In an age when more and more children are spending most of their time inside in front of the television or computer, finding ways to encourage your kids to spend time outside playing actively should be a real priority. Exercise and fun outside at an early age are important to health and the development of good habits, and they’ll help your kids burn off some of that extra energy, too. Of course, just going outside into an empty yard with nothing to do can be pretty boring. That’s why there are so many great outdoor toys to choose from on the market.
From little babies who are just discovering the world of the outdoors to older kids who still want to play, there are all kinds of great outdoor toys. If you choose yours carefully, you don’t have to worry about getting too many – look for toys that your kids are really going to play with, instead of the ones that are just a passing fancy. Buying toys meant specifically to be used outdoors will help your kids stay entertained, let them release some of that extra energy, and keep the toys in better condition than if you’d just used indoor toys and taken them outdoors.
Wooden and plastic playhouse are great fun for kids of all ages. There are plenty of playhouses available for children from toddlers to middle schoolers, with appropriate sizing and safety measures. For playing house, private clubhouses and lots more, these are a lot of fun and will last many years. Climbing frames and jungle gyms can also be a lot of fun.
You can also choose trampolines for outdoor use, but you’ll need to pay close attention to safety, and always supervise your children on the trampoline. They’re a lot of fun, but there are also many injuries from improper use of trampolines every year. Does that mean your kids shouldn’t have one of these outdoor toys? No – it just means that you and they need proper training in how to use it and what not to do. Consider a surrounding safety feature to keep kids from falling off the trampoline accidentally, and always use trampoline pads. Small bounce houses are also fun.
Pools, whether at home or at the park, are also great for kids, and there are lots of wonderful outdoor toys that are best when swimming. Check out the wide range of inflatable pool toys for kids, fun games that can be played while swimming, and even slides and other equipment that can be installed. One bonus of inflatable outdoor toys is that when the kids are done with them for the summer, you can deflate them and put them away extremely easily.
These aren’t all the outdoor toys kids can choose by any means. There are lots of options and accessories, big and small, meant for tiny children and older ones, too. There are even some outdoor toys for kids that you can enjoy along with your children. However, they all have some things in common. They keep your kids healthy, active, and away from the television! Check out your options today.
Is it healthy for a dog to be obsessed with a toy?
My dog is about 15 months old and since he was 6 months he has had a rubber KONG toy. He loves the toy so much that he takes it everywhere like a kid with a teddy bear. It's cute, but get's really annoying. I can easily take it away, but then he won't do anything except sit and watch it because he wants it back. Should I take it away for good, give it to him only occasionally, or is it ok to let him have it all the time?
About Author
Denise Sanger is the owner of NewCoolToysOnline.com which carries a wonderful catalog of including swimming pool toys, backyard toys, beach toys. For toy stores and gift shops interested in these fun , she also owns USAPoolToy.com which brings unique wholesale products to the marketplace. Denise Sanger is the owner of NewCoolToysOnline.com which carries a wonderful catalog of
ride on toys
and outdoor toys.
omg im actually working on an assignment about this right now so the more people that answer this question with facts and statistics you'll basically be doing my work for me!
If I knew he would play with them. It's all video games these days.
Short answer, no. Marijuana does almost nothing bad for your system. It can stop the growth of cancer, halt Alzheimer's in its tracks, help those with Asthma, allow you to philosophize, calms you down, etc. etc.
Its only the government and the propaganda that has made marijuana out to be a criminal. Alcohol and tobacco are much worse drugs then marijuana, and nobody gets their kids taken away for just that.
Marijuana has never killed anyone in recorded history, and yet it's still illegal.
Basically, no. Marijuana should not cause the courts to take her kids away, it might depending on what state you live in, but it shouldn't be the "taking your kids away" factor. She isn't choosing drugs over her kids, in a sense that she's doing something that every sourced study done on marijuana has said causes very little harm to your system.
Marijuana is NOT a gateway drug. The only connection that could cause marijuana to be the "gateway" drug is that people could be in contact with dealers that deal harder drugs, and that might somehow get them to try those harder drugs. If it were legalized and controlled, sold like cigarettes in 7/11's, then there would be no gateway effect.
Actually, our livers and kidneys really do an amazing job of filtering toxins out of our bodies throughout our lifetime. So, most of those things do not worry me.
I do agree with you about the growth hormones, though. I only buy hormone free dairy, and limit the red meat in our house.
I am a nanny have have a similar situation – I watch two boys 5 and 10. The 10 year old is at school most of the day, but in the summer he is a rascal!! Their parents are ok with play dates, which I encourage more with the older one, cause its easier, but I do set up some with the 5 yr old.
