4 Indoor Activities to Keep Your Kids Active

Winter brings many new outdoor activities, like building snowmen, making forts, and exploring a winter wonderland. Minnesota winters, however, can become is cold that outdoor activities become unwelcome - or even dangerous - for kids.

When the weather outside is dreary and frigid and your kids feel antsy, you may wonder how to get them moving while indoors.

Fortunately, with some common household items, and a little creativity, the fun doesn’t have to stop.

1. Grab the Painter’s Tape

Make lines on the floor for some impromptu hopscotch or long jump. Or, tape different shapes, numbers and letters on the floor and play the shape game. Ask your child to run, hop, skip, jump and crawl to the different spots and learn their numbers and letters along the way!

For younger children, you can tape the door frame in the shape of a sticky spider web, then give your child some newspaper to reach and stick or throw onto the web. It’s great for building motor skills.

2. No Construction set? No Problem!

Take advantage of all those leftover holiday or birthday paper cups and plates and bowls, egg cartons, cardboard tubes and ice cream buckets. They make a great impromptu construction set. The more variety of dishes, the better. Your kids will be building tall towers, fun buildings, castles and more in no time!

As another option for those paper dishes, draw some Xs and Os on the plates instead, tape a blank tic tac toe board on the floor and play a giant game of tic tac toe.

3. Have a Dance Party

Dim the lights, dress up in silly outfits and throw on some fun classics, like disco. Find karaoke songs on YouTube and sing along with your children. It’s a great way to make light of a cold day!

4. Don’t Knock the Classics

So much fun can be had with a simple balloon! Challenge your kids to waddle around the room with a balloon between their knees, without dropping it. Multiple kids can play a three-legged race adaptation with the balloon between their hips and build teamwork.

Another balloon game option with multiple children is hot potato, the game where you don’t let the balloon touch the ground. It seems simple, but it can get competitive fast!


Need to feel inspired? School-A-Thon is all about making things fun. Check out our blog for more tips and tricks, from getting your kids off the couch to family cooking how-tos!

5 Summer Night Games for Kids

There is something special about night games. When it’s dark outside, that’s when the fun games really begin. Enjoy what’s left of this warm weather and get your kids active with these fun night games.

Flashlight Tag

One of the classics! One person is “it” while the rest go hide. The person who is “it” is the one with the flashlight. “It” will count to 10 and then go find the ones hiding. Once you are caught in the flashlight, you are tagged. The last person to be tagged is the winner and the first to be tagged is the next person who is “it”.

Ghost in the Graveyard

Select a pair of players to be ghosts to hide somewhere. The rest of the group is in the “safe” area. The group in the safe area will shout “one o’clock, two o’clock, three o’clock…” all the way up until midnight. Then they fan out into the playing area looking for ghosts. Once they spot a ghost, they yell “ghost in the graveyard… run, run, RUN!” That warns everyone to get back to the safe area. At this time, the ghosts are free to leave their spot and chase the rest of the group. If anyone gets tagged by a ghost, they are a ghost the next round.

Glow Stick Volleyball

Everyone gets four glow sticks, one for each wrist and one for each ankle. (Pro tip: You can buy a big pack of glow sticks online for under $10!) Use a glow-in-the-dark volleyball, or use any leftover glow sticks to insert into a beach volleyball. Have fun keeping the ball off the ground by hitting it back and forth, or play a real game if you have a net available.

Outdoor Movie Night

Grab your favorite treats and invite a few of your friends for an outdoor movie night! If you’re a DIY lover, try your hand at making this DIY smartphone projector. Then, all you need is a white sheet or wall to project on and your kids’ favorite Netflix movie.

Firefly

This game should be played with a small pocket flashlight so that the beam isn’t as easy to spot. One person is chosen to be the firefly and goes to hide in the dark away from the rest of the group. After counting to 20, the players go off in search of the firefly (who is moving from spot to spot constantly). Every 60 seconds, the firefly must flicker their flashlight off and on. Once the firefly is caught, the game is over and a new firefly will be picked.


