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How to Keep Your Kids Occupied During Spring Break

Posted in Staying Active
March 27th, 2013 by

How to Keep Your Kids Occupied During Spring BreakIf you don’t have a vacation planned to keep you and your family occupied this spring break, you’re probably wondering what your kids are going to do for a whole week off of school. That’s why we’ve come up with this list of easy (and free) activities you can do with your kids to ensure your spring break is as fun and relaxing as it should be.

Springtime arts and crafts

Break out the art supplies and you can spend a whole afternoon making springtime decorations. It could be as simple as drawing bunnies and flowers on construction paper, or as elaborate as making flowers out of pipe cleaners and tissue paper. Let your imaginations run wild and you’ll get some festive decorations for your home while you’re at it.

Go to your local park

Why not use some of your time off to make use of your local park or playground? Check out the walking trails, play catch in a field, go to the nature center—the possibilities are endless! And why not bring some birdseed and feed the birds and ducks while you’re out?

Play at an indoor playground

Play N’ Learn’s Playground Superstores offers great options for your kids to play, even in the colder weather! Try our Pay for Play at our Columbia, MD location – each child gets two hours of play time, Monday – Friday, 10am-6pm. Come enjoy unlimited use of our showroom play area and let your kids release some of that spring break energy!

Design your own playground

You and your kids can do a great playground tour of your town and check out all the coolest features of each. Then, break out the paper and crayons so your kids can design their own fantasy playground. What would it include? A rope ladder? A climbing wall? Monkey bars?

Check out activities at your library

Odds are good that your local library will have programming during the day designed for all ages of children. The library is a great resource for free and educational activities, ranging from learning new games to doing science experiments. Your kids can pick out some books to borrow while they’re there.

Bake cookies or make a healthy snack

What better way to spend the afternoon than by making a fresh batch of cookies? Your kids can help measure, pour, and stir. Or, try out one of our recommended healthy snacks that are fun to make and delicious to eat!

Read books out loud

Snack time is also a great time for reading a book together. Have your kids choose a book they want to read and you can read it aloud to them while you snack, or even take turns and have your kids read different sections.

Do you have fun spring break plans? Let us know in the comments, and enjoy your time off!

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Healthy Snacks for Kids to Help Them Play All Day

Posted in Staying Active
March 13th, 2013 by

Healthy Snacks for Kids to Help Them Play All DayThe days are getting longer and it’s getting warmer, and that means that outside play is around the corner. Playing all day requires energy, and it can sometimes be tough to find healthy snacks for your kids, or just tough to find the time to make them. That’s why we put together this list of healthy snacks that are easy to make—so easy that your kids can do it themselves.

Although you’ll need to help buy the ingredients and cut any veggies and fruits, your kids can take the lead on preparation while you talk to them about why these foods are good for them.

Ants on a log

Try making ants on a log—it’s a classic snack that will never go out of style. Your kids can help wash the celery, spread the peanut butter, and apply the raisins. Plus, they can customize their snack by choosing how many ants are on their log.

Apples with peanut butter

Another easy, healthy snack is a cut up apple with peanut butter on it. The apple is full of fiber to keep your kid full until dinner, and peanut butter is a good source of protein for their growing muscles.

Fruit kebob

Break out the skewers for fruit kebobs! This fun and colorful snack is a good way to get your kids to eat fruit. After you wash and set out a variety of fruits, your kids can arrange them on skewers to make a bright and nutritious snack. Try grapes, cantaloupe, berries, bananas, or watermelon. The best part is that you can change what fruits you use as they come in season, so it’s not just a summer snack.

Yogurt parfait

Your kids can choose the layers and slather on the toppings of a yogurt parfait. First, have them spoon a layer of their favorite flavor of yogurt into a small cup. Then, they can pick fruit or granola to sprinkle on the top, add another layer of yogurt, and repeat to their satisfaction. Yogurt is high in protein and calcium, and granola is also a great source of protein and iron.

Veggies and hummus or salad dressing

Add some veggies into the mix with a simple snack of veggies and hummus or your child’s favorite salad dressing. Carrots, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and more all are made a little tastier with something on them, which will help your child learn to love their vegetables.

