The Benefits of Outdoor Activities For Children

Most kids today would rather stay at home watching TV or playing on their game consoles all day. However, experts believe that outdoor activities for children can actually be beneficial for them. Parents are therefore ask to encourage their kids to do some outdoor activities every now and then.But what are the benefits of outdoor activities for children and how?Physical BenefitsOutdoor activities for children encourage physical play and the ability to stay active. Hence, the physical benefits are obvious. Regular exercise is recommended by doctors and health experts to boost physical and mental health. So, encouraging your kids to go out and play will help boost their health condition.For younger kids, it is also good for facilitating in their sensory and motor development. They can also develop important skills such as coordination while they have more fun with a wide range of activities.Mental BenefitsAside from the physical benefits of outdoor activities for children, the cognitive and psychological benefits are far more profound. Since there are so many things they can see and explore outside, it promotes their curiosity and as you might know, curiosity fosters learning. Being outdoor also promote self-expression such that your kid are free to move around and make noise, unlike staying indoors wherein they are often restricted.A study has also shown that the more a child is exposed to nature, the more they are able to develop intentional functioning. If your child can play with their peers, then they will also develop key skills such as sharing, cooperating, and problem solving.Take note of the above benefits of outdoor activities for children and encourage your child to go out and play!

Outdoor Activities For Parent's and Their Children

An outdoor activity is something that everyone needs and should do. Watching to much TV or just sitting inside is boring, unhealthy and has no reward. Many people go outside and walk or jog, but that too is pretty boring and unrewarding. So what can you do outdoors that is both fun and healthy?Many adults and young adults have forgotten that the best way to exercise outdoors is to play like they did when they were a kid. But how does an adult play outside? The best way is to start a radio control hobby. RC hobbies like airplanes, boats, cars, and helicopters are both fun and very rewarding. Imagine building and then flying your own creation, or ripping across the waves in your own little gas powered boat.An RC hobby can also give you something fun to do with your kids, who don't exactly always want to hang out with their parents. But trust me; if you are flying a radio controlled jet then they will come running. You will also have something to pass onto your children, like an airplane that both of you built together, or a boat that you and your child have enjoyed many times together.By far the best RC vehicle that can be purchased is of course an R/C airplane or helicopter. If an airplane is what you are going to go for, then I recommend an Almost Ready to Fly plane or a kit. This will allow you and your kid(s) to put it together with you, giving you something extra to do with them and give them some knowledge of building something. Then after you build it you can fly it with them, which makes the flight twice as rewarding.Another RC flying toy that is fun would be a remote control helicopter. Radio controlled helicopters are unique because they hover and allow more control from the pilot. They are also harder to master, so for the people who are looking for a quick thrill you might not like it, but other's who have a dedication to it will love it. RC helicopters also offer a neat experience at night since they can hover and can be equipped with lights.If you want to experience the thrill of a speed boat on the water, but don't have the money to afford a real one, then a radio controlled boat is perfect. With R/C boat engines available in electric or gas powered, a beginner or an expert could operate and maintain a RC boat. This is ideal since you might not always be around but your children want to go outside and have fun with it. A remote control boat is really the easiest, but most rewarding, of all radio control hobbies.The most popular R/C toy in the world is of course the remote control car or truck. RC cars can be operated by virtually anyone at any age, are easy to maintain and operate and are very inexpensive to own. If you do plan on getting a R/C car or truck, then I recommend an electric powered one to begin with, then gradually progress towards a nitro powered engine. Just to let you know, nitro fuel cars are hard to maintain and require some experience and knowledge prior to operating.My favorite outdoor activity out of all of them are model rockets. Model rockets are of course not remote controlled (I guess they could be) but none the less they are very fun and should be considered. I love model rockets, and the reason is because they are very realistic and not expensive. The engines that blast them off really shoot out burst of flames and leave a smoke trail behind the rocket, and the rocket's cost around only $20. Very cheap for such a realistic thrill and they are pretty safe to operate.