Make safety the number one priority and set a boundary for kids. If your kids are younger, have them hide with a buddy. Head outside and play with your kids for a fun family night and build lasting memories. After all, the new school year is right around the corner!

4 Questions to Help Your Kids Clean Out Their Closets

The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and the bees are buzzing. It’s enough to entice anyone to “spring” outdoors and enjoy the fresh air. The clutter that is lurking in your child's closet when spring arrives is a compilation of an entire season’s worth (or more) of belongings. School-a-thon will help you dive into your spring cleaning and get your kid’s messy closet sorted. Here are some questions to ask yourself and your little helper when starting this endeavor.

Can I Live Without This?

Instead of thinking of what you could use something for, think if you could get away without it. You can probably think of a million and a half crafting projects or other uses for your child’s hoarded odds and ends, but odds are you’re just delaying the inevitable, which is throwing it away or adding it to a future garage sale. Remember, it’s spring cleaning, not spring “Oh, I remember this thing-ing.”

Could We Donate This?

Living without something doesn’t always mean you need to toss it in a landfill and forget about it! Donating a seldom used item can be a wonderful thing and will lead to some pretty nifty tax write-offs. Some of the most sought after belongings to donate are:

• Jackets
• Sleeping bags
• Toys
• Glasses
• Clothing

Could This Space be Put to Better Use?

Maybe your cluttered closet could be a new home for arts and crafts supplies, or maybe storing clothing in the closet could allow you to get rid of a dresser and open up the room for more activities. Check out some of these organizational tips to make the most out of your soon-to-be clean space.

When Did I Use This Last? Do I Plan to Use it Soon?

It’s likely that the tennis racket you bought in 2004 that you used twice isn’t going anywhere. Maybe your little trumpet player didn’t make it to Louis Armstrong’s level, and that’s ok. While there are objects of value you’ll find, think about their practicality. Lower stress, greater happiness, and increased self-esteem have been associated with minimalism, so if you don’t have plans on using it, it might be better off for sale or donated.

If you’ve asked all these questions, and followed through with constructive answers, your closets should be organized and in tip-top-shape. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe for more parenting, fitness, and life tips!

Get Your Kids Excited About Healthy Cooking

There’s something to be said about cooking a wholesome meal for you family, but even more can be said about cooking a healthy meal with help from your family. If you’re looking for a way to spend more time with your little ones while teaching them an invaluable skill - look no further. We’ll cover a few ways to get em’ smiling in the kitchen & eating healthy at the dinner table.

Keep it Simple

Seeing a 7-year-old whip up filet mignon & lobster would be impressive, but it’s a better idea to find something that’s suitable for your child’s age. You’ll find that recipes involving specific measurements will typically end in disaster. These healthy & easy pita pizzas are a great place to start!

Do Some Prep

A bit of preparation never hurt anyone. Depending on the age of the little one, it can be a good idea to get the chopping & some of the measuring out of the way. They’ll eventually be able to mince onions like a pro, but for now, it’s all about the basics.

Real Ingredients are Best

Cooking real food with your kids is an excellent opportunity to teach them about the benefits of eating healthy. It’s also a great way to get them used to eating a well-balanced diet - which will pay off big time in the long run.

Be Ready for a Mess

Messes happen, especially with kids in the kitchen. We learn from mistakes & it’s a great way to teach them to pick up after themselves – which might even lead to less dirty dishes in the future. Having some paper towels or a washcloth handy. Spare ingredients could be worth your while if your kiddo is particularly accident prone.

Make it a Regular Thing

The only way to improve a skill is through practice. By picking a day of the week to cook a meal, they’ll start to look forward to spending time in the kitchen. You’ll be building on a routine that can turn into a tradition.

Food has an interesting way of bringing people together, and there are many lessons that can be learned in the kitchen. By whipping up some healthy & delicious eats you’ll be teaching your child healthy habits that can last a lifetime.

