Audio-visual companies have made it easy for everyone who loves the sport to enjoy watching it anywhere, anytime. They are releasing table tennis videos into the market, targeting both fans and players. These are in different formats but the most convenient is the table tennis DVD format because one copy provides a lot of data and footage, albeit compressed at a bargain. You can purchase at any of the outlets specializing in selling them or get them online at designated sites.No matter your requirements, whether you need tips on how to perfect your skills or the need to acquire a collection of your hero’s collective matches, they are all readily available. These DVDs are packaged in such a manner to help you understand the basics to the sport and the tricks that will see you hold on to the top spot. Then there are those compilations of past matches in championships like the Olympics. Mainly produced with the express permission of the world’s governing body of the sport or championship organizers, these are a real insight into the most explosive table tennis duels in modern history. You get to re-live the moments just like you were there, soaking in every backhand or shot. This DVD is a treasure for everyone who wants to see table tennis as it was back in the day. It is highly entertaining and you can watch for long hours without getting bored.