5 Outdoor Play Equipment to Encourage Kids to Stay Active

Image Credit: Vuly Play

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Staying active is an important part of keeping your kids happy and healthy, and ensuring they live vital lifestyles in the future.

Encouraging your children to engage in regular physical activity also helps to regulate their energy, improve their concentration and offers higher sleep quality. Physical play also helps children to become more confident learners as they engage with the world around them.

If you’re looking for clever ways to get your kids active, we recommend starting with outdoor activities that are fun for the whole family! Here are 5 family-friendly toys that encourage kids to get outdoors and stay active:

Bikes

Teaching kids to ride bicycles can help them to develop a healthy, active lifestyle from a young age. Not only does cycling increase muscle strength and stamina, but also encourages children to get to know their local community in a fun and interactive way.

Another great benefit of bikes is that it’s a very social activity. Children riding their bikes in a group of friends is a wonderful way to keep busy on the weekend. Riding bikes as a family can also be an excellent opportunity to spend time together. Even younger kids can be involved by using scooters to race alongside older bike riding siblings. Find out more about bikes for kids from Vuly Play.

The Benefits of Time Outdoors for all the Family

Just over three years ago our family took the brave decision to sell our house and move away from the area we had lived in for fifteen years. My husband and I both changed jobs, the kids changed schools and we swapped a town and being close to London for the countryside and being close to the beach. It was the best thing we have ever done!

At the time we moved the children were 6, 6 and 10 years and becoming increasingly accustomed to indoor play, multi-media activities and days out to theme parks, swimming and the like. Yes we took them to the play park and we would sometimes walk around a local lake but there was no-where near enough time spent outside just enjoying being kids, breathing in the fresh air and running free.

When you live on a main road and children are not allowed out to play it really does restrict their freedom and imaginative play. Here in Sussex we live in 220 acres of land and the kids have friends who live in the same community and they go and collect conkers, play make believe in the church yard, skate on the private roads or organise mini sports days on the west lawn. The world is their oyster and they have so much freedom to play here.

"For a new generation, nature is more abstraction than reality. Increasingly, nature is something to watch, to consume, to wear – to ignore." Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods.

More My Kind of Camping

The family are all preparing for their various camps that are coming up over the next couple of months but I've already mentioned I'm not very into camping. The thought of a hard and uneven floor and potentially cold nights and rain just don't appeal.

I can get on board with the idea of building my own camp out of Lego though and that is exactly what I had planned to do after the girls arrived home from school but Miss E (who is my major LEGO fan) informed me that the new LEGO Friends Adventure Camp Rafting Playset we had been sent to review said it was for children aged 6 plus and seeing as she is 8, nearly 9 she wouldn't be needing me at all.

Summer holidays are made of these...

I love days at home in the summer holidays and especially when friends come to visit. What a nice day we had to chill when Anya and her boys came over to see us last week.

We really didn't get up to much. Anya and I got treated to a song, dance and acrobatic show in my front room where we got told off for chatting too much and were threatened with being chucked out!

We enjoyed what my kids call a pick and mix lunch, where we helped ourselves to pizza and salad and then we took a scroll round some of the grounds and showed off the amazing place where we live.

My kids were keen to show their friends the low-ropes course, so they all had an hours fun down there, practising their balance, laughing (and moaning) at each other and sadly having a tumble or two as well. Anya was superb at helping the kids and she got stuck right as in as the photos show.

Sibling Harmony Thanks to Lego Elves

Oh my word, if you could have seen my house last Thursday you would have been astounded, it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop and believe me, that is not normal!  We came home from school and my twin girls found that a couple of sets of LEGO had been delivered for them to review, but not just any ordinary LEGO, it was two recently released sets from the magical LEGO Elves range. None of the children were familiar with this new range but they were all chattering away about how cool it looked, including my 11 year old boy.

Miss E got a massive smile over her face and Miss M's smile dropped as she realised that she would not be having the joy of making these up that day as she was being disciplined for some outrageous behaviour the day before. Then my 11 year old son JJ practically got on his knees and begged to be allowed to help Miss E make the castle as he is Lego crazy.