For more tips on healthy eating be sure to follow School-a-Thon on social media.

Choosing the Right “Thon” for Your School

Are your students sick and tired of going door-to-door with the same old fundraiser every year?

Where is the fun in that? School-A-Thon wants to give your school a different option to that boring annual fundraiser. We know that fundraising is key to any school, but the old methods usually don’t have enough time and manpower and can come up short on funds.

Color-A-Thon

School-A-Thon offers many different “thons” for your school. Our most popular thon is a Color-A-Thon Fun Walk/Run. This is something that the entire school will remember for years to come. Our goal with a Color-A-Thon is to build school spirit and have fun with color camaraderie. Students then earn T-shirts and cool rewards. In addition, your school will make money and everyone will know they got the job done in the process.

The kids will get to pick from red, yellow, blue and pink for the colors they want to wear for the fun walk/run. The biggest goal is to end up with one color; green, as in plenty of funds for your school!

Additional Thons

Schools can also choose whether they have a spelling, reading, cleaning or service work thon. Schools can also come up with their own ideas for a thon including a dance-a-thon, game-a-thon, or dribble-a-thon.

There are plenty of ideas to be had. Choosing to dance-a-thon is a good way to get your school together and get some exercise in the process. Who doesn’t love to dance anyway? Choosing a game-a-thon by playing board games is a great way to use some brainpower outside of the classroom. And a dribble-a-thon can get all of those athletes on the floor at once playing some basketball.

School-A-Thon wants to fit your school’s goals and values. Whether you’re interested in keeping your students healthy with exercise, trying to help your school bond or just provide some fun, there are many different options to choose from.

Executing a Successful Thon

Your Color-A-Thon can be a fee-based event or donation-based. For a donation-based event, the school must have a custom pledge site for each student. School-A-Thon will provide donation envelopes and a prize program to get as many kids to participate as possible. A donation-based event is ideal for an elementary or middle school. Minimizing the student’s work will get more results.

An entrance fee-based event is good for a community event, high school or nonprofit. You choose your entry fee (minimum $30), which includes a color pack and T-Shirt. You get a custom registration website, money-management software and much more to make this event pop and be fun and profitable at the same time.

Make sure to visit schoolathon.org to find out which type of event is right for your school.

Introducing Healthy Foods to Your Family

When it comes to picky eaters, we get how difficult it can be to introduce them to new foods. For some kids (and adults) pickiness can come from a texture, a smell, or color. While introducing your kids to new foods or getting them to eat their vegetables can be hard, keep in mind that the goal is to introduce your picky eater to new and healthy options. Here some tips for getting even your pickiest eater to try new foods:

Be patient. Getting your picky eater to eat the foods you want them to eat can be frustrating. Keep offering a wide variety of flavors, textures, and items to your picky eater. Our tastes and preferences will change with time, exposure, and experience.

Model good habits. Simply put, if you want your child to eat healthier foods, then you will need to eat healthier, too. Make choosing healthier options a habit for all your meals. Depending on how old your kids are, now may be a good time to talk about why we eat healthy food for healthier bodies.

Let them help. When you are choosing recipes, grocery shopping, and making meals, let your kids help. Being a part of the process can help them to understand why certain options are healthier. Having a hand in cooking dinner or packing lunchboxes can help them become more excited about eating it since they had a hand in making it.

Make it fun. Experiment with dinner for a fun family adventure. Make it an exploration of difference cultures by having a monthly dinner that focuses on a country and food. Have an Italian night with spaghetti and prosciutto, or a Japanese sushi night. Trying new food experiences and learning about new places can be exciting for youngsters.

Make substitutes. Sometimes, something as simple as substituting one vegetable for another can help ease them into trying new foods. Think tomatoes for red bell peppers, iceberg lettuce for Swiss chard or other healthier greens (which pack more in nutrients and essential vitamins than lighter greens), or green beans for sugar snap peas.