Homemade trail mix

Your kids can let their imaginations run wild by making their own trail mix. Let them raid the pantry to concoct their ideal trail mix. Almonds, peanuts, M&Ms, chocolate chips, dried fruit, pretzels—what will they choose? You can help your kids make healthy choices by having them pick 3 nutritious items and one “fun” item like M&Ms.

Chocolate Milk

Last but not least, add some liquid to your snack repertoire! Making chocolate milk is an easy way for your kids to get all the calcium benefits of drinking milk but with none of the complaining. Your kids can add the chocolate syrup and stir, watching the milk turn from white to brown.

With nutritious snacks in their systems, your kids will have the fuel they need to play hard and stay healthy. After trying a few of these creations, maybe your kids will have their own ideas for nutritious and tasty snacks.

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How to Beat the Winter Blues

Posted in Staying Active
February 27th, 2013 by

How to Beat the Winter BluesThe winter season brings with it fun outdoor snow activities like sledding, skiing, and building snowmen. But after a few months of red noses and frozen toes we all have to ask: Is winter over yet?

Around this time of year both you and your kids are probably starting to get stir crazy, especially since your playset is out there in the cold weather. That’s why we put together this list of fun indoor play activities you and your kids can do to beat the winter blues.

Puzzles and board games

Staying active doesn’t always have to mean tiring out your body—doing mentally stimulating activities like puzzles and board games can be the perfect way to keep your kids interested and off the couch when it’s too cold to do anything else. A big, intricate puzzle can keep the whole family occupied, while a board game can be just the thing to cure cabin fever.

Build a fort

When winter weather hits and you can’t get out of the house, you can bring the adventure of climbing and playing into your living room by building a fort. Your kids can search all around the house for pillows and blankets and then use their creativity (and some pent up energy) to build a great fort. Once it’s done, why not watch a winter movie?

Deck out your game room

One way to add some interest to the indoors is by making your game room more than just the average stack of board games. Game tables for table tennis, foosball, air hockey, or pool give your kids something to do when they’re stuck inside. Not only do they keep your kids moving but they also help them develop coordination.

Laser tag

If you’re not snowed in, a great way to burn off some boredom is to head to your local laser tag joint. Your kids can hang out with their friends and run, roll, and dive while staying out of the cold.

Go to an indoor playground

What’s the best way to replicate the fun of your play set when it’s winter? Go to an indoor playground! At Play N’ Learn’s Playground Superstores, we have a large showroom with many great playsets built to test out. And we want kids to use them, so we’ve set up free play days and pay for play days where your kids can go wild on our various playsets. It’s a great way to have fun inside during the winter months, and it’s also a chance for your kids to try out cool features that you might not have on your playset like rope ladders or climbing walls.

So whether you’re snowed in or just sick of the cold, try out some active indoor fun to make the most of the winter months. Soon enough it’ll be playset season again!

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Fun for All Ages: Toddlers and Playgrounds

Posted in Staying Active
February 6th, 2013 by

Fun for All Ages: Toddlers and PlaygroundsIt can be hard to keep up with toddlers and their seemingly endless energy. Luckily, your local playground or backyard playset can be a great outlet for your toddler to explore and as they achieve developmental goals.

The National Association for Sports and Physical Education recommends that from 12-36 months that toddlers have 30 minutes of structured play (adult-led) play and 60 minutes of unstructured play (self-directed) play per day. A playground is a great place to incorporate both. Playgrounds allow your toddler to walk, crawl, run, look, and touch—it sounds simple, but these activities are the foundation for many necessary aspects of the body’s proper development.

By playing, toddlers build balance and coordination, important parts of muscle control. As they build these skills, they will gradually be able to do more complicated things—the slide today, but soon the swings! Because of children’s natural desire to keep moving, taking your toddler to the playground will keep him occupied as he explores every area that he can. And exploring will help his development as well, as it promotes a sense of independence that will allow him to keep exploring throughout his childhood.

Although playgrounds are often built to include activities for older children like monkey bars and gliders, you’ll find that most playgrounds also incorporate easier elements that your toddler can enjoy. Sliding on slides, climbing steps, and pushing swings are all age-appropriate activities that you can find on most basic playsets. Steering the captain’s wheel, playing tic-tac-toe, and looking out of clear bubbles can also be fun if your playground has these features.