Visual instructions help my daughter with dyslexia
Miss E decided that she should make the smaller set herself and that JJ could help her with the big one the next day, which was a good compromise as I wanted to see how she handled making it alone, without any help. Both boxes are labelled as being suitable for 8 - 12 year olds due to the complexity of the designs and Miss E will be 8 in a few weeks but as she is dyslexic, some things can take a bit longer for her. I'm pleased to report that making the LEGO set herself boosted her confidence loads and she was able to do it all by herself as the instructions are of course visual, rather than written.

New Nintendo 3DS trial and our no screens experiment

It has been a funny couple of weeks in our house, good funny though! We have been having a time without any screens for the kids - no TV, computer, iPad or gaming consoles and this is a first for us. My 11 year old boy, JJ is computer crazy. He is really talented at ICT and his teachers even go to him for advice and help when they have a problem and thus we have encouraged him to develop his talents and he can often be found on the computer or iPad but we think it went a bit too far.

It got to a point where all he wanted to do was sit indoors and play Minecraft and whilst we knew he was developing some great skills for his future career, he was also missing out on lots of opportunities to play and interact with his sisters and friends. The girls had also become a bit reliant on having the TV on whilst they played and I just kept catching the kids being short and argumentative with each other. I decided this must stop and the ban came into place.

It's so important that kids want to play outside

I expect every parent knows how important it is for their children to lead an active life and probably many, especially those with older children know it can be a struggle to get your kids to want to go out and do something physical in the garden, but all that fresh air, it is so good for them.

It is amazing how things change, when I was the age of my oldest child (nearly 10) I went out into the street and played every day. All the local kids would come out together and we would happily play games such as 20/20 Home, It, Stuck in the Mud and then make believe we were in our favourite TV shows like the A-Team and Chips. Nowadays my JJ is happiest on his computer playing online building a world, chatting to his friends. Fine in moderation but like everything in life balance is key.

Of course it is my role as a parent to ensure that JJ does get outside and we take regular trips to the park, adventure playground, lake, woods etc but not every day have I got the time to head out somewhere.  Life dictates that there is work I have to do, dinner to cook, the house to clean etc and that means the children have to play at home and in our garden. Recently JJ and his sisters have taken to playing 'sports club' and they make a little course up with the trampoline, balls, hoops, skipping ropes etc.  It is great to watch them having fun and hear their giggles in the garden.

One of their favourite activities at the moment is trampoline football and I do worry they will hurt themselves but they just love it and I can't say no to them getting all that exercise. Not only does it help them sleep well, it is also establishing the pattern of being active, which I hope will carry through to adulthood. JJ had occupational therapy for a couple of years as he was always clumsy and had balance issues and again sports like football and all physical exercise in facts really helps him. I have seen his coordination improve no end in the last year or so.

When he came home from school one day and said he wanted to join a local football club I was over the moon and he seemed to really enjoy it at first but sadly he soon found it far too cold training outside in the winter months and he lost motivation when the better footballers did not pass the ball to him so much.  So back to the garden football it was and he is much happier to do that when friends come round to play now.  The only issue now is the balls over in next doors garden!

You may have read that in a month or so we are moving to a new countryside home and JJ is already talking about the football goals and basketball nets that are onsite at our new home.  I can see all our family having fun together heading out to kick the ball around and see who can score the most goals. I'm looking forward to this new life, things are going to change for us all.... for the better I hope.

If you fancy encouraging your children to play out more then check out the range of garden football goals available from http://www.thesoccerstore.co.uk/football-goals

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Easter Play Idea - Growth in Jesus or New Life!

Here is a nice simple idea for a Christian or Easter play activity.  For a family who is not comfortable with the Christian faith you could center this activity around Easter time and the concept of new life with the focus being on lambs and chicks
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About a month ago the kids and I went to Messy Church at our local Anglican Church and one of the activities we did was to grow a bean. Look what happens in a month with a bit of nurturing...

The logic is that we are all a little single, solitary bean and when we are nurtured and fed spiritually we will take root in Jesus and our faith will start to grown and eventually bear fruit.  Children, especially small children like my 3 year old twins love to understand concepts from a real and visual viewpoint and watching this bean grow we have been able to have some great little chats about growth with Jesus.

You will need a clean jam jar, with the label removed so you can watch the beans grow, some kitchen roll, a piece of cardboard and a bean - we used a kidney bean.

Take the cardboard and put the kitchen roll sheet around it, wrap into a tubular shape and insert into the jam jar.  Then wedge one or more beans between the glass and the kitchen roll.  The cardboard is holding the beans in place so they do not slip.