Make it an adventure.  Sometimes it’s the presentation that makes all the difference in getting your child to try new foods. Try cutting different foods with a cookie cutter or present it in a cute way like with these bento boxes. This new appearance can be enough to make your child brave enough to try something new.

Pack your pantry. Pack your pantry with healthier options to limit the temptation of unhealthy and processed foods. You and your kids will be more successful if there isn’t an extra bag of chips or stash of soda in the corner.

Sneak in healthy foods. Sneaking veggies into your meals can be an excellent way to give your kids essential vitamins and nutrients. For example, adding avocado or spinach into a smoothie can add plenty of healthy essentials without impacting the flavor or appearance. For other recipes that sneak in vegetables, visit kidsactivitesblog.com for 45 recipes that sneak in veggies.

Make the Most of Fall: Explore the Great Outdoors with Your Kids

With all the tablet, smartphone, and laptop screens that are trying to take over our children's lives, it can be difficult to get them interested in the outdoors. This is especially true in Autumn when the weather starts to cool off and the daylight starts to lessen. Autumn, however, is one of the best times of the year to get out and explore.

While it may seem easy to stay indoors and hibernate until spring returns, staying active—both physically and mentally—can be just as easy. Getting kids outside and interested in their surroundings is paramount to a fun-filled childhood. And just a few minutes of planning can go a long way towards creating lifelong memories. As the Fall weather gets a bit chillier, grab a coat and a scarf and take your kids on an outdoor adventure!

Scavenger Hunts

Scavenger hunts are a simple activity that you and your child can enjoy together. Walk through your local park as you locate specific birds or discover different trees that you may have never known existed in your area. Search for the prettiest rock and discover its mineral makeup together. Gather a leaf of every variety. There are plenty of possibilities.

Geocaching

Geocaching is an activity on the rise. Hiking is a great outdoor activity to do in cooler weather because it gets your blood pumping. Following directions to specific coordinates will teach your children about maps and how to navigate with them, even in your own neighborhood. While it is common to bring a trinket to exchange when you find your cache, discovering the hidden goodies can be just as fun.

Bonfires and Star Gazing

Here is an opportunity for your kids to put their smart devices to good use; there are plenty of apps that will help you map your way through the stars. Sky Map is an open source application for your smartphone that uses your location settings to determine the current position of the constellations that are viewable in your location. Look up the origins of the constellations and tell their stories around the fire. Bonfires might be fun in the summer, but the warming effects of a bonfire coupled with a mug of hot chocolate on a crisp Fall night are downright magical.

Visit A Pumpkin Patch or Apple Orchard

With Halloween around the corner, walk through a pumpkin patch together in search of the perfect pumpkin to bring home for carving. After the Jack-O-Lanterns adorn the front steps, find your favorite recipe and bake a fresh pie or pumpkin seeds for a healthy snack.

Apple Orchards, Likewise, are just as fun. You’ll have even more delicious ingredients to make Fall snacks, and you can spend an afternoon in a beautiful orchard finding them and picking them with your kids. Take the opportunity to learn about the different species of apples that grow in your area and how their flavors differ.

Remember, while cozy blankets are good for sitting on the couch and watching movies, they are just as useful when your venture into the great outdoors. Get out and about and explore the great outdoors this Fall.

Summer Sunscreen Safety For Kids

In Minnesota, August is one of, if the hottest month of the year. It also happens to  be the last month of freedom for many kids before they head back to school, which means kids all over the state are cramming in as much fun as possible.

Many parents know that one of the most important things to protect your child from the summer elements is sunscreen. Recently, though, there has been some controversy around using sunscreen, which kinds of sunscreen to use, and how often is safe to use it. We know that your kids are important, and seemingly obvious habits - such as using sunscreen- can be questioned with a few internet posts. Let’s go over a few facts about sunscreen for kids, to clarify the subject:

What’s the difference between SPF’s?

SPF - or sun protection factor- is the approximate measurement that a sunscreen will protect you from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Although a higher SPF might seem to protect one better from the elements, it is important to take in mind is how well you apply the sunscreen, how often you are applying it, which types of rays the sunscreen block, and other elemental factors.

