How to Stay Active and Healthy in the Summer Time

Summertime is the best time to start becoming more physically active. With all the extra time your child has its important to make sure they have fun during summer vacation but also that they stay happy, active and healthy.

Here are some ways to stay active and healthy in the summer:

Keep them Hydrated:

It’s obvious that staying hydrated during summer time is important, but it is not always easy to get them to drink as much water as they should. Here are some tips that can help you:

• Fruit Infused Water: By letting delicious fruits soak in water it makes a plain drink more delicious! You can also purchase cool looking fruit infused water bottles made just for kids!
•  Schedule more drink breaks: Get your child in the habit of taking water breaks throughout the day and it will soon become routine. This is especially important if your child is participating in a lot of physical activities throughout the day.
•  Popsicles: Try to get some with low sugar so your kids can stay hydrated with less sugar. You can also make popsicles fun by looking up recipes to make them with your kids!

Engage with nature:

Marla and her Falconry bird Mack from The New England Reptile and Raptor Show

The Children’s Museum in Easton recently had Bigfoot summer drop in day, which focused on nature and ways to have fun in your backyard. The New England Reptile and Raptor show had an interactive performance where children learned about the cool creatures that live right in their backyard. They even got the chance to meet the animals up close!

 The performance also taught visitors about bones and how they differ for each animal. Their new found knowledge about  nature helped children create amazing Bigfoot dioramas that Bigfoot himself would love to call home! Visitors also made a Bigfoot expedition kit which would help them catch Bigfoot and many other creatures that may be nearby. The Bigfoot obstacle course was also a huge hit because it allowed children to literally “walk in Bigfoot’s shoes”!

 

All these activities promoted learning about nature and inspired creativity. The Bigfoot drop in day allowed Children to learn and be active in ways that they enjoyed. Children were able be active while exploring their surroundings and learning.  Many children left the museum happy and eager to continue their search for Bigfoot.

Attending Bigfoot day isn't the only way to have your children engage with nature. Make every day an adventure and start exploring wherever you can, which leads me into our next tip for staying healthy and active in the summer.

Make sure your child gets daily exercise:

It may seem like something obvious, but the summertime is when children become less physically active. On hot days it can be tempting to stay inside and sit around all day, but there are many ways to make sure your child gets daily exercise in the summer. Here’s what you can do:

•  Take walks to the local store to buy Popsicles and cool down.
• Go for a swim to stay active and cool down.
• Go on at least three bike rides a week.
• On rainy days instead of staying in and watching movies turn on some music and get your groove on!
• Visit your local park and play games such as, Frisbee, basketball, or soccer.

Hopefully all these tips help you and your children have a healthy and happy summer and remember you can always stop by the Children’s Museum in Easton to have a healthy and happy summer!

*Written by Love Boussiquot, PR Intern

Curious Creatures

This past Friday there were animals, feathered, scaled and fluffy at the Museum courtesy of Curious Creatures.  Not only did visitors have the chance to see the animals and learn about them, but they also had a chance to pet the animals as well.  Some of the many awesome animals that were at the Museum were a skunk, boa constrictor, chinchilla, bearded dragons and a flying squirrel.  Everyone in the audience had a chance to touch the animals during the show as well as the chance to spend time with some of the animals after the show as well.  The children helped hold up the boa constrictor, played with a fluffy bunny and provided a perch for the parrot.

Animals from every continent but Antarctica were present at the Museum on Friday.

• Macaw's (parrot) can be found in South America.
• Flying Squirrels can be found in North and Central America.
• Alligator's can be found in North America and China.
• Chinchilla's can be found in the Andes mountains in Peru and Chile.
• Bearded Dragons can be found in central Australia.
• Boa Constrictors can be found in North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.
• Scorpions can be found on every continent besides Antarctica but are not native to the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
• Tarantula's can be found in the U.S., Mexico, South America, Africa, Australia and lower Asia.
• Tropical frogs can be found in Central and South America.
• Bunnies can be found in Southwestern Europe, Southeast Asial Africa, South America, Japan, Sumatra and in your own backyard.
• Tortoise's, Skunks and King Snakes can all be found in North America.

There was a lot of fun and educational information in the show on Friday.  In case you missed the event, here are some of the many fun facts that we learned about the many different animals present.

• A parrot’s jaw is so strong that it can break a human finger and crack open the hardest nuts.
• Parrot's lose feathers every day.
• Blue and gold Macaws from South America are as smart as a 3 year old. 
• Bearded Dragon's are shades of yellow and tan to camouflage themselves in their habitat, the desert.
• Bearded Dragon’s have no teeth and spike up when they feel threatened.
• Aside from crocodiles, alligators have the strongest jaws of any animal.
• Despite how hard a tortoise shell might seem, a jaguar can bite through it.
• Tortoise shells grow in rings from the cracks on their shells.
•  Skunks dig in the dirt for bugs to eat; the more bugs they eat the stinkier they get.
• After a skunk sprays it can’t spray for a week.

Is your child curious about lots of different creatures?  If they are, don’t be afraid to encourage their love for animals.  Share these fun facts with them, take them out to explore at the zoo or on a farm and take them to the library to find books that can teach them more about their favorite animals.

For some more photos from Curious Creatures you can check out the slideshow below.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.