Every couple of days run a bit of water into the bottom of the jam jar, the kitchen roll will absorb this and ensure the bean stays moist and starts to sprout.  Enjoy watching it take root and start to sprout from all angels, then once it has got to a good size, you can transfer it outside and wait for the gorgeous fruits of your labour to arrive.

We hope you enjoy!  Mich x

What Kind of Play Parent are You?

I was looking at the kids play room the other day and thinking about the kind of play that I partake in with them.  I realised that I am quiet picky in the sort of play that I do and mostly I only want to join in with the stuff I enjoy.

Is this wrong? No I don't think so.  The important thing is to engage with your children and actually make an effort to play and do things with them.  Yes we should be encouraging them to undertake a wide variety of activities but many of those can be self-led, with siblings or peers, with other relatives or at playgroup/ school.  So as Mums or Dads we do not have to feel the weight of the world on our shoulders and feel obliged to take on all roles.

Take a look at this photo -

Can you guess what I like to do with my kids?  I think these shelves belong to me rather than them.  On them we have board games, puzzles, play doh and craft activities - all things I love to do with my kids! Don't worry, their playroom also features baby dolls, a playhouse, cars, trains, lego, make believe area, dress up and so on.

I tweeted the question  'Tell me, what kind of play do you actually enjoy with your kids?'.  I was amazed at the amount of responses I got, it was very reassuring to see how different we all are.  From these tweets I have devised a few categories of play parent (just for fun!).


First up we have the Discovery Style Play Parents. My dh is one of these, off he goes on a nature trail with the kids to see what they can find.  JJ asks a question about something historical well then it is onto the PC to look it up and discuss all the ins and outs. @Suburbanmummyuk  fits into this bracket and said 'I like being in the garden discovering leaves and worms and getting dirty!'


The next category is also a favourite of mine, Little Mummy Style Play Parents. We tend to involve the kids in whatever it is we are doing, be that cooking, cleaning, laundry or gardening.  The other day when Miss E was off with chickenpox we had been doing some cleaning and I gave her the option of sitting down and playing together or tackling the next room. She choose the cleaning, it just shows that you can not predict kids! Another couple of parents who slot in here are @kateab 'I like practical things - they love helping me cook and stuff. They are good peelers!' and  @jomag_mrsp 'baking cakes/cookies and dancing to my ipod tunes'. Hannah at @MetalMummy84 agrees that music is the way to go! 'I love dancing with my 2 year old. She will press play on her music and say "Dance" and I have to swing her round the room!'

I bet you can not guess the kind of tweeters who are going to fall into this category? The Get Crafty Play Parents are an active lot and you can find them making, getting messy, modeling playdoh, painting or other such activities. I asked @nurturestore what is your favourite kind of play? Cathy said 'Ooh hard to choose but I'd say playdough, fab for mixed ages - we love our ice cream play dough recipe'. Click on the link for nurturestore for that great recipe. Rebecca at @twobecomefour is waiting for the time when she can join this group 'at the moment I'm just loving the cuddly, tickly play (if you know what I mean!) with the twins. can't wait to get crafting with them though! X '

My girls with their playdoh, on Thursday morning!

Now this next kind of play, just baffles and bores me if I am honest.  So I tweeted and asked if anyone actually enjoyed this kind of play with their kids and I was inundated with responses.  So here we have the Imaginative Play Parents. 'I do!! :0)' said @missielizzieb. @christinemosler said 'I love the imaginary play stuff when we create a world of our own and leave this boring one behind!' and @clare_anderson commented that she is 'pretty rubbish at arty stuff and it doesn't hold his interest. Anything using imagination is good in our house! We love making up stories and pretending to be fireman or space men! I don't dress up mind!'.  Oh, spoilsport Clare, that might have made a fun post!

@scrapbookerry  added 'we do lots of building happy people farms and trains have lots of stories round them' and I think that @Wanderlust_lust idea is beautiful 'I like making up bedtime stories in which my kids play a central role. They luv it as well. They are usually adventure themed.'

I am happy to do building tasks, like making a lego house or cafe and I enjoyed making this train track for Miss E when she was off ill last week but then it is over to the kids to do the imaginative bit!