The only other difference between how your older child uses the playground and how your toddler does is that your toddler will need more careful supervision. And don’t forget shoes!

So when it warms up, consider taking your toddler out to the playground for some healthy exercise that will both help his development and burn off some of that extra energy. Can’t wait that long? Bring your toddler to test out our Free Play and Pay for Play options at select locations!

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Benefits of Playground Equipment for Children with Autism

Posted in Staying Active
November 27th, 2012 by

How can playground equipment benefit children with autism?With the diagnosis of autism and related disorders on the rise throughout the United States, parents and teachers are looking for any way to treat and enrich the lives of children who are diagnosed with some spectrum of the disorder.

From highly structured therapeutic activities to address behavior and speech issues to other forms of treatment like animal or music therapy, there are multitudes of ways to engage and improve the lives of children with autism. One of these methods is using structured play. It’s important to note that play programs must be implemented properly in order to be effective, as participation in physical activity can be difficult for children with autism because of low motor functioning and social anxiety.

Read on to see how using structured play on playground equipment can benefit children with autism alongside a behavioral intervention.

1. Play promotes fitness and a healthy lifestyle

The prevalence of being overweight increases for children with autism, with 19% of children with autism being overweight and an additional 36% at risk. Being overweight can bring with it the usual associated health problems like diabetes, heart problems, and joint issues, but these conditions can become especially problematic in children with autism as they frequently already have health issues like gastrointestinal problems, anxiety, and depression. Promoting activity and healthy movement helps children stay healthy and fit to reduce the risk of weight gain.

2. Exercise and play improves motor function

If you think about the number of challenges your playset presents to your child, it’s no surprise that using a rope ladder, slide, or swing would increase motor skills. By engaging in structured play sessions using some aspects of a playground or play area, a child with autism can increase their balance, flexibility, and strength.

3. Structured play decreases negative behavior

Negative, self-stimulating behavior like body rocking, spinning, and head-nodding are frequent in children with autism. Exercise, however, can help curb these behaviors along with aggressive or self-injurious behavior. It’s possible that the routines of exercise are similar enough to distract from the negative behavior.

4. Physical activity improves social outcomes

The benefits of exercise and play for children and adults alike are well known—we all are usually in a good mood after we exercise, and playing on teams promotes cooperation and teamwork. For children with autism, these benefits can be even more important as these children are frequently anxious and depressed and have a hard time interacting with other people. Physical exercise and play can promote self-esteem, increase general happiness, and help develop social relationships.

Incorporating structured play and exercise into autism treatment can have a myriad of positive outcomes for children who have been diagnosed on the spectrum. Using playground equipment to help children with autism have a structured and safe environment is a great way to promote physical activity and all the benefits that go along with it for children with autism.

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Turning Your Playset into a Haunted House

Posted in Staying Active
October 29th, 2012 by

Make your backyard spooky!Halloween is right around the corner, and here at Play N’ Learn’s Playground Superstores, we like to celebrate by giving our playsets a little makeover for the scary season (as well as eating our fair share of fun sized candy bars). Turning your playset into a haunted house is easy, fun, and a great way to get the kids back outside with their friends when it seems like school and cold weather have put your yard into hibernation for the winter. Just make sure to wait until Hurricane Sandy has passed!

Read on for some inspiration on how to make your playset spook-tacular!

1. Ghoulish guests

Swings, monkey bars, and gliders are great places to hang up figures of skeletons, witches, scarecrows, or ghosts. You can find these decorations at most general stores this time of year, or go to the party store if you have a particular character in mind.

2. Creepy cemetery

Who knows how many could be buried underneath your playset under the mulch or grass? Put up fake gravestones around your playset—your kids can help come up with the names and descriptions of the dead. You can make games avoiding the gravestones or use them as obstacles. Just be sure not to stir up any ghosts!

3. Bats in the belfry

What haunted house doesn’t have its share of infestations? Try putting bats up in the corners of the tree house portion of your swing set. While you’re at the party store, you can pick up some rats to put in nooks and crannies where your kids will find them unexpectedly.

