July Blog_2019

Blue's Blog July 2019

#BluesBlog

July 15, 2019 - pdf version


Hi everyone! I’m not sure about you but my clubhouse friends and I have been having so much fun playing outdoors this summer.  We have done so many exciting things like swimming at the Clayton Swim Club, playing in the sand at Fort Fisher, hiking Black Mountain, fishing and tubing down the North Toe River at the Buck Hill Campground, and so much more. 

A friend of mine shared an awesome book with me a few years ago about the importance of spending time outdoors and connecting with nature.  The book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder  is by Richard Louv.  It was so interesting how today's kids are more disconnected from the natural world.  The author wrote that: “Instead of passing summer months hiking, swimming and telling stories around the campfire, children these days are more likely to attend computer camps or weight-loss camps and as a result, they've come to think of nature as more of an abstraction than a reality.”  Check out this book and a few others by Richard Louv (The Nature Principle and Vitamin N).

Now that I have been spending so much time outdoors, I’ve become more thoughtful about the sun and its effects on my furry body.  Because I’m a bear, my fur helps protect me from the harmful rays of the sun. Although the sun doesn’t affect me as much due to bear features, it does affect some of my kid friends.  There are both positive and negative effects to consider while we are outdoors.  A few positive effects include improved mood, increased vitamin D levels (heart, muscle, and bone health), and lowered blood pressure.  A few negative effects include skin cancer, premature aging of skin, and eye damage.  Since I want all our Be Active Kids friends to be sun safe while spending 120 minutes or more being active outdoors, I want to share a few sun safety practices from the SunbeatablesTM and our friends at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.   (1) Find some shade, especially between 10:00am and 4:00pm when the sun’s rays are most harmful, (2) Apply and reapply sunscreen, (3) Wear protective clothing when possible, (4) Wear sunglasses, and (5) Wear hats.  Another great resource is Sun Safe Nurseries (www.sunsafenurseries.co.uk) – check it out.

 

These are two of our favorite resources to help teachers and caregivers be inspired to create more active outdoor play opportunities for children.

 


50 Ways to Cool Off this Summer 30 Cool Things to do on a Hill

 

We’d love to hear and see how you’ve been active outdoors this summer! Email your outdoor play experiences, sun safety techniques, and pictures to info@beactivekids.org or share your outdoor, sun safe fun on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using #beactiveblue, #caughtbeingactive, and @beactivekids.

We can’t wait to see all of those smiling, active children and adults having fun and being sun safe together.  Have a happy summer and see you in August.

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