Nickelodeon Goes Dark to Encourage Kids: Get Out & Play

You'd think that a multimedia company that makes its money by providing children focused television programing and online services would be the last ones to pull the plug on their content to encourage kids to get outside and play; but Nickelodeon is doing just that!  In an effort to promote that children's television viewing, video game playing and online use should be balanced with outdoor active play time, Nickelodeon is going dark on September 20, 2014 in recognition of Worldwide Day of Play.

Beginning at 9 a.m. through Noon on September 20th, Nickelodeon will air special messages featuring stars from some of its most popular live-action series, including  Sydney Park and Tylen Jacob Williams (Instant Mom), Curtis Harris and Breanna Yde (The Haunted Hathaways) and Paola Andino and Nick Merico (Every Witch Way), that will encourage children and teens to take time to be more physically active.  Than at Noon, Nickelodeon will sign-off, not just the main Nick cable channel but all of is television and online outlets Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Nick Jr., TeenNick, Nick.com, NickJr.com, Nicktoons.com, TeenNick.com, and the Nick App for mobile devices, until 3pm.  While the network is turned off a message encouraging TV viewers and online visitors to go out and play will appear.  When Nickelodeon's channels, websites and app resume normal operations at 3pm, messages promoting getting outside and playing featuring highlights from "Road to Worldwide Day of Play" events that Nickelodeon sponsored in my hometown of DETROIT, MICHIGAN, San Diego, California and Virginia Beach, Virginia over the summer will continue for the remainder of the day.

If you didn't make it to one of the three summer kickoff events to Worldwide Day of Play, there will be thousands of events across the country taking place on September 20th hosted by Nickeldeon's national partners, including Afterschool Alliance, the Association of Children's Museums, the Boys and Girls Club of America, Girls on the Run, the Girl Scouts of the USA, Key Club/Kiwanis, the National Environment Education Foundation, NFL PLAY 60, Playworks, Right to Play (USA Gymnastics), Roller Skating International, Save the Children, the United States Tennis Association, Up2Us, USA BMX and the YMCA, to encourage kids to get off the couch and out of the house to spend some time playing.  Click here for a list of links to all of these national Worldwide Day of Play partners to check and see if they are hosting any events in your area.

The United States Tennis Association is probably one of the most active partners this year in holding and promoting events tied to Worldwide Day of Play.  Visit their website and you can enter your zip code to find an event near you.  I found one of their events going on 5 miles from our house.  You may also want to keep an eye out for other local tie-in events being promoted in your own community by various organizations.

What are some of the reasons why it is important to get kids outside playing?  Playing outdoors helps build up immune systems, provides exercise, stimulates imagination, promotes problem solving, and provides Vitamin D.  Check out a nice article from Mommies Magazine on this topic.  Add to this list that our family likes to get outside and take a few trips to our local zoo throughout the year to get a good dose of Vitamin Z too!

So how are you going to get out and play for the Worldwide Day of Play?  I know that we'll be out playing soccer that day.

Get Out & Play before Summer Days have gone Bye Bye

Wow! once again summer is flying by faster than our family would like.  In just a few weeks our kids' school year will be beginning so I want to maximize their opportunities to get outside while the weather is warm and they have the time to play in the backyard or over at the neighborhood park.  A nice way to excite your kids about playing outside is to pick up a Get Out & Play! Essentials Pack from Imagine Toys.  In addition to providing some great items to keep your kids active and amused outdoors, purchasing this fun play kit helps with a larger societal goal of encouraging children across the country to play outdoors more by providing a donation to the charitable organization KaBoom!  Imagine Toys will donate a minimum of at least 8% of its sales from the Get Out & Play! Essentials Packs this year to support this national non-profit organization that works to bring balanced and active play into the daily lives of all children, particularly those growing up in poverty in America.

Imagine Toys generously provided a Get Out & Play! Essentials Pack for A GEEK DADDY blog to test out and review this summer.  I will be upfront and say that I was initially skeptical of this product being too "basic" to be of much usefulness...seemed like a bunch of "random" stuff just tossed in a bag... but upon receiving it have found it to be very convenient and have been very impressed.  The Get Out & Play! Essentials Pack gathers all sorts of child play items that you might have scattered all over your house, shed or garage and keeps them organized in a backpack that you can easily grab to take outside in the backyard or with you on a trip to the park.  If your kids whine that they don't know what to do outdoors for fun or complain playing outdoors is boring there are plenty of things you can pull out of the backpack to encourage them to play with.  Plus just pulling the items out of the backpack itself seems to add an aura of excitement for the kids.