4. Pumpkin patch

You can recreate a hayride to a pumpkin patch right in your backyard. With a few bales of hay or straw and some pumpkins, you’ll give your playset a fall feeling. You can use the hay bales to proudly display the pumpkins you and your kids carved.

5. Enter if you dare

Make your haunted playset extra spooky by adding a spider infestation. You can buy spider webs at most party stores and it’s a quick way to get your playset into haunted mode. You can also hang large black trash bags from the entrances to the tree house part of the swing set and cut them into strips to make a dark passageway into the playset.

Turning your playset into a haunted house is a fun and easy way to get into the Halloween spirit. So dust off your best costume, hide some candy in the corners of your swing set, and enjoy the fun with your kids!

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Healthy and Productive Rainy Day Activities for Kids

Posted in Staying Active
August 23rd, 2012 by

Play inside at select Play N' Learn locations!Just because the weather is bad doesn’t mean you need to resign yourself to letting your children just watch TV all day. There are other productive, creative activities that they can take part in that will keep them plenty occupied and content until the weather clears up.

They can draw and write. One activity that has fallen by the wayside since prepackaged entertainment became widespread is the practice of telling ones’ own stories. This is an important skill to have, and teaching your children early to be able to formulate narratives and ideas on their own will leave them much better-suited to eventually practicing excellent reading comprehension and understanding of events from history. Plus, who knows: maybe you’ll start them off toward being the next famous novelist!

They can play board games. Board games leave more room for creativity and exploration than more static forms of entertainment; you get that experience of moving through space and time and dealing with what happens to you, just like in real-life. And with the many available types and ranges of board games, there’s never a shortage of styles and methods to play, depending on the mood and interests of your children.

They can play imaginary games. Like drawing and writing, creating imaginary structures within which to play helps a child exercise his or her mind and sense of how to interact with the world. Designing rules and characters to occupy lets them determine how to interact with the world and ways to deal with problems that arise, because it’s all up to the child to solve – they can’t just lean on the societally established norms that they might otherwise be able to depend on in other aspects of life, and that’s a healthy change of pace.

They can read or listen. This may sound like an obvious one, but there are still obvious benefits to taking in stories either through reading or listening over watching a movie or TV. Both allow for the child fill in more of the gaps in the story with his or her own mind and then understand how a story is told. Listening to stories in particular has become a lost practice but can still be very fun and exciting, particularly with the atmosphere of a rainy day.

They can play inside at select Play N’ Learn locations. Just because it’s messy outside doesn’t mean your child can’t get exercise and activity all the same! Enjoy Pay-for-Play at our Columbia location, or sign up for Free Play Days at our Chantilly, VA and Richmond, VA locations. Waiting for you is a full showroom and play area protected from the elements. And who knows: maybe your child will find something he or she likes so much that you’ll have a new way to entertain them at home as well!

Most parents dread the constant patter of a child saying, “I’m bored.” But as long as you outline plenty of ways to have fun early on, even if it’s rainy out, you’ll have to deal with that sort of complaint far, far less.

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How a Playset Can Make Your Child Fit, Part II

Posted in Staying Active
June 27th, 2012 by

How a Playset Can Help Your Child Get Fit, Part II Children are bottomless sources of energy, and as we watch them run, jump, and play we rarely think about how much actual exercise they’re getting on a daily basis.

Recent studies have shown that the majority of children in America don’t get enough exercise, but by teaching them about the values of exercise and diet now, we can help them lead happier, healthier lives.

As we’ve discussed in our previous post, How a Playset Can Make Your Child Fit, a playset is an excellent tool to use when you want to teach children about the benefits of exercise. Part I is based on the President’s Challenge Program website, and describes how a playset can test a child’s fitness in several key areas and consists of five exercises, listed below.

  • Curl-ups (or partial curl-ups)
  • Shuttle run
  • Endurance run/walk
  • Pull-ups (or right angle push-ups or flexed-arm hang)
  • V-sit reach (or sit and reach)

To build on that last post, here are a few more areas where you can encourage your children to exercise using your Play N’ Learn playset:

  • Dips – recommended for older children, this exercise builds up the arm and chest muscles while building endurance.
  • Rope climb – many playsets have nets or ropes that are perfect for children. Encourage them to climb up and down the net or rope several times. A great way to boost energy and coordination.
  • Swings – brisk pumping of the legs exercises a major muscle area, and also helps build cardiovascular strength.
  • Running – use the playset as the center of racecourse! Children can circle the playset and build their stamina and burn calories while having fun.