The 5 yr old gets very very bored…. and it gets tough some days, but here are a few things we do.
Treasure Hunt – he LOVES this
Take the change from your purse or have the kids gather some change from their own piggy banks. Have them sit in one room while you hide the change in another room(s). Make sure you know how much you hid and then they have to try to add up the money to see if they found it all.
Sometimes I hide a snack bag of cookies or candy then put pieces of paper with clues all over the house. Its a hunt to find the treasure. With kids who can't read you can draw pictures. A chair, a sink, a table…. they will just have to check all the chairs to find the next clue, which could have a picture of a pillow, then they look under all the pillows to find the next clue of a bean bag. They look under the bean bag and find a treat!
Hide a "bomb"
Take a small ball or toy and hide it somewhere in the house. Then set a timer for 5 minutes. They have to try to find the toy before the timer goes off…. the 10 yr old I watch loves this game.
Hide & Seek – Modified
So I count to 30 in one room while all the boys hide in a different part of the house. When I say ready or not here I come, they try to sneak into the room I counted in, without being seen. If they are seen they are out (so there is no running/tagging in the house). I usually am always it because they love hiding so much, but every once in a while I will hide. This might seem like too much work on your part, but the kids will get so excited they won't even notice if you are just walking through the house and not truly actively seeking them. They enjoy winning anyways!
The 5 yr. old LOVES to do stuff in the kitchen. We make homemade play dough and then he creates stuff out of it. Homemade play dough is very easy and kids love to measure things.
Scavenger Hunt
I made a list of things to find outside such as a purple petal, green leaf, flat rock, etc. Give them a plastic bag and see who can find what. It can be a competition or they can all work together. With the 5 yr old I gave him a tape measure and had him find a leaf that was 3 in long and a stick that was 6 in. long….. made it more challenging and fun for him (plus educational!)
Find all the colors of the rainbow – just go outside the house or to the park and see if they can find all the colors of the rainbow outside. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple….. and then you can add in other colors for fun… pink, brown, black, white, etc.
Find shapes outside – find objects that resemble squares, rectangles, triangles, stars, circles, etc.
You said you did arts and crafts – always good – we do lots of these things to!! The boys LOVE Harry Potter and one of their favorite things to do is make wands. I bought a pack of dowel rods from the craft store. I used a glue gun to put swirls, lines, handles, dots, etc. When it was cool they used markers and paint to decorate their wands.
Well hope these ideas help! Good Luck!
p.s. I also take the kids to my place sometimes too…. they like to play the Wii, but we only can do it every once in a while.
I grew up with guns. RR play guns as a little kid, BB guns when I turned 6, a pellet gun when I turned 10 and a deer rifle when I turned 12. It wasn't just me either, it was every boy around where I grew up. They would even give us time off from school to go deer hunting. None of us grew up to be killers. I didn't even carry one as a tramp when most everybody else did.
We were taught about guns from the time we were babies. we would never point a gun at someone so yes, it is the person's fault who doesn't teach their children about guns and gun safety. How do you know they aren't going to be around them just because you won't allow it in your home? Guns don't kill people, people kill people!
Make sure you don't have any liquids over 3 ounces- including anything in a toy! One of the children I used to babysit had a water-filled bouncy ball, and security at O'Hare confiscated it and threw it away (Wouldn't even let me pick it up on my way out from dropping them off at the gate).
Avoid sugary snacks- this will make them hyper and they will have a hard time sitting still during the flight. Try popping microwave popcorn and putting it in little baggies, granola bars (again, make sure they don't have too much sugar!), and goldfish crackers. Does each child have his own lunchbox? Maybe pack them each their own, or a little brown baggie to put in their carry-on. Having a special thing for themselves will be entertaining.
Does your 9-year-old have a DS or portable game player? This should keep him busy on the plane. Let the 5 and 6 year olds each pick one or two toys each (They don't to lose their favorites!), to play with.
Bring a notebook and play Dots and Tic-Tac-Toe. Do they know any card games? Bring a deck- they are small and travel well. Or, if you have $10 to spare, pick up a travel version of Pass-the-Pigs (but be careful not to lose the pigs!).
When you are on your layover, try taking a long walk through the terminal. Don't go past security, but it will help if they all get up and stretch their legs. Have them do a little exercise routine! Raise their hands, touch their toes, etc. Make it a game of Simon Says, and make them do really silly things. If you can get them to burn off enough energy, they may end up sleeping on the second leg or your journey.
