April Blog_2019

Blue's Blog April 2019

#BluesBlog

April 15, 2019 - PDF Version 

 

Hi everyone! I’ve been walking around a lot with my clubhouse friends since the beginning of spring and have caught some children and families being active together outside (#caughtbeingactive). I even saw children being given the choice of what, how, and who to play with, without adults directing them. This made my clubhouse friends and I excited but it also made me wonder, how often are children and families getting outside to be active in today’s technology driven world? How often do you see children being active in your own communities? Are the children given freedom to engage in their own play? Does your family make it a priority to get outside and play during your free time?  Check out NC Children and Nature Coalition and the Children & Nature Network! 

  

 

 

 

In March, my clubhouse friends and I caught a small group of children being active with a large stick and a pile of mulch at a park. They were actively engaged in playing with this stick and the mulch pile for almost a full hour. They worked together to lift the stick on top of the mulch pileand made up a variety of their own games. Through this active play, they had no idea that they were also working on their muscle strength and endurance. They were building strong minds and bodies through play!

We want to see more of this type of play in our North Carolina communities! Don’t you? The good news is that my clubhouse friends and I have a lot of ideas and resources that will help the children in your life build strong minds and bodies like us! Visit our website at www.beactivekids.org to stay connected to the latest resources and consider joining us in May at our Early Childhood Physical Activity Institute to learn more ways to build the mind-body connection for children through play.

 

These are two of our favorite resources to help children and families grow their minds and bodies with active play outdoors! 

 

Fun Ideas for Using Play Things Indoors and Outdoors

 101 Things to do with a Stick

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We challenge you to think about how you can engage in more active play by joining the Be Active Kids Clubhouse Team for Screen Free Week, April 29-May 5. Unplug from screen based entertainment and give the children in your lives the gift of PLAY! Share your active, screen free pictures on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using #beactiveblue, #caughtbeingactive, and @beactivekids.

Have a wonderful day and see you in May!

 

Blue the Caring Cub

Testimonials

  • Preservice Teachers Learn to Use Be Active Kids in Limited Spaces

    I really enjoyed our class meeting. It was interesting to discover that you can do just about anything with children in the classroom where there may not be much space to encourage them to be active.  A change that I will make in my own life is to be more active, as well as my daughter. I will share this information with my friends that have children such as yoga animals, or Simon Says.

    Cathy Sesta, Parent & Child Care Provider
  • Early Childhood Physical Activity Institute

    Thank you for inviting me to be part of this year’s Institute. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed the experience. You’re doing amazing work and I hope I’ll be able to continue contributing to it a bunch in the future.

    Rae Pica, www.movingandlearning.com
  • Plenty of Resources That I Can Use and Share

    This class was informative, and I look forward to being physically active with young children. On Friday, I volunteered at a Parents Night Out through my daughter's school. When I got there the kids were watching a movie. I got them up to play Simon Says and Red Light Green Light, however, after that I was stuck on what to do. I wish I had the knowledge I gained from this class, to have made it more exciting.

    I enjoyed your Land and Lake Activity.

    Venessa Wright, Parent & Child Care Provider
  • Be Active Kids Trainers Rock!

    I loved the training.  I would have loved it more if I had the other teachers from my center there also.  I am really looking forward to taking my kit to work and sharing it with my staff.  I liked Brittney, she reminded me of myself as far as being very active and motivated.  When I am at work with my little ones we stay busy all day.  I feel like singing my instructions and dancing my actions helps them to focus better on what I need for them to do.  Britney was great and I learned a lot from her. I am always trying to find new little ways to get the kids moving.

    Tiffany Daniel, Sandhill Community College
  • ECPAI

    The Early Childhood Physical Activity Institute was just wonderful!  Thank you again for including me in such an important effort to create and sustain leaders in EC physical activity. I would love to return to NC anytime that you think I can help. I enjoyed meeting the folks who work with you and hearing about all of the great things that are planned. 

    Linda Carson, Choosy Kids
  • Be Active Kids has Much to Offer

    Congratulations to you and everyone who has been promoting PA for young
    children in NC. You have much to be proud of here. Be Active Kids is an excellent source of ideas for promoting active play in unstructured settings. The Be Active Kids website also has resources on promoting unstructured active play. I encourage folks to review these resources. 

    Diane Craft, SUNY Cortland & Active Play Books