Remember that children prefer to play their own games, so getting them to partake in these exercises takes some imagination. Invite your children’s friends over to participate and hand out awards for the winners in each category.

Staying physically fit benefits children today, and tomorrow. Check out our website for more ideas and equipment that will have your young ones exercising and having fun.

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Planning Your Backyard Stay-cation

Posted in Staying Active
June 21st, 2012 by

Planning Your Backyard Stay-cation“I’m bored, there’s nothing to do.”

It’s the most dreaded sentence parents hear during summer vacation.

While it’s a safe bet you may hear that once in awhile, there are a few steps you can take to keep your children out of the summer doldrums. Start by planning a backyard stay-cation!

Stay-cations serve many purposes; they not only give children something to look forward to, they also allow you and your children to work together to plan it. Creativity is the most important tool when it comes to a stay-cation.

Plan on using your playset as the focal point for the stay-cation. Create fun and easy contests using every part of the playset—see who can swing the longest or complete an obstacle course in the shortest amount of time.

Including a water element brightens up stay-cations. Sprinklers are always fun, as are mini-pools and squirt guns. Fill up a basket of water balloons and watch as your children have fun and on a hot July day.

Don’t forget to schedule a picnic lunch during your stay-cation. Include your children’s favorite lunchtime meal and snacks to make this event special. The anticipation helps keep everyone involved and focused.

Breaking up the stay-cation helps keep the idea fresh and interesting to your children, so here are a few backyard games that are easy to plan and fun for everyone:

  • Freeze tag
  • Hopscotch
  • Beanbag toss
  • Wiffle ball
  • Foursquare
  • Obstacle course

A stay-cation should also have planned down time so everyone can recharge their batteries. Sidewalk chalk, coloring books, and crayons are inexpensive and help little artists display their latest creations. Visit the local library for summer classics that make for excellent reading circle time.

Don’t forget that part of stay-cation planning should include an inspection of your playset to make any necessary adjustments. You may even want to add new accessories to make your stay-cation the best ever!

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Keeping Your Children Cool Over the Summer

Posted in Staying Active
June 13th, 2012 by

Keeping Your Children Cool Over the SummerSummer’s here, and that means the kids are home from school and spending plenty of time outside. Nothing’s healthier than time spent outdoors, but at the same time, there are certain concerns to keep in mind because of the heat and weather. Here are some tips for keeping your kids cool throughout the summer.

Drink plenty of water. This seems obvious, but it’s remarkable how easy it can be to forget in the midst of going about your day. On a hot day, make sure your child is sipping water constantly and always has convenient access to something to drink.

Take advantage of shade. If there’s a way to keep play to shadier areas, that’s always desirable, as you’ll want to avoid excessive exposure to the sun. This is also something to keep in mind with your playset; setting it up in the shade helps contain play to cooler, more comfortable areas. Trying to spend the hottest, midday hours inside helps with this as well.

Wear sunscreen. Avoiding sunburn is tantamount to a child’s health and enjoyment, so always make sure to apply sunscreen before playing outside and to reapply if outside for a long amount of time. If water games are involved, you’ll have to reapply more frequently.

Play water games. You could go to a local water park or pool, but those are often dirty and crowded. Instead, just create a water park of your own in the backyard using a sprinkler or water guns. Be sure to do your best not to waste water, though, especially during the summer.

Try to play outside in bursts. It’s better not to have too prolonged of an exposure to the harsh heat and sun, so try and organize playtime so that children spend a period outside, then can go back inside, then can return outside later once they’ve cooled down and/or the temperature has dropped.

Be wary of the possibility of heat exposure. Make sure, particularly in the summer, that you or another adult is easily available to help out if any of the kids begin to feel too hot or unwell. If one of your children does seem to suffer dehydration or heat stroke, be sure to call 911 as soon as possible.

As long as you play it smart and take all these factors into account, the summer should be nothing but fun. Just keep hydrated, take the sun into account, and enjoy the beautiful weather!

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Rob Unger
Rich Weintraub
Buddy Humphreys
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