Fun Things For Kids - Outdoor Activities

Are you a mom looking for fun things for kids to do in the outdoors? In modern times where television, video games, computer games, and other indoor activities are prevalent, sometimes it is necessary to entice your children to play outdoors. On those hot summer days you may or may not want to enjoy the weather outside with them. Even if you bring out a good book and work on your tan while they play, you will all feel better for getting a bit of fresh air. So here are some examples of activities the kids can do with OR without parental involvement.Jungle Safari With a Picnic
There is a nice park right behind our library that has a little miniature forest in it with paths. We love to ride our bikes over to the library with a picnic lunch in a backpack and go for a safari. We have all sorts of adventures (think Backyardigans style) and then when we get tired we sit down and eat our lunch. It's always a fun thing for kids to use their imagination, you may just have to steer them in the right direction to come up with a good story.Variations on Tag
Tag is an oldie but goodie, and you can add a few tweeks to the game to make it more fun. Two of my kids' favorite versions are freeze tag and tv tag. In freeze tag if you get tagged by the person who is "it" you must stand with your legs spread apart and you are "frozen" until someone else crawls between your legs and unfreezes you. You keep going until only one person us left unfrozen and then they become the next one who is "it". TV tag is similar to freeze tag except to get unfrozen someone else must come and tag you and say the name of a television show (that hasn't already been said). You can play infinite variations on that version of tag such as candy bar tag, animal tag, etc.Homemade Slip 'N' Slide
When I was a little girl my parents couldn't afford to buy us one of those deluxe slip 'n' slides, so my brother and I made do with several large black garbage bags taped together with duct tape. Then all you do is poor water over from the hose and enjoy. To be honest this is a little disappointing compared to a "real" slip n slide, but part of the fun is in putting it together. So don't be afraid to give it a shot!Hopefully these have given you a few ideas on fun things for kids that you can try with your own family. Like I said you can either teach your kids how to do it and just let them go at it, or you can jump in and play along with them. Either way it will provide you some great family fun!

7 Frugal Outdoor Activities For You and Your Family

When the spring starts shining outside and the cold weather is gone, it's a great moment to think about outdoor activities that can keep you all healthy, happy and more energized. And I am not talking about Hawaii trips that will cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars. There are plenty of frugal activities that are just as good as the expensive trips, sometimes even better.Here are seven good and all time green ideas for frugal outdoor activities:Picnic
Going to picnic is one of the simplest things you can do. Just pack few backs, get into the car (or be green and use the bus) and go to a natural place near you - a forest, a small hill or just into the park.There are very little costs involved in a picnic - just for transportation and food. And I would even exclude the food costs from the calculation because you will anyway have to eat - even if you don't go on picnic.Just one picnic weekly or monthly is enough to refresh yourself and your entire family for a lot of time ahead.Hiking
If you are more active and prefer to experience some reasonable physical loading, go to the closest mountain and do few hours of hiking. You don't need to climb peaks, just walk on broken ground for few hours and the mountain will recharge you in a way that nothing else can do.You don't need special equipment - just make sure you have comfortable shoes,a raincoat and a working cell phone. Don't go into areas that are not appropriate for tourists, don't overestimate your skills and walk with the speed of the slowest in the group. Family hiking should be fun - don't turn it into competition. Make sure to bring enough food and water with you.Having no mountain near your place is no excuse - you can hike on smooth ground too. It's not that exciting, but it's much better than staying in front of the TV. And is a pretty cheap activity too.Backyard Games
If you have a backyard, it's not hard to install a basketball basket, a volleyball net or a small door for soccer. Playing sports in the backyard is good for your and your kids health and helps the family spend more time together. It's also very frugal activity - once you install the net, basket or door and buy the needed balls you basically need nothing else.Paintball
Paintball is not cheap if you want to buy all the needed equipment and play in the backyard. But there are many places where you and your family can play paintball paying only a hourly based fees that usually aren't high.The kids and teens tend to like paintball a lot so it's a great idea to take yours on such venture. It can be even more fun if you take your neigbor's family and form bigger teams.Jogging
Want something even cheaper? Then try jogging - you can do it in the nearest park and need nothing except comfortable shoes and light clothes (assuming the weather is warm). Jogging is great for groups of 1-3 people, but even if you have a large family it's OK to go all and run together.Just like with hiking some people turn jogging into competition and pain. Don't do it - you are there to have fun and keep your family united.Biking
Biking is even more fun than jogging and is believed to be just as good for your health. Going out with bicycles can also turn into small expedition, because you can check places that are 10 - 20 or more km. away from you.Biking requires bigger investment in the beginning, but once you buy bicycles for everyone, they can be used for years with very small ongoing costs (much smaller than your car requires).Outdoor Swinging
A lazy but still active way to have fun outdoor is to swing in the backyard. Installing a family swing set requires some money at the beginning but there is almost no maintenance after that. And you can use the outdoor swing for more than ten years (depending on its type and quality).Just make sure that the swing set has enough seats for everyone (at least for the kids) so it don't cause wrangles between them. Remember, having fun is most important in everything you do.