Play out of Home Parents. I did not receive a tweet from anyone who fell into this category but this was me when JJ was small and I was a first time mum.  I think the change from a pressured career where you are constantly on the go to being a Mum meant that I did not have the confidence to play at home much,. So many of JJ's play experiences where from attending toddler groups, play parks and soft plays.

and the superheros of all play parents has to be The Jump right in and do it all Play Parents. These are the people who just love to play.  I think Dad's often fall into this category.  In fact Liz Fraser wrote a good post on this just the other week. Examples of these super players are @WhimsicalWife  'I love art/crafty stuff or Lego or den building :-) I build completely OTT dens, think sheets tied to bannister's and doors and tunnels and LARGE scale ;)' and @Mum_TheMadHouse 'We love board games, dens and creative play. In fact I just love being able to be a child myself.  I am getting in to lego, but the marble run baffles me!'

So where do you fit in?  One of these groups?  A superhero of play who does a bit of everything (and enjoys it, that is the part that characterises them! lol) or something else completely?

If you have read this and are looking for some good ideas for play then head over to
Nurture Store where Cathy holds a Friday play academy each week, Red Ted Art where Maggy will take you on an amazing craft journey or I have been recommended to visit Play Activities too.

Happy Playing, Mich x

Silent Sunday - 1 Photo, No words

Mattel Rapunzel Doll Review & Tangled Giveaway

You may recall that we were lucky enough to go to a Disney event recently where we watched the film Tangled.  All the family loved the film and we are even going to see it again in April - already booked, how efficient is that?

At  the event the girls were given a Rapunzel doll each, these are made by Mattel and retail for £19.99, you can buy them from Toys R Us and other good retailers. My little ladies love their dolls, especially Miss E who actually refers to herself as Rapunzel a fair amount now. As the girls have a love for these dolls I thought I would write a quick review and offer some Tangled goodies for giveaway.

I have been pleased with the dolls, they are Barbie sized and are well made.  I like the fact that Rapunzel does not look too adult, she is cute and girlie and her clothes are well made. She has the trademark beautiful platinum blond hair and lets be honest after a month of 3 year old play it is looking pretty tangled now, but it combs out quite well and looks far less 'street' than the girls barbies do.

The feature that Miss E really likes is the extra bit of hair that you can clip to the end of Rapunzels to make it really long.  What Miss E does is clip it to her own hair and wonder round chanting 'Rapunzel throw down your hair' to herself whilst doing very big hair flicks!  It is to cute to watch.

So in short, if you are looking for a gift for a little girlie girl then this doll would be a great buy.  I do not think you will be disappointed.

And to celebrate the fabulous film that is Tangled, how about a giveaway?

I can offer you a great DK book full of Tangled facts and activities, my ladies are just a little young for it really and also a new copy of the Tangled soundtrack.  There really are some marvellous tunes in the film, all included on this great album.  The pair of these would delight any little fan.

To enter:

• Subscribe to my blog, either use one of the widgets at the side to follow here or on networked blogs or subscribe by email.
• Leave me a comment to say how you subscribed and let me know how to contact you if you win.

That is your mandatory entry, if you want a second entry then tweet this giveaway 'I want to #win Tangled goodies from @michelletwinmum http://bit.ly/eK30IO '

Terms and Conditions:

• The giveaway will close at 12 noon Thursday 17 February 2011
• The winner will be contacted within 3 days of this giveaway closing
• The giveaway is open to those in the UK or Ireland
• The winner will be chosen by random number generator
• There is no cash or prize alternative

Good Luck!

Congratulations to @Aesop57, you are the lucky winner.  Please DM me on twitteror email me your postal address.  Thanks, Mich x

Does My 3 Year Old Really Need A DS?

Well, my instant answer to that, is NO. Why would a 3 year old need a DS, PSP, XBox, Wii or any other type of computer game console .....but maybe that is just because I am not that interested in computer games? Or maybe it is just because I am lucky enough to have twins and therefore my 3 year old always has another 3 year to play with and thus they can do exactly what I think 3 year olds should be doing - imaginative play. The girls like to play doctors, hairdressers, Mummies, cafe's, shops, post offices etc etc. Most days I am bought an imaginary cup of tea and a cake or I have my hair put up in a very 'classic' design and I do not mind this one bit. If not imaginative play then we go out to the park, make puzzles, play board games, do cutting and sticking, get the play doh out - anything that has their hands and minds working together.