Additionally, there is a Get Out & Play handbook that comes along with the Essentials Pack that is full of ideas for outdoor games if parents and children may be stumped for an interesting activity to do.  My kids have been asking this summer to play Hopscotch and I hate to admit I had no clue about the rules or how to play this game.  I pulled out the handy guide that came with this play set and there was a whole section that detailed everything I needed to know. So we are going to play Hopscotch this weekend!  Also included in the book are lots of suggestions for variations of tag, hide-and-go-seek, sidewalk, race, ball, and other types of games to capture children's attention and promote excitement with playing outdoors.  All of the "basic" play items that I initially though were "randomly" included actually tie into games suggested in the included Get Out & Play guidebook enhancing their value by being packaged together.  This really is a great play kit!

Along with the book, this play kit is packed with timeless playground essentials including two jump ropes, an 8" dodge ball (the rubbery type I remember from gym class), a flying disc and a few boxes of sidewalk chalk.  All thrown in a high quality backpack that can easily be slung over a shoulder to be carried to where you need to be.  Backpacks are an item that I often come across and am disappointed by flimsy or cheap construction, but I can legitimately say this backpack is really well made and very useful for packing your kids up for an afternoon outside.  The kick ball, jump rope and flying disc are also well constructed so they are sturdy enough to weather rough play and won't break after being used for five minutes by a kid.  In my opinion the Get Out & Play! Essentials Pack is ideal for use by children between the ages of 5 to 10 years old and if you have a kid in that age range I'd recommend you check it out.


The Go Out & Play! Essentials Pack retails for $59.95 at Imagine Toys.  You can select from an orange or purple colored backpack.  With hundreds of cable channels to watch and video games to play on your television, it can be easy for kids to waste away hours sitting on the couch indoors, it is so important as parents that we make an effort to get our children playing outdoors to promote exercise and health living.  This Go Out & Play! Essentials Pack is a great resource for busy parents, or babysitting grandparents like the ones my wife & I depend on when we are at work, to utilize to encourage your kids to engage in some athletic and creative play activities outdoors.

For more information on Imagine Toys:  www.imaginetoys.com
For more information on KaBoom!: www.kaboom.org

Disclaimer:  A GEEK DADDY BLOG received a complimentary Go Out & Play! Essentials Pack from Imagine Toys to review.

Workouts Don't Need to be Complicated - Go for a Walk

Combining parenting two rambunctious four year olds with the obligations and commitments of maintaining a professional career to put it simply can be challenging at times; but that doesn’t mean fitting in time for exercise should suffer. Leading a healthy, active lifestyle doesn’t mean you have to hit the gym or run a 5K, rather making a specific effort to walk for 30 minutes a day can be a great way to stay fit. One of my favorite things to do with my kids is go on a walk about adventure – checking out the various nature trails and parks in surrounding communities, frequent trips to our local zoo, and checking out museums or historical sites are all fun ways to bring together enjoying time with your children while getting some exercise through walking.

It doesn’t have to be as complicated as going on a road trip to make time for walking though. When driving someplace for work or errands, I tend to park at the rear of the parking lot and take a stroll to where I’m going. When practical I skip taking elevators or escalators and take the stairs. My wife keeps sneakers at her office and puts them on during her lunch hour for a thirty minute walk every day. As a family we often go for a walk around the neighborhood after dinner as part of our evening routine. In today’s day and age it can be very easy to get caught up in leading a sedentary lifestyle so by doing little things regularly to get off the couch, away from the desk, or out of the house it makes being active more of a routine way of living rather than a chore you feel you need to do.

One of my favorite television programs was “The West Wing” which has become known for its scenes of walking dialogue between the cast to enhance the political drama of the show. Recently, the cast of “The West Wing” reunited to do a spoof video of the show that promotes the merits of walking to help the U.S. Surgeon General’s EVERYBODY WALK! Campaign. Check out this video, especially if you are a fan of “The West Wing”, it is funny but also makes some good points and provides some tips about the value of walking:

 

Walk & Talk - The West Wing Reunion from Martin Sheen

RODALE has published an interesting article that lists the "8 Astonishing Benefits of Walking":

#1 It deflects diabetes;

#2 It soups up your sex life;

#3 It saves you money on gym costs;

#4 It can get you off medications;

#5 It can help fade fibromyalgia pain;

#6 It helps beat breast cancer;

#7 strolling reduces stroke risk;

#8 It can save your mind.

Additionally, Dr. Graham Colditz of Washington University School of Medicine told Jocelyn Milici Ceder in her article - TOP 10 HEALTH BENEFITS OF WALKING - for Walk Score Blog that "walking is the closest thing to a magic bullet for health."

So are you and your family getting your 30 minutes of walking in every day? If not, why not?