Most of all- prepare them for the trip through the airport. Practice taking off their jackets and shoes, and make a game of finding any hidden change in their pockets. Give each one a special "Airport Assignment," like making sure they all get their shoes off and on, making sure the bags are all on the x-ray belt, etc. Have your youngest count the number of people and bags, and make sure that every person, and every bag, is present and accounted for.
If you can convince them that something boring or mundane is fun, they will be excited and compliant!
Good luck, and have fun!!!
(But again- remember the on-board liquids rule! You may want to purchase a small bottle of water once you are past security).
Welcome to married with children.
Guess what big guy. You are on children hold.
It will get better when they are going to college, then the challenge will be tuition.
Based upon our experience your marriage will be reborn with the empty nest.
I already have a dog but, I just wanna say that it's really nice of you to do that for the animal.
I had the same problem with my collie.
We ended up keeping that toy for "special use".
When we are doing agility training the toy comes out and it the biggest motivation for her. When she completes an exercise well we throw the toy. She quickly learned that the way to get her toy was by listening.
In other words to use the favourite toy as a training aid??
Now I've tried not to change your draft too much.
Two points I'll make is:
You're not clear in how you are going to fix the problem.
You seem to be taking sides with Subway, a competitor of Mc Donalds. This gives the reader the impression that you do not understand that the toys/playgrounds are aimed at smaller children and not school age children to which your argument is directed.
I would suggest you concentrate more on the quick meal deals that include coke and chips for your argument.
Always balance your thoughts throughout.
Dear Editor,
It’s Our Future. Ryan Hardy. 7th September 2009.
My topic is the overweight and obese Kids with-in Australia.
Many hard working parents in Australia don’t have the time to make lunch for their children. This usually leads to parents having to give money to their child so he/she can buy food at the canteen. This gives the child the opportunity to buy something that tastes nice and will go down well. Most food sold at the canteen is filled with sugar.
Imagine a little boy buying the same kinds of sugary snacks on every school day for six or more years every day, would he be a Healthy boy?
Fast food advertisements such as one from Mc Donald’s has a short but Effective kick on kids. The ads. are advertised during popular programs and are designed to target families, but what they are really doing is giving the impression that fast food stores are fun. The child has a brand new toy to play with and even a play ground outside which would appear fun for the child.
Fast food places even have big signs in front of the store that advertise playgrounds and toys. If you look at the healthier fast food stores such as Sub Way, there are no play grounds, toys or even big signs.
Which fast food stores would your child prefer to eat at?
A place with fatty but tasty food and play grounds to play around in? Or a store with a healthy option of food with a possible cookie after?
Even statistics show that kids are becoming heavier and overweight. It is estimated that in Australia, 20-25% of children and adolescents are overweight or obese. This equals a total of one million overweight or obese children and adolescents. The percentage of young people who are overweight has more than tripled since 1980 among children and teens aged 6-19 years.
How much longer can this happen?
When will we as a great country take a stand to prevent this from happening?
It’s us who can stop the percentage of kids becoming heavier, if it becomes successful, maybe other countries will follow in our footsteps and make the world a better place.
Signed ______________ Scoresby, Melbourne
My son plays with all the things you mentioned above. We have a play kitchen, a tea set and a stroller for dolls as well. He also enjoys playing with traditional boys toys such as tools,cars and action figures. Now we have a baby girl and we plan to allow her to play with everything. Currently she's into whatever he's into.
I think that if you would like to have a well rounded child you shouldn't put up a barrier between girls toys and boys toys. Toys are toys. It's the adults that decided to give gender specific assignments to them. So what if a boy likes pink things and a girl wants to play with tools. They should be allowed to play with whichever toys they choose, even if they're not the "correct color choice". My son loved pink when he was 1.5 years now he is 3 and he likes blue. Toddlers will always change their minds and move on from toy to toy along with their color preferences. And it's great to see what they'll be into next.
Cabbage Patch Kids makes a variety of boy dolls. They're not anatomically correct but still cute.
We have a red stroller by the way, and a blue play kitchen not that color makes a difference but we let him pick. He's also extremely good with his baby sister. I contribute it to his nature along with playing with baby dolls and practicing being gentle with them.
i find that humor and kindness works best, I DO NOT SPANK…. if my 14 yr old is snotty at me i make her clean something…..
if my 7 yr old wont wake up in th emorning (she sleeps like a rock like i did at that age)
the only thing that wakes her up happy is if i act like a big baby and yell HEY MOM GET UP I NEED A DIAPER AND A BOTTLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
she wakes up laughing.
Hi Joan, I just wanted to say hi. I am sure that Angel is very healthy, as Om Himself has insured me that she is normal and all is well. Take care and have fun on your vacation.