High SPF products are not always the best. They tend to lull the wearer into a false sense of security, preventing them from reapplying sunscreen when they need to. They also contain higher concentrations of the sun-filtering chemicals, and can be irritating to small children.

There is more than one type of UV ray

There are actually three types of UV rays: UVA, UVB, and UVC. UVC rays are filtered out by the earth’s ozone, so don’t be concerned if your sunscreen doesn’t list UVC on the bottle. None of them do. UVB rays are the most harmful; sunscreen will protect you from UVB rays, but not all of them protect against UVA rays. UVA rays cause skin to tan. Although alluring to many, tanned skin is actually a sign of genetic mutation, and can lead to premature aging, wrinkles, and certain skin cancers. When choosing a sunscreen for kids, pick one that protects from both UVA and UVB rays.

How often to apply

This can vary from brand to brand. Be sure to read the instructions on your chosen brand of sunscreen. It also depends if your child is playing in direct sunlight at the sun’s peak time of day (10 AM to 4PM) or in the shade in the early morning or late afternoon. A good rule of thumb for reapplying sunscreen is every two to four hours, depending on the wearer’s activities.

When to reapply:

The location and time of day in which your children are outside will play a big role as well. If your child is more active during hotter times of day, he or she will sweat more, and if your sunscreen is not waterproof, you will need to reapply more often. Likewise, if your child in playing in or around the water (as most kids do in the summer) it is a good idea to reapply often.

But, what about that scary post I read on the internet? Is sunscreen harming my child?

This year, there have been reports circling the internet that sunscreen is bad for children. One of these reports is about the chemical Oxybenzone in some sunscreens, and how it can be a hormone disruptor in children. Simply put, the data is simply not there. A study often cited used rats - not humans- as participants, and these rats ingested shockingly large amounts of the chemical that would not be present in sunscreens. As common sense would tell us, large amounts of any chemical- beneficial or not- could be potentially hazardous. If you have questions, ask your doctor, not the internet.

Other posts and images on the internet are simply instances of sunscreen misuse and are examples of how not to apply or choose a sunscreen. Some are not best suited for children, but sunscreen, on the whole, is important to protect children from the damaging rays of the sun.

If you come across any of these if the post, ask yourself a few questions: Is the post promoting or selling a sunscreen that is “safer” than conventional sunscreen? Is the research backed up by scientific data or just opinions? You might find that you want to do a little more research when reading these posts.

So, what is the best way to protect your kids?

• Question what you read on the internet. Do your research. The sun’s rays can cause cancer - this is known and proven time and again. Other sunscreen speculation is often just that - speculation.

• Use a sunscreen between SPF 30 and 50. Higher SPF’s can seem tempting and more protective, but higher SPF’s can overwhelm a child’s sensitive skin.

• Reapply every 2-4 hours as needed. As adults, we often find ourselves in awe of how much energy our children have. Encourage them to take a break every now and then to reapply their sunscreen (and maybe drink some water).

• If your child is having issues with their sunscreen, don’t take to the internet—ask your doctor. If your child has continuing issues with sunscreen, it may be that your child is allergic to a chemical in that particular brand and need to switch to using something else.

A parent’s issues with sunscreen often stem from other underlying factors; an unknown allergy, misuse, the wrong SPF rating, longer than expected exposure time—there are many factors. The one fact that remains is that kids love to play outside and need to be protected from the sun. Help your children enjoy the last month of summer the right way: protected from harmful rays and sunburn-free.

Help Your Kids Make New Year's Resolutions Worth Keeping

How many times have you made a New Year’s resolution with the best of intentions only for it to fall through by Valentine’s Day? Committing to resolutions is never an easy feat, but it’s not impossible. Here are some tips to help your family make New Year’s resolutions worth sticking to this year.

