Monthly Archives: April 2011
5 Ways To Get Your Child To Turn Off Video Games and Get Outside To Play
We are blogging from Austin where we gratefully have a break from the Chicago cold and are seeing a lot of families outside taking in some play time. (We love all the Kolcraft, Jeep and Contours strollers we are seeing in Austin! They are everywhere!) It made us stop and think about how important play is for children. Remember our friends at NWF who did a study on the importance of outdoor play? Turning off the TV and video games and playing outdoors has so many benefits for your child. It may be difficult to pull them away from the lure of electronics so a few ideas to help.
- Start a garden – Starting a simple garden, be that in a planter or in the yard, is a great way to get your child outdoors and spend special one-on-one time with each other. Together you can plant flowers or vegetables and watch them grow. It also teaches your child responsibility since a garden needs daily care of weeding, watering, etc. It can also be a time to help your child’s science classes become alive.
- Take a neighborhood walk – Walk to different parts of your neighborhood and observe the birds and other animals. See if you can identify birds by their different chirps. Take note of the different trees and flowers you see as well as the cloud shapes. Nature is your canvas to learning!
- Become a stargazer – Get a blanket and gaze up at stars. Get a guidebook on stars from your library or download Google sky. Make a game of seeing how many stars you can find!
- Childhood games – Remember Mother May I, Red Rover, Kick the Can, Red Light Green Light, Hopscotch, blowing bubbles? Teach your child your favorite childhood games, get them moving and share a part of your childhood fun with them.
- Hit the beach – Spend a day at the beach looking for unusual rocks, shells, etc. See which ones you can identify and those you cannot, use your imagination and give them a name! If you don’t live near a body of water, go to a public pool and pretend that you are sea creatures – dolphins, crabs, sharks, etc. You can make your own underworld fun!
What are your ideas for getting your kids outside to play?
Baby Matters Blog Turns 1 Giveaway
Our Baby Matters Blog turned 1 back in March! We wanted to take a look over the year and celebrate by giving you a Baby Matters Blog Birthday present!
- Over this past year we have been inspired by Mom Mondays where we have met working moms, stay at home moms, adoptive moms, moms who were resilient in the face of pain, moms who started their own businesses and more!
- We have shared parenting tips and you have shared your helpful parenting advice with each other.
- We have enjoyed Wednesday Wonders while exploring parenting themes in pop culture, ways to help the community and current events.
- We have taken a behind-the-scenes look at Kolcraft, learned about products, had contests and got your feedback on new products.
- We have had lots of fun on Fridays through activities, yummy recipes and creative crafts.
We really have enjoyed meeting you through our blog and look forward to another year of fun! To celebrate, we are giving away a product of your choice*.
It’s easy to enter our Baby Matters Blog Birthday contest!
- Look back over our Baby Matters blog posts
- Pick your favorite post
- Write a comment as to why it’s your favorite post
Contest will end on April 11th at midnight CST.
Thanks for being a fan Baby Matters and celebrating our 1 year Birthday!
*Product prize depends on current availability
Help Raise Awareness About Autism
World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) is celebrated April 1 -2 and it’s going to light up the world in blue! Light It Up Blue is an easy way to raise awareness about autism and be part of a worldwide movement to show your support for the autism community.
Early detection and early intervention of Autism is key and WAAD helps to raise awareness as well as funds for Autism research. It also celebrates the unique talents and skills of persons with Autism.
Some ways you can help:
- Sign the pledge to raise autism awareness and encourage family, friends and co-workers to do the same.
- Light your house blue by putting blue light bulbs in your outdoor lights. (Check out the slideshow of buildings around the world who are lighting it up blue!)
- Feature the Light It Up Blue logo on your Facebook profile.
- Ask local or governmental television stations to broadcast awareness raising media (PSAs, documentaries) about autism.
- Wear apparel to help raise awareness.
- Read about one blog mom who is trying to make a difference for autistic children through Autism Learning Felt Blog.
- Give a financial contribution to Autism research. Every little bit helps!
Thank you for joining Kolcraft in making a difference for Autistic children!