I always worried I would be a pushy mother but I have learnt that actually I am not. I never sit and do letter formations with the girls, we do not spell words out, my two can not write their names - so what, they are 38 months! We count as part of our play, we bounce on the trampoline and we bake cakes - all far more healthy I feel.

Yes sometimes the TV is on and the kids zone out for a while and relax while I make the dinner or sort the washing (or even pop on to view a blog or two!).

Now I do not write this post to judge you if your 3 year old has a DS or similar, it just seems completely alien to me. Why do they have one? Enlighten me.

My two have never been on a PC/ laptop. Do they need to? Will they be slower at school because they have not? I seriously doubt it.

I have this fear that if I give everything to my kids at an early age what is there for them to look forwards to or work towards as they get older? How will they learn the real value of money if they are bought £100 presents at age 3 and then want a new game every couple of months at £20 - £40 a pop. I love it that you can give JJ 3 boxes, a couple of postcards, bottle tops and some sticky tape and he can make a toy he will play with for days.

JJ has a DS, he got his when he was 6. Old enough to understand that money does not grow on trees and that he had to save his pocket money, birthday money or such when he wants a new game. He has a strict time limit on how long he can play for and we vet the games he is allowed. Call us controlling and I will answer 'yes and rightly so!'. This is our babe who we want to teach strong values to.

Here is my Mummy Manifesto -

• My children will not be encouraged to grow up too quickly.


• My children will wear modest, age appropriate children's clothes.


• My children will read fairy tales and stories about 'nice' things.


• My children can watch kiddie programmes on TV and should not to be exposed to phrases such as 'Loser' on Spongebob or 'Whatever' on Phineas and Ferb.


• However, my children will also have TV free playtime every day.


• I think it is important that children play outside every day and are allowed to get messy and to make a mess.


• My children will be encouraged to cook with me and to enjoy and have fun with all types of food.


• I think that variety is the spice of life and it is good for my kids to try all sorts of things.


• I believe that children should sometimes play alone, sometimes play with friends and sometimes play with their parents. They will gain something different from each of these interactions.


• My children will be involved in age appropriate household chores. They will pick up after themselves and learn to help me/dh too.


• My children will learn to make their own choices about money and how it is to be spent or saved.
  
• I will do everything I can to ensure that my children grow up knowing just how lucky they are and that many in the world have nothing in comparison to them.
  

What have I missed off my manifesto? Tell me what is important to your family?

The Gallery: Playtime with the Grandparents!

Yet another fab gallery prompt this week. I have just spent an hour enjoying myself reviewing the last few months of our lives through all the photos I have taken. I realise we are a family who have fun. Those that play together, stay together - that is what they say! How marvellous.

A while back (about the end of May I think) we had a lovely weekend staying with my parents and their new puppy and here are some of the photos that show what a great time we had. Just look at those content giggling faces - sheer bliss.

I am so lucky to have such young at heart parents and I can not wait for my Dad to retire as then everyday he will feel refreshed and happy and the stress and anxiety will leave him, making him the best Grandad in the world...... and yes Mum I think it goes without saying that you are the best Nanny. You know the unanimous answer if we asked three small gorgeous people.

Blissfully happy eating their smarties after a good run around at the soft play centre.

Miss M enjoys a ride on Mummy's shoulders.

The local skate park is great fun for a couple of 60 year olds! It would not surprise me if they come here without the kids too.

JJ and Nanny enjoy playing basketball. The girls and Archie want to get in on the act too!

Being childlike....

JJ just reminded me today what fun it can be when we adults act like a kid! When away at Rivercamp last weekend we stumbled across a deserted park which was just lovely. What a strange mood I was in as I thoroughly enjoyed the swings, see saw, slide and climbing apparatus. JJ and I run and bounced around like kids (of course he actually is one!) and I laughed like I have not done for a very long time. It was excellent! That same day we had also been waltzing in a very crowded park whilst the brass band played - again I had not a care in the world and did not worry at all what people thought. Ohh to be like that all the time. For once I was just being and not doing - nothing was achieved except a sense of fun and a fab time! I think we even gave dh a laugh as he watched us chuckle away.

We went to the park today and JJ asked if we could go back without the girls and just play together again, 'as that was great fun wasn't it Mum?'. So next time dh is about we will get him to look after the girls and JJ and I can really let loose.

Jesus talks of the importance of us all being humble like children. Maybe this is a great step for me towards that.