Be mindful about resolutions and goals.  It’s important to talk about goals in a healthy way. As your family is discussing resolutions, have them think about the resolutions they are picking and discuss what successful-resolution keeping would mean to them. Focus on the positive of both past and future goals - a little optimism will go a long way. Pick healthy resolutions that will help them with long-term goals (i.e. “I will practice reading every night so I can read bigger books and expand my vocabulary). For healthy New Year’s resolution ideas for kids of all ages, check out this list from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Model resolution habits. It is important to have a ‘practice what you preach’ mentality as you are helping your kids keep their resolutions. This well help you stay accountable for your own resolutions and help instill a sense of responsibility in your child.

Everything is easier with a buddy. For many, buddying up with a sibling, parent, or friend makes sticking to a resolution a little bit easier. Consider making a family resolution, be it volunteering more often, cooking at home more often, or planning a family trip together. Resolutions can help bring your family closer together.

Set goals that help others. Kindness is the gift that keeps giving so it’s never too late to help your child set an altruistic resolution. Have your child make it a goal to help their school and organizations raise money through fundraising. You can learn more about the many kinds of fundraisers that Schoolathon offers in the links below:

Entrance Fee-Based Color-A-Thon Event

Donation-Based Color-A-Thon Event

“It’s Your Thon” School-A-Thon Event

Keeping resolutions successfully takes hard work, dedication, and commitment, but teaching your child that their hard work and commitment pays off is a glorious thing. Start the New Year with a clean slate and welcome all the possibilities to come.

Great Ready for an Excellent First Day of School

New year, new schedules, new excitements; With a lazy, sunshine-filled summer, you might ask yourself, “How does one even begin to prepare for a new school year?” It doesn’t have to be too complicated. Follow these seven tips on how to prepare your family and yourself for the first day of school.

1)   Organize.

For many families, wrapping up summer is a big part of getting into a school routine. Finish any summertime projects that are on your to-do list, help your kids organize their rooms and closets and focus on central areas like the kitchen, pantry, and living spaces. Starting with a clean and organized home can do wonders in preparing for the school year.

2)   Figure out the Technical Stuff

Get all the paperwork and forms completed, as well as any physicals or health check-ups. Make sure everyone knows the emergency numbers, contact information, and transportation schedules to and from school. For younger kids, help them find their classrooms, and for older kids, encourage them to figure out where all their classes are before school begins.

3)   Sleep Regularly.

With exciting things to do all summer it’s not hard to realize that the kids have been going to bed late and sleeping in every morning. During the school year, this routine can be problematic. Starting a week or two before the first day, get your kids to bed at a decent hour and wake up an hour or two before their school day would start. Kids between ages 3 and 6 need 10 to 12 hours of sleep, while teens, 13-18, benefit most from 8 to 9 hours of quality sleep.

4)   Set Up the Night.

To help your kids start their year on top, help them prepare everything the night before. Load up all necessary school supplies into their backpacks and leave it by the door next to any sports or extracurricular activities equipment they may need. Have them pick out an outfit that they feel comfortable and confident wearing. If they pack their own lunches, help them prepare as much of it as possible. These simple steps will ensure that there’s no rush the next morning, and they can enjoy the next step...

5)   Eat Breakfast.

Stop. Drop the bags. Put down the phone. Eat breakfast. There’s nothing else that will prepare your kids as much as fueling up for the day. Help them prepare a nutritious and filling breakfast that is also fast and easy and will sustain them until lunch to prevent aches, mood swings, and low energy later in the day. Make sure to pack a light snack to refuel mid-morning.

6)   Use a Planner

Whether you use a calendar to help plan important events and appointments for little ones or if you are encouraging teens to organize their own schedules, having a house central or personal planner will be essential to keep your family organized for the year.

7)   Have Fun.

No matter your child’s age, start their day with some good, old-fashioned love and encouragement. A new school year is the best opportunity to meet new friends and try new things. Encourage them to be open-minded and to be confident. Who knows how much fun they’ll have and how much they’ll grow this year when they start out with a bang?