My kid pretends to make commercials.
By on the other side is how she reacts to the commercials. Her dad thought it would be funny to say, "I want that" to just about every toy commercial he sees. Of course she says that now as well. Yes it drives me crazy that he thought it would be funny. But she also knows that she can't have everything she wants – that's just the way life is, which is a good lesson.
Well I agree with the first answerer. There has to be rules and boundaries for it. But the fact is that our society relies mostly on communication. This is the age of technology and communicating and so it is a necessity. But it can also be harmful if it becomes an addiction or an uncontrolled habit. For example when a child becomes addicted to video games or 'leapsters' as you put it, that is really unhealthy and the child should be monitored and should not be allowed to do it all day. Regardless of what year it is or how far advanced we are, children still need to interact and play with other children as well as to get a lot of physical exercise daily. So I am all pro tech toys as long as chores have been done, naps taken, and playing outside has exhausted itself. The use of these items should be limited to certain parts of the daily schedule and not the entire daily schedule. Just like tv should be limited to only 1 hour a day etc…
You were right to make them wait. Baby rabbits are very hard to bottle feed because they don't take to it as easily as a kitten or even a dog might. I have had rabbits who have abandoned their babies but it didn't help when we tried to bottle feed the babies. The kid can wait you definitely did the right thing.
Best advice, look at http://www.guinealynx.com. They have everything you need to know about guinea pig care.
Quick advice
Cage: check out http://www.guineapigcages.com. Guinea pigs need a lot of space, and they have cheap, easy ways to build a cage that is big enough.
Bedding: there are a lot of choices, and it's entirely a personal choice, but never use cedar, and never use pine, unless it's been kiln-dried. These both contain aromatic oils that are bad for their health. Personally I use fleece in the main part of their cage, it's cheaper than regular bedding, and all you have to do to clean it is throw it in the washing machine. I also use carefresh in their hayloft, since it's easiest to just throw out.
Toys: I wouldn't waste my money on toys bought in a store, some guinea pigs like them, but most don't. The best toys I've found are a small paper bag, a toilet paper roll stuffed with hay, or a cardboard tube used for mailing posters and stuff.
Health Care: start weighing the new piggie daily for a while, to make sure he's gaining weight properly, or at least not losing any weight. As soon as you're sure he's not sick you can go to weighing once a week. Guinea pigs hide the fact that their sick very well, so the best way to tell when they first get sick is to monitor their weight. Also, make sure and find a vet that is good with guinea pigs. Most vets have no clue, but there is a list on guinealynx of vets in different areas who are good.
Treats: Don't buy treats from the store. There aren't any I've ever found that are actually good for guinea pigs. The best treats are small bits of fruit, or a baby carrot.
Diet: Make sure to get a high quality guinea pig pellet. Oxbow or KM's (found at kmshayloft.com) are the best, Kaytee timothy complete will work in a pinch. It has to be a plain pellet with no nuts or seeds. These pose a choking hazard and they're not good for them anyway. They also need unlimited access to timothy hay. My girls have a hayloft on their cage that is constantly filled with huge piles of hay, and they love it! The other part of their diet is fresh veggies. Guinea pigs should get 1-2 cups of fresh veggies per day. Guinealynx also has a list of appropriate veggies, and how much to feed. My girls get 1-2 cups of a mix of red and green leaf lettuce every morning, and again in the evening, along with a couple pieces of kale in the evening and either some cilantro, a baby carrot or some cucumber. Guinea pigs need vitamin C since they can't make it themselves, but as long as you're feeding them a proper diet they should be fine. If you're going to give them a suppliment, don't use vitamin drops in the water! Oxbow makes a vitamin C tablet especially for guinea pigs, or you can use childrens chewable tablets, break them up and only give them about 20mg per day.
As for the hair loss, I would treat him for mites. If you take him to a vet, don't let them do a skin scraping to test for mites, just treat. Skin scrapings are unreliable and painful for the animal, and the treatment won't hurt if there are no mites, but it will help if their are.
Lastly, if you decide to keep him, you should get another. Guinea pigs do best in pairs! They are a social animal, and can get depressed if left alone. You just have to make sure they are either same sex pairs, or one of them is fixed. You can find adoptable guinea pigs at http://www.petfinder.com.
If you have any other questions feel free to e-mail me! I got my two girls, one in January and one in February, and I've done a ton of research on them since then. The guinealynx website is the best info that I've found so far!
yea, just look at what he did to Job.
he really screwed up Job's life just to prove a point to the devil.